We
are living in the close of the church age and the "times of the
Gentiles," as outlined in Luke, Romans, and the Book of Revelation.
Jesus
predicted: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away
captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
Listen,
Gentiles, it's about over for you. Born-again Christians, however, are not
Gentiles (heathen). Paul spoke to believers as having formerly been Gentiles.
He
wrote to the Corinthian church: "Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried
away unto these dumb idols..." (1 Cor. 12:2). "Wherefore remember,
that ye being
in
time past Gentiles in the flesh..." (Eph. 2:11).
Although
my ancestry is British and French (no Jewish ancestors), I am no longer a
Gentile. But neither am I an alien to the commonwealth of Israel. It
is
important for us to know our identity in God. That, however, should not cause
us to overlook His continuing plan for national Israel. The existence
of
the Church, the spiritual Zion, does not negate the existence of the original
Zion - Israel. My identity with God is established in Christ as noted
by
the apostle Paul:
Wherefore
remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh
made
by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no
hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes
were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:11-13).
Paul's
brilliant exposition to the Roman church includes a definite statement about
natural Israel's future. Note the use of the name Jacob referring to
Israel
in verse 26. Never in the entire Bible is the name Jacob used to refer in fact
or type to the Church. It always, without exception, refers to natural
Israel.
For
I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye
should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
Israel,
until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be
saved: as it is written, There shall [future] come out of Zion the Deliverer,
and
shall [future] turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto
them, when I shall [future] take away their sins (Rom. 11:25-27).
The
Israel that is to be saved cannot be the Church. The Church is comprised of
people who are already saved. The Israel in view here is an Israel that
will
be saved at a future time when Zechariah's prophecies are fulfilled (Zech. 3:9;
12:10; etc.).
I
frequently hear the wearying, worn-out statement, -1 don't know about all this
prophecy business. There are so many points of view. It's all a matter
of
interpretation." Exactly! It is a matter of interpretation. Either you
believe the Word of God literally, or you explain it away. It is as simple as
that,
and there is no need for further complication.
Even
symbols have a literal meaning, which are defined in the Word of God. No
external evidence should be used to interpret biblical symbols. The moment
you
go outside the Scripture to interpret its symbols you introduce an anarchy of
interpretation. Every person becomes a law unto himself or herself. Then
you
can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say, according to your own
preconceived notions.
Winston
Theodore Pike's book, Israel Our Duty - Our Dilemma, is in fact a vicious
attack on Israel. Although filled with distortions, misappropriation of
Scripture,
and scurrilous slander against the Jews, Pike nevertheless professes a
compassion for the Jews. That is hard to fathom in the light of Pike's
suggestion
that the best thing for the Jews would be for Israel to cease to exist!
It
is no wonder Pike cannot define our duty to Israel, and why he finds himself in
such a dilemma.
Our
duty to Israel is clearly declared in Isaiah's prophecy: Comfort ye, comfort ye
my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem ... (Isa.
40:1-2).
Who is to speak comfort to Jerusalem? It is not the Jews speaking comfort to
themselves. What is in view here is a new people of God whose existence
was
in Isaiah’s future. Those mandated to comfort Jerusalem are the born-again
members of the Church, the body of Christ. We clearly see and know our duty,
and
it is no dilemma.
The
very existence of Israel is proof that we are living in the final period of
this age of grace, the church age. Get Israel in place in the prophetic
plan
of God, and you can see the whole thing. Get Israel misaligned, and prophecy
becomes incomprehensible.
Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and
the trader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall
drop
sweet wine, and all the hills shall. melt. And I will bring again the captivity
of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and
inhabit
them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, they shall
also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them
upon
their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have
given them, saith the Lord thy God (Amos 9:13-15). God means what He
says,
and His Word has been fulfilled in most remarkable fashion, beginning with the
miracle of the rebirth of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948 (Ezek.
36,
37). There is coming a golden Messianic age when all of the visions of the
prophets will be fulfilled. We know the church of redeemed persons, adopted
into
the commonwealth of Israel, will share in the glory of that age and in the
complete fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of the ages that are now only
fulfilled
in a fragmentary way in Israel and in the Church. In the meantime we have God's
mandate for the present age in which we live. We are to comfort
and
bless Israel.
In
1961 Rev. Louis Hauff wrote: The Scriptures show that the eyes of the nations
will be upon the nation of Israel in the last days. We are aware that Israel
is
today the center of attention of the world. All nations are aware of the
existence of the nation of Israel and are concerned about what happens there.
Each
one is taking sides either for or against Israel. This could lead to a world
conflict.
In
July 1958, a time of crisis occurred when Russian communists infiltrated Syria
and supplied arms to the Syrians. Suddenly the United States fleet landed
Marines
in Lebanon, and Great Britain flew paratroopers into Jordan. The stage seemed
set for a great battle. The battle of Armageddon seemed very close.
Look
at a map of Palestine and you will see that Armageddon (Har Megiddo, Mount
Megiddo and the Plain of Esdraelon) was surrounded by the United States
to
the northwest, Russia to the northeast, Great Britain to the east, Israel to
the south, and Egypt to the southwest. Happily, the alert soon ended, but
we
were able to see how quickly the nations of the world could assemble at
Armageddon in a great last conflict.
After
the Lord fights for and delivers Israel, there will come a spiritual awakening
to the people. The prophet Zechariah stated: "And it shall come to
pass
in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of
Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon
me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for
his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness
for his firstborn .... In that day there shall be a fountain opened
to
the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for
uncleanness." (See Zech. 12:9-10; 13:1.)
Although
written over 25 years ago, this book is still up to date because Pastor Hauff
relied on the Word of God for his insight into Israel's place in
prophecy.
