Christian Zionism

The Final Battle, Christians vs. Pharisees

The bible talks a great deal about the great battle between the followers of Satan and the followers of Christ and it's prophets predict huge wars. Prophets after the bible also talk of a great chastisement. In the past four years I have believed this to be a war between Christians and governments, especially since the first world war and the remnants of communism in American socialist laws and European socialism. What I did not know is who was really behind these governments changing them into anti-life and anti-God atheistic states.
I believe this study may bring me closer to the answer. The first thing needed in fighting a war is to know who the enemy is or you will be attacking innocent people. I now believe that even the extremist Moslem Fundamentalists are a tool of these people, just like communism was. It is a good war tactic to create an enemy of your enemy to draw his attention away from yourself. I now believe that the final battle has been going on since the time of Christ and maybe even from the time of Solomon. See what you think. Let us start with the New Testament.
I spent some time re-reading Christ's dialogue with the Pharisees and wondered what made Christ so angry at them. Half the chapters of the gospels are a verbal and physical war between Christ and the Scribes and Pharisees. The teachings of the Pharisees was not the teaching of Moses. What was it? Christ talked of their "traditions" making void the laws of Moses. These traditions were the commentaries on scripture by the elders.
The true Jewish faith, a prototype of the Catholic faith, was based on three things, faith in the Laws of God, Authority of the seat of Moses, and the Sacrifice of the Lambs by the Levite priests. Faith in the Law and seat of Moses was taken away around the time of Alexander, his wife, Alexandrina and Anthony and Cleopatra. This was a time when a sect called Pharisees became influential and took over the power of the law, not by vote or blood, but by influence with the foreign power.
Josephus, the historian, says that the Pharisees controlled Alexandrina because she was so superstitious. With her backing, "they became the real administrators of the public affairs: they banished and reduced whom they pleased; they bound and loosed men at their pleasure; they had the enjoyment of the royal authority."
They were the secret power behind the government. Remember that!
This continued on till the time of Christ. Josephus says that at the time of Christ there were three sects of Jews, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essens. Of the Essens he said a few strange things: first he says that they were of the blood of Abraham and that they followed the laws of Moses (the Torah) and that using the books of Moses they made prophesies that always came to pass correctly. If they were the blood of Abraham, who were not of the blood of Abraham? If they used the Torah, who did not use the books of the Torah?
What really started the fall of the Jewish empire was not the Romans but the Pharisees who changed the laws of Moses. They changed them by making their own commentaries on the Law more lawful than the Torah itself. These commentaries are called their Talmud. One law changed was the law of offerings to the temple. Under the law of Moses anyone could offer gifts to the temple and it was from foreigners that the great temple of Solomon was built. But the Pharisees became anti-Semitic and under Eleazar, son of Ananias, forbid Romans from offering gifts to the temple. They would not allow any offering, sacrifice or worship by any Roman. The Romans, who had the power, became angered and the wars began and lasted till the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. But we are ahead of our investigation. Let us go back to the death of Christ.
The end of the Sacrifice of the Lamb
According to Jewish law only descendents of Aaron or the tribe of Levi could offer the sacrifice of the lamb, and this was the heart and soul of the faith, as the Eucharist is to Catholics. Catholic priests are made so by the laying on of hands by the bishop, but a Jewish priest is so by blood. Also, according to Jewish laws and traditions, the temple must be kept pure from any profanations, or must go through massive purification rituals before used again.
At the time of the Passion of Christ, Friday was the day of preparation of the lambs for the Passover and as the lambs were being washed, Christ was being scourged, and as the lambs were being dressed for the march to the temple, Christ was being Crowned with thorns, and as the lambs were being marched to the Temple, Christ carried his cross to Calvary, and as the lambs were being slaughtered, Christ hung on the cross.
But when Christ died a great earthquake took place that split the floor of the temple and tore the great curtain in two from the top to the bottom. The inner sanctuary was opened and exposed. The sacred holy ground, that only the high priest could enter or even see was destroyed. No sacrifice of the lamb could be done. Not only that but the dead bodies of the prophets were seen walking into the holy sanctuary and throughout the temple and city. The heart and soul of the Jewish faith, the sacrifice of the lamb, was interrupted and could not be resumed until the temple was repaired and purified.
But from the time of Christ until the final destruction of Jerusalem from 70 to 73 AD, the temple was not repaired or purified because this period was marked by the wars of the Jews, first with each other and then with the Romans.
According to Jewish law and traditions there must be a temple offering in Jerusalem every year to make legal the other offerings in other Temples throughout the world. There has been no temple in Jerusalem since the death of Christ. According to Saint Athanasius, "Only the Antichrist will be able to re-build the Temple of Solomon." To a Catholic the sacrifice of the lambs were only a prototype or shadow of the true sacrifice and even true Jewish Torah scribes taught that what they waited for was the prophesy of Abraham, "God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice" or "The Lamb of God will come and replace the lambs of the old sacrifice."
After Christ 30% of the Jews saw Christ as the lamb of God and saw Christianity as the true Jewish Religion. Pharisees, however, placed no faith in the Torah, but only in their power over the people and their influence with Rome. The final battle started with the two factions of Jews and continues today and will continue till the end of time with the final conversion of the rest of the Jews by Henoch and Elias away from the false Christ, the Anti-Christ.
No Jewish Priests Today

