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Thread ID: 11469 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2003-12-14
2003-12-14 09:19 | User Profile
Christian Zionism
by James D. Bales
There has been a call for Christians to attend the Second International Christian Zionist Congress in Jerusalem April 10-14, 1988. Those who made the call believe that Israel is God's people even though they are in unbelief. As we discuss this matter, we are not denying that God loves Israel as surely as He loves Lebanon. But we deny that Israel is God's nation today because we affirm that the church is God's nation now (1 Pet. 2:5-10).
God's Nation?
The majority of Jews in Israel are secular Jews. There are many who do not believe in God at all, much less God as revealed in the Bible. John the Baptist warned Israel not to depend on her physical relationship to Abraham for "God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Matt. 3:9). He did not raise them up of stones but through faith in Jesus Christ. Only those who are Christ's are Abraham's seed, whether they are of Jewish or Gentilish background, in the sense that counts with God (Gal. 3:26-29).
John clearly said that those who did not repent and accept the Christ and His kingdom would be cut down and cast into the fire (Matt. 3:8-12). The destiny of the obedient and of the disobedient differ. Jesus warned "that many shall come from the east and-from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 8:11-13).
Jesus pointedly said: "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits there-of" (Matt. 11:43). The church is that nation and in Christ believing Jews and Gentiles are one (1 Pet. 2:5-10). The kingdom was never for a Jew on the basis of his relation-ship to Abraham, for even a Jew had to be born again in order to enter the kingdom (John 3:3-5). This is also that which is required of Gentiles. Believing Gentiles are no longer aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but are one with believing Jews in the new commonwealth, i.e., the body of Christ, the temple of God (Eph. 2: 11-22).
Christ is the corner stone rejected those who could have been the builders of the temple of God. "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes?" The kingdom was taken from Israel, and "he that falleth on this stone shall be broken in pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust." Unbelievers did not like this then any more than they like it today (Matt. 21:42-46). To Gentiles, Paul wrote, "So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone: in whom each several building, fitly framed together, growth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of
God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22).
In coming to Christ we are coming unto "a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief I corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame. For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner; and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his. marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Pet. 2:4-10).
The only temple of God which exists today, and which will exist until the passing away of the heavens and the earth, is the church of the living God. To go back to the Jewish temple would be to retreat from worship in spirit and truth to worship according to the carnal ordinances and shadows of the Old Testament (John 4:20-24; Co!. 2:16-17; Heb. 9:1-10:1). God does not walk backwards from the substance to the shadow.
Israel Is Not God's Nation
As already shown, the kingdom was taken from Israel and given to the nation bringing forth fruits thereof. What is the condition of all unbelieving Jews? They are simply one of the nations, one of that group of people who are not in covenant relationship with God today. Christ is the prophet like unto Moses, and "every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22-23). Unbelieving Jews were not put to death, but they were cut off spiritually from being a part of God's nation. Physical Israel had been God's nation, but now God's nation is a spiritual nation. Those who were reared in God's physical nation were cut off from covenant relationship with God if they did not accept Christ. Those living today were never a part of God's new nation. They can become a part of it in the same way Gentiles can, i.e., through the new birth. They can be grafted in through faith as can others who believe (Rom. 11:15-24). God's love for them does not mean they are now in covenant relationship, while in their unbelief, any more than God's love for the world means that the world is in covenant relationship with God (John 3:16).
Those who are in the new covenant are sons of the freewoman, but those who are just of fleshly relationship to Abraham are children of the bondwoman. "Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman" (Gal 3:21-31), How many people in Israel today are Christians? Only those, and not one more, are
children of Sarai. Only those are the children of promise, only those are "Abraham's seed, heirs according to his promise" (Gal. 3:26-29; 4:23-31).