The
Holocaust is an event so horrible that millions have blinded their eyes to its
reality. In a sense they have forgotten that it ever happened. Would
you
be surprised to discover that some people in your city could not even define
the term Holocaust or the Hebrew word Shoah?
Some,
having faced the horror of history, choose to deny it ever happened. They write
learned books disdainfully proclaiming that the whole thing is a hoax
perpetrated
by the Jewish people themselves. St. Paul rightly says that Satan, the god of
this world, is capable of blinding the minds of them that believe
not.
(As in 2 Cor. 4:4.)
In
his compelling dialogue on Christian-Jewish relations in the Epistle to the
Romans, Chapters 9-11, St. Paul makes some observations that are vital to
the
Church. First of all, the passage clearly establishes that God still has a plan
for national Israel.
Perhaps
my knowledge is limited, but so far as I know the only church body that gives
recognition to this fact in its creed is the Pentecostal denomination,
the
Assemblies of God. Surely there are other churches that have such a statement
in their creed. If you know of one, please inform us as we are anxious
to
expand our research in this area. On the other hand, since Evangelicals tend to
base all their beliefs on sound interpretation of the Scripture, historically,
an
acceptance of Israel in God's plan has been common in our circles.
Our
faith does not rest on individual denominational or church creeds but on the
revealed truth recorded in the sixty-six books of the Bible. Further, when
I
speak of a plan for national Israel, I am not referring to individual
salvation. Individual salvation is personal, to be worked out in the light of
God's
Word
between the person and God. The Evangelical view is clearly and universally
established that the Mosaic (salvation) covenant is fulfilled in the New
Covenant
of Calvary. On the other hand, the Orthodox (and some other) Jewish people hold
that the Mosaic covenant is still in force.
All
agree that the Mosaic was always a conditional covenant. Is God still in
covenant agreement with the people of Israel? Are there covenants other than
the
Mosaic to be considered? A major question that confronts the Church is this:
Can God be in covenant with more than one group at the same time?
The
word covenant implies a contract or an agreement. It can be conditional,
requiring the participation of two parties, or it can be unilateral, proceeding
directly
from God as a sovereign act of His will. In the case of the unilateral covenant,
no condition or action is required on the part of the second
(human)
party.
To
clarify, the conditional covenant always has God saying to mankind, "If
you will do certain things, then you can expect Me to do certain things in
response."
On
the other hand, a unilateral (unconditional) covenant always depicts the
sovereign determination of God, which He simply announces to mankind, letting
man
know what God plans to do - regardless of what we do or do not do.
God
can be, and certainly is, in covenant with more than one group of humans at the
same time. This is evident from a study of the Noetic covenant. After
the
Flood, God put His rainbow in the clouds signifying that He would never again
judge humanity by a watery destruction. This covenant was totally unilateral
in
nature. This covenant with the whole human race was not and is not conditional.
The
covenant God made with Abraham was a unilateral covenant. Once Abraham obeyed
God on one point, to leave the land of Ur of the Chaldees, God entered
into
and revealed a marvelous and everlasting covenant to the father of the Hebrew
people. This is revealed in the twelfth and fifteenth chapters of Genesis.
God
evidently wanted us to know that the covenant was unilateral, for it is stated
in Genesis 15 that He put Abraham into a deep sleep as He entered into
and
established the covenant. Abraham had nothing to do with the covenant, except
for the fact that he was there and was the original recipient of the
covenant.
Christians
believe that the Mosaic covenant has been fulfilled, but the Abrahamic
covenant, which includes determinations concerning the nationhood and
land
ownership of the Israelite people is inviolable and unconditional. It is not
dependent on what any human person or group does or does not do. It is
based
entirely on the integrity of God and His ability to bring His determinations to
pass.
In
short, God has declared that the natural seed of Abraham, the nation of Israel,
will never go out of existence. Further, He has decreed that the tiny
bit
of land known as Israel (1/2 of 1 percent of the land mass of the Middle East)
is in perpetuity to be the property of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob
for all of time. The Scripture says that the Arabs have a right to exist there
in the midst of their brethren, for they, too, are descendants of
Abraham,
though not of Jacob.
In
the light of this Abrahamic covenant, Paul cautions the converted Gentiles of
Rome not to boast against the natural branches (Jewish people) that have
grown
out of the root of Abraham. We former Gentiles are wild branches grafted into
the natural tree of Israel. The Wycliff Bible Commentary correctly
establishes
that Abraham is the root of us all. Note that Paul says, "Remember that
you do not support the root, but the root supports you."
While
Israel can easily explain her existence without the Church, the Church cannot
explain her existence without Israel. Jesus was Jewish, as were His
disciples
and followers. The only Bible Jesus and His followers had was the the First
Testament. The entire body of Christian Scripture was penned by Jewish
authors,
with the possible exception of Luke and Acts.
At
the very first, the Church was entirely Jewish in its membership. Paul is blunt
in informing the Romans that the olive tree into which we Gentiles have
been
grafted is the property of Israel. What else could be derived from these words:
"For if thou [Gentile converts] wert cut out of the olive tree which
is
wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how
much more shall these [Jews], which be the natural branches, be graffed
into
their own olive tree?" (Rom. 11:24).
The
early Church in its primitive days was never thought of by the Jewish people,
in or out of the Church, as anything more or less than a Jewish sect.
Gentile
converts were thought, in the early years of the Church, to be proselytes to
the Jewish faith and nation. It was not until after the Bar Kochba
revolt
in the year 135 that the Jewish and Gentile elements in the Church finally
separated and went their own ways. The way the Gentile branch of the
Church
followed tragically led directly to the Holocaust. Can this be true?