"In Morocco the Jewish tradition says that we know who descend from the Levites and the tribe of Judah, but we do not know who descend really from the great priests- the "cohanim" ( the Cohen). There was two categories of people working in the Temple: the Levites descending from Levi tribe, who were the servants of the priests who were called " Cohanim".(Cohen in plural). The priests" Cohen" descend from Aaron, So people whose name are Cohen, Kahn, Kohn, descend from Aaron, and Levi, Lévy, Lewis etc.. descend from Levi.



"What about the others? The Jewish tradition says that they are spared in the world, and, that only those who descend from the Tribe of Judah are now staying in Israël. That is what was taught to me when I was Jew, now a Catholic.



"God said via the prophets in the Bible that in spite of all the Chastisements given to the Jews during their history, a very few people will at the end escape from extermination because of His Promise done to Abraham, His Misericordial Love, and being together a Father and a Mother to His people. You know well the scriptures!



"I never studied Talmud nor Kabbalah. I studied only Rachi. The Jewish people in Morocco are very nice and very friendly people. They, most of them, are "liberal" that is to say, they ate casher, respected 8 days Easter without eating bread but eat Matsot, respected Yom Kippour (the Great Perdon Day), and Roch Ha Chana (The Jewish New Year).


By former Jew and now Catholic.


However you do not find the word "priest" or "High Priest" used in the Jewish world today because the word denotes a priestly sacrifice for the people and there are no altar sacrifices and have not been since the death of Christ.
Most Jewish Religion today is based on the Talmud and not the Bible
In Luke 11,47-54 we find Christ very angry with how the Jews had corrupted the laws of Moses even in His day.
"Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute' in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
I want you to understand something here that most theologians understand that when Christ talks of "this generation" He is speaking of the last age of the world, divided into six ages. The last generation, or this generation, is the age of Christ and His Kingdom, from His birth to the end of the world. What then is He saying here, that Pharisee Jews will be charged with the blood of every prophet from Abel to Christ? At Christ's trial the Pharisee Jews embraced that prophesy when they said in one voice, "Let His Blood be upon us and upon our children." Matt. 27:24
Now do not start sending me emails quoting the Vatican's statement about who Crucified Christ, because all our sins did, but the question here is different. Did the Jewish Religion end with the death of Christ.
What does Christ mean when He says "You have taken away the key of knowledge."? And again Christ, speaking to the Pharisees says: "Why do you transgress the commandments for your traditions?" Ruling the nation by fear and force the Pharisees quoted the Talmud (traditions) and not the commandments, (the Torah).

Starting with the Pharisees and continuing today the Talmud became the law and not the Old Testament Bible, the Torah. Evidence of this may be found in the Talmud itself, Erubin 21b (Soncino edition):

"My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah (Old Testament)."

The Talmuds (there are many of them, some worse than others) are commentaries on the Torah by theologians but in fact they have almost nothing to do with the Scriptures of Moses. They make a pretence to be interpretations of the Torah but as I will show below they have no resemblance to the laws of God.
In Luke 12,1-7. Christ again talks of the Pharisees: "Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops."
Even among the good Torah Jews of the world today, because there is no sacrifice offered, the religion is not the same as the religion of Moses and cannot be.

