Why “Christian” Antisemitism Is Making a Dangerous Comeback

[phkrause]

Many Evangelical Christians will argue that there is no such thing as “Christian antisemitism.” For them, it is a contradiction of terms—an oxymoron. They do not believe a “true” Christian can be antisemitic. Unfortunately, history has proven otherwise.

https://www.crosswalk.com/sponsored-content/why-christian-antisemitism-is-making-a-dangerous-comeback.html?

[Joe Knapp]

Quote

A more recent disturbing trend influencing Christians’ views about Israel is right-wing media voices willing to platform antisemitic rhetoric. Tucker Carlson—a conservative American political commentator and a self-described Christian—has echoed themes consistent with Replacement Theology. This false belief suggests the church has replaced Israel in God’s purposes and plans and, thus, the modern Jewish State has no biblical or covenantal significance. By doing so, he positions Israel as just another geopolitical performer, rather than the set-apart nation—rooted in eternal covenant promises—that God created them to be.

I believe that the modern country of Israel has NO covenantal significance. 

However, I am trouble by the anti-Israel rhetoric

[phkrause]

3 hours ago, Joe Knapp said:

I believe that the modern country of Israel has NO covenantal significance. 

I agree!

 

3 hours ago, Joe Knapp said:

However, I am trouble by the anti-Israel rhetoric

So am I, but with a leader that also thinks he's above the law I believe it will just get worse!

[Kevin H]

God offered the Hebrews two different paths for sharing the gosple. We can call the one "Land Theology" or "Land Eschatology" the other we can call "Exile Theology" or "Exile Eschatology". 

The "land of Israel" is called a land flowing with milk and honey. In our modern western culture that term has come to mean everything wonderful. However, to the ancient world, these terms were descriptions of geography. I've gone into details, but lands of "honey" or "preserved foods" indicated good agricultural land, a life generally predictable, fairly easy, and exciting. Lands of "milk" came from herd animals moving around deserts, a life generally unpredictable, a lot of hard work and lonely. Biblical Canaan/Israel is about 150 miles long by 50 miles wide. In most of the world you find great streaches of the same type of geography. In this land Europe, Africa, Asia, and Arabia all meet. The elements of these lands meet and compete here, and especially the weather generalized in each of these areas are fighting each other over this small piece of land. The geography changes quickly in fairly short areas. Trying to life with the  idiosyncrasies of this piece of property, the Canaanites developed some horrible superstitions, that was harmful to themselves, and even more so people passing through the land. This piece of property also happened to be the major intersection for the great trade routes between Europe, Africa, Asia and Arabia. The Canaanite superstitions, trying to gain control over the elements of milk and honey, ended up making this land one of, if not the most dangerous place on earth. 

The Hebrews were to first of all make this most important intersection safe. They were to replace the complicated Canaanite religion with it's dangerous superstitions, to a simple religion worshiping the one God who is the God of the whole world, and all the aspects of our lifes, all the milk and honey that life throws at us. 

The caravans will notice the change, and bring stories of these people, the new found safety in the land, and their simple religion to the world. God would bless them, nations will come and learn about their God, and either join in the worship of this God or reject it. The world would end in a great eschatological war. (Actually, by a wonderful king that they had, but rejected and killed would raise up and the wicked seeing this king in all his glory will have their hearts fail them and they die.)

If unfaithful, God would allow curses (allowing more of the milky aspects of the land) to encourage them to change. If nothing else works, they would go into exile. In exile they were to share with their neighbors their unfaithfulness and God's faithfulness and thus share the gospel with their neighbors in the lands they were scattered to. The exile would end in a second great exodus lead by the messiah. 

In summary: In the land, being quite litterally in the center of the ancient world, they would make the land safe, they would deal with what ever aspects of milk or honey life threw at them and trust in their one God of milk and honey. The caravans would carry stories about these people to the world and the world would come to them.  In exile they were to go inton all the world and spread the gospel. 

The exile would give the same picture to the Hebrews in the ancient world as the idea of Sunday Law does to the typical Adventist. But all is focused on spreading the gospel. We had the Assyrian then Babylonian exile. Then instead of returning in the second great exodus lead by the messiah, but a lack luster return with another 70 weeks of years (and longer) to follow the plan for living in the land. Then came the exile of 70 AD, all of God's children were to go ye into all the world to share the gospel. With the age of navagation, and even more so the age of aviation,  this piece of property no longer was the center of the world. This destroys the framework of how God offered to use them in the land. Sadly, too many Charistians grab on to either the heresy of "replacement theology" or "Dispensationalism".

"Replacement theology" says that the church has replaced Israel. However, all of us who love the Lord, are living under God's plan for using his people in the framework of exile: Go ye into all the world and share the gospel, and the exile will end in a second great exodus lead by the Messiah when our Lord comes in the clouds and takes us to the true promised land of heaven. God can use all, Jews, Gentiles in this framework. 

"Dispensationalism" says that the Jews need to be back in the land and fulfill the framework of how God offered to use them in the land, and then the "Christians" can be raptured away while the Jews go through the great tribulation. But the Jews cannot fill this mission any more since the age of navigation and aviation and mass communication does not make the process of living in the land safe for the caravans and them bringing messages of these people and their God to the whole world. 

Sadly, the Jews suffered much by antisemitism over the centuries. This breaks God's heart. In 1844 the Edict of Toleration allowed the Jews to return to this land. Around the same time the world got the telegraph that improved communication. Charlie Goodyear got patened his new form of rubber that improved the industural revolution and transportation. A few years before the Rosetta Stone was deciphered which opened the door to understanding ancient languages. And in the 1830s Edward Robinson had his first visit to the Holy Land and had just published his findings. His visit was the first serious, scientific study of Bible Geography which has lead to Bible Archaeology. We entered an age of being able to investigate the pages of scripture as never before. In 1844, while still serving under the framework of the exile, and NOT the framework of what God offered to do in the land. But the modern Jew has a new job of protecting the geography and history of the land so that we can freely study the context of the Bible. Therefore, I do see the return to the location as having covanant significance. But it is NOT what the Dispensationalists are looking for. And the people living in the land do not follow the horrible choices of the Canaanites. Many are faithful Christians. They need to be treated with respect and learn how to share the land. Dispensationalism does not allow for the proper treatment of how those in the land should relate to their neighbors. They also have neighbors who want to forget the history and what happened. Jews today do protect this, allows us to study the Bible better in context and as we learn more about the Bible, the more we learn about the God of the Bible.  This can deepen our love for God and improve our sharing the gospel with our nieghbor so that this exile can end in the promised second great exodus lead by the Messiah to the true promised home. 

1844 is an amazing year. Above I mentioned three events that actually happened that year as well as two others that were recent and were starting to have an effect on the world. Also, that year the world was also introduced to evolution as the source of life, and growing out of the French Revolution and it's restults, communism with it's lessening of religion and encouraging atheism (and evolution as the source of life does away with the need for God.) The Jews have had members who have stood firm over the hardships of history. Many have trusted God to deal with the milk and honey aspects that life has thrown to them. Many faced gas chanbers singing the Psalms. And they felt a special connection to the land that protects the land for us to use the land in getting a deeper understanding of the Bible.  No wonder Satan wants to attack them with increased antisemitism from both the right and the left.