The
sad saga of early Church history records the animosity that arose in the
Gentile church against the Jewish believers and the Jews in general. As time
went
on, the Church became more and more anti- Semitic.
This
situation reached a zenith when Constantine granted the edicts of toleration.
Christianity was not made the state religion by Constantine, and Constantine
never
was a convert to Christianity (he submitted to baptism by sprinkling upon his
deathbed, thus adding "Christ" to his list of pagan Roman deities,
not
an uncommon practice in the pagan world of multiple gods). Nevertheless, under
the edicts of toleration, Christianity was popularized, and tens of
thousands
of unconverted pagans were baptized into the church because it was the popular
social or politically expedient thing to do.
Malcom
Hay, Fr. John T. Pawlikowski, Fr. Edward Flannery, and other Roman Catholic
authors, along with many modem Protestant writers such as Roy and Alice
Eckardt,
Reinhold Niebuhr, Franklin Littel, Michael Brown, Isaac Rottenberg, and David
Rausch have extensively documented the historic anti-Semitic bias
of
the Church.
Consider
the harsh words of Saint Ambrose, who said that the Jewish synagogue was
"a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God himself has condemned."
It
is no wonder that his followers then went out and set fire to the local
synagogue.
Saint
Gregory of Nyssa spoke with eloquence, saying that the Jews are "Slayers
of the Lord, murderers of the prophets ... advocates of the devil, brook
of
vipers ... men whose minds are in darkness ... haters of righteousness."
Saint
John Chrysostom must have had some good qualities, for Cardinal Newman wrote of
him, "A bright and cheerful gentle soul, a sensitive heart, a temperament
open
to emotion and impulse; and all this elevated, refined, transformed by the
touch of heaven - such was St. John Chrysostom." A Protestant theologian
wrote,
"Chrysostom was one of the most eloquent of the preachers who, ever since
apostolic times, have brought to men the divine tidings of truth and
love."
It
must have been difficult for the Jewish people of his time to see his good
points for in his homilies against the Jews, St. John Chrysostom said,
"The
synagogue
is worse than a brothel ... the temple of demons ... and the cavern of devils
.... I hate the synagogue ... I hate the Jews for the same reason."
Martin
Luther, beloved among Protestants and Evangelicals, made strong anti-Semitic
statements late in his life. "Verily a hopeless, wicked, venomous, and
devilish
thing is the existence of these Jews, who for fourteen hundred years have been,
and still are, our pest, torment, and misfortune. They are just
devils
and nothing more." Luther accused the Jews in terms that today we would
consider vulgar:
When
Judas hanged himself and his bowels gushed forth, and, as happens in such
cases, his bladder also burst, the Jews were ready to catch the Judas-water
and
other precious things, and then they gorged and swilled on the herd among
themselves, and were thereby endowed with such a keenness of sight that they
can
perceive glosses in the Scriptures such as neither Matthew nor Isaiah himself
... would be able to detect; or perhaps they looked into the loin of
their
God "Shed" and found these things written in that smoke hole .... The
devil has eased himself and emptied his belly again - that is a real halidom
for
Jews and would-be Jews, to kiss, batten on, swill and adore; and then the
devil, with his angelic snout, devours what exudes from the oral and anal
apertures
of the Jews; this is indeed his favorite dish, on which he battens like a sow
behind the hedge.
Regarding
Luther, Malcom Hay comments, "His doctrine provided many suitable texts
for Hitler's program of extermination. Today various hate groups reprint
Luther's
pamphlet, The Jews and Their Lies, to support their vengeful attacks on the
Jews.
In
1558 the Protestant preacher Ehrhardt wrote, "We ought not to suffer Jews
to live amongst us, nor to eat and drink with them." Following the
precedent
of
Saint Ambrose he also recommended that "'their synagogues should be set on
fire."
Our
beloved church became a Haman to the Jews, bringing on the dark ages, the
horrors of the inquisition, the bloody crusades, and ultimately producing
the
climate in which a Hitler could succeed with his diabolical plot. Hitler - who
was a church member until the day he died.
Can
we be offended at the Jewish scholar, who indicts Christianity as the prime
cause of anti-Semitism for the past eighteen hundred years? it might be
convenient
if we could ignore the dark side of our heritage, but, if we ever hope to
improve conditions in the world, it would be more practical to face
up
to history, ourselves, and our society.
What
a perverse joke it is when present day replacement theologians accuse their pre-millennial
brethren of being socially irresponsible in the face of the
drastic,
crisis needs of our world, and yet they themselves are provoking an evil hatred
for the nation of Israel through their tired, old, worn-out anti-Semitic
theology.
How have they managed to resurrect these ancient errors and breathe such new
vigor into them until they are now sweeping like an "ill wind that
bodes
no good" throughout the ranks of the Church? The two major anti-Semitic
Christian doctrines are replacement and the theology of contempt.
What
is being preached in certain quarters today is exactly what both the Protestant
and Roman Catholic teachers were promoting in pre- Nazi Germany. We.
had
better be alert to these alarming facts. Don't ever say, "It cannot happen
here."
I
hear from some of my brethren that God no longer has any use for natural
Israel. The Church has taken the place of Israel in God's economy. That is
called
the
Doctrine of Replacement.
Then
there is the Doctrine of Contempt. Simply stated it claims that since the Jews
killed Christ they are worthy of any punishment that falls upon them.
The
Holocaust? Good enough for them.
In
the light of this strange, unbiblical philosophy how should one view the
killing of Christian martyrs under the old Roman Empire and more recently under
the
Communists? Good enough for them? You cannot have it both ways.
Dr.