The Great Harlot of Revelation 17

After the death of Christ the only persecution of Christians (almost all converted Jews) was by the Pharisee Jews including Saul who became St. Paul, but the Pharisee Jews could not destroy Christ's followers (who continued to grow at a fast pace) so they appealed for help from Rome. They sent representatives to Rome to accuse the Christians of wanting to overthrow the Empire. This is what John meant in Revelation 17 when he says that the Great Harlot rode on the back of the beast, Rome. When John sees the seven heads of the beast he sees all the major kingdoms of the world that will also be seduced by the Great Harlot. All these kingdoms will be seduced by the Harlot and war with the Lamb of God, Christ. Rev. 17:14 But in the end the kingdoms will turn on the Harlot as Rome did in 70 AD. However, she will continue to be the power behind earthly kingdoms until that end, when they will be converted to Christ. Rev. 17:18.

Babylon the great of Revelation is Jerusalem

In Revelation 18 we read about Babylon the great and John warning Christians to get out from her. This the Christians did before 70 AD and they went to Caesarea Philippi and hid out while Babylon the Great, Jerusalem, was being destroyed. Jerusalem? Yes! Jerusalem because John goes on to say (Rev. 18:24) "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth." Why would God equate Jerusalem, the city of the great offering of the Lamb of God, with Nimrod's Tower of Babel? In Genesis 10:10 we read that this was the beginning of the kingdom of Babylon, and it goes on to talk of its descendents as Philistines, Samaritans, Canaanites, etc. But we are not talking about blood but of belief and this belief of Nimrod was that he could do whatsoever he wanted without God, even to climb to Heaven with his own power. This is the promise of Satan and his false dream. The final attempt to do this will be by the Antichrist.
...

In a letter to an anti-Zionist friend in 1967, he wrote: "In the Western
countries, once again it is not popular to publically express hate for
the Jews. This being the case, the anti-Semite always searches for
methods, ways, and new forums to dispense his poison. So, once again, he
does not hate the Jews. He's only anti-Zionist. However, my friend…
there is no room for mistake. When people hurl accusations at Zionism –
their real goal are the Jews."

CHAPTER 8
CHRISTIAN ZIONISM AND MESSIANIC JUDAISM

One of the most grotesque aspects of the sociology of modern American protestantism is the phenomenon of Christian Zionism. While related to the theology of dispensationalism, Christian Zionism is actually something altogether different theologically. The purpose of this chapter is to explore this movement, and in particular to point out its grievously heretical theoretical basis. To facilitate discussion, we shall interact with the expressed beliefs of a Christian Zionist, Jerry Falwell. We close with a brief note on Messianic Judaism.

Zionism
Zionism is a political movement built on the belief that the Jewish people deserve by right to possess the land of Palestine as their own. During the last part of the 19th and first part of the 20th centuries, Zionism gained support throughout the Christian West. This was due to two factors: the influence that Jewish wealth could purchase among politicians, and the emotional sup-port that the history of Jewish tribulation could elicit from a Christianized public conscience.¹

With this support, Zionist guerillas succeeded in throwing Palestine into havoc during the late 1940s, and eventually took over that land, The result was the disenfranchisement of the people who had historically dwelt there. The Moslem Palestinians were formally disenfranchised, and the Palestinian Jews were effectively disenfranchised as a result of being swamped by larger numbers of European Jews who immigrated to the new State of Israel.

It is important to realize that the most conservative Jews were anti-Zionists, believing that Palestine was not to become a Jewish land until made so by the coming of the Messiah. (This viewpoint was dramatized in the recent and rewarding film, The Chosen. ) Much of the most severe criticism of the political Zionist movement has come from anti-Zionist Jews, the most noted being Alfred M. Lilienthal.²

Spurious criticisms of Zionism abound on the right. I have no wish to be associated with these, and so at the outset I want to critique them before dealing with the heresy of Christian Zionism. First of all, we hear from some rightist sources that it is a myth that 6,000,000 Jews were slaughtered by the National Socialists. It is argued that there were not that many Jews in Europe, that it would be impossible logistically to do away with that many people given the time and facilities that the Nazis had, and so forth. This may be true; I have absolutely no way of knowing. The argument, however, seems to be that virtually no Jews were slaughtered by Nazis, and this is nonsense. Even if the number is 600,000 rather than six million, the event is still a moral horror of astonishing magnitude. Even if only one man were killed simply because he was a Jew, this would be a moral horror. And there can be no doubt but that many, many Jews were slaughtered.

