Sizer Promised Land - Jewish Studies
Sizer Promised Land - Jewish Studies
Sizer Promised Land - Jewish Studies
Stephen R. Sizer
July 2002
Abstract
Christian Zionism is a complex, controversial and deeply influential movement.
In particular, it impacts US foreign policy in the Middle East as well as
strengthens the Israeli right-wing. The influence of evangelicals upon the
development of Zionism has, however, been consistently underestimated. An
exhaustive survey of published works also confirms the relatively undeveloped
nature of research in this field. Consequently the assumption, made by
advocates as well as critics, that Christian Zionism is synonymous with
Evangelicalism has remained largely uncontested.
This thesis challenges this assumption through an examination of the
historical roots, theological basis and political ramifications
Chapter 2 traces its historical development
British sectarianism
of the movement.
Chapter 3
assesses seven basic theological tenets that distinguish the various strands
within the Christian Zionist movement: an ultra-literal and futurist hermeneutic;
belief that the Jews remain God's chosen people; Restorationism
of the Jews to Palestine; the justification
Jerusalem as the Jewish capital; the expectation that the Temple will be rebuilt;
and a pessimistic apocalyptic eschatology.
consequences
the pro-Israeli lobby; facilitate aliyah; sustain the West Bank settlements;
for international
femple;
lobby
conflict.
sources as
identify the dominant themes which both define as well as distinguish variant
forms of contemporary
Christian Zionism.
Published findings arising from this thesis have already contributed to the
international debate on the significance of Christian Zionism. It is hoped that this
thesis will stimulate further research and form the basis for constructive
dialogue between proponents and critics in the future.
Acknowledgments
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1. An Overview
2. Zionism Defined
3. Christian Zionism Defined
4. The Significance of the Christian Zionist Movement
5. The State of Research into Christian Zionism
6. Research Aims and Methodology
7. Contribution and Intended Outcomes
Chapter 2: The Historical Roots of Christian Zionism since 1800
20
21
25
29
36
52
57
60
64
80
83
95
102
133
133
157
170
ii
178
182
189
199
iii
245
245
260
265
272
275
280
291
Chapter 5: Conclusions
305
305
306
307
308
310
Glossary
313
Bibliography
317
1. Books
2. Journals
3. Newspapers & Magazines
4. Reports, News Letters and Leaflets
5. Electronic
6. Audio & Video
7. Internet
5. Unpublished
6. Biblical Quotations
317
371
375
379
380
381
381
386
387
IV
388
Figures
1. The historical development of Christian Zionism since 1800
105
138
148
151
245
259
261
306
307
308
vi
Chapter 1: Introduction
'As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,
so is the land of Israel the navel of the world ...
situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded. " This quotation from the Talmud, called the Midrash Tanchuma, epitomises
the deep resonance many Jewish people have felt for the land of Israel, the
day.
Temple
from
in
AD
70
the
Jerusalem
the
their
to
present
city of
and
exile
It also explains, in part, the motivation behind the Zionist movement as well
as the reason for the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict.
In this critical investigation of evangelical Christian Zionism from 1800
in Britain and America, this introduction will give an overview of the thesis;
define Zionism and Christian Zionism; appraise the significance of Christian
Zionism as a movement; assess the present state of research; explain the
research aims and methodology; note the author's contribution so far and
summarise the intended outcomes.
1. An Overview of the Thesis
This thesis will examine Christian Zionism in three chapters dealing with the
history, theology and politics of the movement. Chapter 2 will trace the
historical development of Christian Zionism since 1800 and its transition from
British sectarianism to mainstream American Evangelicalism. Chapter 3 will
assess seven basic theological tenets that distinguish the various strands
Zionist
Christian
the
movement: an ultra-literal and futurist2
within
hermeneutic; a belief that the Jews remain God's chosen people;
Restorationism and the return of the Jews to Palestine; the justification of
Eretz Israel; the centrality of Jerusalem as the Jewish capital; the expectation
that the Temple will be rebuilt; and a pessimistic premillennial apocalyptic
eschatology. Chapter 4 will focus on the political consequences of this
theology and the way in which Christian Zionists bolster the pro-Israeli lobby;
facilitate aliyah; sustain the West Bank settlements; lobby for international
Temple;
the
for
Jerusalem;
the
and oppose
of
promote
rebuilding
recognition
In
Arab-Israeli
the concluding chapter the
the
conflict.
of
a peaceful settlement
Christian
Zionism
be
delineated.
forms
will
of
variant
2. Zionism Defined
Zionism emerged as a political movement from within the liberal-humanist
tradition of central and eastern Europe following the Napoleonic Wars and
3
direct
It differed, however, from
to
was a
response
anti-Semitism.
other
people for their own homeland at the First Zionist Congresswhich HerzI
later
in 1897. They were not without critics within
in
Basle
a
year
convened
the wider Jewish community. In 1898, Joseph Prag, president of Chovevei
Zion, for example, opposed Herzl's'catastrophic'8Political Zionism on the
grounds that it'advocated immigrationon a vast scale before any provision
had been made for the people.'9This exposed the existence of two distinct
forms of Zionism - political and practical, more especially visible after the
failure of the East Africa experiment. The secular and nationalist 'political'
Zionism of HerzI and Weizmann was opposed by the religious and
Ha'am
Zionism
Mizrahi
(1902)
Ahad
'practical'
who
of
and
philanthropic
favoured a more gradual assimilationof Jews in Palestinewhere the rights of
the indigenousArabs would be respected.10The former sought national
revival, while the latter national redemption,exposing the internal dualism if
not inherent contradictionwithin Zionism, 'simultaneouslya movementof
"'
liberation
national
and one of colonization.
Nathan Weinstock emphasises: 'It is
...
important to understandthat
The diverse spectrum within the Zionist movement is reflected in the make-up
of the Israeli Knesset. Sachar points out that,
In no Knesset since the establishmentof the State were fewer than ten
parties representedand in none did a single party ever have a majority
After 1948 Israeli citizens were not selecting a governmentso much
...
23
intricate
bargaining.
as authorizing an
obstacle course of coalition
Sachar notes that in 1948,21 different parties submitted lists of candidates
for the first Knesset. In 1951 there were 17; in 1955,18; and in the 4th
Knesset in 1959 there were 26 parties. This diversity reflects the fact that
Zionism was nurtured in the Diasporas of Russia, Eastern and Western
Europe, North and Latin America as well as the Middle East. The high
number of Israeli political parties therefore merely reflected the 'nonindigenisation'of
Zionism.
24
different political parties, of which 16 ran for the 15th Knesset and 12 actually
25
won seats.
The most recent form of Zionism to emerge, and probably the most
destructive, is Messianic Zionism associated with individuals like Rabbi Kook
the Elder, the Younger and Rabbi Kahne, the Gush Emunim movement, and
Gershon Salomon and the Temple Mount Faithful. Sachar describes how
Religious Zionism was spawned from within the ultra-Orthodox subcultures of
the 'Charedi Bible-belt' around Jerusalem following the 1967 Six Day War.
The Charedim were, he shows, 'the first to embrace the territoralist mysticism
inherent in the 1967 triumph' and also subsequently a decisive factor in
Likud's electoral victory in 1997.26Equating Arabs with the ancient Amaleks
and, convinced they have a divinely ordained mandate to destroy the
Palestinians, religious Zionists have been in the forefront of the confiscation
of Palestinian land, attacks on Muslims and MosqueS27and the systematic
28
Hebron.
West
in
like
Bank settlements, especially
places
expansion of the
4
29
is
'unitary
Zionism
that
While conceding
entity', it has
not a
for
the
in
'the
terms
been
defined
movement
as
national
general
nevertheless
Jewish
homeland
the
to
their
Jewish
the
of
resumption
and
people
return of
in
held
Congress
Zionist
Israel.
'30
At
27th
Land
in
the
the
of
sovereignty
Jerusalem in 1968, this definition was amplified to include five broad
principles:
'1. The unity of the Jewish people and the centrality of Israel in Jewish
life; 2. The in-gathering of the Jewish people in its historic homeland,
Eretz Israel; 3. The strengthening of the State of Israel; 4. The
The
5.
identity
Jewish
the
the
protection
people;
and
of
of
preservation
of Jewish rights. 931
Following the Israeli capture of East Jerusalem and their occupation of the
West Bank and Golan after the Six Day War in 1967, the wider international
community increasingly rejected the notion that Zionism was simply another
is
Zionist
the
liberation
The
agenda
of
national
movement.
growing criticism
reflected, for example, in UN Security Council Resolutions 224 and 338.
Indeed, in 1975, the LIN General Assembly resolution 3379 declared Zionism
to be, 'a form of racism and racial discrimination. s32While this was
subsequently revoked under pressure from the USA, in 2001 the LIN World
Conference on Racism held in Durban, South Africa, adopted the following
declaration concerning Palestinian rights without actually naming Israel:
'For the purpose of the present Declaration and Programme of Action,
the victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance are individuals or groups of individuals who are or have
been negatively affected by, subjected to, or targets of these scourges
We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under
...
foreign occupation. We recognize the inalienable right of the
Palestinian people to self determination and to the establishment of an
independent State
We recognize the right of refugees to return
...
voluntary to their homes and properties in dignity and safety, and urge
M
facilitate
States
to
such return.
all
Ironically, the Zionist vision which initially simply called for a 'publicly
was
secured and legally assured homeland for the Jews in Palestine, P34
largely nurtured and shaped by Christian Zionists long before it was able to
inspire widespread Jewish support 35As will be shown in the next chapter
.
proto-Christian Zionism predated and nurtured Jewish Zionism, while the
in
1967
Christian
Zionist
part as
after
emerged
contemporary
movement only
a reaction to the widespread criticism which Israel has endured over the last
thirty-five years.
3. Christian Zionism Defined
The term 'Christian Zionist' first appears to have been used by Theodor HerzI
to describe Henri Dunant, the Swiss philanthropist and founder of the Red
Cross. Dunant was one of only a handful of Gentiles to be invited to the First
Zionist Congress. At its simplest, Christian Zionism is a political form of philoSemitism, and can be defined as 'Christian support for Zionism. '36 Walter
Riggans interprets the term in an overtly political sense as, 'any Christian who
supports the Zionist aim of the sovereign State of Israel, its army,
government, education etc., but it can describe a Christian who claims to
support the State of Israel for any reason. 137
Louis Hamada traces what he sees as the correlation between secular
Jewish Zionism and Christian Zionism:
'The term Zionism refers to a political Jewish movement for the
establishment of a national homeland in Palestine for the Jews that
have been dispersed. On the other hand, a Christian Zionist is a
person who is more interested in helping God fulfill His prophetic plan
through the physical and political Israel, rather than helping Him fulfill
His evangelistic plan through the Body of Christ. Y38
While Hamada is correct to observe that Christian Zionists essentially support
what was predominantly a secular and political movement, increasingly
Christian Zionists are now identifying with the religious elements
which
dominate the Zionist agenda, especially among the settlers and Temple
Mount movement. Furthermore, Christian Zionism is considerably more
complex than Hamada suggests, with some leading agencies committed to
both a 'prophetic plan' as well as an 'evangelistic plan'for the Jewish people,
notably Jews for Jesus and the Churches Ministry Among Jewish People
(CMJ). Evangelicals, in particular, are increasingly polarised as to whether
Christian Zionism is biblical and orthodox or heretical and cultic. Colin
Chapman observes, 'it is hard to think of another situation anywhere in the
world where politics have come to be so closely bound up with religion, and
where scriptures have such a profound effect on political action. t39
deemed to be critical of, or hostile toward Israel, but also leads to the
justification
and Gaza on biblical grounds. As tensions simmer in the Middle East, so the
stakes are raised to gain the moral high ground, and the Bible is used both to
silence Israel's critics as well as to castigate Israel. In such a polarised
culture, anti-Zionism
well as non-Zionist Jewish academics concede that the Shoah has been
exploited by what they describe as 'holocaustology'
45
censure.
48
415
message of the Christian Zionist? Simply stated it is this: every act taken by
Israel is orchestrated
based
The Middle East Council of Churches similarly reject Christian Zionism, 'as
representing a heretical interpretation of Holy Scripture"
describes it as 'biblical anathema. 52
8
51
55
of smaller
of Jews to Israel
Occupied Territories.
58
in the
59
62
6()
61
Lance
Lamberl:
Walter
RigganS.
Along with
Pawson,
David
and
Americans such as Jerry Falwell,
Evans,
66
Charles Dyer,
67
63
Pat Robertson,
John Walvoord
68
64
Hal Lindsey,
69
65
Mike
they have
mega-churches.
1,000
by
Christian
disseminated
their
pastors,
views
72
Doug Kreiger lists
100 Christian TV
stations.
over
together 200 different Jewish and Christian Zionist organisations including the
International Christian Embassy, Christian Friends of Israel and Bridges for
Peace and claims a support base of 40 million active members. 77These
organisations, in varying degrees, and for a variety of reasons, some
10
Christian
Zionist
broad
is
the
up
coalition
which
shaping
make
a
contradictory,
agenda today.
5. The State of Research into Christian Zionism
It appears that the influence of evangelical Christians upon the development
of Zionism has been consistently underestimated and is considerably more
78
been
has
than
pervasive
recognised.
previously
While Evangelicalism and Christian Fundamentalism, in particular,
have attracted a considerable amount of attention in academic circles,
79
their
influence upon the rise of Christian Zionism itself appears to have escaped
80
few
notable exceptionS. Marsden
serious consideration apart from a
concedes that: 'Even most of those neo-evangelicals who abandoned the
details of Dispensationalism still retained a firm belief in Israel's God-ordained
in
This
belief
is
immensely
in
America,
though
mentioned
rarely
popular
role.
proportion to its influence. '81From a British perspective, Margaret Brearley
likewise acknowledges: 'A detailed exposition of the biblical and theological
basis for Christian Zionism is clearly needed. P82
An exhaustive survey of published works confirms the relatively
undeveloped nature of research into contemporary Christian Zionism. For
example, while Regina Sharif traces the influence of the Reformation,
Puritanism and Millennialism on the rise of Zionism, she nevertheless
concentrates on the political dimension and developments prior to 1945, as
do Paul Merkley and Barbara Tuchman. 83Sharif argues:
'The traditional terms "Gentile" or "Christian" Zionism are misleading
since they now suggest a Christian enthusiasm for Zionism motivated
essentially by Biblical or theological reasoning. But it is the political
motivations of non-Jewish protagonists of Zionism which have above
all today come to make up an integral part of the non-Jewish Zionist
matrix ... It is precisely this unique phenomenon on non-Jewish
Zionism that we propose to analyse here. 184
As a secular historian, Sharif not surprisingly perhaps, minimizes the
significance of 'Biblical or theological reasoning' upon the Christian Zionist
movement. This thesis will address this deficiency and demonstrate that
biblical reasoning has indeed been a major factor in the development of
Christian Zionism.
This thesis was initiated following previous research into the ethical
management
the
of Christian
Because there has been little research into the origins, basis or
consequences of Christian Zionism, the assumption that it is theologically
orthodox and synonymous with Evangelicalism has remained largely
uncontested. This research will challenge this proposition providing a
comprehensive appraisal of the movement which it is hoped will form the
basis for constructive dialogue between proponents and critics in the future.
Notes to Chapter 1
1 Midrash Tanchurna,Qedoshim.Cited http://w-vAv.templemount.
on
org
2 'Futurism' is the
method of interpretationin which the eventsrecordedin
prophetic Scripture,especiallythe Book of Revelation,are understoodto describe
future eventsat the end of history just prior to the return of Christ. This is in
12
contrast to a preterist position which regards these same events as having been
fulfilled in the Early Church. See Robert G. Clouse, ed., The Meaninp, of the
Millennium, (Downers Grove, Illinois, IVP, 1977) and C. Marvin Pate, ed., Four
Views of the Book of Revelation, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1998).
3 Walter Laqueur, A Histoly
of Zionism, (London, Weidenfeld Nicolson, 1972),
p589.
4 Ibid.,
p590.
5 Ibid.,
pxiii.
Ibid.
26 Sachar
op.cit., p923.
27 Dr Baruch Goldstein
in
Mosque
in
Hebron
29
the
who murdered
worshippers
1994 is venerated as a martyr within the religious settler movement as is Yigal
Amir, the son of an Orthodox rabbi who assassinatedYitzak Rabin. See Prior,
op.cit., pp. 67-69.
28 Sachar
University,
formerly
Bar
Ilan
Rabbi
Israel
Hess,
as
campus
of
rabbi
cites
insisting, 'The day will yet come when we will be called to fulf-11the
commandment of the divinely ordained war to destroy Amalek. ' Ibid., p927.
29 Mintz,
oP.cit., p 169.