Roland Pritiken, a retired Air Force general, recently sent me an interesting
list of comparisons between pre-Nazi Germany and conditions in America
today.
There is indeed cause for concern. The church in pre-Nazi Germany was preaching
the twin doctrines of Christian anti-Semitism. They are the doctrine
of
replacement and the doctrine of contempt.
The
theology of replacement contends that the Church has replaced Israel and that
God no longer has any purpose for Israel. Contempt declares that the Jews
crucified
Jesus, therefore they are under a curse and whatever happens, including the
Holocaust, is good enough for them.
While
both of these errors have been refuted, nevertheless Hitler's henchmen were
able to quote both Roman and Protestant theologians in justifying their
heinous
acts against the Jewish people. Thus, in a Christian nation, out of a perverted
Christianity, came the Holocaust, costing the lives of six million
Jews
and millions of other casualties throughout the world.
My
Evangelical brethren cannot boast that our colleagues performed any better in
the Nazi era. The late Dr. Oswald Smith, pastor of the great People's Church
in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, came back from Germany with a glowing report in the
mid-1930s. He spoke of over fourteen thousand Evangelical pastors who
felt
that Hitler was the answer to Germany's problems, and that probably the new
Nazi movement would bring spiritual revival to Germany. Later Dr. Smith
realized
the awfulness of what was happening in Germany and recanted, but it was too
late.
We
still have time to speak out and prevent another holocaust in our times, but
the handwriting is on the wall. If we are silent, history will repeat itself.
The
Holocaust is not mere history, it is potential.
Is
the Church in America different from the Church in pre-Holocaust Germany? I
hope that it is, but I have some deep concerns. Perhaps the fourteen thousand
Evangelical
pastors that Dr. Smith spoke of were not actively anti-Semitic. Perhaps they
were simply unconcerned.
We
have heard some strange things in recent times from modem churchmen. After
Israel was savagely attacked by Syria and Egypt on the Day of Atonement,
October
1973,
Father Daniel Berrigan accused Israel of behaving like a "criminal"
and "'racist state." Then Henry Pit van Deusan, former president of
the Union
Theological
Seminary, likened the Jewish nation to Nazi Germany. To this, Methodist
theologian Roy Eckardt commented, "Whenever Israel is assailed, certain
suppressed,
macabre elements in the Christian soul are stirred to sympathy with the
assailants."
We
wonder if the Christian world has drawn any lessons at all from the Holocaust.
We should have because the greatest events of mankind's history will include
the
creation of earth, the fall of man, God's provision of redemption through
Jesus, the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the reformation, two world
wars,
the Holocaust, the reestablishment of the nation of Israel, and the second
coming of Christ.
Being
an Evangelical, however, I should not presume to speak for the older churches.
My colleagues in the National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel,
Dr.
William Harter, Presbyterian; Dr. Franklin Littel, United Methodist; Father
Edward Flannery, Roman Catholic; Reverend Isaac Rottenberg of the Reformed
Church,
and a host of others have documented the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel bias that
has been consistently manifested by the National and the World
Council
of Churches.
I
have heard a Roman Catholic nun, the great and compassionate scholar Sister
Rose Thering, professor at Seton Hall University, lament the Vatican's refusal
to
recognize the state of Israel. Concluding, therefore, that there are strong
voices in the old-line churches calling for repentance in that quarter,
I
will speak primarily to my own Evangelical brothers and sisters.
In
the past we Evangelicals have prided ourselves in using the Bible as our
mandate for action. Some of us have boasted confidently of the strong support
for
Israel and resistance against anti-Semitism that exists in our ranks. We still
have great strength in such areas, but a certain erosion of these values
is
in progress. New waves of anti- Semitism are sweeping through our own churches.
Strange new anti- Semitic doctrines are being promoted, and whenever
there
is anti-Semitism Holocaust is potential, not merely historic.
Kingdom
Now, Dominion, Theonomy, and Reconstruction are labels attached to vigorous
Evangelical movements that not only differ from us in eschatological
interpretations
but also have an agenda for political takeover, for establishing a world
theocracy before the return of Christ, to abolish democracy, do
away
with pluralism, and put the Jews in their place. Of course, before the
Dominionists can capture the world, they must first conquer the church.
It
must be recognized that not all in the above mentioned theological camps are
anti-Semitic, but in the most part they are, at least by our common definition
of
anti-Semitism. Surely to teach people that God has no more use for the Jews or
the nation of Israel is not in the best interest of the Jews, hence it
is
against the Jews and Israel. Is that not theological anti-Semitism? Theological
or philosophical anti- Semitism always precedes active programs and
persecutions
of the Jews.
To
achieve the goal of world domination, a number of secretive, and, in some
cases, hidden networks exist among the Charismatics and Evangelicals. There
are
also open conferences and conventions designed to effect major theological
changes in our churches. "Their" leadership is encouraged to stay put
in
our
ranks and work for control within. Newly appointed Charismatic apostles and
prophets exert a self aggrandizing authority to which some of my own brethren
are
willing to bow. The thirst for political power in the ecclesiastical world is
wondrous to behold.
Pentecostals
and Charismatics represent a particularly vocal and aggressive branch of
Evangelicalism. Their local churches are growing. A major percentage
of
the world's "super churches" with membership of five thousand to five
hundred thousand fall into this category. They have more radio and TV time than
any
other segment of the church. The strength and influence of the Pentecostals and
Charismatic must not be overlooked.