Of course, a blasphemous theology has been erected upon this in some Jewish circles, which is the notion that the Nazi persecutions fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 53, and that the Jews suffered for the sins of the world. As Christians we can only abominate such a construction, and we must call it what it is: a Satanic lie. Still, it is not necessary to deny the event itself in order to argue against an evil theological construction put upon the event.

Perhaps more common is the assertion that most modern Jews are not Jews at all: They are Khazars.³ The Khazari race seems to lie behind the Ashkenazik Jews of Eastern Europe. This kind of assertion can, of course, be debated. The real problem in the discussion is the notion that Jewishness is a blood or racial phenomenon. It is not.

Biblically speaking, a Jew is someone who is covenanted into the people of the Jews by circumcision, for better or for worse. When Abraham was commanded to circumcise, he was told to circumcise his entire household, including his 318 fighting men and his other domestic servants (Gen. 14:14; 17:10-14). Competent scholars imagine that Sheik Abraham’s household probably included at the very least 3000 persons. These servants multiplied as the years went by, and Jacob inherited them all (Gen. 27:37). Although only 70 from the loins of Jacob went down into Egypt, so many servants went along that they had to be given the whole land of Goshen in which to live.

All these people were Jews, but only a small fraction actually had any of Abraham’s blood in them. Later on we see many other people joining the Jews; indeed, the lists of David’s men include many foreigners, of whom Uriah the Hittite is but the best known. What this demonstrates is that covenant, not race, has always been the defining mark of a Jew (as it also is of a Christian). Genealogical records were kept for the immediate family, of course, since the Messiah had to be of the actual blood of Abraham, and later of David; but this could not have applied to more than a fraction of the total number of people.

Thus, the Jews are those who claim to be Jews, who are covenanted with the Jews. The Khazari converted to Judaism in the Middle Ages, and they are Jews, British-Israelite rightist nonsense to the contrary.⁴ (Of course, modern Zionists do not understand this religious principle any more than do their British-Israelite critics. Both conceive of everything in terms of blood and race.)

So then, it is spurious to criticize Zionism on the grounds that "Jews really didn’t suffer during World War II," or "Who knows who the real Jews are?" It is pretty obvious who the Jews are, and they are, as always, a force to be reckoned with.

The third line of criticism against Zionism concerns the rightness or wrongness of its invasion and conquest of Palestine. We can listen to arguments to the effect that the Jews stole the land from its inhabitants, that they have persecuted the Palestinians, that they committed horrors during their guerilla campaign, and the like. Then we can listen to arguments that say that the Jews in Palestine were mistreated under Moslem rule, that the Palestinians are better off today under enlightened Jewish government than they formerly were, that the Jews have exercised dominion over the land and the Moslems did not, thereby forfeiting their right to it, and the like.

Actually, none of this is any of our direct concern as Christians. As Christians we see both Jews and Moslems as groups that have rejected Christ as Messiah, and who have opposed the true faith. If they want to convert, we rejoice. If they want to kill each other off, then that is too bad, but let them have at it — there’s nothing we can do about it.

But then, that brings us to the issue: Are Bible-believing Christians supposed to support a Jewish State, for theological reasons? Such is the assertion of Jerry Falwell, and of the heresy of Christian Zionism. Let us turn to this doctrine.

Orthodox Dispensationalism versus Christian Zionism
During the nineteenth century, a peculiar doctrinal notion known as "dispensationalism" arose. Its leading lights were Darby and Scofield; its Bible was the Scofield Reference Bible; and in re-cent years its primary headquarters has been Dallas Theological Seminary. Technically, dispensationalism teaches that God has two peoples in the history of the world: Israel and the "Church." We presently live in the "Church Age ," and God’s people today are Christians, the Church. At the present time, the Jews are apostate enemies of God and of Christ, and are under God’s judgment until they repent.

Someday soon (it’s always soon!), Christ will return to earth invisibly and snatch away all the Church-Christians (this is called the "Rapture" of the saints). At that point, God will go back to dealing with Israel. There will be a seven-year period called "The Tribulation," and during that period, apostate Jewry will form an anti-God alliance with the Beast, but God will begin to convert the Jews, and in time the Beast will turn and begin to persecute these converted Jews. Just when things look hopeless, Christ will return and inaugurate the Millennium.

One other point to note: There are absolutely no signs that the Rapture of the Church is near. It will come "as a thief in the night."

