Posted on 09/14/2002 4:13:03 AM PDT by Seti 1
"If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right. You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away and know when to run."
Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" has sold millions of copies since its 1978 release and spawned five made-for-TV movies. But the song's appeal is in its no-nonsense philosophy. When there is no way to win, it's time to walk away from the game.
The game is over for Israel. Let me explain.
In Tim LaHaye's pretribulational rapture novel, "The Remnant," the Jews are in for a hellacious future. Two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel will be slaughtered. LaHaye is not alone in holding this noxious position. John Hagee, a popular prophecy writer, states in a recent WorldNetDaily column:
Jerusalem today is a detonating device with no fail-safe system. It's a loaded pistol at an international poker dispute with all players demanding control. It's a driverless coach careening toward a blind curve – the collision of which will birth World War III. You see, there's nothing anyone can do about WWIII. According to Hagee, it's a prophetic inevitability. It's this fatalistic futuristic perspective that has kept the heads of Jews on the chopping block for 2,000 years since there's still one more holocaust that Jews will have to go through.
Even so, evangelicals are spending millions of dollars to help Jews return to Israel. In so doing, says the Rev. James M. Hutchens, president of Israel/USA, "we believe we are fulfilling a divine calling ... to assist the Jewish people in their physical return and restoration of the land of Israel." Like Hagee and LaHaye, Hutchens maintains that "There will be no peace until the Messiah comes."
The views of these men are alarming to some Jewish leaders, as they should be. Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, asks, "To what extent will a theological view that calls for Armageddon in the Middle East lead [evangelicals] to support policies that may move in that direction, rather than toward stability and peaceful coexistence?"
The most probable scenario is that prophetic futurists will sit back and do nothing as they see Israel go up in smoke. What can they do? The Bible predicts it. "There will be no peace until the Messiah comes."
Given this inevitable scenario, what should Jews do? Leave Israel. Under the New Covenant, your land is meaningless. It has no more theological importance than Rhode Island. Under LaHaye, Hagee, and Hutchen's prophetic model, odds are you'll be dead if you stay. If not you, then certainly someone in your family will die. But if you leave, the Muslims won't have a common enemy to unify them. Let them destroy one another. Remember, Iran's war with Iraq and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait? There is no unity among these Muslim nations with Israel gone.
Then what? Come to America! Maybe we can convince Congress and the President to carve out a parcel of land in one of our National Monuments for you to settle. America is the safest place on earth for you. Once the Muslims kill themselves off, if you still think your barren strip of land is important, then you can go back.
Take a lesson from Kenny. If you're gonna play the game, ya gotta learn to play it right. You got to know when to hold on to the land and when to run. It's time to run.
Certainly the argument makes no logical sense. If you believe that the Jews are God's chosen people, then they should follow the Covenant and trust in Him. Even if many of them die, it's better to die obeying God than defying Him. If you don't believe in God--as this writer apparently doesn't--then there's no reason to think that these are the "end times."
This piece is foolish, politically stupid, and malicious.
You got that right. Bump.
If memory serves me, Gary DeMar is a Dominionist/Reconstructionist. These 2 groups are similar in that they both believe that the church is now Israel and that they have to 'christianize' the world (i.e. take control of it )before Jesus can come back to reign as LORD. They conveniently forget prophecy. Such as Zechariah 12:2"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all people round about..."
My bridge partner is a Reform Jew, and considerably to the right of moi, and way, way more religious. I dissent.
A weakness for divination (fortune-telling) normally leads to fatalistic paralysis. Que sera, sera!
As one who rejoices in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I must grieve for my Jewish friends, who are still awaiting a savior, and for my dispensational friends, who only have the guru Jesus (personal spiritual advisor) instead of a Lord to follow!
I haven't been there, but from what I have seen and heard, Isreal is no longer a barren strip of land. This is part of what makes the Arabs so jealous.
Ro 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
What country makes people from many other countries rich? What country buys the most merchandise from other countries? What country has a large mix of all people from other nations? What country is the richest and the greatest?
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
MCD
Right, yet again. I'm bumping MarMema because she has some excellent links about the above as the exact technique the Muslims are using to turn the whole world over to Islam. I'll post what links I can on it. She indicated Muslims infiltrate conservative boards and discussion sites to cause division between Jews and Christians. N.B.: He is trying to drive a wedge between Jews and Christians, and the ONLY winner is Islam.
AL-TAQIYA... The Muslim Method Of Conquest
"Al-Taqiya is still in use today but not necessarily state-organized. One can easily detect Taqiya in the two discourses used by Islamist strategists. On the one hand, one comprehensive Islamist theory is attempting to mobilize Middle East, and sometimes Western Christia leaders and intellectuals, against "evil Jews." We see considerable success on that level. And on the other hand, another Islamist comprehensive theory is attemting -with success also- to mobilize the Jews against "evil and pagan Christians." One can easily detect the sophisticated work of Taqiya, for the strategic objective of Islamists is to destroy the foundations of the Judeo-Christian civilization, as a prelude to the defeat of an isolated Israel.The Muslim Advance and American CollaborationTaqiya is not a unique phenomenon in History, many strategists from all backgrounds implemented subversion. But the uniqueness of today's Taqiya is its success within advanced and sophisticated societies. Taqiya is winning massively because of the immense lack of knowledge among Western elites, both Jewish and Christian.
For interesting examples of Taqiya methods, visit Christian discussion groups and forums and note the discourse of Islamist visitors, aimed at undermining the Christian perception of Jews, and visit Jewish discussion groups and forums and note the subtle anti-Christian discourse of Islamists visitors. It is really informative and fascinating."
About a year ago I read a letter on a muslim site to the brothers. It was essentially like this, "Brothers, we do not have to fly planes into buildings. We must be patient. We must work, instead, to infiltrate the local governments, encourage conversions, and build schools and mosques everywhere."
I felt like being sick.
37 posted on 9/12/02 1:14 PM Pacific by MarMema
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