Who
will be the Pope of the Pentecostals? With control of 176 million
denominational Pentecostals and 156 million
Charismatics
at stake, that is a foremost question! Which apostle will your pastor be asked
to bow to? How will they overcome existing church governments
and
capture the clergy in classical Pentecostal churches? Will the cry, "Unity
at any cost" be the nemesis of those stubborn people who insist on
believing
that
Israel and the Jewish people are still significant to the plan and purposes of
God? Are you even aware of what is going on?
Could
the silencing of my voice and that of my colleagues open the door for a future
holocaust? Does anyone even care? Even though a time of wrath is inevitable
(i.e.
the Great Tribulation), woe to those by whom it comes. Blessed are those who do
the will of God and resist the darkness of error regardless of personal
cost.
Remember, "faith without works is dead."
The
existence of the anti-Semitic Christian doctrines I speak of are further
evidenced by an outpouring of attractive books and literature promoting
theological
anti-Semitism
and thus potential hatred for the Jewish people.
For
some years it looked like the anti-Semites in the Church were winning. We felt
like we were on the run. They attacked and accused us in their papers
and
books. But now the tide is turning. Even in the ranks of the Charismatics there
is an awakening to sound biblical doctrine in relation to Israel.
Christians
United for Israel, The National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel, The
International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, the new Evangelical
Christian
Zionist Congress of America, Iowans for Israel, Bridges for Peace, Friends of
Israel, and a host of others are making a difference simply by
refusing
to be silenced. But we must not let our successes go to our heads. The moment
we let up, our opponents will advance again. I have seen some of
their
expansionist plans, and it is awesome. But we have plans, too, and we believe
God for His constant aid and guidance.
We
continually see articles about Neo-Nazi activity in the daily news. Recently a
group of five radicals from Texas were apprehended in Washington, DC.
The
FBI reported that their possessions included an M-16 grenade launcher, machine
guns, rifles, shotguns, handguns, and silencers, along with a Nazi flag.
Law
enforcement officials here in our area tell us that these Aryan groups are now
common all over America. Our formerly quiet, rurally oriented area is
a
hotbed of Neo-Nazi activity. Our Evangelical colleagues are properly shocked at
these media revelations. Even more shocking is the discovery that many
of
the Nazi groups claim to be fundamentalist Christians.
It
is not enough to speak out against Aryan radicals in our culture. Never mind
the fact that right here in Southern Missouri we are surrounded by the
skinheads;
The
Order, The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord; Pentecostal Nazis; and
that the Ku Klux Klan has moved its international headquarters to within
70
miles of my front door. We expect Jew hatred from the Nazis. The most serious
problem is when anti-Semitism invades the churches.
It
is of even greater concern that the biblical position on Israel has been
eroded, and even though we have seen an encouraging reversal of these trends,
we
still have a long way to go. A lot of theologically anti-Semitic literature is
available right in your local religious bookstores. We hear the concepts
of
replacement and contempt on our local religious radio stations. It is preached
in local churches.
Rousas
John Rushdoony, creator of the Chalcedon Foundation and grandfather of the
Dominionist movement, says that Christians who are supportive of Israel
and
the Jewish people are heretical.
Rushdoony
wrote in his book, Thy Kingdom Come, "Pre-millennial and amillennial
interpretations are tainted with the background of Manichaean heresy. A further
heresy
clouds pre-millennial interpretations of Scripture - their exaltation of racism
into a divine principle. Every attempt to bring the Jew back into
prophecy
as a Jew is to give race and works (for racial descent is a human work) a
priority over grace and Christ's work, and is nothing more or less than
paganism.
It is significant that pre-millennialism is almost invariable associated with
Arminianism, i.e. the introduction of race into prophetic perspectives
is
accompanied by, and part and parcel of, the introductions of works into the
order of salvation. This is the essence, after all, of the Phariseeism which
crucified
Christ and which masqueraded, as it still does, as the epitome of godliness.
There can be no compromise with this vicious heresy."
We
normally speak of the Holocaust as an historic phenomenon. But if we allow
these ideas to advance in our churches, if we are silent, as so many were
silent
in Germany, it could happen here. It could happen again. The Holocaust must
never be viewed only as history. It is potential.
The
TV cameras were running in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem where
we were involved in the production of a Christian documentary on the
Holocaust.
The lights were on, and the videotape rolling.
Suddenly,
out of the shadows stepped an elderly Jewish man who called out, "Mister,
I was there. It really happened." Rolling up his sleeve, he thrust forth
his
arm, revealing a tattooed number on his wrist. "Look, look, I was there.
Don't let them tell you it never happened."
His
embarrassed wife pulled at his coattails until he backed away from the lighted
area. We watched his retreating figure fading back into the darkness.
We
hear his plaintive final cry, "Mister, listen to me. Mister - it could
happen again."
Almighty
God, we confess our sins and the sins of the Church. As the ancient prophets of
Israel sometimes confessed the sins of their nation - sins of which
they
had no personal guilt - so we confess the sins of our church and our nation. We
have not pleased You when we have participated in slander against
the
Jewish people. Forgive us for remaining silent when we should have spoken out
against evil hatred of Your people Israel. Forgive us for being intimidated
in
the face of anti-Semitism.
Having
confessed our sin, we pray that You will give us the resolve and courage to act
upon our faith. Anoint us by thy Holy Spirit to receive Your truth.
Let
our belief be our mandate to action. May we never again be silent when
anti-Semitism raises its ugly head in our midst. Strengthen us in this
determination.
In
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I
feel that God sent him to me for many strange reasons. Yehuda came to the hotel
to listen to one of our lecturers. After the meeting we spent several
hours
talking of many things.
Everyone
in Jerusalem has a story to tell. The air is full of parables. Mystery and
intrigue permeate the atmosphere. The story Yehuda told me is like a
parable.