Now, this entire scheme, though popular in recent years, has no roots in historic Christian interpretation of the Scriptures, and at present it is collapsing under the weight of criticism from Bible-believing scholars of a more historically orthodox persuasion. All the same, there are several things to note.

First, by teaching that there are no signs that precede the Rapture, dispensationalism clearly implies that the modern State of Israel has nothing to do with Bible prophecy. If Israel collapsed to-morrow, it would make no difference. The existence of the State of Israel, while it may encourage dispensationalists to believe that the Rapture is near, is of no theologically prophetic importance.

Second, dispensationalism teaches that Jews of today, and even into the Tribulation period, are apostate, and this certainly implies that they are under the wrath and judgment of God. Christians should minister to them, and try to convert them, and show them all kindness as fellow human beings; but Christians should understand that during the Church Age, the Jews are not the people of God. Rather, the Church is the people of God today.

Third, by teaching that Israel is "set aside" during the Church Age, dispensationalism clearly implies that the promises made to Israel are also "set aside" during that period. The land promise, and the promise "those who bless you, I will bless," have been set aside, until we re-enter "prophetic time." Thus, the Jews have no right to the land during the Church Age, and also there is no particular blessing for Gentiles who treat the Jews with especial favor.

Fourth, dispensational theologians are most strict on the point that the Church is a "new people ," composed as one body in Christ of both Jew and Gentile. During the Church Age, the distinction between these two is not to be felt in the Church. Thus, dispensational theology is, by implication, opposed to the kind of stand-point articulated in many "Messianic Jewish" groups.

What I am setting forth is standard, consistent dispensationalism. As far as I am concerned, dispensationalism is sorely wrong in its prophetic view, but it is at least orthodox in its view of salvation and blessing. Blessing comes to the Jews when they repent and accept Christ; until then, they are under God’s curse. How can it be otherwise? All blessings are in Christ. This is the teaching of orthodox Christianity, and Darby and the early dispensationalists were orthodox Christians on this point, as far as I can tell.

Jerry Falwell and Christian Zionism
My description of dispensationalism may seem rather strange, because this is not the teaching of Hal Lindsey, of the modern Dallas Theological Seminary, or of other modern dispensationalists. I call these people "pop-dispies ," for short. In contrast to the dispensational system, these people hold that God presently has two peoples on the earth: the Church and Israel. The consistent dispensational system teaches that there are no prophecies whose fulfillment takes place during the Church Age, because the Church exists outside of prophetic time, but modern pop-dispies teach that the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of prophecy.

Consistent dispensationalism teaches that God is dealing with His "heavenly" people today (the Church), and that during the Church Age, God has "set aside" His apostate "earthly" people (Israel). Pop-dispies, on the contrary, hold that even though apostate, Israel still must be regarded as being under God’s present blessing. They hold the heretical notion that the Jews do not need to repent in order to obtain the blessings of God’s covenant. They hold the un-Biblical notion that apostate Jewry is not today under the wrath of God.

A well-known advocate of this unfortunate position is the Rev. Jerry Falwell. A modern Zionist, Merrill Simon, has recognized this fact, and has written a book, Jerry Falwell and the Jews.⁵ This book is a series of interviews with Rev. Falwell, designed to present him as a friend of Zionism, and to alleviate suspicions that liberal Zionist Jews naturally have when it comes to a supposedly orthodox, fundamental Christian preacher.

I should like to cite some quotations from this book, and make some appropriate comments. The books says, however, "No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written consent from the publishers," which rather cramps my style. You’ll just have to believe me, as I summarize Falwell’s comments. You can always go to your local library and look it up for yourself.

On page 13, Falwell is asked if he considers the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as a sign of God’s rejection of Israel. Falwell answers by saying that he surely does not believe a "vengeful" God brought the Roman army to Jerusalem to destroy the Jews. Falwell ascribes the event rather to anti-Semitism.

Now let’s hear what the Bible says about it. We needn’t quote Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 in their entirety. Read them at your leisure, and ask this question: Do we see an angry, "vengeful" God here threatening to bring horrors upon Israel if they apostatize? Also read Psalm 69:21 and ask Whom this refers to, and then continue reading until the end of the Psalm, remembering that the Romans surrounded Jerusalem at Passover time.

Notice Psalm 69:25 speaks of the "desolation" of Jerusalem, and consider that in connection with Jesus’ pronouncement of the desolation of Jerusalem in Matthew 23:38. Falwell is completely out of line with Scripture on this point.

