Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, said he was “moved” by President Donald Trump’s comments and plans surrounding the Gaza Strip, calling Trump’s objectives “brilliant.”
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Franklin was referring to Trump’s Tuesday announcement while meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, a proclamation that sent shockwaves throughout the globe and ignited international discussion and debate.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too,” the president said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out — create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back.”
If no action is taken, Trump warned nothing in the region will change and chaos will continue. As for Netanyahu, he affirmed during the meeting his goals of destroying Hamas, releasing hostages, and stopping Gaza from being a future threat.
Regardless of the debate and skepticism among some, Franklin believes Trump’s shock announcement could lead to a more fruitful future.
“I heard in our president, a healer of nations,” Franklin said. “I heard a man who said, ‘Don’t these people deserve a better life? Don’t their children — if we go back to that place, it’s a zone of death. It’s a zone of destruction.'”
He continued, “I thought it was brilliant, personally. I thought if … you shoot for the moon and if you hit the stars, hey, you’ve done something that nobody else has ever done.”
Watch Franklin explain:
Franklin also spoke about a Monday meeting he attended with fellow evangelical leaders and Netanyahu. Held before the prime minister’s meeting with Trump, Franklin said the gathering was “weighty” and “was a tremendous honor to be a part [of].”
“He was very warm,” he said of Netanyahu. “He was so appreciative of the Christian community, the Christian friends that he felt like had Israel’s back when they’re facing so much opposition, especially in universities and in the streets of major cities where the protesters are … screaming ‘Death to Israel’ and all of that.”
Franklin, who coalesced with more than a dozen leaders for just over an hour, said Netanyahu expressed his “tremendous appreciation” to those in attendance for the Christian community’s help after the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
“He said, without the Christian church, he did not believe that Israel would be existing today,” Franklin said. “And I thought that was a powerful statement.”
Christian support for Israel continues to be strong, particularly among evangelicals — and it’s a dynamic Franklin said is intensely important.
“It’s so critical that Christians be educated in our spiritual roots,” Franklin said. “The roots are the Jewish people.”
He continued, “Everything that is New Covenant has a base and has a type and shadow in the Old Covenant. You cannot separate the two.”
There are, of course, biblical mandates to bless Israel. In Genesis 12:3 (NIV), God told Abram, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Franklin said it’s important to understand the implications of this verse.
“We don’t just love the Holy Land — the land of Israel where Jesus walked, talked, lived, was born and died, and rose again,” he said. “We love that land, but we are called to love the people of Israel.”
Franklin also noted statistics show shrinking support for Israel among younger evangelicals — something seen as concerning to Netanyahu. The preacher said he told the prime minister he has plans to work with the Jewish National Fund to bring thousands of young Americans to Israel.
“If we can get young people to Israel, maybe their senior year of high school or right before they go off to university — instead of going to the beach and getting wasted, let’s send them to the Holy Land,” he said. “Let’s pay for a trip. Let’s let them fourwheel in the Golan Heights, let’s let them kayak down the Jordan River, let’s baptize them, let’s take them to Calvary and have communion at the Garden Tomb.”
He believes these activities will solidify their faith and help them better process news stories and see through anti-Israel “lies” perpetuated on college campuses.
Watch to hear Franklin share more about the conversation with Netanyahu.
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