30 ,A Definition
of Zionism' The Jewish Virtual Library, The American-Israeli
Cooperative Enterprise. http: //www. us-israel. org/jsource/Zionism/zionism. html
For a comprehensive appraisal of Jewish Zionism see also John Haynes Holmes,
Palestine Today and Tomorrow: A Gentile's Survey of Zionism, (New York,
Macmillan, 1929); Laqueur, op.cit.; Gary Smith, Zionism, The Dream and the
Reality -A Jewish Crj! jVe, (Newton Abbot, David & Charles, 1974); Weinstock,
op.cit.; Jakobovits, op.cit.; Roger Garaudy, The Case of Israel, A Study of
Political Zionism, (London, Shorouk International, 1983); Bernard Avishai, The
Tragedy of Zionism, Revolution and Democracy in the Land of Israel, (New
York, Farrar Straus Giroux, 1985); Claude Duvernoy, The Zionism of God,
(Jerusalem, Ahva Press, 1985); Schoenman op.cit.; Reinharz and Shapira, op.cit.;.
31 Sharif,
op.cit., p7; see also Uri Davis, The State of Palestine, (Reading, Ithaca,
1991), p28.
32 Sharif, op.cit.,
pl, 120. Laqueur, op.cit., pxvi.
33 The United Nations. World Conference Against Racism,
Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance Declaration adopted 8 September (200 1),
Sections 1,62 & 64.
34 Cited in Regina Sharif, Non-Jewish Zionism, Its Roots in Western Histo!
y,
(London, Zed, 1983), pl.
35 This argument is developed in Chapter 2
on the History of Christian Zionism.
36 Colin Chapman, Whose Promised Land, Israel
or Palestine?, revised edition
(Oxford, Lion, 2002), p274.
37 Walter Riggans, Israel
and Zionism, (London, Handsell, 1988), p 19.
38 Louis Bahjat Hamada, Understanding the Arab World, (Nashville, Nelson, 1990),
pI 89.
39 Chapman,op.cit., p304.
14
51 MECC, What,
op.cit., preface;Seealso PeterMakari, 'Abrahamic Heritage'
MECC News Report, 10:2/3 Summer(1998).
52 John Stott, cited in Don Wagner,Anxious for ArmaReddon,
(Scottdale,Herald
Press,1995),p80.
53 Rabbi Shlomo Chaim HacobenAviner,
cited in GraceHalsell, Forcing God's
Hand, (Washington,CrossroadsInternational, 1999),p7 1.
54 Yisrael Meida, cited in Halsell, Forcin
op.
cit.,
p68.
,
55 'Biblical Zionism, Cutting EdgeTheology for the "Last Days... Word from
Jerusalem,InternationalChristian Embassy,Jerusalem,September(2001), p9.
56 For example,David Pawson,When JesusReturns,(London, Hodder, 1998);
'Israel in the New Testament' Israel & ChristiansToda Summer(2002), p5;
,
John MacArthur, The Future of Israel, (Chicago, Moody Press,1991); R.T.
Kendall, 'How literally do you read your Bible?" Israel & ChristiansToday,
Summer(2001), p9.
57 ICEJ have diplomatic
statusin Hondurasand Guatemalaand havebeen
15
16
Ibid., p2.
85 Stephen Sizer, Visiting the Livinp, Stones, Pilgrimages to the Un-Holy Land.
Unpublished thesis submitted in part-fulfilment of the requirements of the degree
of M. Th. in Applied Theology, University of Oxford, (1994).
86 Stephen Sizer, 'A
word after a word after a word is power: With Semantics and
Scripture, Zionists have crafted a peculiar and powerful labyrinth of belief',
Living Stones, 11, (1994), pp5-6; 'The Mountain of the Wall, The Battle for
Jerusalem', Evangelicals Now, May (1997), p9; 'Pilgrimages and Politics, A
Survey of British Holy Land Tour Operators', Livinjz Stones, 14, (1997), ppl4-17;
'The hidden face of Holy Land pilgrimage tourism', International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management, 9,1 (1997), pp34-35; "'Render to
Caesar" The Politics of Pilgrimage Tourism to the Holy Land', International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 10,1 (1998), pp39-41;
'Building Site Shatters Peace: Stephen Sizer explains the background to Robin
Cook's visit to the disputed fields of Har Homa', The Church Times, 20 March
(1998), p2; 'Christian Zionism: True Friends of Israel?' Living Stones, 16, (1998),
pp 18-24; 'Christian Zionism: A British Perspective', Al Ags Journal, 1, (1998),
pp 19-24; 'Christian Zionism: A British Perspective' published in Holy Land Hollow Jubilee, edited by Nairn Ateek & Michael Prior (London, Melisende,
1999) ppl44-161; 'Ethics in Tourism', International Journal of Contemporary
HospitalitY Management, edited by Stephen Sizer, 11,2/3 (1999), pp85-90;
18
19
This chapter will instead focus on specific historical events, sociocultural factors and theological developments which have been determinative
in the rise of evangelical Christian Zionism within British and American
religious and political circles, from the early 19th Century until the present
day. It examines the influence of a relatively small group of British evangelical
Christian leaders who were instrumental in revitalising Historic or Covenantal
Premillennialism out of which emerged the theological system known as
Dispensationalism. While both are based on a literal and futurist hermeneutic
and favour Jewish restoration, Covenant Premillennialism teaches that God's
future purposes for restored Israel will be related to the Church and both will
6
God's
blessing
Dispensationalists,
during
iUM.
together
the
enjoy
millenn
however, distinguish between God's eternal purposes for Israel and the
Church, in separate dispensations: the former seen as God's earthly people,
the latter his heavenly people. Dispensationalism is essentially sectarian in
origin, preceding and inspiring the development of both Christian and Jewish
Zionism. It has also become normative within American evangelical,
Pentecostal and charismatic churches, para-church institutions and mission
agencies. While Classical Dispensationalism has remained predominantly
evangelistic, since 1970 especially, new forms of dispensational Christian
Zionism have emerged in America, distinguished by their different emphases.
Three, in particular, have influenced the development of Christian Zionism:
Apocalyptic Dispensationalism is preoccupied with the 'signs of the times';
Messianic Dispensationalism with reaching Jews for Jesus; and Political
Dispensationalism with defending and 'blessing' Israel. These different and
sometimes contradictory strands of evangelical Christian Zionism share three
20
Proto-Christian
Zionism
"'
Christ.
Through the notes accompanying
joined
be
to
the
church of
shall
this translation, which became the most widely read translation in England
and Scotland prior to the King James version, together with the writings of
Puritans such as William Perkins and Hugh Broughton, the idea of the
conversion of the Jewish people spread in Britain and the American
Colonies. 12
Brightman was also convinced that the rebirth of a Christian Israelite nation'
21
'the
Christian
become
'.
Brightman's preaching and
would
centre of a
world
writings attracted considerable attention and his views were influential even in
English government circles. In 1621, for example, Sir Henry Finch, an
eminent lawyer and member of Parliament, developed Brightman's views
further, publishing a book entitled, The World's Great Restauration (sic) or
Callinq of the Jews, (and with them) ail the Nations and Kingdoms of the
Earth, to the Faith of Christ. In it he argued:
'Where Israel, Judah, Zion and Jerusalem are named [in the Bible] the
Holy Ghost meant not the spiritual Israel, or the Church of God
collected of the Gentiles or of the Jews and Gentiles both ... but Israel
properly descended out of Jacob's loynes. The same judgement is to
be made of their returning to their land and ancient seats, the conquest
of their foes ... The glorious church they shall erect in the land itself of
Judah
These and such like are not allegories, set forth in terrene
...
similitudes or deliverance through Christ (whereof those were types
and figures), but meant really and literally the Jews. s22
Other Reformers such as Richard Sibbes, Samuel Rutherford and John
Owen, also postmillennialists,
day
the
Jews
that
one
were equally convinced
would be brought to faith in Jesus Christ and become part of the Church, for
23
they
which
prayed earnestly. This belief in the conversion of the Jews was
and the readiest to transport Israel's sons and daughters on their ships to the
land promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for an
25This
inheritance.
everlasting
was apparently the first time human
intervention had been sought to achieve a Jewish restoration rather than rely
26
God
it.
to
on
accomplish
By the late 17th Century and right through the 18th Century, especially
during the period of the Great Awakening, postmillennial eschatology came to
27
'Though we do not know the time in which this conversion of Israel will
come to pass, yet this much we may determine by Scripture, that it will
be before the glory of the Gentile part of the Church shall be
established ... Jewish infidelity will be overthrown. Jews will cast away
their old infidelity. They shall flow together to the blessed Jesus
...
Nothing is more certainly foretold that this national conversion of the
Jews in Romans XI
They shall then be gathered into one fold
...
together with the Gentiles. ' 0
Based on his interpretation of Revelation 16:1, Edwards speculated that the
vials of God's wrath had been poured out during the Reformation; that the
Papacy might expire in 1866; Islam would be destroyed; the Jews converted;
and the heathen of America, Africa and India soon brought to faith in Jesus.
31
24
2. The Socio-Political
The late 18thand early 19th Centuries saw a dramatic movement away from
the optimism of postmillennialism following a sustained period of turmoil on
both sides of the AtlantiC.33This was associated with the American War of
Independence (1775-1784), the French Revolution (1789-1793) and the
Napoleonic Wars (1809-1815).
With the fall of several European monarchies between 1804 and 1830,
coupled with widespread unrest in England, Napoleon's menacing words, 'I
have always followed fortune and the god of war'34 seemed an ominous sign
of the end of the world.
In 1804, Napoleon had been crowned Emperor of the Gauls in the
reluctant presence of the Pope. In 1807 he agreed to divide Europe with the
Czar of Russia and blockaded British goods in Europe. In 1809 he had
arrested the Pope and annexed the Papal States. By 1815, Napoleon's
armies had fought, invaded or subjugated much of Europe and the Middle
East, including Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland, Russia, parts of Palestine and
Egypt. Napoleon set his brothers on the thrones of Holland, Naples, Spain
and Westphalia as well as giving his son the title 'King of Rome'. His intention
was to create a confederated Europe, each ruled by a vassal monarch,
subject to himself as 'supreme King of Kings and Sovereign of the Roman
Empire' 35Numerous preachers and commentators, including Robert
.
Jamieson and George Stanley Faber, speculated on whether Napoleon
36
Antichrist.
Others predicted that, in fulfilment of Daniel 2,
the
represented
ten European kingdoms including England, France, Spain and Austria were
about to revive the Holy Roman Empire and form a United States of Europe in
37
AntichriSt.
For example, Jamieson speculated:
the
partnership with
25
all appeared to corroborate this. Some even believed they were witnessing
the 'deadly wound' inflicted on the 'Beast' predicted in Revelation 13.39
These tensions and upheavals fuelled the Second Great Awakening;
the Revivals associated with Charles Finney; the Adventism of Joseph Miller;
and the founding of the Jehovah's Witnesses by Charles Taze Russell. They
also brought about a renewal of interest in prophecy which eventually led to a
revival of Premillennialism within mainstream and sectarian Evangelicalism.
George Stanley (1773-1854), for example, was one of the earliest to
write speculative treaties on prophecy in the 19th Century. In 1804, while Vicar
of Stocton on Tees, he wrote, A Dissertation on the Prophecies that have
been fulfilled, are now fulfillinq or will hereafter be fulfilled relative to the Great
Period of 1260 years, the Papal and Mohammedan (sic) Apostasies, the
Tyranical Reiqn of the Antichrist or the Infidel Power and the Restoration of
the JeWS40Faber identified Napoleon, the head of the revived Roman Empire,
as the antichrist. He predicted Napoleon would be destroyed in Palestine by a
Western alliance of England and Russia. Faber recognized England as the
'Isles of the Sea' referred to in Isaiah 24: 15 and the'ships of Tarshish'
mentioned in Isaiah 60: 9 since England was 'the great maritime sea power'.
As England's ally in the Napoleonic wars, Russia's prophetic involvement as
the 'king of the North' in Daniel 11 would be benevolent. 41
Charles Finney is representative of those in America who also
predicted the imminent end of the world. In 1835, for example, he speculated
that 'If the church will do all her duty, the Millennium may come in this country
Joseph Miller narrowed the return of Christ down to the 21st
in three years. Y42
March 1843, while Charles Russell more prudently predicted that Christ would
set up his spiritual kingdom in the heavenlies in 1914. Russell's success was
in part due to the launch of a magazine in 1879, entitled, Zion's Watchtower
which had an initial print run of 6,000 copies. Within a century, this had
increased to 15 million copies. For many years, Russell's popular sermons
linking biblical prophecy with contemporary events were reproduced in over
1,500 newspapers in the USA and Canada. 43
At the same time in America and Europe there was renewed interest in
both the Orient44 as well as the Jewish people in part shaped by a growing
'45
literary romanticism infatuated with the Hebrew world. 46Authors included
26
George Eliot. 47 Eliot, for example, not only attended synagogue services
regularly but also held dialogues with Jewish Rabbis. In 1874 Eliot began
working on Daniel Deronda, described by Sharif as, 'the first truly Zionist
novel in the history of non-Jewish fiction', and as 'the apex of non-Jewish
Zionism in the literary field'. 48 She observes how Eliot dispensed with the idea
of Jewish emancipation
Robert Graves
Alexander
'54
'53
T. E. Lawrence, 57 Freya Stark5a and William
'56
Thomson 59 As early as the 1830s, a visit to the Near East formed part of the
.
60
by
tour
taken
grand
most young European gentlemen.
27
'The educational and social results of these four years of Eastern travel
have been most encouraging.A new incentive to scriptural
investigation has been created and fostered; 'The Land and the Book'
have been brought into familiar juxtaposition, and their analogies have
been better comprehended;and under the general influence of sacred
believing
inquiring
biblical
and
scenes and repeated sites of
events,
spirits have held sweet counsel with each other.s63
These political, literary, geographical, and educational factors provided the
in
futurist
Christians
for
interest
a
context
a growing
among evangelical
interpretation of Old Testament prophecy, in the rediscovery of the land of
Palestine and in the conversion and restoration of the Jewish people.
As the postmillennialism of the Reformation and Puritanism gave way
to a more pessimistic Premillennialism of the early 1gth Century, two differing
Church
Jewish
to
the
the
the
of
relationship
people emerged
views regarding
at the same time and developed in parallel. Historic or Covenantal
Premillennialism believed that Jewish people would be incorporated within the
Church and return to Palestine a converted nation alongside other Christian
Premillennialism,
however,
Dispensational
nations.
came to believe the
Jewish people would return to the Land before or after their conversion but
would remain distinctly separate from the Church. The former view became
the driving force behind the restorationist movement and British Christian
Zionism while the latter came to dominate in the United States. Both
28
perspectives were present within the Albury Circle in embryonic form and
each will be considered in turn.
3. The Origins of Covenantal Premillennial
Restorationism
in Britain
As has been shown, the beginning of the 19thCentury was one of great
turmoil right across Europe. One of the first to contribute to the renaissance in
Premillennialism and to link it to Jewish restoration was George Stanley
Faber. In 1809, by which time he had become the Rector of the parish of Red
Marshall in County Durham, he wrote, A General and Connected View of the
Prophecies relative to the Conversion, Restoration, Union and Future Glorv of
the Houses of Judah and Israel. The Prowess and Final Overthrow of the
Antichristian ConfederacV in the Land of Palestine and the Ultimate General
Diffusion of ChristianitV,64
In May of the same year, 'The London Society for Promoting
Christianity amongst the Jews'was formed. The less accurate description of
'London Jews' Society' (LJS) eventually proved more popular.
65
Theirearliest
29
restoration of the Jews and the imminent return of Christ in the US journal,
The Jewish Exposito
,
pamphlet, The Latter Rain, in which he called Christians to pray for the Jews
based on the conviction that Old Testament prophecies have a 'primary and
literal reference to the Jews. 72Way galvanised evangelical support for
Zionism by promoting a futurist eschatology which anticipated that the exiled
Jewish people would soon return to their promised homeland. Crombie claims
Way and the US provided the leadership within the evangelical movement
that was calling for the restoration of national Israel. 73 Far from being a lunatic
fringe phenomenon, through Way's efforts, Restorationism came to be
embraced by the evangelical establishment
a significant proportion of the English episcopacy. Way was aided in this most
notably by Charles Simeon who helped found several 'Religious Societies for
Diffusing the Knowledge of the Gospel',
Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Simeon Trust and the
Prayer-Book and Homily Society. 74
30
31
distinguish between God's purposesfor the Jews and those of the Church,
Simeon held to a Reformed covenantal position, understandingOld
Testament prophetic terms such as 'Zion'to have been fulfilled in the
Church.84In a sermon concerning the future of Israel, Simeon insisted, 'We
blessings
God's
Israel,
they
heirs
these
were;
of
all
as
ever
and
as
much
are
no less than they; for "if we be Christ's, then are we Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise."'85According to his biographer,Arthur Pollard,
Simeon acted 'as a kind of one-man general staff, preaching for the Society,
recruitingworkers, spreading propaganda,collecting funds, advising on
'86
his
did
He
than
of
urgency.
usual
sense
so
with
even
more
overall strategy.