On page 25, Falwell says that he believes anti-Semitism is inspired exclusively by Satan, as part of his opposition to God. Against this, read Job chapters 1 and 2. Here we find that Satan is never allowed to do anything without God’s permission. More-over, we find from the rest of the Bible that God frequently raises up enemies against His people, as scourges to punish them. Read the Book of Judges. Read Kings and Chronicles about Assyria and Babylon. Read Habakkuk. This is not some minor point tucked away in some obscure passage. Rather, this truth pervades the entire Scriptures.

It is true that anti-Jewish feelings are not part of the Christian message, and that Christians should be as considerate toward Jews as they are toward all other men. It is also true, however, that it is God Who stirs up the Babylonians and Assyrians. Until the Jews repent and convert (as Romans 11 promises that someday they shall), they remain God’s enemies, and He does stir up pagans against them. Anti-Jewishness has been part and parcel of secular humanism from the time of Frederick II, through the Renaissance, down to today. The Christian church protected the Jews throughout the Middle Ages, and has continued to do so.⁶

On page 55, Falwell says that Jews and Christian may differ at some points, but they have a common heritage in the Old Testament. Would Falwell be willing to say the same to a Moslem? At any rate, the statement is incorrect. Judaism looks to the Talmud, not to the Bible, as its law. It shows extreme ignorance of Judaism, medieval or modern, to think that Christians can appeal to the Old Testament as common ground. Judaism never approaches the Bible except through the Talmud.

On page 62, Falwell says that the future of the State of Israel is more important than any other political question. He says that the Jews have a theological, historical, and legal right to Pales-tine. He affirms his personal commitment to Zionism, and says that he learned Zionism from the Old Testament.

The Bible teaches us that when Adam and Eve rebelled, they lost their right to the Garden, and God cast them out. God used the very same principle with Israel, giving them the land, but warning them over and over again that if they rebelled, they would be cast out. It is beyond me how Falwell can read the Old Testament Scriptures and fail to see this. Modern apostate Jews have absolutely no theological, and therefore no historical and legal right to the land of Palestine.

The church of all ages has always taught that the New Testament equivalent of the "land" is the whole world, in Christ, and ultimately the New Earth. God’s people, Christ-confessors, are given the whole earth, in principle, and progressively will take dominion over it in time. Even if dispensationalism were correct in its assertion that someday the land of Palestine will be given back to the Jews, we should still have to say that they must convert to Christ first!

On page 68, Falwell says that one thing in modern Israel disturbs him. It is that Christians do not have the liberty to evangelize for the gospel. In other words, Falwell is aware that Christians are being persecuted in Israel today, but he still supports Israel! If this is not a betrayal of the faith, what is?

Finally, on p. 145, Falwell is asked about abortion, since modern Jews advocate abortion. Simon asks him whether or not the death penalty should be used against a woman who has an abortion, and her physician. Falwell replies that he has never thought about this before, and that he thinks any action against the woman would be wrong.

Well, there we see it. Mr. Simon knows what the issues really are, but Rev. Falwell is so confused, befuddled, and blind that he cannot see them. Obviously, if abortion is murder, then we have to advocate the death penalty for it! Of course, Falwell here sounds just like most of the rest of the modern anti-abortion movement: They’ve never even thought about some of the most basic, elementary issues involved. "Abortion is murder," they cry. "Reinstitute the death penalty for murder," says the Moral Majority (Falwell’s political group). Anybody with an IQ over 25 can figure out the implications of these two statements, but apparently Falwell has never thought of this before. We live in sorry times, when such a novice is the spokesman for the New Christian Right!

Christian Zionism is blasphemy. It is a heresy. Christians have no theological stake whatsoever in the modern State of Israel. It is an anti-God, anti-Christ nation. Until it repents and says "blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord," it will continue to be under the wrath of God. The modern State of Israel permits the persecution of Christians and Christian missionaries. We must pray that God will change the hearts of Jews, as of all other pagans, to receive Christ. But to support the enemies of the Gospel is not the mark of a Gospel minister, but of an anti-Christ.

I’ve been pretty hard on Jerry. Somebody needs to be. This kind of thing is inexcusable, and needs to be repented of. A couple of years ago I wrote an essay defending Falwell against a some-what liberal critic.⁷ What I have said here does not change what I wrote then, because Falwell’s critic was wrong; but I have certainly come to take a dimmer view of Mr. Falwell since. His trumpet is giving forth an uncertain sound. He needs to clean it out.

