Israel: the storm center. The Middle East, specifically Israel, is the world’s greatest trouble spot. The Bible says “ Jerusalem will be a burdensome stone for all people”of the world [CAP1] [CA2] - ( Zechariah 12:3), and indeed we see in the daily news the gathering storm clouds of Armageddon. The rush to respond, and the statements in support of Israel, were not surprising to those aware of the deep feeling evangelicals have for Israel. I certainly don’t think Christians should take a position that Israel is right, come what may. However, I am more concerned at the antisemitism that lies behind much hostility to Israel. Other countries do much worse and no eyebrow is raised. That Israel alone is treated with opprobrium suggests an anti-Semitic impulse.”

I was not trying to play a relativistic game, I was simply suggesting that Israel is not uniquely singled out for criticism of particular crimes, and crimes of the type I listed above are near-universally reported on. Is that fairer at least, even if you still disagree? The word “Jew” and its modern meaning did not even come into existence until the 17th Century when the letter “J” was first invented. And at the time the word “Jew” was first put into the Bible (in the 2nd draft copy of the KJV Bible in the 18th Century…. the 1st edition of the KJV Bible in 1611 used the word IEWE to describe Judahite Hebrews – not “Jews”) it was to be understood in one context only – the word “Jew” was an abbreviation for Judean. As the talks with the Saudis, Israelis and Americans progressed, Palestinian disappointment rose. “There is a palpable frustration among the Palestinians at seeing the Saudis and Israelis moving closer,” said Stavridis. Israel: also the peace center. We’re told to “ pray for the peace of Jerusalem” ( Psalm 122:6). There will never be peace on earth until there's peace in Jerusalem, until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, rules and reigns from Jerusalem. When we're praying for the peace of Jerusalem, we're praying, “ Even so, come Lord Jesus.” We want our Lord to reign from Zion, to sit upon the throne of his father David.This is why our Lord Yahusha condemned the entire Sanhedrin including the Pharisees and said they had replaced the Word of God (referring to the Torah) (btw: the Name of our Heavenly Father is actually “Yahuah” in Paleo-Hebrew) “with the traditions of men” (The Talmud & Kaballah).

For many settlers, restoring the land which was assigned to Israel’s patriarchs in the Book of Genesis is a non-negotiable and central plank of Zionist policy. The sanctity of the Holy Land can only be actualised once this doctrine begins to directly impact geopolitical events. The origins of this peculiar interfaith union lie in an interpretation of the Bible which emerged in 19th century England called dispensationalism, according to which the return of Jews to Palestine marks a pre-ordained process that will lead to a series of apocalyptic events. These include the Great Tribulation where Christians are raptured to heaven and the emergence of the Antichrist, which will eventually culminate in the Second Coming of Christ, who will commence a millennium of earthly rule centred on Jerusalem. Jesus interacted with soldiers (Matt. 8:5–13) and called them, as others, to repent of sin. But he never spoke of military service itself as a sin. The apostle Paul wrote of the role of the state to “bear the sword” against “the wrongdoer” (Rom. 13:1–4). This authority is hardly boundless. Every state is accountable to the justice of God and, if it acts unjustly, is subject to the judgment of God. The very Roman government of which Paul wrote was pictured later in Scripture as a “beast” state to be opposed (Rev. 13:1–18). As a teenager I was interested in timelines. I inherited some books from a grandfather who was a Brethren. I find the whole thing futile now in my mid 60s.This seems to me a quibble, since my point does not rest on exact identity between an OT/NT understanding of a self-governing Israel with control over its own territory and the modern concept of a nation state. I was using shorthand.

I think we are in it already. The symbolic 1000 is always used in scripture to represent something rather than an exact time. The Greek for a thousand is often a X or + . It seems satisfactory to see the X (cross) years as the time we are in.It was hyperbole, which I thought was obvious. There are a great many theological disagreements of which this one is rather minor in the grand scheme of things, and I don’t, sincerely, consider any of them worthy of litigation. The blessings theology is based on a literal reading of the book of Genesis, where God told Abraham – who Hummel described as “the patriarch of the Jewish people” – that he would “bless those who bless you” and “curse those who curse you”. I take the reign of the beast to be the beast (Daniel’s fourth beast) in its manifestation in the head that was slain yet lives..Daniel’s little horn. Although most writers I read (outside dispensationalism) view the 31/2 years/42 months as symbolic of the whole church age I can’t presently see that. Firstly this time period appears to lie in the future when John wrote which puts it some time beyond the ascension. Secondly, and more significantly, John places it firmly in the reign of the beast as does Daniel. The time frame seems to be a literal 42 months as in Daniel. In my view much of Rev 4-20 belongs to that future time period.

There is also a Zionism for Christians which can come from another, theological place. Catholic scholar Gavin D’Costa argues for a minimalist Catholic Zionism. It’s based on the idea that in Catholic thought the fact that Gd’s covenant with Israel (Jewry) is not revoked has come to mean the affirmation of rabbinic Judaism as an expression of that covenant. Indeed, in the above, the difference between the covenants *superseded* and the covenants *fulfilled* must have some real content: there must be a Jewish Israel which is (in Gd’s eyes) not superseded by the Church. It follows that the heart-beat of Revelation which Jews rightly honour still has force. And in that Revelation, there is no doubt that the Land is a divine Gift to the People (conditionally, though), and is a character in its own right. Christians (in this argument) can affirm this theologically as well as pragmatically. But! But nothing to do with End Times (unless and until such End Times unfold). ReplyIt’s fair, but again, I’d be interested in knowing which country you would like now to use as your example which has its ‘crimes’ universally reported on as much as Israel. For a second resource, I turn to Gary M Burge, who is a theologian in the Christian Reformed Church in the US, and in 2019 wrote this helpful assessment of Christian Zionism. Lee Fang, a journalist, recently asked congressmen and women whether their religion was important to their support for Israel, for the documentary “Praying for Armageddon”.