Simeon's patronage of the US undoubtedlyensured that its restorationist
agenda, advocated more strongly by others such as Way, nevertheless
but
Anglicans
increasingly
also
gained
widespread support not only among
87
the
among other evangelicals around
world.
3.3 Joseph Wolff: The Pioneer Missiologist
(1795-1862)
Joseph Wolff was a German Jew, converted first to Roman Catholicism and
then subsequently to Anglicanism, he became known as the 'first great
88
influential
Wolff
LJS.
the
an
role at the
played
also
pioneer missionary' of
Albury 'unfulfilled prophecy' conference of 1826. Edward Irving describes his
impact. 'No appeal was allowed but to the Scriptures, of which the originals
lay before us; in the interpretation of which, if any question arose, we had the
most learned Eastern scholar perhaps in the world to appeal to, and a native
Hebrew. I mean Joseph Wolff. '89This disregard for traditional interpretation or
scholastic helps at Albury marks a radical discontinuity with the
Reformed
theology, and prepared the ground
of
mainstream
presuppositions
for Irving and Darby's sectarian futurist premillennial Dispensationalism.
Like Hugh McNeile, another Anglican member of the'Albury Circle', 90
Wolff was preoccupied with the discovery of the lost'Ten Tribes' of Israel, so
indispensable to any future restoration of the Jews. 91A report about their
possible discovery was received by Mr Sargon at the US annual conference
of 1822. Another report given by Henry Drummond at the 1828 Albury
Conference claimed that traders from the lost Jewish tribes had been
32
twenty millions in
in
Bokhara,
the
Cashmere
towards
inhabiting
the
and
north
of
region
number,
from
to
them
It
that
there
Asia.
men
seem
came
would
great central plain of
92
in
fluent
Wolff,
in
Cashmere
They
trading
Leipsic fair
shawls
were
.,
...
Arabic, Hebrew, Chaldean, Persian and Syriac set out that same year to find
93
He
Abyssinia.
India,
Armenia,
far
Tribes,
Lost
travelling
spent
the
and
as
as
in
US,
travelling
behalf
the
life
his
search
of
speaking on
much of the rest of
Jews.
Oriental
to,
of, and ministering
3.4 Charles Haddon Spurgeon: The Baptist Restorationist
(1834-1892)
contributedto a statement of faith clarifying his doctrinal views. The final point
33
reads, 'Our hope is the Personal Pre-Millennial Return of the Lord Jesus in
Glory. '100Spurgeon was a premillennialist because he held to a literal
hermeneutic. This is why he rejected an amillennial position. 'We expect a
literally
be
to
to
Christ
that
and
put
so
very
plain,
seems
us
on
earth;
reigning
that we dare not spiritualise it.'101Spurgeon also repudiated dispensational
Premillennialism which was emerging at the same time, rejecting any
suggestion that God had separate purposes for the Jews apart from the
Church. Not without a little sarcasm he observed:
'Distinctions have been drawn by certain exceedingly wise men
(measured by their own estimate of themselves), between the people
lived
Christ,
before
those
God
lived
the
who
coming
of
and
of
who
afterwards. We have even heard it asserted that those who lived
before the coming of Christ do not belong to the church of God! We
it
is
hear
know
a mercy that
perhaps
what we shall
next, and
never
these absurdities are revealed at one time, in order that we may be
Why,
dying
their
to
every
amazement.
of
stupidity without
able
endure
Lord
has
footing;
the
in
God
the
same
every place stands on
child of
not some children best loved, some second-rate offspring, and others
the
types
first
Before
the
he
hardly
all
advent,
whom
cares about ...
him
Christ,
to
to
they
and
pointed
and shadows all pointed one way Christ
before
lived
Those
looked
the
hope.
were not
who
all
saints
with
They
to
different
to
us.
saved with a
which shall come
salvation
as ours struggles, and
exercised faith as we must; that faith struggled
102
,
that faith obtained its reward as ours shall.
Spurgeon saw the Church and Israel one day united spiritually; the Church,
Church
Israel
the
kingdom
Israel,
the
the
and
promises;
of
not
as
recipient
due to face the tribulation together; and the millennial kingdom on earth the
culmination of God's purposes for the Church made up of both Jews and
Gentiles. 103
34
Mission to the Jews. 104In an address based on Ezekiel 37: 1-10, delivered to
the Society in 1864 entitled, 'The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews',
Spurgeon said:
'There will be a native government again; there will again be the form
of a body politic; a state shall be incorporated, and a king shall reign.
Israel has now become alienated from her own land. Her sons, though
they can never forget the sacred dust of Palestine, yet die at a
hopeless distance from her consecrated shores. But it shall not be so
forever... "I will place you in your own land" is God's promise to them
They are to have a national prosperity which shall make them
...
famous
If there be anything clear and plain, the literal sense and
...
meaning of this passage -a meaning not to be spirited or spiritualised
away - must be evident that both the two and the ten tribes of Israel
be restored to their own land, and that a king is to rule over
are to 105
,
them.
Spurgeon preached on the same subject on several other occasions linking
three great themes; a national Jewish repentance; a restoration to the Land;
and the return of Jesus. Spurgeon also suggested a chronology that placed
these three events in close proximity:
'it is certain that the Jews, as a people, will yet own Jesus of Nazareth,
the Son of David as their King, and that they will return to their own
land, and they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former
desolations, and they shall repair the old cities, the desolations of
many generations ... For when the Jews are restored, the fullness of
the Gentiles shall be gathered in; and as soon as they return, then
Jesus will come upon Mount Zion with his ancients gloriously, and the
halcyon days of the millennium shall then dawn; we shall then know
every man to be a brother and a friend; Christ shall rule with universal
006
sway.
was evolving at the same time, with its focus on prophetic speculation,
Spurgeon held the line on the gospel priority with both wit and precision:
'Your guess at the number of the beast, your Napoleonic speculations,
your conjectures concerning a personal Antichrist - forgive me, I count
them but mere bones for dogs; while men are dying, and hell is filling, it
seems to me the veriest drivel to be muttering about an Armageddon
at Sebastopol or Sadowa or Sedan, and peeping between the folded
leaves of destiny to discover the fate of Germany. "09
Spanning the 19th Century, Lewis Way, Charles Simeon, Joseph Wolf and
Charles Spurgeon shared a common passion to see Jewish people come to
faith in Jesus Christ. Their literal reading of the Bible and premillennial
eschatology gave them confidence that the Jewish people as a nation would
soon turn to Christ, be restored to the land of Palestine after which Jesus
would return to set up his millennial kingdom. Support for Restorationism was
a personal matter and secondary to the priority of gospel ministry among the
Jews.
From the same premillennial roots, a very different form of Christian
Zionism was emerging in parallel in Britain during the 1gthCentury. Known as
Dispensationalism, it gradually reversed those priorities, giving greater
emphasis to restoration than evangelism as it became increasingly
preoccupied with interpreting biblical prophecy and discerning its
contemporary fulfilment.
4. The Origins of Dispensational
12
Quincey
describing
De
Irving
'the
11
times.
speaker,
as
greatest orator of our
The Chapel became too small and a larger church was built in Regent Square
in 1827.113Because of his growing popularity, Irving was invited to preach at
the annual service of the London Missionary Society in 1824, and a year later
to the Continental Society, in both of which Henry Drummond was influential.
On each occasion, Irving provoked a furore. 114Irving's address in 1825 was
entitled, 'Babylon and Infidelity Foredoomed. ' In reaction to the prevailing
optimistic postmillennial drive toward missionary expansion, Irving predicted
that the world was about to experience a 'series of thick-coming judgements
115
fearful
before
imminent
Jesus
Christ.
He
the
and
perplexities'
return of
insisted that missionary work, especially in Southern Europe, where the
Continental Society concentrated its ministry, was futile because God's
judgement was about to fall on the lands of the former Roman Empire who
would align themselves with the Antichrist. Some walked out of the meeting in
protest while the leaders of the Society accused Irving of undermining their
'
16
When Irving's address was later published as Babylon and
ministry.
Infidelity Foredoomed, it was dedicated to Hatley Frere, a premillennial
layman. "' Irving's biographer, Margaret Oliphant explains why:
'Several years before, Mr. Hatley Frere, one of the most sedulous of
those prophetical students who were beginning to make themselves
known here and there over the country, had propounded a new
scheme of interpretation, for which, up to this time, he had been unable
to secure the ear of the religious public. Not less confident in the truth
of his scheme that nobody shared his belief in it, Mr. Frere cherished
the conviction that if he could but meet some man of candid and open
mind, of popularity sufficient to gain a hearing, to whom he could
privately explain and open up his system, its success was certain.
When Irving, all ingenuous and ready to be taught, was suddenly
brought into contact with him, the student of prophecy identified him by
"
18
Here
intuition.
is
instant
the
an
man!
Frere insisted that the prophetic portions of scripture 'must be understood
either literally throughout or figuratively throughout otherwise it will be utterly
impossible to ascertain the meaning designed to be conveyed. " 19This led
Frere to interpret the Book of Revelation as describing God's impending
judgement on the Western and Eastern Roman Empires and upon
'Paganism, Popery and Infidelity. 020
37
38
Referring to the
church' and expectation of a future Jewish 'dispensation' .
predictions Jesus had made concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in
Matthew 24, Irving insisted these were a type and foreshadowing
of the
impending destruction of the Church. He wrote, 'And the reason why the
destruction of Jerusalem can typify and foreshow the destruction of Gentile
Christendom
is, that they are both the acts of God's vengeance upon a
39
On the first day of Advent in 1826, the same year Irving was translating
Lacunza's work, Henry Drummond (1786-1860), a city banker, politician, and
High Sheriff of Surrey, 133opened his home at Albury Park to a select group of
some twenty invited guests to discuss matters concerning 'the immediate
fulfilment of prophecy. "34 Earlier in 1826, Irving, along with Lewis Way and
James Hatley Frere, had founded the Society for the Investigation of
Prophecy. 135At Drummond's
suggestion,
40
friends,
by
his
Irving
owed their origin to a suggestion
and
adopted
041
Way
Mr
by
Lewis
Drummond.
Mr
to
made
Further conferences were held annually during Advent at Albury between
1826 and 1830. About two thirds of those who attended were, like Lewis Way,
Calcutta.
Wilson,
later
becoming
Bishop
Daniel
Anglicans,
of
convinced
Others of the Moravian, Church of Scotland and Nonconformist churches also
142S.
Prime
Percival,
the
Powerscourt,
the
Lady
of
son
as
well
as
participated,
143
Jews'Asylum
in
London.
Minister and E. Simon, Director of the
Irving described the atmosphere of the first conference, 'the six days
we spent under the holy and hospitable roof of Albury House ... no council,
from that first which convened at Jerusalem until this time, seemed more
P144
holy
by
inspired
communion.
a
spirit
of
and
conducted,
governed, and
145
Parliament'
'Prophetic
Irving called the Albury conferences a
and a 'School
146
beginning
he
distinction
Prophets'.
His
the
the
already
was
notes
reveal
of
to make between God's continuing purposes for the Jews in a restored land
took 'a more definite turn' moving from general notions concerning the return
of the Jews to Jerusalem and the Second Advent to more detailed
41
'The times and fulness of the times, so often mentioned in the New
Testament, I consider as referring to the great period numbered by
Now if this reasoning be correct, as there can be little doubt
times
...
that the one thousand two hundred and sixty days concluded in the
year 1792, and the thirty additional days in the year 1823, we are
already entered upon the last days, and the ordinary life of a man will
carry many of us to the end of them. If this be so, it gives to the subject
42
Irving went on to speculate that the Second Advent would occur in 1868,
'being fixed seventy-five years after 1793.155 The Christian Observer noted
the controversy Irving's eschatology was causing among the majority of
evangelicals who in 1828 still held to a postmillennial approach to mission:
'A question has of late been much agitated, in connexion with the
millennial reign of Christ ... namely whether the latter-day glory shall be
ushered in with judgements or with mercy. The advocates for the
former opinion, among whom are Mr Irving and Mr McNeile, speak in
the strongest terms of the deteriorated and deteriorating state of the
world; they view Christendom as verging to its downfall; they consider
our Bible and missionary societies, not as instruments for ushering in
the latter day glory, not as harbingers of mercy to the wide world, but
only as messengers to gather out a few elect vessels, and to fill up the
measure of the wicked, till God in his wrath shall consume the world of
the ungodly, and bring in a whole new dispensation, even the
Millennium of Christ's personal reign with his saints. " 56
Two of the six points agreed a year later at the 1829 Albury conference still
concerned the Jews, 'the Christian dispensation, like the Jewish, would be
terminated suddenly in judgements; and the Jews would be restored to their
land during the judgements. ' Bebbington claims the bleak expectations of the
Albury participants grew out of their 'sanguine hopes for the Jews'. 157
The proceedings of the Albury Conferences from 1828 gained a wider
audience through a short-lived but highly influential quarterly journal on
prophecy published by Drummond, entitled the Morninq Watch, described as
a 'high-quality production' using the finest paper available combined with
158
excellent editorship. The majority of the articles were unsigned although
Drummond, Tudor and Carlyle are known to have contributed. 159Most deal
with aspects of eschatology although Irving's name appears on articles
concerning the humanity of Christ and manifestations of the Spirit. As will be
shown in the next chapter, Darby's embryonic and rather rambling
dispensational outline, published in 1836, was preceded by a much more
developed scheme arising out of the Albury conference of 1830 published in
the Morninq Watch in 1831. 'None compare, in breadth and intricacy, to that
developed by Albury and disseminated in the pages of the Morning Watch. ' 160
The journal came to an abrupt end, however, in June 1833. Andrew
43
44
in
Henry
CAC
Latter
Days,
the
the
the
reins
of
speculations concerning
Drummond's hands, the hope of the restoration of Israel to men like Lewis
Way and the US and the cause of Dispensational Premillennialism to be
shaped by John Nelson Darby and his Brethren colleagues.
4.2 John Nelson Darby and the Rise of Dispensationalism
(1800-1882)
Other subjects considered included the way the Old Testament was quoted in
the New Testament, the prophetic nature of each book, speculation on the
timing and signs of the Antichrist, and, significantly, 'By what covenant did the
Jews, and shall the Jews, hold the land? What light does Scripture throw
...
182
their
'
By 1840, when Darby
and
moral
character?
on present events,
delivered eleven lectures on prophecy in Geneva entitled, 'The Hopes of the
Church of God', the answer to these questions was very clear, at least in his
own mind. In the fifth lecture on 'The Progress of Evil on the Earth', he said:
'What we are about to consider will tend to show that, instead of
permitting ourselves to hope for a continued progress of good, we
must expect a progress of evil; and that the hope of the earth being
filled with the knowledge of the Lord before the exercise of His
judgement, and the consummation of this judgement on the earth, is
delusive. We are to expect evil, until it becomes so flagrant that it will
be necessary for the Lord to judge it Truly, Christendom has
...
46
49
9th
1
203
the Advent an essential part of what Paul calls 'the blessed hope', it
introduced practical effects into the present life of Christians ... a
thorough pessimism about the world, and a refusal to take a long-term
be
to
Church
in
history,
the
the
regarded as
came
of
prospects
view of
Y212
hall-marks
the
of
orthodoxy.
attitudes which were
This explains the preoccupation with prophecy and prophetic speculation
Albury
influence
the
indication
the
An
dispensationalists.
and
which
of
among
Powerscourt conferences had upon other clergy in the United Kingdom is
treatise
2,500-page
four-volume
his
E.
B.
Elliott,
by
on
who
wrote
own
given
213
in
18
five
the Apocalypse and which went through
years:
editions
'in the year 1844, the date of the first publication of my own work on
the Apocalypse, so rapid has been the progress of these views in
England, that instead of its appearing a thing strange and half-heretical
to hold them, as when Irving published his translation of Ben Ezra, the
leaven had evidently now deeply penetrated the religious mind; and
from the ineffectiveness of the opposition hitherto formally made to
Y214
them, they seemed gradually advancing f6ward to triumph .
Similarly, in 1866, McNeile could also look back to an earlier generation when
the views of Irving and the others of the Albury Circle concerning a failing
by
Jewish
novelty
as
an
eccentric
restoration were regarded
church and
215
those he termed 'anti-restorationists' :
'When these lectures were first published in 1830, the subject was
It
had
in
in
Church
the
this
to
the
no
country.
place
new
comparatively
battle-field of the Reformation. It had not been discussed by any of the
theological lights of the last Century. It was just beginning to be
labours
Mr.
Lewis
Way
Mr.
the
in
of
of
and
consequence
ventilated
Hawtrey; and more especially in consequence of the writings of Mr.
Faber, and the zealous advocacy of Mr. Simeon. 7216
In the second half of the 19thCentury, that number increased significantly so
that by 1873 a Prophetical Conference held in London had the support of
Lord
Shaftesbury,
Anglicans
such
as
senior evangelical
the Earl of Cavan. 217
Edward Irving, John Nelson Darby and Benjamin Newton. Two distinct
branches emerged, one based on Covenantal Premillennialism emphasising
evangelism, the other from Dispensational Premillennialism which stressed
Restorationism.