Messianic Judaism
In recent years, a large number of Jewish young people have turned to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many of these young people have formed "Messianic Synagogues," and have articulated here and there various theologies of "Messianic Judaism." For many, Messianic Judaism is simply a way of keeping some Jewish cultural traditions while becoming Christian, and there is nothing wrong with this. It is proper for Christians of various tribes and tongues to give expression to the faith in a variety of cultural forms.

Unfortunately, for some, Messianic Judaism is seen as an alternative to historic Christianity. This is due to the influence of pop-dispyism. After all, if the Millennium is right around the corner, and Jewish culture will be imperialistically triumphant during the Millennium, then even today Jewish practices anticipate that superiority. In fact, some Messianic Jews apparently believe that they can claim unlimited financial support from Gentile Christians, because of this preeminence.⁸

Most of what I have written regarding Christian Zionism above applies to this group of Messianic Jews. I should like, however, to call attention to another facet of the matter. These Messianic Jews believe wrongly that Gentile Christianity (the historic church) departed from Biblical forms in the early days of the church. They see as their mission a restoration of these customs, which they believe they have preserved.

In fact, this is completely false. Anyone who has seen a presentation of "Christ in the Passover" is amazed at the number of non-Biblical rites that are discussed and exhibited (the use of eggs, bread broken in three pieces and hidden in cloth, etc.). These customs arose after the birth of the church, and do not preserve Old Testament ritual at all. Moreover, to try to place a Christian interpretation on the various features of these rituals is most misguided and artificial. Clever as such presentations are, they are grossly misleading.

As a matter of fact, the leading features of Temple and Synagogue worship were brought straight into the church, as she spoiled the new enemies of God: apostate Jewry. The period of this spoiling was A.D. 30 to A.D. 70. Once the church had completed her integration of the spoils of the Old Covenant into her new, transfigured body, God destroyed the remnants of the Old Covenant completely. Modern Jewish rituals and music owe far more to racial/cultural inheritance from the peoples of Eastern Europe than they do to the Old Covenant.⁹

Thus, while there is nothing wrong with converted Jews maintaining a cultural continuity with their past, there are no grounds for the assumption that post-Christian Jewry has preserved the musical and liturgical forms of the Bible. Those forms were preserved in the church, and in her alone. Jews who wish to recover their heritage would do well to study the early Church, not the traditions of Eastern European cultures.

End Notes

1. On the former aspect, see Ronald Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem: A History of the Balfour Declaration and the Birth of the British Mandate for Palestine (New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1984). [1]
   
2. Lilienthal has authored several books on this subject. His magnum opus is The Zionist Connection (New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1978). [2]
   
3. On the Khazars, see Arthur Koestler, The Thirteenth Tribe (New York: Random House, 1976.) [3]
   
4. British-Israelitism claims that the Anglo-Saxon people are the true Jews, and thus inherit the covenant promises by means of race alone. This weird, stupid idea is promoted by the Armstrong cult, but also crops up in right wing Christian circles. For a fine analysis and refutation of this viewpoint, see Louis F. Boer, The New Phariseeism (Columbus, NJ: The American Presbyterian Press, 1978). [4]
   
5. Middle Village, NY: Jonathon David Publishers, Inc., 1984. [5]
   
6. On the church’s protection of the Jews, see Harold J. Berman (himself a Jew), Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition (Cambridge: Harvard U. Press, 1983), pp. 90, 222. [6]
   
7. See my essay, "The Moral Majority: An Anabaptist Critique?", in James B. Jordan, ed. The Failure of the American Baptist Culture. Christianity and Civilization No. 1 (Tyler, TX: Geneva Ministries, 1982). [7]
   
8. See Gary North, "Some Problems with ‘Messianic Judaism,’" in Biblical Economics Today 7:3 (Apr./May, 1984). [8]
   
9. Louis Bouyer has shown at considerable length that the Eucharistic prayer of the early church was a modification of the prayers of the synagogue and Temple. See Bouyer, Eucharist (Notre Dame: U. of Notre Dame Press, 1968). Similarly, Eric Werner has shown that the plainchant of the Christian church preserves the style of music known among the Jews of the Old Testament period. See Werner, The Sacred Bridge (Columbia U. Press, 1959; the paperback by Schocken only reproduces the first half of this important study). [9]
   

Abiding wrote:Anyone have cut to the chase reading on Holocaust...there
has been way to much to dig through. It seems to be a trough
to find what you want to find. I talked last night to a saudi woman
who converted to Christ....met american christians and went back to
Islam...after talking to her some...she asked me to teach her that
americans were brainwashed so she could convert back. Aparently
muslims have a problem converting to a faith that wants to nuke em.