Physical Jerusalem Is Not God's City
At one time, physical Jerusalem was God's city. It is not now, nor shall it ever be again. Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children" (Luke 23:28). They did not know "the things which belong unto peace," and therefore their house was left unto them desolate (Luke 19:42; Matt. 23:37-39). Of unbelieving Jerusalem, John, the apostle, wrote: "And their dead bodies lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified" (Rev. 11:8). I suppose any city which rejects Christ can be described spiritually as old Sodom and old Egypt.
Old Jerusalem, as a holy city, was a figure, type or shadow of the new Jerusalem. The new Zion is not the old Zion, nor will it ever be in the future. Those who make old Jerusalem their spiritual city are in bondage and shall be in bondage until they change cities. "Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children" (Gal.1.4:25). But the corner stone of the New Jerusalem was made when Christ was made the chief corner stone.
"Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone.. . . The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner" (1 Pet. 2:6-8). In contrast with the earthly Jerusalem, which now symbolizes those who are of Abraham's physical seed only, "the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother" (Gal. 4:26). We who are in the new covenant "are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. . . and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven" (Heb. 12:22-25).
Christ is "the mediator of a new covenant" and His blood is the blood of his covenant" (Heb. 12:24). Earlier the writer said concerning Christ's sacrifice, that "for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15-16). This covenant has been made
with Israel, i.e., with the nation to whom the church or kingdom of the new covenant was given. Those in the covenant have their sins remitted (Heb. 8:8-12; 10:1-18).
This covenant is related to the heavenly, not the earthly, Zion, The new, the heavenly, Jerusalem is God's only Jerusalem today and throughout eternity (Rev. 3:12, 21:2, 22:10). It is, in fact, the ultimate Jerusalem and country which the patriarchs sought. Abraham "by faith ?. became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he looked for the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. . . . they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city" (Heb.11:9-16).
Those who look for an earthly city of Jerusalem are terribly confused as to the city which Christians now seek, and which the patriarchs sought. Old earthly Jerusalem, where the so-called Christian Zionists plan to meet, has no sacred significance for the Christian except for the memories of the events which took place there long ago. The scriptural search for the true Zion today is successful if we find and abide in Christ.
Assemble in earthly Jerusalem if you desire, but make it a profitable assembly by making it an evangelistic campaign to convert Jews to Christ. The gospel which Paul preached is the scriptural hope of Israel and not an earthly city and country (Acts 26:7-8; 28:20). It is a false hope which enters in an earthly city and land. Let us not encourage false hopes.
2003-12-14 12:21 | User Profile
What's wrong with declaring those nuts to be anti-Christian devil-worshippers?
Fvck Judeo-"Christians".
2004-04-19 16:54 | User Profile
I worship a Jew -- Jesus. There is no God but YHWH and Jesus is his Messenger.
2004-04-19 20:07 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Moderate Centrist]I worship a Jew -- Jesus. There is no God but YHWH and Jesus is his Messenger.[/QUOTE]
That's the Oath of Faith for a Muslim. "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammed is his messenger."
Jesus was not a "messenger" but God Himself who died for His people whom He would elect for salvation.
2004-04-20 16:48 | User Profile
"At one time, physical Jerusalem was God's city. It is not now." I don't really think that physical Jerusalem was ever God's city, but merely a foreshadow of the spiritual Jerusalem, just like the animal sacrifices were a forshadow of Christ's death.
2004-04-20 16:52 | User Profile
[QUOTE=AntiYuppie]Actually, the view that Christ was merely a prophet (fully human and not Divine) is known as [URL=http://mb-soft.com/believe/txo/arianism.htm]Arianism[/URL]. In itself it is not necessarily a politically pernicious belief, but our friend MC seems to combine Arianism with an essentially Noahidic and Judaeocentric worldview.[/QUOTE]
Islam is really a form of Arianism, with a distinctly Arab accent, of course.
Belloc presciently wrote that Islam is a Christian heresy, and it is precisely the elements of Christian truth that give Islam its vitality.
Walter