In Britain, Anglicans associated with the London Jews' Society as well
as non-conformists who identified with the British Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel among the Jews, continued to promote evangelism and
humanitarian work among the Jews of Europe and Palestine as well as work
toward their restoration. By 1845, it is estimated that over 700 Anglican clergy
now held to a premillennial restorationist eschatology including Edward
Bickersteth, secretary of the Church Missionary Society, 218who came to have
9 as well as others who were
'21
to become Anglican evangelical leaders such as J. C. Ryle, the Bishop of
a dominant influence in Lord Shaftesbury's life
Liverpool. At the same time, with the break up of the ecumenical fellowship at
Powerscourt over whether the Church had failed and whether Christians
should separate from their denominations, Irving and Darby's influence in
Britain waned.
Through Darby's Brethren missionaries, and especially his American
visits, however, the seeds of his innovative dispensational Christian Zionism,
distinguishing between God's purposes for the Jews and the Church,
received increasingly enthusiastic endorsement from contemporaries
including W. E. Blackstone, D. L. Moody, James Brooks, Arno C. Gaebelein
and Cyrus Scofield. Their influence over these two branches, covenantal
premillennial and dispensational premillennial, extended well beyond pulpit
and journal and came to impact not only American Fundamentalism but more
significantly, British foreign policy in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and
indeed, to inspire the birth of the Jewish Zionist movement itself.
5. Lord Shaftesbury
upon British
Foreign Policy
Zionism would have remained simply a religious ideal were it not for the
intervention of a handful of influential aristocratic politicians who came to
share the theological convictions of Way, Irving and Darby and translated
them into political reality. One in particular, Lord Shaftesbury (1801-1885)
52
became convinced that the restoration of the Jews to Palestine was not only
22()
but also coincided with the strategic interests of
in
Bible
predicted the
British foreign poliCY.221Others who shared this perspective, in varying
degrees and for different reasons, included Lord Palmerston, David Lloyd
George and Lord Balfour. Ironically, this conviction was precipitated by the
actions of an atheist, Napoleon, in the spring of 1799.
During the Syrian campaign of Napoleon's Oriental expedition, in
which he had sought to defeat the Ottoman rulers, cut off Britain from its
Empire, and recreate the empire of Alexander from France to India,222he
become the first political leader to propose a sovereign Jewish State in
Palestine:
'Bonaparte, Commander-in-Chief
of the Armies of the French Republic
in Africa and Asia, to the Rightful Heirs of Palestine. Israelites, unique
nation, whom, in thousands of years, lust of conquest and tyranny
were able to deprive of the ancestral lands only, but not of name and
national existence ... She [France] offers to you at this very time, and
Rightful heirs of
contrary to all expectations, Israel's patrimony
...
Palestine
hasten! Now is the moment which may not return for
...
thousands of years, to claim the restoration of your rights among the
population of the universe which had shamefully withheld from you for
thousands of years, your political existence as a nation among the
nations, and the unlimited natural right to worship Yehovah in
for
in
likelihood
faith,
ever (Joel
with
your
publicly
and
accordance
4: 20). j223
53
226
The race
55
Lewis Way had made such an appeal at the Congress of Aix la Chapelle in
1818. Now it was being revived on the grounds of political expediency and
biblical mandate. Having helped achieve the former by securing the
appointment of Young as Consul in Jerusalem, Shaftesbury now turned to the
latter and advocated the founding of an Anglican bishopric in Jerusalem. This
would, he argued, be a means by which God would continue to bless England
as well as facilitate the return of the Jewish people to Palestine. The Bishopric
would, he said, be both, 'political and religious ... a combination of Protestant
thrones, bound by temporal interests and eternal principles, to plant under the
banner of the Cross, God's people on the mountains of Jerusalem. 1237
At the
beginning of the I 9th Century, the only representatives of Western Christianity
in Jerusalem had been the Franciscans and only the Orthodox and Armenian
traditions were resident in significant numbers. A Protestant bishopric under
joint British and Prussian auspices was founded in 1841 and an Anglican
church, Christ Church, near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City, was dedicated in
1845. Despite great expectations, Solomon Alexander, the first bishop and a
former Jewish rabbi, did not survive long in the post. He was succeeded by
Samuel Gobat, a Swiss Lutheran. The arrangement with Germany then
lapsed and the bishopric became solely Anglican from 1881.238
Having secured a sympathetic British Consul as well as an Anglican
Bishop in Jerusalem, the next step in the restorationist
and map Palestine. To this end, Shaftesbury
Oliphant also urged the British Parliament to assist the emigration of Jews to
Palestine from Russia and Eastern Europe. Controversially, he recommended
that the'warlike' Bedouins be driven out, while the more passive Palestinians
57
58
Despite Herzl's initial scepticism, Hechler kept his word and gained access to
the German Kaiser William 11,the Grand Duke of Baden as well as the British
political establishment for Herzl and his Zionist delegation. Although
sympathetic to the evangelistic ministry of the US, Hechler's advocacy and
diplomacy marked a radical shift in Christian Zionist thinking away from the
views of Way and Simeon who saw restoration to the land as a consequence
of Jewish conversion to Christianity. Now, Hechler was insisting instead, that
it was the destiny of Christians simply to help restore the Jews to Palestine.
This is clear in a letter he wrote to a missionary in Jerusalem in 1898:
'Of course, dear colleague, you look for the conversion of the Jews, but
the times are changing rapidly, and it is important for us to look further
and higher. We are now entering, thanks to the Zionist Movement, into
Israel's Messianic age. Thus, it is not a matter these days of opening
all the doors of your churches to the Jews, but rather of opening the
gates of their homeland, and of sustaining them in their work of
clearing the land, and irrigating it and bringing water to it. All of this,
dear colleague, is messianic work; all of this the breath of the Holy
Spirit announces. But first the dry bones must come to life, and draw
together. Y250
'I was brought up in a school where I was taught far more about the
history of the Jews than about the history of my own land. I could tell
you all the kings of israel. But I doubt whether I could have named half
a dozen of the kings of England, and not more of the kings of Wales ...
We were thoroughly imbued with the history of your race in the days of
its greatest glory, when it founded that great literature which will echo
to the very last days of this old world, influencing, moulding, fashioning
human character, inspiring and sustaining human motive, for not only
Jews, but Gentiles as well. We absorbed it and made it part of the best
in the Gentile character. v253
Christopher Sykes, (the son of Sir Mark Sykes, who co-authored the secret
Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, which dismembered the Ottoman Empire
dividing it between Britain, France and Russia) was also one of Lloyd
George's biographers. 254Sykes wrote that prior to the Paris Peace Accords,
signed in 1919, various advisors had tried unsuccessfully to brief Lloyd
George on the issues relating to the Palestine settlement but that he was not
able to grasp the issues, 'largely because he could not move beyond the
Christian Zionist worldview of his youth. When briefed repeatedly on the
contemporary geography of Palestine, Lloyd George insisted on reciting from
his memory of childhood Sunday school lessons the Biblical cities and lands
Oliphant, Hechler and
of Bible times, some of which no longer existed. P255
Lloyd George all nurtured the fledgling Jewish Zionist movement, in part from
religious conviction but also because it served the purposes of British foreign
policy. It is ironic that the Jewish Zionist movement led by Herzi was
essentially secular, and yet it relied on Christian Zionists such as William
Hechler who had a deep reverence for the Hebrew scriptures and a
passionate certainty that Eretz Israel was the Jewish destiny.
7. The Balfour Declaration and the Implementation
Probably the most significant British politician of all, however, was Arthur
James Balfour (1848-1930), who pioneered the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
Like Lloyd George, Balfour had been brought up in an evangelical home and
was sympathetic to Zionism because of the influence of dispensational
teaching.
256
, 257
purpose.
60
impressed
look
it
that
Weizmann's
to
me.
at
absolute
refusal
even
was
Negotiations over a British declaration of support for the Zionists began
in early 1917 between Lord Balfour, (then British Foreign secretary), other
Zionist
the
British
the
of
government and with representatives
members of
Organisation. Mark Sykes, (the Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet), had
been given responsibility for Middle Eastern Affairs and set about extricating
the British from the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 which envisaged AngloFrench administration of Palestine. In October 1917, Balfour learned that
Germany was about to issue its own declaration of sympathy with Zionism
260
At
them.
and therefore recommended that the British Cabinet pre-empt
Balfour's invitation, in July 1917, the Zionist Organisation offered a suggested
draft to Balfour:
1. His Majesty's Government accepts the principle that Palestine
Jewish
Home
the
National
the
be
of
people.
as
reconstituted
should
2. His Majesty's Government will use its best endeavours to secure the
discuss
the necessary methods and
this
will
and
object
achievement of
means with the Zionist Organization. 9261
Balfour amended this in August to emphasize the prerogative of the British
its
best
'...
endeavours to secure the achievement
use
will
and
government:
of this object and will be ready to consider any suggestions on the subject
desire
Organization
to lay before it.'At the insistence of
Zionist
the
may
which
Edwin Montagu, Secretary of State for India and an anti-Zionist Jew, a clause
was added to guarantee the status of British Jews, in particular, who did not
262
in
live
Palestine,
Zionism.
Several further
to
since most opposed
wish
drafts were written before the final version was agreed by the Cabinet. On the
2ndNovember 1917, Lord Balfour made public the final draft of the letter
st
Rothschild
Lord
October which became known as the
31
to
the
written
on
Balfour Declaration:
61
be
What
to
the
just
Palestine
status of
a
was
portion?
or
all
of
occupy
Jerusalem? Furthermore, while it stated that'the civil and religious rights of
the existing population'were to be safeguarded and the territory was
designated 'Palestine', there was no reference to Palestinians. 'They were an
that'the
1266
It
Balfour's
but
opinion
was
clearly
non-identity.
awkward
actual,
267
90%
That
before
be
inhabitants'
or
after.
consulted,
either
need not
present
10%
Arabs
Palestine
the
were
around
of
whom
were
population of
of
Christian seemed irrelevant to the politicians and Zionists who had another
268
it
is
these
left
So
the
and
unanswered
were
questions
awkward
agenda.
divided
East
Middle
have
and
peace
negotiations
plagued
ambiguities which
Christians ever since.
Times'
Ironically,
the
Evangelicalism.
through
popular'End
within mainstream
fictional writing of Tim LaHaye, American Dispensationalism has begun to
271
9th
Century,
In
1
the
British
the
once
mid
scene
more.
evangelical
penetrate
the link between British and American dispensational Christian Zionism was
first brokered by John Nelson Darby.
8. Dispensational ism and the Birth of Christian Zionism in America
(1859-1945)
During the Colonial period and even beyond the Civil War (1861-1865),
American Christianity, as in Britain at the beginning of the 1 9th Century, was
essentially postmillennial in outlook. Strengthened by the Wesleyan Holiness
272
there was a strong focus on evangelism, personal morality and
movement,
273
ility.
The Revolutionary War provided a stimulus to popular
civil responsib
apocalyptic speculation and by 1773, King George III was being portrayed as
the Antichrist and the war a 'holy crusade' that would usher in the
274
th
iUM.
In
Britain,
late
18
the
millenn
parallel with
and early 19th Century also
saw an explosion of millennia( sects including the Shakers, Mormons and
Millerites. Influenced by the French Revolution and the destruction of the
Papacy in France, historic Premillennialism
Between 1859 and 1872, resulting from his extensive tours throughout
America, and reinforced by the trauma of the Civil War, Darby's premillennial
dispensational views about a 'failing' Church and revived Israel came to have
a profound and increasing influence upon American Evangelicalism. It
resulted not only in the birth of American DispensationaliSM277but also
influenced the Millenarianism associated with the Prophecy Conference
Movement, as well as later, Fundamental iSM.278Kyle suggests Darby's
influence on end-time thinking was 'perhaps more than that of anyone else in
the last two centuries. P279
In the absence of a strong Jewish Zionist
64
from
Zionism
the confluence of these
Christian
American
arose
movement,
complex associations, evangelical, premillennial, dispensational, millenarian,
280
Those most closely influenced by and associated
IiSt.
and proto-fundamenta
Zionism
in
development
Christian
Darby
to
the
of
contributed
with
who also
America were James Brookes, Arno Gaebelein, D. L. Moody, William E.
Blackstone and C. 1.Scofield. 281
8.1 James H. Brookes : Restoration to Zion (1830-1897)
James H. Brookes, the minister of Walnut Street Presbyterian Church, St.
Louis, Missouri, has been described as 'The father of American
DispensationaliSM'282as well as an important leader in the protofundamentalist movement. 283Brookes not only sympathised with J. N.
Darby's dispensational views of a failing Church, corrupt and beyond hope,
but also met Darby during five visits he made to St Louis between 18641865 284They also met again between 1872-1877 when Darby preached in
.
Brookes' church. 285In the summer of 1872 Darby wrote a letter describing the
fruitfulness of his initial visit to St. Louis: '... good opportunities and I am in
pretty full intercourse with those exercised, among whom are more than one
While American evangelicals were less inclined to accept
official minister. Y286
Darby's notion of a 'failing church' and remained committed to their own
denominations, they did nevertheless endorse his futurist Premillennialism
and distinction between the Church and Israel. Mindful though of the notoriety
with which the Brethren, and in particular Darby, were regarded within
traditional denominational circles, Brookes insisted, ironically like Darby, that
he had reached his particular premillennial views through his own study of the
287
Scriptures and not from any one else.
Brookes was nevertheless instrumental in bringing D. L. Moody to St.
Louis for the 1879-1880 campaign and for introducing Scofield, and probably
288
Brookes became the most influential lobbyist
Darby,
Moody.
D.
L.
to
also
for Dispensationalism for several reasons. Through his Bible classes, he was
responsible for nurturing several young Christian leaders, notably Cyrus
Scofield who became his close friend and disciple. He also published many
books and pamphlets including a Christian magazine called The Truth for 23
years from 1874 until his death. Probably even more significant, however,
65
Brookes helped organise the New York Prophecy Conference of 1878 and
served as the principal speaker and President of the annual Niagara Bible
Conference from 1878 until his death in 1897 239He was also pivotal in
.
ensuring that the futurist dispensational views associated with the Albury and
Powerscourt conferences in England and Ireland came to take root in Middle
America, being deeply committed to the restoration of the Jews to Palestine.
In his magazine, The Truth, he promoted the views of Rev. A. C. Tris who
raised the question, 'is Israel a Nation? Or a Sect? ' 'If Israel is a nation its
restoration to the land of their fathers may be expected; but if it is a sect, it
has ceased to exist as a nation, and can only claim a temporal existence
Through biblical analysis and
among other religious sects on the globe. Y290
historical corroboration, Tris insisted the Jewish people were a 'scattered
like a spider's web mysteriously internation', 'Scattered over the world
...
woven with the nations by golden threads, and closely identified with the very
sentiments of our own hearts '291Following Darby's dispensational distinction
.
between Israel and the Church, Brookes went on to write, Israel and the
Church. In it, he challenged the notion that God's purpose was for Jews to be
converted and incorporated in the Church, an approach he insisted history
had shown to have largely failed. Furthermore, he insisted, Old Testament
promises concerning Israel could not be spiritualised nor had they been
fulfilled in the Church. 292Interestingly, the book was published by D. L.
Moody's publishing company.
In 1891 Brookes wrote Till He Come, in which he presented a futurist
premillennial scheme through which'the Jews will be literally restored to their
land. 1293
In his journal, The Truth, he urged Christians to show love and
compassion toward the Jews, referring to the pogroms of Russia and
Romania and restrictions placed upon them in Germany. He called upon
Christians to support the return of Jews to Palestine and repudiated the antiSemitism prevalent in Europe and in America 294'All Jews, except those who
.
have become utter infidels, confidently expect to be restored to the land of
their fathers, and it is most important to show them that their hope is founded
upon Jehovah's immutable covenant, and that it shall be fulfilled by the
295
Messiah.
Committed to not only a literal return to the Land but
coming of
also a literal return to the Lord, Brookes supported independent missionary
66
work among the Jewish people, notably with Arno C. Gaebelein and Ernst
Stroeter who founded the Hope of Israel Mission in Chicago in 1894.296
8.2 Dwight L. Moody: Respectability
D. L. Moody was first and foremost an evangelist and therefore shared with
Brookes a passion to reach the Jews for Christ. However, his theology was
not particularly systematic and he came to share the dispensational
premillennial presuppositions of those who became his friends and
297
Darby's influence over D. L. Moody came about principally
confidants.
through one of Darby's disciples, a young evangelist called Henry
Moorehouse who impressed Moody with his 'extraordinary'
preaching.
'Mr Moorehouse
by
fling the scabbard away, and to enter the battle with the naked blade. j298
Albert Newman confirms the strong influence Darby had over Moody's circle.
