Posted on 02/02/2002 4:22:03 AM PST by veronica
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington this past January, his initial meeting was not with President Clinton but with Jerry Falwell and more than 1,000 fundamentalist Christians.
The crowd saluted the prime minister as "the Ronald Reagan of Israel," and Falwell pledged to contact more than 200,000 evangelical pastors, asking them to "tell President Clinton to refrain from putting pressure on Israel" to comply with the Oslo accords.
The meeting between Netanyahu and Falwell illustrates a remarkable political and theological convergence.
The link between Israel's Likud government and the U.S. Religious Right was established by Natanyahu's mentor, Menachem Begin, during the Carter and Reagan administrations. However, the roots of evangelical support for Israel lie in the long tradition of Christian thinking about the millennium.
In Luke's account of the ascension, the disciples ask Jesus, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the Kingdom to Israel?" The question illustrates the early church's fascination with Israel and its prophetic role at the end of history--a fascination that continues to this day. Reflections on the end times draw on the Book of Daniel, Zechariah 9-14, Ezekiel 38-39 and various apocryphal books, as well as Matthew 24, the early Pauline letters (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 5:1-11) and the Book of Revelation.
An early version of Christian eschatology, called "historic premillennialism," held that Jesus would return and establish his millennial kingdom after the world had been evangelized. However, by the 18th century another model of eschatology emerged in England that emphasized the role of a reconstituted Israel in the end times.
This eschatology was rooted in three streams of British Christianity: the piety of English Puritanism; the view that Britain was the "new Israel," a theme that dates back at least to the seventh century and the Venerable Bede; and a hermeneutic that interpreted biblical prophetic texts as having a literal, future fulfillment. Among the forerunners of this movement was Sir Henry Finch, a prominent lawyer and member of Parliament. In 1621, Finch wrote a treatise in which he called upon the British people and its government to support Jewish settlement in Palestine in order to fulfill biblical prophecy.
As the year 1800 approached, several premillennial theologies emerged as a result of the insecurity surrounding the American and French revolutions. Among them were various utopian movements and the Millerites (a group that later became Seventh-day Adventists). During this period John Nelson Darby (1800-82), a renegade Anglican priest from Ireland, popularized and systematized eschatological themes while simultaneously developing a new school of thought which has been called "futurist premillennialism."
During 60 years of unceasing travel and preaching across the European continent and North America, Darby converted a generation of evangelical clergy and laity to his views. Darby held that biblical prophecies and much of scripture must be interpreted according to a literal and predictive hermeneutic. He believed that the true church will be removed from history through an event called the "rapture" (I Thess. 4:16-17; 5:1-11), and the nation Israel will be restored as God's primary instrument in history.
No one is a brother or sister if they do not accept Him as the Saviour, the Messiah, Jesus the Christ .. That I take it is what you meant , right ?
Not all evangelicals are 'Christian' Zionists, that is only a loonie fringe.
They see other reasons, including it is in our national interest, to support Israel also.
The key word is 'also'.
Nix, please give me a source for your statement regarding "The head of Baptist Ministries" excoriating the Jews at Columbine. I'm of Baptist backround myself, and I have to tell you that this sounds like bad info. For one thing, the term "the head of Baptist Ministries" is like saying "The Rabbi who reads the Torah." There is no "Head" of Baptist Ministries.
Of the 3 forms listed above, the Eschatological view of Darby is the only one that has any sway among Baptists.
Just curious. Somebody called me a "Jew Hater" because of a statement I made to you. Supposedly that statement meant I was an anti-Semite because you are Jewish. If this is true, who are you talking about when you say "we" above?
It looks like you mean Christians when you say "we."
>No one is a brother or sister if they do not accept Him as the Saviour, the Messiah, Jesus the Christ .. That I take it is what you meant, right ?
No, I mean the word obey. The Lord said in John 15:14, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. We are not his friends if we don't. Those who are true believers DO what the Word says, their lives show it and they are brothers and sisters. Those who have compromised with the world and are hypocrites are not brothers or sisters and we are not to fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness even though the whole world is being sucked in the whirlpool of ecumenicism and deception.
The word "hear" in Hebrew is Shema which means hear/obey/understand. The word "hear" in English means "perceive sound." There is a world of difference in the two understandings. Simply, if a person will hear and obey, God will give that one understanding. If that person on hearing hardens his heart, God will not give him understanding and that person is at a dead stop in his walk. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Am 3:3. No, they can't.
The gospel of easy believism says "all you have to do is accept Jesus Christ." A person may have "accepted Jesus Christ," but has the Lord accepted that person? Many false teachers will wrest scripture to say so, but the Word says we must continue and be found faithful to the end and that is not works, just our reasonable service. The gospel of minimalist thinking is the one to which Cain subscribed when he brought his offering which was unacceptable to the Lord who knows the thoughts and intentions of each heart. Gen 4:5. Esau despised his birthright and he was unacceptable and found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears. Heb. 12:17. These are examples for our instruction.
People have been claiming promises of a mutual covenant without doing their part of the covenant, which is obedience to the Lord/Word and walking in holiness. There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no forgiveness without restitution. Lu 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Example: If your teacher is requesting you to follow certain rules, but you have not yet met him or heard what he had to say, how can you "obey" his rules when you dont know what they are ?
Please, no Christian-bashing. I have many Christian friends and it offends me.
The end times is a time such as the days of Noe. Those days were when wickedness was increased worldwide and only 8 were saved. That is very very few. If anyone wants on the Ark, they should return to Torah/the Word and not what men say about Torah, and then depart wholly from iniquity, purify themselves and get on board before God closes the door.
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
I typed up a big answer to post and didn't post it because I've posted so much already. Who are you talking about when you say, "if they do not know Him or his teachings ??" If you mean the Jews, then please read this link and read Romans 11 again. This is an excellent article by Jerry. He is writing about "the Mystery" referred to in Romans 11.
Jerry Golden: Who is a Jew and what does it mean, All Israel shall be saved?
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