Though dark may be the night imposed on humanity by man's brutality to his
fellow man, nevertheless there is a wheel of justice that turns full
circle
in the passage of time.
Yehuda
came to us during the feast of Purim. That is the time when the Jewish people
celebrate the victory of Mordechai and Esther over Haman, the Hitler
of
his day. Haman built a gallows on which to hang the Jews, but God turned the
situation about, and Haman hung on his own gallows.
Yehuda
told of an ex-Nazi Luftwaffe officer who engaged in conversation with him some
time ago. The Nazi was loud, arrogant, and boastful. "You Jews," he
argued,
" are always stirring up the stink of the past. Why can't you leave the
past alone?"
Yehuda
inquired of him, "I suppose, sir, that you would admit Hitler started the
Second World War?"
"'You
see," said the Nazi, "that's exactly what I mean, always digging up
old history. Why can't you forget it and live for today?"
"Well,"
said Yehuda, "I guess you could further admit that Hitler was responsible
not only for the death of 6 million of my people, the Jews, but also for
50
million other casualties in World War ll?"
"Yes,
yes, of course - we all admit that Hitler was a devil. We Germans made a
mistake about him, but what good does it do to remember it now?"
Yehuda
continued, "I must tell you, sir, that the Nazis did a "good' job on
my family. All my family - mother, father, brothers, sisters - were killed in
your
death camps. All, that is, but me and one uncle."
"You
have a sick mind," the Nazi shouted. "I know you have experienced
personal tragedy, but you need to forget it. Leave the past in the past.
Furthermore,
I
have had enough of this conversation."
"Not
quite enough. I have one more thing to tell you. Something you do not know. You
admit that Hitler started the Second World War, but what you do not
know
is that one Jew, my uncle, ended it!"
"What
insanity is this? Surely you Jews are mad, but you especially! I have never
heard such nonsense. And who might this uncle of yours be?"
"My
uncle was Robert Oppenheimer," said Yehuda as his eyes pierced into the
soul of the unrepentant Nazi.
The
Nazi literally shook like a leaf in the summer breeze. Unable to say another
word, he turned and walked away. You see, he recognized the name Robert
Oppenheimer
as the man who was chiefly responsible for the atomic bomb.
There
is a wheel of justice that turns full circle with the passing of the years of
time.
Haman
hangs on his own gallows. Hitler burns the Jews in the gas furnaces and then
burns himself in his own bunker in Berlin. They that curse Israel are
cursed
by the Almighty.
Robert
Oppenheimer, a physicist, was a professor at the University of California and
the California Institute of Technology. He directed atomic energy research
and
the manufacture of the atom bomb during the Second World War. From 1947 until
1966, he was director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton
University.
Oppenheimer served as chairman of the general advisory committee of the U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission until 1954.
After
seeing the horrible effects of the atomic bomb, he refused to work on the
hydrogen bomb. He was accused of being a security risk and was suspended
from
the A.E.C. in 1954. Allegations against him were never proven. It is well known
that this man was responsible for guiding the research and production
of the
atom bomb, which so dramatically brought the Second World War to its
conclusion, with victory falling into the hands of the free world.
Adolph
Hitler, perpetrator of the worst horrors ever visited upon the world, was not a
Christian, not in the light of our definition of the word Christian.
However,
it is apparent that not everyone defines the word Christian in the same way.
Ask
the average American if he is a Christian, and about 77 percent will respond in
the affirmative. You will hear: "I belong to the Presbyterian church
-
of course I am a Christian." And, "Yes, my dad was a Methodist-
preacher." Or, "My Uncle Del is a missionary in Zimbabwe."
Someone win say, "Sure, I
was
born right here in Christian America." But all of that has nothing to do
with the question of being born again, being a member of the true united Church
of
Jesus Christ consisting of those, and only of those, who have been redeemed.
But,
Hitler was a church member until the day he died, and in the view of most of
the people in this world, a church member is a Christian. It is understandable
that
Jewish people view the Holocaust, perpetrated by "Christian" Hitler
in Christian Germany, land of the Reformation, as a Christian phenomenon.
American
clergyman Arno C. Gaebelein, an outstanding EvangelicaI- fundamentalist writer
and preacher of the early part of this century, was alert to the
threat
of Nazism. Long before Hitler's worst side had been seen, he was warning the
world of the dangers inherent in Nazism. This is pointed out by Herman
Voss
and David Rausch in their book, Protestantism Its Modem Meaning. In 1930
Gaebelein described Hitler as being "an outspoken enemy of the Jews ...
one
of
the most fanatical anti-Semites of Europe." Voss and Rausch describe
Gaebelein's thought in some detail:
An
avid reader with contacts around the world, including Germany and Russia,
Gaebelein underscored the growing power of fascism in Europe in the 1920s,
and
in Our Hope (August 1932) remarked: "Especially threatening is it in
Germany. Adolph Hitler, the clever fascist leader who is winning out in Germany
and
holds the power in his hands, is a rabid anti-Semite. When Hitler became
chancellor in 1933, Gaebelein saw this as a serious setback for the German
people,
and he detailed Nazi boycotts of Jewish department stores, and limitation of
Jewish rights. To Gaebelein, fascism meant the political conditions
of
the entire world are breaking up." It appeared as though the Great
Tribulation was near.
And
yet Gaebelein had no patience with those who tried to pinpoint or date
prophetic events or who would try to guess who the Antichrist might be. His
philosophy
was
well illustrated when he wrote in Our Hope (November 1933): "The editor
has no use for day-and-year- setters, nor has he any use for figuring out the
duration
of the times of the Gentiles, nor has he any sympathy with men who prophesy
that Mussolini, Hitler, Feisal, or any other person is the Antichrist.