'The large class of evangelists,
largely
conformed to a dispensational
at times a better knowledge of prophecy, and Scofield was the man to lead
him into it.,300
There
sympathy
'Christ
are several
references
people
in Moody's
writings
and Restorationism.
delivered
in Boston
that indicate
his
In a sermon
entitled,
in 1877, Moody
explored
the
in
Abraham
Genesis 22 to make him a great
to
God's
meaning of
promise
nation:
'Now, let me ask you, hasn't that prophecy been fulfilled? Hasn't God
made that a great and mighty nation? Where is there any nation that
has ever produced such men as have come from the seed of
Abraham? There is no nation that has or can produce such men
...
That promise was made 4000 years ago, and even now you can see
that the Jews are a separate and distinct nation, in their language, in
their habits and in every respect. You can bring almost every nation
here and in fifty years they will become extinct, merged into another,
but bring a Jew here, and in fifty years, a hundred years, or a thousand
67
I
help
having
When
I
Jew
Jew.
he
is
can't
a
meet
a
a
still
years,
301
God's
for
for
they
them,
are
people.
profound respect
Moody clearly did not believe this promise had been fulfilled in the Church.
For Moody the Jews remained God's chosen people. In the same sermon, he
gave evidence of his dispensational conviction, that the Jews will be
converted at the return of Christ and a separate people apart from the
Church. 'I have an idea that they are a nation that are to be born in a day, and
when they are converted and brought back to Christ, what a mighty power
they will be in the land, what missionaries to carry the glad tidings around the
Moody did, however, distance himself from those who speculated
world. 1302
that specific signs had to be fulfilled before Christ's return. On one occasion
he preached, 'Now there is no place in the Scripture where we are told to
Jews
to
for
the
Babylon,
the
the
of
watch
signs returning
rebuilding of
or
Jerusalem; but ail through Scripture we are told what to do - just to watch for
Moody also
Him; just to be waiting for our Lord's return from Heaven. s303
taught a love for the Jewish people. 'If we love the seed of Abraham
we
...
shall joyfully welcome the hope of Christ's coming', and remained convinced
God had not broken or superseded his covenant with Abraham or Moses. 304
Moody's name is particularly associated with the popular Northfield
Conferences which he founded in 1880.305Sandeen observes that none of
Moody's biographers have noted how at these conferences dispensational
306
in
the 1880s and 1890s.
dominated
the
platform
especially
speakers
Moody's greatest service to Darby and Dispensationalism, however,
came through the Bible Institute for Home and Foreign Missions of the
Chicago Evangelization Society, which he founded in 1886. The Moody Bible
Institute, as it was later renamed, became the'West Point'of the
Fundamentalist movement giving respectability to Dispensationalism and
307
future
leaders.
Rausch highlights the fact that many of
training many of its
the dispensational prophecy conference speakers were also regular
instructors at the Moody Bible Institute (MBI).
308
Moorehead of Xenia, Ohio, who also became one of the consulting editors for
the Scofield Reference Bible. The MBI became a prototype for many other
colleges and institutions, the most prominent of which were the Bible Institute
of Los Angeles (Biola), and the Northwestern Bible Training School of
68
69
...
to form
70
71
'He told the audience that there were only three options open to every
Jew. The first was to become a "true" Christian, accepting Jesus Christ
few
He
Jews
this
that
Saviour.
Lord
would
accept
option.
added
and
as
The second option was to become a "true" Zionist and "thus hold fast
to the ancient hopes of the fathers, and the assured deliverance of
Israel, through the coming of their Messiah, and complete national
restoration and permanent settlement in the land which God has given
them. " The third option was to be an "assimilant". He explained that
Zionists.
be
Christians
"Jews
or
will
who
not
either
assimilants were
They wish to remain in various nations enjoying their social, political
and commercial advantages. -324
72
evangelical student groups were using the Scofield Reference Bible, and that
it was, '... the most important single document of all Fundamentalism 343
.,
Craig Blaising, professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological
Seminary and ad ispensationalist, similarly acknowledges, 'The Scofield
aetfierenceBible became the Bible of Fundamentalism, and the theology of
the notes approached confessional status in many Bible schools, institutes
and seminaries established in the early decades of this Century.'344Sandeen
observes, 'The book has thus been subtly but powerfully influential in
spreading those views among hundreds of thousands who have regularly
read that Bible and who often have been unaware of the distinction between
the ancient text and the Scofield interpretation.j345
74
gain support for his publication from both sides of the millenarian movement
with this device. '348In 1945, when a minor revision was published, some ultrad ispensationalists were so wedded to the 1917 edition that strong
representations were made to the revision committee to 'hold the line.'
Cornelius Stam questioned: 'Would revision neutralize the dispensational
distinctions which Dr. Scofield had brought to light? Would it represent a
retreat rather than an advance for dispensational truth? Would it impair the
Reference Bible which had brought so much blessing to so many thousands
Despite such reservations, revisions continued to adapt,
of people? 349
modify, and elaborate Scofield's dispensational package. The New Scofield
Reference Bible was published in 1967 edited by Dr E. Schuyler English. In
1984, a further revision based on the New International Version of the Bible
was undertaken by three of the faculty from Philadelphia College of the Bible,
Clarence Mason, Sherrill Babb and Paul Karleen, and published by the
Oxford University Press as The New Scofield Study Bible.350Charles Ryrie
also published in his own name a more refined dispensational guide, the
Rvrie Study Bible.351William E. Cox offers this appraisal of his abiding
influence:
'Scofield's footnotes and his systematized schemes of hermeneutics
have been memorized by many as religiously as have verses of the
Bible. It is not at all uncommon to hear devout men recite these
footnotes prefaced by the words; "The Bible says " Many a pastor
...
has lost all influence with members of his congregation and has been
branded a liberal for no other reason than failure to concur with all the
footnotes of Dr. Scofield. Even many ministers use the teachings of
Scofield as tests of orthodoxy 1,352
75
Scofield's influence extended well beyond his published writings. In the 1890s
during Scofield's pastorate in Dallas he was also head of the Southwestern
School of the Bible, the forerunner to Dallas Theological Seminary, which
became Dispensatio na[ism's 'most scholarly institution'. 353The Seminary was
founded in 1924 by one of Scofield's disciples, Lewis Sperry Chafer, who in
turn became Scofield's most influential exponent. Chafer wrote the first
systematic pro-Zionist dispensational theology running to eight large volumes.
Shortly before his death, Chafer described his greatest academic
achievement. 'It goes on record that the Dallas Theological Seminary uses,
it is perhaps therefore not
recommends, and defends the Scofield Bible.9354
surprising that Dallas Theological Seminary has since then, especially
through the writings of Charles Ryrie355and John Walvoord, 356continued to
be the foremost apologist for and proponent of, Scofield's classical
dispensational views and of Christian Zionism in particular.
8.5 Arno C. Gaebelein:
Anti-Semitic
Christian
Zionism (1861-1945)
Arno Gaebelein is probably the most complex and controversial of the early
dispensational Christian Zionists, principally for his views on prophecy, the
Jews and Zionism. Gaebelein is distinguished for being the source of the
357
in
Scofield's
Reference
Bible.
He was also a regular
prophetic notes
speaker at the Niagara Prophecy Conferences, and at the invitation of Lewis
Sperry Chafer, lectured for a month each year at the Evangelical Theological
College in Dallas, which later became Dallas Theological Seminary. 358In
1893, Gaebelein began publishing a periodical in Yiddish, Tiqweth Israel
The Hope of Israel Monthly. A year later Stroeter came to work with him and
edited an English version called Our Hope which was for Christians. The
specific purpose of this periodical was to acquaint them with the Zionist
movement and proclaim the imminent return of ChriSt. 359Like Scofield,
Gaebelein was discipled by James Brookes who, he admitted, 'took me
literally under his wings. 360Scofield wrote the foreword to Gaebelein's, The
Harmonv of the Prophetic Word which Scofield admitted to devouring. In a
letter to Gaebelein, written in September 1905, Scofield acknowledged:
76
'My beloved brother: By all means follow your own views of prophetic
analysis. I sit at your feet when it comes to prophecy, and congratulate
in advance the future readers of my Bible on having in their hands a
safe, clear, sane guide throu? h what to most is a labyrinth. Yours
lovingly in Christ, Scofield.936
Gaebelein's prophetic interpretations, for example, led him to deduce that
NATO was to become the ten kings of the revived Roman Empire.362
Gaebelein has also at times been accused of anti-Sem itiSM.363In his
book, The Conflict of the Aqes, he is alleged to have provided legitimacy for
the 'Nazi attitude. '364For example, in response to the publication of the
Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a spurious work alleging to be the secret
plans of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy to undermine civil authority, destroy
Christianity and take over the international economy, Gaebelein accepted that
it was the work of a Jew and agreed that:
'... they certainly laid out a path for the revolutionary Jews that has
been strictly and literally followed. That the Jew has been a prominent
factor in the revolutionary movements of the day, wherever they may
have occurred, cannot truthfully be denied, any more than that it was a
Jew who assassinated, with all his family, the former Autocrat of all the
Russians; or than that a very large majority (said to be over 80%) of
the present Bolshevist government in Moscow, are Jews: while along
other lines, in the assembly of the League of Nations, the Jew's voice
is heard, and it is by no means a plaintive, timid, or uninfluential one-the Jew is the coming man !9365
Two months later Gaebelein wrote about the 'Jewish Leadership in Russia. '
claiming that forty-four out of fifty of the Bolshevik leaders were of Jewish
origin. Rausch notes that Gaebelein was careful to clarify that 'they are not
the God-fearing, law-abiding, peace-loving kind, but are those who have cast
off faith in the God of their fathers and are the very opposite of the law and
order-loving portion of the Jewish people. ' According to Rausch, 'that they
were hindering the Zionist movement was a crucial prophetic sign to
Gaebelein. ' In a third article entitled, 'Aspects of Jewish Power in the United
States' Gaebelein stated:
'The new volume issued by the "'Dearborn Independent"' contains a
great deal of truth concerning the Jews, especially that part of Jewry
there is nothing
which rejects the law and testimony of their fathers
...
so vile on earth as an apostate Jew, who denies God and His Word. It
is predicted in the Word of God that a large part of the Jews will
become apostate, along with the Gentile masses. But not all Jews are
77
Jew. 367Rausch also observes that Gaebelein was 'so fluent in Yiddish and
had such a deep love for the Jewish people that he was more than once
accused of being a Jew. ' On a visit in 1895 to his hometown in Germany for
example, he spoke to the local anti-Semite society and noted that it'seemed
to have a good effect'. Writing up his visit in Our Hope he lamented 'It is only
too true that Protestant Germany is Jew-hating, and we fear, from what we
have seen and heard, that sooner or later there will come another disgraceful
outbreak. s368Weber describes this apparent contradiction as 'ironic
ambivalence', suggesting that premillennial prophetic views like those of
Gaebelein, 'enabled them to give credence to the Protocols (and thereby
sound anti-Semitic) even though they had been and remained staunch
opponents of anti-Semitism. s369
78
development
in
'The
terms,
Palestine
these
Jews
to
wonderful
slow return of
far-seeing
the
increasing
the
and
wise
enthusiasm,
ever
year after year,
in
Palestine
Jews
the
to
the
return
of
schemes ... are surely amazing ...
it
is the most startling sign
Zionism,
therefore
in
before
is
us modern
unbelief
73
372
Gaebelein
Our
Hope
In
1
the
times.
the
pages
of
of all
signs of our
frequently reported with enthusiasm the development of the various Zionist
informed
HerzI
in
the
Palestine,
and
of
supported
efforts
colonization societies
a still largely ignorant and complacent American Christian community how
prophecy was indeed being fulfilled in Palestine. Dispensationa lists like
Gaebelein may not necessarily have offered unconditional support for
Zionism in the same way that Falwell and Robertson do today, but this did not
make him any less a Christian Zionist.
Like other classical d ispensationa lists, Gaebelein distinguished
between God's purposes for the Jews in this Church dispensation from the
millennium to follow, keeping them in separate watertight compartments
chronologically as well as eternally. He could therefore promote evangelism,
which theoretically would lead to the disappearance of the Jews as a
separate race, while at the same time supporting Jewish nationalism; he
could describe 'apostate' Jews as in league with the devil yet defend them
from anti-Semitism; he could malign Zionism while support Jewish restoration
to Israel; he could show compassion for the Jews yet believe most would be
destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon - simply because all these'signs' were
foretold in scripture. Gaebelein therefore in many ways sums up the
contradictions inherent within the proto-fundamentalist movement.
Dispensational Christian Zionism, with its commitment to biblical
literalism, increasingly came to recognise that restoration was indeed being
achieved, but in 'unbelief and therefore biblical predictions were found to
confirm it. While dispensationalists remained committed to Jewish
evangelism, there was no imperative or necessity to share the gospel with
Jews since their national repentance would only occur after their restoration
and Jesus' return. Offering practical and financial support to bring about their
374
Although
became
fulfilment.
its
the
restoration
principal means of
dispensationalists in the early 20thCentury continued to see in such events as
the rise of communism, the Balfour Declaration and anti-Semitism evidence of
79
the imminent return of Christ, there was a gradual decline in the 'intellectual
375
Fundamentalism.
In the period from 1918 right up to 1948,
prestige of
Merkley observes how increasingly secular arguments were made for the
Zionist cause, with a 'decreasing use of explicitly theological vocabulary. 9376
American foreign policy was increasingly determined by the need to maintain
good relations with the strategic oil-rich Arab nations at the very same time
America was engaged in a race to prevent Soviet hegemony.
As the American political establishment began to show less
enthusiasm for Blackstone's memorial, the Jewish Zionist movement
discovered more influential friends among liberal church leaders who had
greater leverage with the Presidency and were more interested in Jewish
rights than converting them and fulfilling prophecy.
9. Anti-Semitism
and American
Liberal Christian
Zionism
(1918-1967)
In the early 20th Century, following the devastating toll of the First World War
and then the Great Depression, Fundamentalism
and more preoccupied with refuting liberal theology, the social gospel and
Darwinian evolution rather than with prophetic speculation. Between 1910
377
1915
booklets,
Fundamentals
12
The
and
were produced
a series of
called
in which 64 different authors wrote some 90 articles in defence of a
conservative evangelical position on various doctrinal and moral issues.
378
9381
Fundamentalism prior to 1970, Erling Jorstad traces the rise of the Christian
80
right with its anti-Communist and xenophobic agenda yet there is not a single
382
Similarly, in George Marsden's historical overview of
Israel.
reference to
the rise of Fundamentalism
and Evangelicalism
For example, in 1919, aware that the British and French were
undermining his goal of self-determination in Syria, Woodrow Wilson sent
Charles Crane, a wealthy American Arabist as head of the King-Crane
Commission to investigate the wishes of the indigenous people. Reservations
expressed by Arab leaders and expatriate Americans led Crane's
Commission to recommend the abandonment of American support for a
Jewish homeland, that further Jewish immigration be severely restricted and
America or Britain govern Palestine. While Crane went on to help finance the
first explorations for oil in Saudi Arabia and the Yemen, his admiration for
Hitlers Germany'the real political bulwark of Christian culture', and of Stalin's
anti-Jewish purges in Soviet Russia, led his biographer to describe his later
life as dominated by, 'a most pronounced prejudice [and]
unbridled
...
...
dislike of Jews.' Crane tried to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt to
shun the counsels of Felix Frankfurter and to avoid appointing other Jews to
government posts. Crane 'envisioned a world-wide attempt on the part of the
Jews to stamp out all religious life and felt that only a coalition of Muslims and
Roman Catholics would be strong enough to defeat such designs.' In 1933,
he even proposed to Haj Amin Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, that
the Mufti open talks with the Vatican to plan an anti-Jewish campaign.385The
reasoning behind opposition by American missionaries to the founding of the
State of Israel is a complex one. In 1948, weeks before the State of Israel
was declared, Bayard Dodge who had founded the American University in
Beirut, retired to Princeton in New Jersey. In April 1948, he wrote a watershed
article in The Readers Diges entitled, 'Must There Be War in the Middle
EastT Kaplan describes it as the'definitive statement'of American Arabists
on the birth of the State of Israel.