I have a 1980 dna report on the ethnicity of present Israel
residents anyone have anything current? Also id like a makeup
of just what ethnicity they are..im facing scholars that are unknowingly
trained to call me a conspiritist. Is Israel made up of ethnic jews or
not. Israel is the only thing i must figure out...people who know me
call on me...im finding myself unwilling to open the can of worms
feeling they are better off where they are...if i cant offer them solid ground.

Im still having a problem with Ps 83 and other similar prophecies
that i cant see fulfilled which keeps me in limbo. Why would God
be toasting Israels neighbors? Why would He protect imposters?

What is the theory for the cause of nearly every christian in the us
believing Israel is Gods hand at work? If a lie was told...ok I can buy that....but what about the Church? Why would it be being used?
Apostasy? thats all I can come up with.

I understand you guys may not understand my questions and whether
you know it are not...your lightyears from the basic understanding of
this present day. But its impossible to even converse about a amil
position without basically ripping the rug out from peoples whole world
view.

What the hell is Israel? I dont care much anymore who started it and why. I havnt been able to make the decision....Is this the work of God?
I do understand He decided on this before the world began...and that
it will work out His will...but where am I in this? I just started a biblestudy on romans and will be racing to get more study done before
we get to chapters 10-11. Teaching is a very serious thing to me...even
tho i can teach 2 or 3 possibilities in a class and leave it to them(disclaimer) I am suffering unrest and have now for about 6 months.

So anyway I vented some. But really doesnt help...I cant stand having
to choose anything that is untestable, unprovable, believable maybe
but so subject to error with little solid evidence i can offer myself or
others...Im know you guys may have a hard time thinking back to my
position...yet some of you were not even in the comfy dispy camp.

If this post is clutter u may delete it...i stop by from time to time to read..its ok.

Abiding wrote:I just started a biblestudy on romans and will be racing to get more study done before
we get to chapters 10-11. Teaching is a very serious thing to me...even
tho i can teach 2 or 3 possibilities in a class and leave it to them(disclaimer) I am suffering unrest and have now for about 6 months.

ada wrote:Sorry but what was your question ?

Abiding wrote:Is Israel made up of ethnic jews or
not. Israel is the only thing i must figure out...

zone wrote:

what's an ethnic jew?

being a jew is a religion, not a race.

there are jews from every race in the world...just like christians.

if you mean is israel made up of Biblical Hebrews, there might be a few who have a teeny bit of ancient Hebrew blood in them. BIG DEAL! the flesh means ZERO!

Galatians 3:8
The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."

i mean just look at that passage - Paul says God gave the Gospel to ABRAHAM!

there's no excuse!

"We have a talent for confusing your issues.... We Jews have put issue upon
issue to the American people. Then we promote both sides of the issue
as confusion reigns. With their eye's fixed on the issues, they fail to
see who is behind every scene. We Jews toy with the American public as
a cat toys with a mouse."

"I said it before and I'll say it now -- that we will have complete, I say complete control, throughout the entire world possibly before I die. We are very successful in keeping you gentiles confused.
We create confusion. (The word Babylon in Hebrew is Babel and means
confusion. The Jews are masters at confusion because they are the
ringleaders of the system known as "Mystery Babylon.") You're not
stupid White. You know that the Jews are successful because of our unity. We die for one another if necessary.
We generously finance our own, so it is understandable how we govern
not only in this country. We direct American foreign affairs. We are the super government of the world."

"You have not begun to appreciate the real depth of our guilt. We are intruders. We are disturbers. We are subverters. We have taken your natural world, your ideals, your destiny, and played havoc with them. We have been at the bottom of not merely the latest Great War but of nearly all your wars, not only of the Russian but of nearly every other major revolution in your history. We have brought discord and confusion and frustration into your personal and public life. We are still doing it. No one can tell how long we shall go on doing it." Extract from the 1976 interview with the Jew Harold Wallace Rosenthal

Strangelove wrote:

Hagee tells atheists to get out of america. Apparently preaching the gospel to the unsaved isn't gonna work anymore?