It
is a morbid condition which seems to suit certain minds."
Gaebelein
continued to write about atrocities against the Jewish people and the rise of
German Teutonic paganism. An article on the Nazis in February 1936
was
entitled The Devil Marches On In Germany. When Adolph Hitler used the 1936
Olympic Games as a great propaganda play and tried to hide the persecution
of
the Jewish people from journalists, tourists, and government officials,
Gaebelein was appalled that even David Lloyd George (1863-1945), the British
statesman,
was misled.2
Many
Evangelicals assume that the Evangelical church in Germany would have despised
Hitler and rejected his leadership. This is not the case, however. There
were
few who stood up against him. I have personally met Evangelical preachers who
were once in the Nazi party in Germany. Since their conversion to Jesus
Christ,
some have repudiated Nazism and Hitler's actions. However, some are still
defensive of Hitler and the Nazi regime.
One
preacher criticized me for mentioning the Holocaust. "Let the past be in
the past," he said. "Don't keep digging it up. Besides, Hitler was
not all
bad.
He was against the Commu- nists. He built the autobahn (superhighway) and
promoted the Volkswagen. He loved little children. He was kind to animals,
and
besides, he made the trains run on time." It is impossible to treat such
words with anything but the utter disgust of which they are worthy.
Suppose
someone would say to you, "Yes, I know Joe Smith raped and killed my wife,
murdered the rest of my family, and was the mass murderer of twenty-seven
other
people. But he wasn't all bad, after all he ran a nice ice cream parlor, and he
was a faithful church member and always gave to the Red Cross Foundation."
One
could only say, "How disgusting! You have a sick mind."
The
sorry fact is that the German church leaders in general, including the
Evangelicals, did nothing to resist Hitler. In fact, many favored him.'
Voss
and Rausch cite the late Oswald J. Smith, pastor of the great Evangelical
People's Church of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in this regard. Evidently, Oswald
Smith
was completely fooled by Hitler, although later on, his eyes were opened and he
repented, reversing all his previously held opinions. Oswald Smith
was
a good man who simply misunderstood the situation in Germany.
Yet,
Smith's article, "My Visit to Germany," shows how effective Adolph
Hitler was in his Olympic campaign and in his brainwashing of good, decent
Protestants.
The
forty-six-year-old Smith was taken in by the fervent testimony of "true
Christians" he visited in Germany during the Olympic Games.
"What," you ask,
"is
the real attitude of the German people toward Hitler?" Smith wrote,
"There is but one answer. They love him ... every true Christian is for
Hitler
. .
. ."
They
also impressed upon Smith that "the Bolsheviks were prepared to take over
the country," and "Hitler has saved Germany." Smith listened
"spellbound"
to
the contented, happy Protestants, joyously writing that "all girls are
trained to be mothers," use of makeup and lipstick had been eliminated,
and mass
immorality
was being eradicated.
"Before
Hitler's days, spiritism flourished," Smith rejoiced. "Now occultism
of every description is banned." In addition, Smith was more than thrilled
that
Russellism. (Jehovah's Witnesses) was banned as dangerous to the nation.
He
suggested that the "United States and Canada could learn a valuable lesson
in this regard." In actuality, both Smith and the German Protestants were
to
learn that when one person's religious freedom is violated, all religious
freedom is on the chopping block.
Smith
was so completely deceived by the propaganda that he referred to the
"spiritual awakening that is coming to the German people." The
Cathedral in Berlin
was
full, with a minister who "preaches the old- fashioned gospel. He spares
no one. And none interferes with him. He deals openly with sin and
salvation."
The
"true Christian" Protestants of Germany had convinced Smith that they
were on the brink of religious revival. "France I do not trust. France is
Red,
immoral
and godless," Smith concluded. "Germany is Protestant. It was from
Germany that Luther came. 113
Gerald
Winrod, who died in 1957, quoted Smith extensively, and published his articles
in his Defender Magazine. (Defender has since been taken over and
re-titled
by a pro-Israel Pentecostalist, Hart Armstrong). Actually Winrod had been a
defender of the Jews in the1920s, but by 1935 he was justifying Hitler
and
had turned against the Jews. Gaebelein was to identify Winrod as a "secret
follower of Hitler."
It
is startling to discover that Winrod, a strong biblical Zionist could turn
about-face and persecute the Jews through his writings. Yet, we see the same
thing
happening today in certain Evangelical and Charismatic camps. May God deliver
us from this spiritual treachery. May God deliver us from this spiritual
insanity.
Currently,
Rev. Gordon Winrod, a fundamentalist, is carrying on his father's tradition of
Christian anti-Semitism. His anti-Semitic literature is published
under
the auspices of a church he pastors in Gainesville, Missouri. Gerald Winrod was
a great believer in the spurious Protocols of the Learned Elders
of
Zion, and he distributed copies widely. The Protocols purport to be an outline
of a Jew-Zionist plot to rule the world.
American
Evangelical leaders like Arno Gaebelein, Harry Ironside, Keith Brooks, and many
other Evangelicals signed Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse's petition
denouncing
the Proto-
cols
as an anti-Semitic forgery. Pastor Barnhouse, a Presbyterian minister wrote one
of the greatest commentaries on the Book of Revelation. Barnhouse was
a
premillinnarian and ardent supporter of Israel .4 At the same time, most German
Evangelicals were silent, or even supportive of Hitler.