81
'Though he cautioned, "Not all Jews are Zionist and not all Zionists are
extremists", for Dodge the Zionist movement was a tragedy of which
Dodge's
little good could come. Dodge was not anti-Semitic
...
argument against Zionism rests, not on the politics of the movement,
but on the Arabs' opposition to it, which in Dodge's view made the
Zionist program unrealistic and therefore dangerous. Years and
decades of strife would, Dodge knew, follow the birth of the Jewish
State. As a result, wrote Dodge, "All the work done by our philanthropic
Near
East
in
Arab
American
the
our
world
agencies
non-profit
Foundation, our missions, our YMCA and YWCA, our Boston Jesuit
college in Baghdad, our colleges in Cairo, Beirut, Damascus - would
be threatened with complete frustration and collapse so would our
... Communist
oil concessions", a scenario that Dodge said would help
Russia. Dodge then quoted a fellow "American Middle East expert" as
saying that "they (the Russians] intend to get many thousands of
Russian Communist Jews into the Palestinian Jewish State." Though
Dodge made passing reference to the Holocaust (barely three years
its
to
he
he
the
time
the
oblivious
appeared
old at
wrote
article),
psychological and historical ramifications upon the European Jewish
refugees in Palestine. While admitting that the Arabs would never
countenance a Jewish State, Dodge nevertheless exhorted Jews to lay
down their arms and talk to the Arabs. The article ends with a quote
from the Bible, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the
Lord of Hosts". Dodge did not seem aware that the death-camphaunted Jews of Palestine read the Old Testament with different eyes
from those of a Protestant missionary.s386
Kaplan argues that Dodge's views were representative of the wider
expatriate and missionary community of Beirut who believed the US, British
and Russians morally and politically wrong to railroad the partition of
Palestine through the United Nations. Richard Crossman who was a member
of the Anglo-American team investigating the Palestine crisis in 1947,
observed that the American Protestant missionaries, 'challenged the Zionist
case with all the arguments of the most violently pro-Arab British Middle
Eastern officials.j387Kaplan concludes, 'the American community in Lebanon
was almost, to a man, psychologically opposed to the State of Israel. But very
, 388
American
Evangelical
Christian
Zionism
(1948-2002)
During the first half of the 20th Century some notable dispensational leaders
did maintain a faithful commitment to a 'biblical' basis for the imminent
395
396
A. B. Simpson, for
hands of the Jews gives a student of the Bible a thrill and a renewed faith in
From 1967 onwards, a succession of
the accuracy and validity of the Bible 1404
American Christian and political leaders including several Presidents
identified with this perspective. In 1968, for example, in very much the same
way Lloyd George had described the influence of his own upbringing, Lyndon
B. Johnson explained the origin of his sympathy for Zionism:
'Most, if not all of you, have very deep ties with the land and with the
people of Israel, as I do; for my Christian faith sprang from yours. The
Bible stories are woven into my childhood memories as the gallant
struggle of modern Jews to be free of persecution is also woven into
405
our SOUIS.,
In 1976, described as 'the year of the ascendancy of Christian Zion ism,, 406a
series of events brought Christian Zionism to the forefront of US mainstream
politics. Jimmy Carter was elected as the 'born again' President drawing the
support of the evangelical right. In Israel, Menachern Begin and the Likud
Party also came to power in 1977. A tripartite coalition emerged between the
political Right, evangelicals and the US Israeli lobby to form a powerful
coalition. In 1978, Jimmy Carter acknowledged how his own pro-Zionist
beliefs had influenced his Middle East poliCy.407In a speech, he described the
State of Israel as, 'a return at last, to the biblical land from which the Jews
The establishment of the
were driven so many hundreds of years ago
...
nation of Israel is the fulfilment of biblical prophecy and the very essence of
its fulfilment. 408However, when Carter vacillated over the aggressive Likud
settlement programme and proposed the creation of a Palestinian homeland,
he alienated the pro-Israeli coalition of Jews and evangelicals who switched
their support to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 elections.
10.1 Ronald Reagan: President
of Christian
Zionism
'A good example of his full awareness of what was going on, in terms
of prophetic eschatology, was his ability to cite the very day in 1948
when Israel was reconstituted as a nation. I got the impression that
Reagan was definitely aware of God's purpose for the Mideast. And for
that reason felt the period which we're going through now is particularly
in
the
Bible
to
significant, since the events
projected
a
are
coming
414
head right at this time.
George Otis, a former electronics manufacturer who made
components for nuclear weapons, and who later operated four Christian radio
stations in southern Lebanon was influential in securing Reagan's election as
President. Ortis who was also honorary chairman of 'Christians for Reagan'.
In a 1976 TV interview, Ortis discussed with Reagan their views on how
'dramatic Bible prophecy'was being fulfilled in the 're-emergence of Israel as
86
a nation.'. Ortis then asked Reagan, 'What do you feel America should do if
ever in the future, Israel were about to be destroyed by attacking enemy
nationsT Reagan replied, 'We have a pledge to Israel to the preservation of
415
destiny.
have
that nation
a
responsibility,
and
a
obligation,
an
we
...
Halsell shows how, even during the 1980 presidential campaign,
Reagan continued to make reference to'Armageddon'.
On numerous
occasions Reagan was recorded as saying, 'We could be the generation that
sees Armageddon. o416In the same year, William Saffire, columnist for the
New York Times quoted Reagan as saying to a group of Jewish leaders,
'Israel is the only stable democracy we can rely on as a spot where
Armageddon could come. v417
88
that these help explain why Reagan felt he had 'a mandate to spend trillions
of dollars preparing for a nuclear Gog and Magog war. s425
While George Bush Snr., Bill Clinton and George Bush Jnr. have not
appeared to share the same dispensational presuppositions of either Jimmy
Carter or Ronald Reagan, they nevertheless have maintained, however
426
Politicians
the
their
reluctantly,
strong pro-Zionist position of
predecessors.
tend to reflect the views of their electorate, or at least of lobby groups and the
Zionist lobby are considered by many to be the most powerful in the United
States. 427Three Christian leaders, in particular, each given a White House
platform by Reagan, have probably achieved more than any others have in
the last forty years to ensure American foreign policy remains resolutely proZionist. They are, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Hal Lindsey. Each has
made a unique contribution to the development of Christian Zionism.
10.2 Jerry Falwell: Ambassador of Christian Zionism
Jerry Falwell is the pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and the Founder
and Chancellor of the 10,000 student independent Baptist Liberty University,
Lynchburg, Virginia. 428 Jerry Falwell Ministries sponsor the Liberty
Broadcasting Network TV channel and syndicated Old Time Gospel Hour
programme which is broadcast on 350 stations in the USA and has a budget
429
$60
In his early ministry, Falwell shunned politics. In 1964, he
of
million.
wrote:
,Believing the Bible as I do, I would find it impossible to stop preaching
the pure saving gospel of Jesus Christ and begin doing anything else,
including fighting communism, or participating in civil rights reform.
Preachers are not called to be politicians but to be soul winners.
Nowhere are we commissioned to reform the externals. 430
Falwell's change of mind came in 1967 after Israel's Six Day War. He entered
politics and became an avid supporter of the Zionist State. Grace Halsell
describes Falwell's conversion:
'The stunning Israeli victory made a big impact not only on Falwell, bul
on a lot of Americans ... Remember that in 1967, the United States
was mired in the Vietnam War. Many felt a sense of defeat,
helplessness and discouragement. As Americans, we were made
acutely aware of our own diminished authority, of no longer being able
to police the world or perhaps even our own neighborhoods
Many
...
89
In 1979, the same year Falwell founded Moral Majority, the Israeli
Israel.
A
in
his
jet
him
Falwell
Lear
to
of
advocacy
assist
a
government gave
the
be
Gentile
first
to
became
Falwell
the
in
1980,
later
awarded
also
year
Vladimir Ze'ev Jabotinsky medal for Zionist excellence by Israel's Prime
Minister, Menachem Begin. Jabotinsky was the founder of Revisionist
Zionism and held that Jews had a divine mandate to occupy and settle 'on
both sides of the Jordan River' and were not accountable to international
law.432When Israel bombed Iraq's nuclear plant in 1981, Begin phoned
Falwell before he called Reagan. He also asked Falwell to 'explain to the
Christian public the reasons for the bombing. 433During the 1982 invasion of
Lebanon, Falwell similarly defended Israel's actions:
'When the massacres occurred at the two Palestinian camps, Falwell
just mimicked the Israeli line: "The Israelis were not involved. " And
even when The New York Times was giving eyewitness accounts of
Israeli flares sent up to help the Phaln ists go into the camp, Falwell
49 4
4
was saying, "That's just propaganda'.
In March 1985, Falwell spoke to the conservative Rabbinical Assembly in
Miami and pledged to 'mobilize 70 million conservative Christians for Israel
435
January
In
1998,
Israeli
Prime
Minister
when
and against anti-Semitism .
Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, his first meeting was with Jerry
Falwell and with The National Unity Coalition for Israel, a large gathering of
Christian
leaders,
fundamentalist
than
500
rather than with President
more
Clinton. According to Donald Wagner, the crowd hailed Netanyahu as 'the
Ronald Reagan of Israel. 'This time Falwell promised to contact 200,000
pastors and church leaders who receive his National Liberty Journa1436and
ask them to 'tell President Clinton to refrain from putting pressure on Israel' to
437
The
Washington
Pos
in
interview
Oslo
In
the
with
an
accords.
comply with
1999, Falwell described the West Bank as 'an integral part of Israel. ' Pressing
Israel to withdraw, he added, 'would be like asking America to give Texas to
90
revived Moral Majority under the name People of Faith 2000, 'a movement to
reclaim America as one nation under God' and which also takes a strong proIsraeli stance 439Falwell has succeeded,
.
'I will never forget the time, April 29,1977, when we had built the first
earth station ever to be owned by a Christian ministry in the history of
the world, and we were the first ever to take a full-time transponder on
I
it
in
this
area.
remember
were
pioneers
was ten
so
we
a satellite ...
o'clock in the morning when we went on with the broadcast. We then
cut to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a little after five o'clock in the
afternoon. There were some clouds forming over the Temple Mount ...
And when I saw the Mount of Olives, and I saw where my Savior is
going to put His foot down when He comes back to earth, I was
thinking, "I'm transmitting it! " The Bible says every eye is going to
behold Him, and here it is happening! We see how it is going to be
fulfilled right in front of our eyes !1446
Events in the Middle East dominate CBN's News and have a clear bias in
favour of Israel.447In 2002, CBN formed its own dedicated Israel news
channel with links to the Israeli embassy, International Christian Embassy,
Bridges for Peace and Christian Friends of Israel 448Robertson's own views
.
on Israel and the occupation of the Palestinian West Bank are quite
outspoken. Robertson's powerful media network ensures a strongly pro-Israel
perspective is presented to millions of Americans on a daily basis. His hope is
clearly to be the one to televise the Second Coming.
With the high profile influence of fundamentalist Christian leaders like
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, by the end of the 1970s, Christian Zionism
had become synonymous with American Evangelicalism. Over the past thirty
years, this relationship has been sustained with increasing effectiveness to
the point where it is rare to find a single politician or senator in Congress
449
Israeli
the
to
government . The coalition of
willing
express public criticism of
religious and political support for Israel in America was to receive its most
explicit grounding in the prophetic speculations of Hal Lindsey.
10.4 Hal Lindsey: Prophet of Christian Zionism
Hal Lindsey is undoubtedly the most influential of all 20th Century Christian
Zionists. Although rarely quoted by others, he has nevertheless been
described by Time as The Jeremiah for this Generation', and in 1980 by the
New York Times as 'The best selling author of the decade. P450
He is one of
very few authors to have had three books on the New York Times best seller
list simultaneously. 451His latest publisher describes him as The Father of the
Modern-Day Bible Prophecy Movement', 452and 'The best known prophecy
92
interpretation
makes available a
as well as the
Intelliqence
Trinity Broadcasting
Briefinq
radio and TV, Lindsey has a regular weekly audience of one million viewers
457
listeners.
and
Lindsey's most famous book, The Late Great Planet Earth has been
described by the New York Times as the Wl Non-fiction Bestseller of the
Decade. ' It has gone through more than 108 printings, with sales by 1993 of
more than eighteen million copies in English, with estimates varying between
458
to
twenty
further
languages.
in
fifty-four foreign
eighteen
million
copies
Despite dramatic changes in the world since its publication in 1970, Lindsey
maintains that the prophetic and apocalyptic
accurate and therefore the book remains in print in its original unrevised form.
Lindsey's popularity may be attributed to a combination
of factors. These
in this
93
464
actually be leading to the very holocaust he abhors but repeatedly pred '.
These three high profile individuals, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and
Hal Lindsey are merely the figureheads of a much wider alliance of over 150
influential fundamentalist Christian leaders including Oral Roberts, Mike
Evans, Tim LaHaye, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, James Dobson, Ed
94
465
Together they
and Hechler used the Bible to help realise the Zionist ambitions
Religious Right of
Falwell and Robertson has helped sustain and realise the Zionist agenda of
secular Israel in the 20th Century.
& Diversification
of Christian
Zionist
Organisations
(1809) and the British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the
467
Jews (1842). Although
known
the Church's Ministry Among Jewish
now
as
People (CMJ) and Christian Witness to Israel (CWI), they remain primarily
covenantal premillennial in emphasis and evangelistic in purpose. As a result
of the influence of J. N. Darby and the growing dispensational network in the
USA, William E. Blackstone founded the Chicago Hebrew Mission in 1887. It
is now known as the American Messianic Fellowship International (AMFI).
AMFI is, according to its own literature, a 'conservative evangelical ministry
committed to seeing the Lord's purposes fulfilled by building bridges of
understanding between Christian and Jewish Communities .'468The Messianic
Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) founded in 1915 claims to be the largest
association of Messianic Jewish believers in the world. MJAA now has
affiliations in 15 countries, 250 Messianic Synagogues, and 350,000
Messianic Jews worldwide. They insist they are 'the leading representative
469
Jews
believe
in
Messiah
for
American
Yeshua
Their
who
organisation
.,
simple statement of belief is made up of four short paragraphs. The fourth
states: 'We believe in G-d's eternal covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. We therefore stand with and support the Jewish people and the State
In 1992 a
of Israel and hold fast to the Biblical heritage of our forefathers. 1470
MJAA position paper was published in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, entitled,
'Messianic Jews Say: "The Land Belongs to Israel. is9471
In it, MJAA expressed
their conviction that Eretz Israel has been given to the Jews by God and that
they will 'repossess the regions of Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan
95
Heights. o472
Like the AMR, MJAA are dispensational in origin and both are
committed to both evangelistic and political activism. Jews for Jesus, founded
in 1973, is the most overtly evangelistic expression of this form of Messianic
Dispensationalism.
Since 1970, influenced by the Apocalyptic Dispensationalism of John
Walvoord, Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, Christian Zionism has become more
politicised and identified with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson's campaign
lobbying on various pro-Israeli issues such as the status of Jerusalem. Some
of the largest and most influential Christian Zionist agencies have redefined
their Christian message to that of 'blessing Israel' and have disavowed
evangelism in order to gain recognition from the Israeli government, set up
headquarters in Jerusalem and collaborate with Jewish Zionist organisations.
Contemporary Christian Zionism may therefore be classified not only in terms
of being covenantal or dispensational but also as either primarily evangelistic
or political. Since 1980 there has been a dramatic proliferation of such
organisations. Doug Kreiger, for example, lists over 250 pro-Israeli
evangelical organisations operating in America and founded between 1980
473
1985
Contemporary Christian Zionism is, however, dominated
and
alone.
by the activities of a small number of para-church, non-denominational
organisations which have successfully galvanised grass roots evangelical
political support for Israel. This summary will seek to place the most influential
Christian Zionist organisations within their wider historical context.
11.1 London Jews Society: Covenantal Premillennialism
(1809)
The first Christian Zionist organisation was the London Jews Society founded
in 1809. The US was renamed several times in the 20th Century and is now
known as the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ). In Israel it is
known as the Israel Trust of the Anglican Church (ITAC). 474Besides being the
first, it remains the only denominational Christian Zionist organisation of
significance today. Originally an interdenominational body, it was
reconstituted in 1815 as an Anglican missionary society under the influence of
Charles Simeon. The primary aim was the conversion of Jews to Protestant
Christianity. 475The US reached its zenith in 1914 when it had a staff of 280
working in 60 cities, a third of whom were of Jewish origin. Following the
96
to Restorationism.
'For if the
Bible is true, literally, then Israel would be restored, first physically, then
spiritually. The CMJ work in Israel was founded during the last Century upon
such a belief. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was surely an
indication that such beliefs were correct. 1479
While not an official position of
CIVIJ,they nevertheless advocate that the birth of the State of Israel and
Restorationism are the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and should be
480
supported . Theologically, CIVIJremain convinced that God continues to
have an ongoing covenant relationship with the Jews who remain God's
(chosen people'. 481CIVIJrequires no specific eschatological view of its staff,
however its publications still broadly reflect the Historic or Covenantal
Premillennialism of its founders although some leaders, such as E. L.
Langston, General Secretary in 1914, advocated Dispensationalism. 482
11.2 Jews for Jesus: Messianic Dispensationalism
(1973)
Jews for Jesus (JFJ) was founded in 1973 by Moishe Rosen 483an ordained
Baptist minister484and arose out of the Californian hippy culture Jesus
485
1970s
In the Haight-Ashbury district of
1960s
movement of the
and early
.
San Francisco from where Jews for Jesus was born, Time magazine
estimated that 30% of hippies were Jewish while Moishe Rosen believes 20%
486
the
Jesus
People
of
were also. JFJ claim to be'... the largest and bestknown of the non-denominational Jewish evangelistic agencies' with
missionaries in ten countries and an income in 2000 of more than $12
487
million. While identifying itself as 'evangelical fundamentalist' JFJ enjoys
97
488
Dr.
J.
1.
Packer.
