As the world watches the continuing crisis in the Middle East, Israel is enjoying a surge of support in the United States from conservative, evangelical Christians.

On the surface, that might seem surprising. But a closer look reveals the reasons behind a movement that has been called Christian Zionism or support among Christians for the Jewish nation.

Japanese Buddhist monk Terasawa Junsei, right, passes an Israeli soldier earlier this week at the Bethlehem checkpoint before heading to the Church of the Nativity, where he wanted to pray for peace. People of different faiths are concerned about what is happening in the Middle East.

Some Lawrence pastors explain that their belief in the importance of Israel’s continuing existence lies in America’s shared Judeo-Christian heritage with that country; in the covenantal relationship between God and the Israelites described in the Bible; and in prophetic writings about the central role played by a Jewish nation that are found in the Book of Revelations.

“In our Old Testament, God gave that land to the Israelites to begin with. That’s very clear. That certainly transpired before, and supersedes anything else, that could be going on there (in disputed territories),” said the Rev. Paul Gray, senior pastor of Heartland Community Church, 619 Vt.

“We have the same God, the same spiritual forefathers and the same religious beliefs from the Ten Commandments on. That’s the shared foundation that our nation was built on, and certainly the Jewish nation, too.”

There’s a natural bond that exists between Christians and Jews, according to the Rev. Eugene Dollar, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, 802 W. 22nd Terrace.

“We believe that (Jews) are still God’s people, and there is a future for them in God’s plan. We who are Christians will share with them in that eternal plan. Our commitment to the preservation of God’s people, our affection for them and our support of them as a nation comes from a deeply rooted belief in what the Bible teaches,” he said.

Many evangelical Christians believe that one of the preconditions for the return of Jesus on Earth is a gathering of the Jewish people on lands in the Middle East that are promised to them in the Bible.

The Rev. Bill Hurlbutt explains how prophecy regarding a Jewish nation unfolds in scripture.

“I’m what you would term a pre-millennialist. I believe Christ is going to come at a certain point and rapture his church. There’s going to be a great returning to Israel, and Israel is going to basically occupy the land that it has been so long waiting for,” says Hurlbutt, senior pastor of Christ Community Church, 1100 Kasold Drive.

“There’s going to be a time of prosperity for three and a half years and then a time of great tribulation for three and a half years, culminating in a very large battle encounter (Armageddon). Then Christ will make his physical return to the Earth.”

Belief in this scenario buttresses the support many conservative Christians voice for the ongoing existence of a Jewish state.

“The more conservative a Christian is, the greater that feeling would be, I would think,” Hurlbutt says.

Which doesn’t mean evangelical Christians are unmoved by the plight of the Palestinians, or insensitive to allegations of Israeli excesses.

“We as Christians deplore the death and grief on both sides of the conflict in Israel today. However, terrorism is evil and wrong, and we support Israel in her right as a nation to defend herself,” Dollar says.