It
is encouragement over that many American Evangelicals did actually denounce
Hitler. Voss and Rausch state: During Hitler's "final solution" to
the Jewish
problem,
Fundamentalist-Evangelicals believed that the Jewish people were being
exterminated by the millions, while more liberal Christians, and periodicals
such
as The Christian Century, were labeling the reports of atrocity
"propaganda." Gaebelein's Our Hope magazine gave factual reports of
atrocities against
the
Jewish people during the 1930s and 1940s. The Fundamentalist-Evangelical world
view lent it- self very well to such convictions, even when they seemed
beyond
the realm of belief and left the pre-millennialists in shock . 5
The
good news is that there are many Evangelicals and Pentecostals, who are in tune
with biblical truth in relation to Israel and the Jewish people. How
I
thank God for those who refuse to be intimidated, who rise above the general
apathy that attends this subject. One might smugly take comfort in the fact
that
many American Evangelicals did resist Hitler from afar, while condemning our
German colleagues. It is easy to be self congratulatory when surrounded
by
our agreeing brethren.
Looking
at the current American Evangelical scene, however, in certain quarters, we see
a shift away from biblical literalism. It reminds one of the kind
of
reversal made by Gerald Winrod on the Israel/Jewish issue.
I
am distressed to see certain pastors and leaders who once took a strong
biblical stance on God's promises to national Israel who are today hobnobbing
with
the Kingdom Now and the Dominion crowd. Some have openly embraced anti-Israel
doctrine. The silence of others, formerly so outspoken, is significant.
If
Charismatic brethren are going to fellowship with our Kingdom Now brethren,
they should take every opportunity to correct them on their unscriptural
attitude
toward Israel.
Many
have been silenced for the sake of "unity." But what kind of unity is
it that calls for silence on major issues? What kind of unity is it that denies
us
the right to speak out on vital issues? What kind of unity is it when a few
brethren with strange new doctrines, set the agenda for us all? What kind
of
unity is it that causes Kingdom Now friends to accuse those of us who are
friends of Israel of being satanic, inspired by the devil, deceived, and guilty
of
preaching heresy?
I
am told that I should either change my views concerning Israel, or if I cannot
do that, then I should be silent for the sake of unity. What unity is this?
Some
time ago I attended a leadership conference. We were told that Israel and
prophecy are low on the agenda of priorities in the Church of today, so we
should
keep silent on the subjects. Is this unity or spiritual blackmail and
brainwashing?
My
view is that, regardless of disagreements, I am united with all born- again
believers. We have one head, even Jesus Christ (1 Cor.12). We certainly need
a
more visible manifestation of that unity, but the neo- modernist Evangelicals
and Pentecostals are not promoting that concept of unity.
Unity
we have, but truth is elusive and must be pursued with vigor. Regardless of
what you may hear or think to the contrary, the devil's principle end-time
tactic
is not to cause division but to promote deception. Indeed, division is
deplorable, and Satan will use it, but deception is worse and can hinder
the
kingdom of God and, in the extreme, can even damn souls.
Some
of the Neo-Kingdomists (Kingdom Now) and the Dommionists are promoting the same
anti-Semitic theology that the churchmen of Hitler's day were preaching.
Hitler's
henchmen actually quoted pastors and church leaders in justifying their
horrible persecution of the Jews. Not all people in the Kingdom Now and
Dominion
movements are doctrinal anti-Semitics, but most of them are.
Let
a major depression hit the world. Let really hard times come to this country.
Let another Hitler arise, this time in our midst. Some of the modernistic
Evangelicals
I have described will be the first to follow him. They may not light the gas
furnaces at Auschwitz, but, like their fellow German churchmen
of
the Nazi era, they will provide the fuel.
Pastor,
I urge you to get involved in this important issue facing the Church today.
Speak out and repudiate false teaching now, before it is too late.
Evangelicals
ought to know that we have a vested interest in being protective of our Jewish
friends. It is a fact that the same anti-God forces that have
eternally
wanted to destroy the Jews also want to destroy us. I appeal to my Kingdom Now
and Dominionist brethren to rethink their theology and return
to
a biblical standard.
Only
one man in the whole history of the world was given the privilege of choosing
his birth place, his race, and his mother. That one man was Jesus who
chose
to be born in Bethlehem to a Jewish mama. He chose to be of the tribe of Judah,
from which the word Jew is derived. He lived the life of an observant,
orthodox
Jew. He never had the privilege of attending a church service. He never saw a
Sunday school. He worshiped, prayed, taught, preached, and healed
the
sick in the Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah, which He reverently referred to as
His Father's house. He was a Jew when He died on the cross at the hands
of
the Romans, and when He rose up from the dead He was a Jew.
The
one who makes intercession for you at the right hand of the Father is the Jew,
Jesus. Our divine Lord retains His humanity (1 Tim. 2:5). That one mediator
between
God and man, the MAN Christ Jesus is still a Jew in heaven. When He comes back
He will still be a Jew. He will be a Jew for all eternity, for He
is
the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5).
Listen,
anti-Semite, Jew hater, the Jew is coming back, and He is angry with you. I
would not want to be in your shoes for anything.
Theodore
Herzil did not invent Zionism when he held the first Zionist Congress in the
Stadt Cassino Music Hall in Basel, Switzerland in 1897. He simply
jumped
on a bandwagon that had been rolling through the corridors of history for thousands
of years since the time of Abraham. The Almighty Jehovah is
the
inventor of Zion and Zionism. Listen to the joyous proclamation of the
prophets:
0
Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; 0
Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it
up,
be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! (Isa. 40:9).
Sing
and rejoice, 0 daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst
of thee, saith the Lord (Zech. 2:10).
Thus
saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain
of
the Lord of hosts the holy mountain (Zech. 8:3).
And
I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness
(Zech.
8:8).
Lord,
haste the day of the reign of Israel's Messiah who will bring peace on earth,
with goodwill toward all people.