In addition
the support of conservative evangelicals such as
to their fifteen branches and sixty chapters, JFJ sends out evangelistic teams
489
Wailing
Wall'
Their founder
such as the emotively named 'Liberated
.
Moishe Rosen, executive director, David Brickner and scholar in residence,
Louis Goldberg are all classical dispensationalists.
but
in
belief
the
two
this,
parallel
of
continuing
existence
reflects
asserting
separate covenants for Israel and the Church: 'We believe Israel exists as a
covenant people through whom God continues to accomplish
and that the Church is an elect people in accordance
His purposes
comprising both Jews and Gentiles. 'With a similar ministry philosophy to that
of Campus Crusade for Christ, Young Life and the Navigators, Jews for Jesus
represents a robustly evangelistic
an organisation
form of dispensational
Premillennialism.
As
among
(1976)
Bridges for Peace (BFP) was founded in 1976 by G. Douglas Young. Young
had worked in Israel since the 1950s, founding the Israel-American Institute of
Biblical Studies in Jerusalem in 1957. In 1976, he also began to publish his
'Dispatch from Jerusalem' a monthly newsletter distributed by an organisation
called Christians for Israel, based in Dallas. After Young's death, Clarence H.
Wagner became the President and first Executive Director of Bridges for
Peace in 1980 491BFP affirm: 'Through programs both in Israel and world.
wide, we are giving Christians the opportunity to actively express our biblical
responsibility before God to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish commun ity. 1492
This 'biblical responsibility' does not include Jewish evangelism since they
claim the promises made to Israel were both prior to and independent of the
Church. 'The Church does not exist independently from the covenant God
BFP also hold to the
made with the Jewish people and Israel. s493
dispensational view that'God's covenant promises between the land and His
people Israel were everlasting and unconditional. s494Most commentators
understand the reference in Ephesians 2: 14-18 to Jesus making 'the two one'
as describing how he has broken down the wall of hostility between Jews and
98
Gentiles by his death. Wagner, however, claims this passage describes the
ministry of BFP bringing reconciliation
$3
just
2000
in
budget,
the
million and a
under
of
year
with a
of 90,000.496 Having disavowed evangelism
Soviet Union to emigrate to Israel. Merkley claims: 'All of the Christian Zionist
organizations
acknowledge
for Peace, under the leadership of Clarence Wagner, Jr, as the senior
organization
partnership with the International Christian Embassy and forms part of the
National Unity Coalition for Israel.
11.4 International
Christian
Embassy:
Political
with representatives
Dispensationalism
(1980)
York Times its budget in 1999 exceeded $8 million per year raised from a
membership
declared
Israeli
Knesset
100,000.498
In
1980,
the
unilaterally
of
finally
Christian
the world's cowardice and shameful rejection of Israel's right to her unified
city. P499
staff of 50 representing
12 different
nationalities, together with a further 250 volunteers who assisted with annual
events such as the Feast of Tabernacles
Celebration.
ICEJ 'ambassadors'
'a tremendous
very
integrating
officials around
the world are lobbied on behalf of the State of Israel. By 1998, for example, of
the 700,000 immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union, ICEJ claim to
have funded the travel of 40,000 Jews, sponsoring over 50 flights as well as
504
Finland.
coaches via
101
mainstreamAmerican Evangelicalism.
102
and Restorationism
Five key factors led to the rise of the Christian Zionist movement in Britain.
1. With war and revolution consuming much of Europe and America, the
th
Century Postmillennialism was severely
18
optimistic eschatology of
undermined.
2. A resurgence of Premillennialism based on a literalist hermeneutic and
futurist eschatology emerged through the influence of Lewis Way,
Edward Irving and John Nelson Darby and those associated with the
Albury and Powerscourt prophecy conferences.
3. Several evangelical missionary societies such as the US were formed
to provide education and humanitarian assistance as well as share the
104
Covenantal Premillennialism
0001
JFJ
UK
LJS
Restorationism
Messianic
USA
Dispensationalism
Apocalyptic
Political
1800
1850
1900
1960
1980
ICEJ
2000
Notes to Chapter 2
Zionism and the Stateof Israel, A Moral Inquiry, (London, Routledge, 1999).
2 Regina Sharif, Non-JewishZionism, Its Roots in WesternHistory, (London, Zed,
1983);Paul C. Merkley, The Politics of Christian Zionism 1891-1948,(London,
Frank Cass,1998).
3 DouglasJ. Culver, Albion & Ariel, British Puritanism and the Birth of Political
Zionism, (New York, PeterLang, 1995); PeterToon, 'The Latter-Day Glory', in
Puritans,the Millennium and the Future of Israel: Puritan Eschatology1600-1660,
The
Puritan
James
Clarke,
1970);
Ian
Murray,
by
(Cambridge:
Peter
Toon,
edited
Hope: Revival and the Interpretationof Prophecy,(London, Banner of Truth,
1971).
4 J.F.C. Harrison, The SecondComing, Povular Millenarianism 1780-1850,
(London, Routledge& Kegan Paul, 1979); J. A. DeJong,As the WatersCover the
Sea:Millennial Expectationsin the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 1640-1810,
(Kampen,J. H. Kok, 1970).
5 David A. Rausch.Zionism
1878-1918,
Fundamentalism,
American
a
within eariv
convergenceof two traditions, (New York: Mellen Press,1979);GraceHalsell,
Prophecyand Politics, Militant EvangelistsOnthe Road to Nuclear War
(Westport, Connecticut,LawrenceHill, 1986); Donald Wagner,Anxious for
Armageddon,(Scottdale,Pennsylvania,Herald Press,1995).
6 This view was propoundedby
Benjamin
Spurgeon,
Charles
Haddon
among others
Newton, SamuelTregelles,J, C. Ryle, Andrew & Horatius Bonar, Francis
Schaefferand Martyn Lloyd Jones.Christian Witnessto Israel and many serving
with the ChurchesMinistry amongJewish Peopleidentify with this position. See
Errol Hulse, The Restorationof Israel, (Worthing, Henry Walter, 1968).
7 Wendell Steams,Biblical Zionism, (Hilversum, Holland, Moriah Foundation,
1994);International Christian EmbassyJerusalem,Christians and Israel, Essaysin
Biblical Zionism and on Islamic Fundamentalism,(Jerusalem,International
Christian EmbassyJerusalem,1996);Arnold Fruchtenbaum,Israelology,The
Missing Link in SystematicTheology, (Tustin, California, Ariel, 1989).
8 Gary DeMar & PeterLeithart, The Legacy of Hatred Continues,(Tyler, Texas,
Institute of Christian Economics, 1989),p45ff,
9 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, electronic edition. IV,
xvi, 14.
(Garland,TX: Galaxie Software, 1999).
10 Ibid., 11,x, 2,23.
11 Murray, op.cit., p4l.
12 Toon, op.cit., p24.
13 StanleyJ. Grenz, The Millennial Maze, SortinRout Evangelical Options,
(Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press,1992);Robert G. Clouse,ed., The Meaning
of the Millennium, (Downers Grove, InterVarsity, 1977);Cornelis P. Venema,
The Promiseof the Future, (Edinburgh, Bannerof Truth, 2000), ppI 89-362.
14
Ibid., p235.
15 Murray, op.cit.,
pp59-60.
16 Sharif, op.cit., p 18.
106
17 Toon,
op.cit., p26.
18 First
English
The
A
Revelation
in
1609.
in
Frankfurt
translation,
of the
published
Revelation, published in Amsterdam, dates from 1615. Samuel Macauley Jackson
(Baker
Book
Religious
Knowledge,
Encyclopedia
New
Schaff-Herzog
The
of
ed.
House, Grand Rapids, 1953). See also R. Clouse, "The Apocalyptic Interpretation
of Thomas Brightman and Joseph Mede, " Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological
Society, Vol. XI (1968), 181-193.
19 Edward E. Hindson, 'Medieval and Reformation Backgrounds of
Dispensationalism' The Conservative Theological Society (2001),
http: //v; w,,v.conservativeonline. org
20 The English translation
was published in 1644.
21 Toon,
op.cit., pp30-3 1.
22 Mayir Verete, 'The Restoration
1790Thought,
in
Protestant
Jews
English
the
of
1840', Middle Eastern Studies, 8, p14. See also Wagner, op. cit., p87.
23 DeJong,
op.cit., pp27-28.
24 DeJong,
op.cit., p38.
25 See Don Patinkin, 'Mercantilism
'
England.
Jews
Readmission
to
the
the
of
and
Jewish Social Studies, 8. July (1946), pp 161-78; and Cecil Roth, England in
Jewish History, (London, Jewish Historical Society of England, 1949), p7, cited in
Sharif, op.cit., p24.
26 Sharif,
op.cit., p25.
27 Cornelis P. Venema, The Promise
Trust,
Banner
(Edinburgh,
Future,
the
of
of
2000), pp219-229.
28 Jonathan Edwards, 'The History
of the Work of Redemption', The Complete
Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2 (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 1974).
29 Other leading theologians to
included
J.
A.
Alexander, Robert
this
view
espouse
Dabney, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, Loraine Boettner and
Charles H,. Spurgeon. See also 'Postmillennialism' in The Meaning of the
Millennium: Four Views, edited by Robert G. Clouse, (Downers Grove, Illinois,
InterVarsity, 1977), ppl 7ff.
30 Jonathan Edwards, The Complete Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume I
(Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 1974), p607.
31 Robert G. Clouse, Robert N. Hosack and Richard V. Pierard, The New
Millennium Manual, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker, 1999), pp90-91.
32 Jan Nederveen Pieterse, 'The History of a Metaphor: Christian Zionism
and the
Politics of Apocalypse' Archives de Sciences des Religions, 75 (199 1), pp75-104.
position, The Restorationof Israel, (Worthing, Henry Walter, 1968). Since the
Restorationistmovementbecamedominatedby Covenantpremillennialists and
dispensationali sts from the early I 91hCentury, this thesis has concentratedon their
contribution. The previous chapterhas explored the early intimations of protoChristian Zionism within the Reformation and Puritan period which was
dominatedby Postmillennialists.SeeArnold Fruchtenbaum,Israelology, The
Missing Link in SystematicTheology, (Tustin, California, Ariel Ministries, 1989),
pp 14-122.
34 Andrew Drummond, Edward Irving
and His Circle, (London, JamesClarke),
p132.
35 G. H. Pember,The Great Prophecies the Centuries
Israel
and the
of
concerning
Gentiles, (London, Hodder, 1902),pp236-241.
36 J. N. Darby, 'Remarks
on a tract circulated by the Irvingites', Collected Writings,
edited by William Kelly (Kingston on Thames, Stow Hill Bible and Trust Depot,
1962), Doctrinal. IV, 15, p2; Andrew Drummond, Edward Irving and His Circle
(London, James Clarke, n. d.), p 132; Janet M. Hartley, 'Napoleon in Russia:
Saviour or anti-Christ? Histo! y TodU, 41 (1991); Richard Kyle, The Last Days
are Here Again, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker, 1998), p7l.
37 George H. Fromow,
ed., B. W. Newton and Dr. S.P. Tregelles, Teachers of the
Faith and the Future, (Taunton, Phoenix, n.d.), pp 120-127.
38 Robert Jamieson, Commentary
on Revelation 17, Comment4!1, Critical and
Explanatory on the Whole Bible (London, Oliphants, 1934).
39 Clouse, Hosack & Pierard,
op.cit., p92.
40 George Stanley Faber, A Dissertation
on the Prophecies that have been fulfilled,
are now fulfilling or will hereafter be fulfilled relative to the Great Period of 1260
years, the Papal and Mohammedan (sic) Apostasies, the Tyranical Reign of the
Antichrist or the Infidel Power and the Restoration of the Jews, (London, F.C. &
J. Rivington, 1804). Faber also wrote Dissertation on the Mysteries of the Cabiri
(1803) and The Origin of Pagan Idolatry in 3 volumes (1816, Ballantrae Reprints
1999).
4] George Stanley Faber, A General and Connected View
of the Proj2heciesrelative
to the Conversion, Restoration, Union and Future GloTy of the Houses of Judah
and Israel. The Progress and Final Overthrow of the Antichristian Confederacy in
the Land of Palestine and the Ultimate General Diffusion of Christia nity,
'
(London, F.C. &J Rivington, 1809). p4. See also Dwight Wilson, Armageddon
Now! The Premillenarian Response to Russia and Israel since 1917, (Grand
Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book I-louse, 1977). p20.
42 Charles Finney, Lectures
on Revival, (Cambridge, Harvard University Press,
1960), p306.
43 Clouse, Hosack & Pierard,
op.cit., p 116.
44 Naomi Shepherd, The Zealous Intruders: The Western Rediscovery
of Palestine,
(London, Collins, 1987); Linda Osband, Famous Travellers to the Holy Land,
(London, Prion, 1989).
45 David A. Rausch, Fundamentalist Evangelicals
and Anti-Semitism (Valley Forge,
108
of
109
Mildmay Mission to the Jews(1876) and the Barbican Mission to the Jews
(1879), for example.SeeJohn Wilkinson, Israel My Glory or Israel's Mission,
and Missions to Israel, (London, Mildmay Mission to the Jews' Bible and Tract
Depot, 1889).By 1910there were 99 missions to the Jewsworldwide with 914
known missionaries.SeeWilliam Bjoraker, 'The Beginning of Modem Jewish
Missions in the English SpeakingWorld, ' Mishkan, 16.1,(1992), p62.
69 Stevens,
op. cit., p2l; Crombie, op. cit., ppl4-15.
70 Crombie,
op. cit., p 15.
71D. W. Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modem Britain. A Histo! from the 1730's
y
to the 1980's (London, Unwin Hyman, 1989), p83.
,
72 Lewis Way, The Latter Rain, 2 "d
in
Bebbington,
(London,
1),
182
cited
edition
op. cit., p88.
73 Crombie,
op. cit., p 15.
74 Daniel Wilson, 'Recollections
110
96 lain H. Murray, The Puritan Hope: Revival and the Inte[pretation of Prophecy,
(Edinburgh, Bannerof Truth, 1971), p363; Hulse, op.cit., p 154.
97 Swanson,
op.cit., p2.
98 CharlesHaddon Spurgeon,'Justification and Glory', Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, 11, (London, Passmore& Alabaster, 1862-1917),p249.
99 CharlesHaddon Spurgeon,'The Form of GodlinessWithout the Power',
Metropolitan TabeMaLlePulpit, 35, (London, Passmore& Alabaster, 1862-1917),
p301.
100 *Mr. Spurgeon'sConfessionof Faith', in The Sword and Trowl, 26, August
(1891), pp446-448.
101 CharlesHaddon Spurgeon,'Things to Come', Metropolitan TabernaclePulpit, 15
(London, Passmore& Alabaster, 1862-1917),p329.
102 CharlesHaddon Spurgeon,'JesusChrist Immutable', Metropolitan Tabernacle
PuLlpit,15 (London, Passmore& Alabaster, 1862-1917),p8.
103CharlesHaddon Spurgeon,'There be SomeThat Trouble You', The Sword and
Trowl, March (1867), p120. Swanson,op.cit., p9.
104The
interdenominational
Christian
Israel,
is
known
Witness
to
an
as
agency now
evangelisticsociety which has also enjoyed the support of Martyn Lloyd Jones
http:
//www.
Schaeffer.
Francis
cwi.org.uk
and
105CharlesHaddonSpurgeon,'The Restoration
and Conversionof the Jews',
p426.
106Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 'The Harvest and Vintage', Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pul.12it,50, (London, Passmore & Alabaster, 1862-1917), p553; Charles Haddon
Spurgeon, 'The Church of Christ', New Park Street Pulpit, 1, (London, Passmore
and Alabaster, 1856-186 1) pp213-214.
107
Ibid.
108
Swanson,op.cit., p 17.
109CharlesH. Spurgeon,Lecturesto My Students,First Series(London, Passmore
and Alabaster, 1877),p83.
110Murray,
op.cit., p 188. Irving was also one of the forerunnersof the Pentecostal
and Charismaticmovement.Arnold Dallimore, The Life of Edward Irving: The
Fore-runnerof the CharismaticMovement, (Edinburgh, Bannerof Truth, 1983);
Gordon Strachan,The PentecostalTheology of Edward Irving, (Peabody,
Massachusetts,1973).GeorgeEldon Ladd, however, attributesthe revival of
'futurist' or historic Premillennialism in the I 91hCentury to S.R. Maitland, James
Todd and William Burgh. SeeGeorgeEldon Ladd, The BlessedHope, (Grand
Rapids,Michigan, Eerdmans,1956),pp35-40. Maitland's first publication is dated
1826,JamesTodd's 1838,and William Burgh's 1835.While they may indeed
have beeninfluential, since Irving acknowledgeshis indebtednessto Hatley Frere
and his own premillennial sermonsare datedas early as 1824,it is still
appropriateto regard Irving as the earliestproponentof this view in the Igh
Century.
113J. D. Douglas, 'Edward Irving' The New International Dictionary the Christian
of
Church, edited by J. D. Douglas,revisededition (Exeter, PaternosterPress,1978),
p517.
114Dallimore,
op.cit., p6l.
115Murray,
op. cit., p 189.
116Dallimore,
op.cit., p62.
117In the foreword to Babylon and Infidelity Foredoomed
:A Discourse on the
prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse which relate to these Latter Times, and
until the Second Advent, (Glasgow, 1826), Irving acknowledged his indebtedness
to Frere's book, Treaties on the Prophecies of Daniel. See Oliphant, op.cit., p 107.
118Oliphant,
op.cit., p 189.
119J. Hatley Frere, Notes Fon-ning Brief Interpretation
a
of the Apocalypse intended
to be read in connection with the combined view of the prophecies of Daniel,
Edras and St John showing that all prophetic writings are formed upon one plan,
(London, J. Hatchard & Sons, [1815] 1850), p2.
120
Ibid.
121 Flegg
argues that on this Irving was also following a scheme devised by William
112
by
in
Juan Josafat
Glory
Messiah
Majesty,
of
and
Ben-Ezra a converted Jew, Translated from the Spanish, with a Preliminary
Discourse, (London, L. B. Seeley & Sons, 1827), pp5-6. Irving's preliminary
discourse was subsequently published separately and more widely than Lacunza's
own work. See Flegg, op.cit., p235, and fn 126 below.
126Murray,
op. cit., p 187.
127Edward Irving, The Rev. Edward IrvinjZ's PreliminaKy Discourse to the Work
of
Ben Ezra entitled the Coming of Messiah in Gloly and Majesty, (1859 reprint, pp.
7-8).
128In letter from S. P. Tregelles to Newton, both former Brethren leaders,
written in
a
1865, Tregelles asks rhetorically, 'Did the Brethrenists get this doctrine from the
Irvingites? ' cited in T. C. F. Stunt, 'The Tribulation of Controversy: Dave
MacPherson, the Rapture Plot: A Review. ' Brethren Archivists' and Historians'.
Network Review (2000).
129Edward Irving, The Last Days: A Discourse
on the Evil Character of These Our
Times, Proving Them to be The 'Perilous Times' and the 'Last Days', (London,
James Nisbet, 1850), p 11.
130 Drummond,
131 Ibid.,
p 130.
132Murray,
op.cit., p 188.
133Twelve
elders called 'angels' were appointed to pastor the congregation and
administer the church in the expectation that the Lord would return to Albury in
their life time. Consequently, as each elder eventually died they were not replaced
until there were none to pastor the congregation.
134Edward Miller, The Histo[y
and Doctrines of Irvingism, volume I (London,
Kegan Paul, 1878), p36.
135Flegg,
op.cit., p40.
136Henry Drummond, Dialogues
on Prophecy, (London, Nisbet, 1828), ppii-iii.
137Miller,
op.cit., p36.
138Flegg,
op.cit., p36.
139Hugh McNeile, The Collected Works, Vol. 11.The Prophecies Relative
to
the Jewish Nation, (London, The Christian Book Society, [ 183011878).
113
140 Ibid.,
pp431 ff.
141Miller,
op.cit., p36.
142Murray,
op.cit., pl9l.
143Davenport,
list
for
Miller,
of
another
op.
cit.,
p4l,
also,
op.cit., pp22-23; see
participants.
144Irving, 'Preliminary'
op.cit., pp197-202.
145Miller,
op.cit., p35
146Ibid.,
p42.
147Ibid.,
pp44-45.
148Ibid.,
p42.
149
Ibid.
150Ibid.
151
152
Irving, op.cit.
153P. E. Shaw,The Catholic Anostolic Church, (New York, King's Crown Press,
1946),p 18, cited in Hennell, op.cit., p 11.
154
Ibid., pp 10-22.
155Drummond,
op.cit., p 130.
156The Christian Observer,June(1828), pp398-399,cited in Michael I-lennell, Sons
of the Prophets,(London, SPCK, 1979),p 11.
157Bebbington,op.cit., p83.
158 Dallimore,
op.cit., p93.
159Patterson,
op.cit., p341.
160 'The Seven Dispensations' Morning Watch, IV. 134.9f September (183 1)
cited in
Patterson, ibid., p 138.
161Drummond
from
date
"We
transition
the
the Irvingite circle to the
may
writes,
Apostolic Church from the winding up of the Morning Watch, June 1833."
Drummond, op.cit., p233. Although sometimes wrongly described as the
'founder' of the Catholic Apostolic Church, Irving was nevertheless, according to
Flegg, its 'catalyst. ' See Flegg, op.cit., p462. Irving himself was not recognised as
one of the twelve latter-day apostles when the CAC was formed but humbly
deacon.
the
of
accepted
position
162
Ibid.
163Timothy Stunt, 'Catholic Apostolic Church', The New International Dictionary
o
the Christian Church, ed. J.D. Douglas (Exeter, Paternoster, 1978) p203. The early
Scottish Pentecostal manifestations associated with Mary Campbell and James
in
in
McDonald
1830
Irving's
Margaret
together
with
similar
manifestations
and
London Church in 1831 were also influential in the formation of the CAC as well
dispensationalists.
164J. N. Darby, 'Remarkson a tract circulated by the Irvingites,' Collected Writings,
Doctrinal. IV, 15, p34.
165J. D. Douglas, 'Edward Irving'. Ibid., p517.
166Patterson,op.cit., p166.
167Donald E. Wagner,Anxious for Armageddon,(Waterloo, Ontario, Herald Press,
1995),pp8l, 88. This is disputedby CharlesRyrie who attemptsto place the origin
in
finding
Dispensationalism,
150
evidence the
of
some
yearsearlier, allegedly
writings of Pierre Poiret (1646-1719)and John Edwards(1639-1716)as well as
IsaacWatts (1674-1748).SeeCharlesRyrie, Dispensationalism,(Chicago, Moody
Press,1995),pp65-71.
168W. G. Turner, JohnNelson Darby (London, ChapterTwo, [ 1901] 1986),p 17.
169J. N. Darby, 'Reflections the Ruined Condition of the Church', The Collected
on
Writings of John Nelson Darby, edited by William Kelly (Kingston on Thames,
Stow Hill Bible and Trust Depot, 1962),Eccl. 1,1, p201.
170Darby, 'On the Formation Churches,Further Developments'Collected.,op.cit.,
of
Eccl. 1,1, p303. Seealso 'What the Christian has amid the Ruin of the Church',
Collected.,op-cit., Eccl. III, XIV.
171Darby, 'What is the Unity of the ChurchT Collected., op.cit., Eccl. IV, XX, p456.
172Murray, op.cit., pp105-185.
173Darby, 'Progressof Evil on the Earth' Collected., op.cit., Prophetic, 1, pp471,483.
174Lady Powerscourt,for example,attendedone or more of the Albury conferences
The
her
Puritan
Hope
in
Ireland.
See
lain
Murray,
Edward
Irving
and
visited
(Edinburgh, Bannerof Truth, 1971), p 191.
175ClarenceBass,Backgroundsto Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids,Eerdmans,
1986),p146.
176
Coad, op.cit., pl 11.
177F. Roy Coad, 'Prophetic Developmentswith Particular Referenceto the Early
Brethren Movement', Christian Brethren ResearchFellowship OccasionalPaper
(1966), p24, cited in Murray, op.cit., p200.
178
Ibid., p 199.
179GeorgeMuller had earlier associatedwith the London Jews Society and served
briefly as a missionary studentamongthe Jews in London. However, while in
sympathyfor their objectivesand willing to serveunder their name,becauseof his
'independentthinking' he was unableto accepteither their rule or salary and,
instead,joined the Brethren and becamea pastorin Teignmouth and then Bristol.
SeeWilliam Henry Harding, The Life of GeorpeMuller, (London, Morgan &
Scott, 1914),pp32-44.
180Ibid., 109.
p
181John Nelson Darby, Letters of John Nelson Darby, 1832-1868,1, (London, Stow
Hill and Bibic Tract Depot), p63.
115
182Darby, Letters,
op.cit., pp6-7.
183J. N. Darby, 'Progress of Evil on the Earth' Collected., op. cit., Prophetic, 1,
pp471,483,486.
184According to Scofield, 'Irving was excluded, not for heresy in doctrine, but for
his view on church order. ' Arno C. Gaebelein, The Histo! y of the Scofield
Reference Bible (Spokane, WA, Living Word Foundation, 1991), p43.
185J. N. Darby, 'Remarks on a tract circulated by the Irvingites', Collected., op.cit.,
Doctrinal. IV, 15, p34.
186
Bass,op.cit., pp176.
191 B. W. Newton and Dr S. P. Tregelles,Teachersof the Faith and the Future, edited
by GeorgeFromow (London, SovereignGraceAdvent Testimony, n.d.).
192Benjamin Wills Newton, Antichrist, Europe and the East: The Antichrist Future
Future,
(London:
Houlston
Reign
&
Sons,
Antichrist's
1260
Days
the
of
also
1859); Babylon: Its Revival and Future Desolation being the Second Series of
Aids to Prophetic Enqpi!a, (London: Houlston & Sons, 1859); Map of Ten
Kingdoms of Roman Empire, (London: Lucus Collins, 1863); Babylon: Its Future
Histo! y and Doom with remarks on the Future of Egypt and Other Eastern
Countries, 3rd edition (London: Houlston & Sons, 1890).
193Newton, Babylon, op.cit., p17.
194Newton, Antichrist, op.cit., p143.
195Newton, Map,
op.cit.
196B. W. Newton, 'Prophetic Forecasts and Present Events Re America and Russia'
(1863) in Teachers of the Faith and the Future, B. W. Newton and Dr S.P.
Tregelles, edited by George 14.Fromow (Taunton, Phoenix, n.d.).
197Newton, Antichrist, op.cit., p146.
198Newton, Babylon,
op. cit., pp 145,150. 'Shinar' is the earliest Hebrew name for
Babylon. It is interesting that Charles Dyer, a contemporary Dallas Seminary
dispensationalist, similarly regards the apocalyptic references to Babylon in the
Book of Revelation to refer literally rather than figuratively to modem Iraq. See
116
Charles Dyer, The Rise of Babylon, Signs of the End Times, (Wheaton, Illinois,
Tyndale House, 1991).
199Hulse,
op.cit., p 158; Swanson, op. cit., p7.
200 B. W. Newton, The Christian Witness, (Plymouth, The Christian Witness
and
Tract Co., 1838), p302.
201 Fromow,
202 Ibid.,
p63.
203 Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism, (Moody Press, Chicago, 1995), 214; Craig
p.
A. Blaising & Darrell L. Bock, ed. Dispensational ism, Israel and the Church,
(Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1992); Progressive Dispensationalism,
(Wheaton, Victor, 1993); Robert L. Saucy, The Case for Progressive
Dispensational ism, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1993).
204 Fromow,
205 Ibid.,
p2l.
206 Swanson,
p40.
Ibid.
212 Murray,
op.cit., p202.
1801-1885'
117
1982), p 115.
223Cited in Franz Kobler, Napoleon and the Jews, (New York, Schocken Books,
1976), pp55-57. See also:
http: //www. napoleonicsociety. com/english/scholarship98/cjews98. html
224See Albert M. Hyamson, Palestine: The Rebirth of an Ancient People, (London,
Sidgwick & Jackson, 1917), pp 162-163; Salo W. Baron, A Social and Religious
History of the Jews, (New York, Columbia University Press, 1937), 2. p327, cited
in Sharif, op.cit., p52.
221 Baron, ibid.
226 Sharif,
op.cit., p54.
118
243
244
Ibid.
248Theodor Herzl, The Diaries
op.cit., p7l.
249Merkley,
op.cit., ppl6-17; Pileggi, op.cit.
250 Merkley,
op.cit., p 16.
251
Pileggi, op.cit.
252Weizmannhad discoveredhow to
manufactureof explosives.
253Philip Guedalla,Napoleon
and Palestine,(London, 1925),pp45-55, cited in
Sharif, op.cit., p79.
254ChristopherSykes,Cross Roadsto Israel, Palestinefrom Balfour to Bevin,
(London, Collins, 1965).
255
256
257
Wagner,op.cit., pp94-95.
Wagner,op.cit., p93.
Sharif, op.cit., p78
258Kenneth Young, Arthur James Balfour (London, G. Bell & Sons, 1963),
p256.
259Ibid.,
p256.
Ingrams,op.cit., pl 1.
Ibid.
269Wagner,
op.cit., p94
270Tuchman,
op. cit., p340.
271 For
a critique of Tim LaHaye's 'Left Behind' series see John Noe, Shattering the
'Left Behind' Delusion, (Bradford, Pennsylvania, International Preterist
Association, 2000).
272Timothy L. Smith, 'Righteousness
and Hope: Christian Holiness and the
Millennial Vision in America, 1800-1900, ' American Quarterly, 3 1.1 (Spring
1979).
273 Richard Kyle, The Last Days
are Here Again, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker,
1998), pp77-98.
274 Ibid.
p8l.
Rausch,op.cit., p216.
284ErnestReisinger,'A History of Dispensationalism in America'
http://www. founders.org/FJ09/articlel.htmi
285Sandeen,
op.cit., pp74-75.
286J. N. Darby, Letters of J. N. Darby (London, Morish Co., d.), Vol 2, 180.
n.
p
.
287JamesBrookes, 'How I became
a pre-millennialist',
http://www. middletownbiblechurch.org/proph/brookes.htm; Oswald T. Allis,
Prophecyand the Church (Philadelphia,Presbyterianand Reformed, 1945),p133.
Brookes also claimed that his dispensationalschemefollowed the views of
ProfessorBayne of McGill University. JamesH. Brookes, Maranatha-,or the Lord
Cometh, I Othedition, (New York, 1889),p285.
288It is known that
one of Darby's colleagues,Henry Moorehouse,had a personal
influence on Moody. SeeWilliam R. Moody, The Life of Dwight L. Moody,
(Murfreesboro,Tennessee,Sword for the Lord, 1900),p 140. W. G. Turner
120
is
lessthan complimentary of Moody. "That he
Darby
recordsan occasionwhen
could be ungraciousand scathingin his criticism is evident in the incident where,
failed
Moody
L.
Dwight
to graspa point, Darby turned
the
when
great evangelist
to a bystanderand remarked,'I am hereto supply exposition not brains."' W. G.
Turner JohnNelson Darby (London, ChapterTwo, 1901,1986), p2 1.
289Rausch,
op.cit., p216; Gerstner, op.cit., pp39-40.
290 Rausch,
op.cit., p217.
291 Ibid.,
pp217-218.
292 James H. Brookes, Israel
and the Church, (Chicago, The Bible Institute
Colportage Association, n. d.).
293 James H. Brookes, Till He Come, 2 nd
edition (New York, Fleming H. Revell,
1895), pp 1-2.
294
Rausch,op.cit., p223.
Gerstner,op.cit., p45.
306ErnestR. Sandeen,'Towards a Historical Interpretationof the Origins
of
Fundamentalism',Church History 36 (1967), p76.
307 Rausch,
op.cit., p153.
308 Rausch,
op.cit., p 159.
121
p240.
314 Ibid.
316Rennie,op.
cit., p48; Rausch,op.cit., p264.
317W. M. Smith, 'Signs the Times', Moody Monthl August (1966),
Tim
p5;
of
,
LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins,Left Behind, (Wheaton,Tyndale House, 1995);
Tribulation Force, (Wheaton,Tyndale House, 1996);Nicolae, (Wheaton,Tyndale
House, 1997); Soul Harvest,(Wheaton,Tyndale House, 1998);Apollyon,
(Wheaton,Tyndale House, 1999);Assassins,(Wheaton,Tyndale House, 1999);
The Indwelling, (Wheaton,Tyndale House,2000); The Mark, (Wheaton,Tyndale
House,2001): Desecration,(Wheaton,Tyndale House,2002): The Remnant
(Wheaton,Tyndale House,2002). Salesof the Left Behind seriesnow exceed32
million copies.SeeNancy Gibbs, 'Apocalypse Now' Time, I July 2002, p45. Hal
Lindsey's Late Great PlanetEarth (London, Lakeland, 1970)has reputedly sold
over 18 million copies in English.
318William E. Currie, God's Little Errand Boy, 100 Years Blessing, (American
of
Messianic Fellowship International, 1987).
319Beth M. Lindberg, A God Filled Life: The StoEyof William E. Blackstone
(Chicago, The American MessianicFellowship, n.d.), pp7-9.
320ReubenFink, America
York,
(New
American Zionist Emergency
Palestine,
and
Council, 1945),pp20-21,cited in Sharif, op.cit., p92.
321
322
323 Lindberg,
op.cit., pp 12-13.
324 Rausch,
op.cit., pp268-269.
325 Rausch,
op.cit., pp268-269.
326Currie,
op.cit.
Edition, (Chicago, Moody Bible Institute, 1994);The New Scofield Study Bible,
(New York, Oxford University Press,1984); Scofield Study Notes, (QuickVerse,
ParsonsTechnology, 1994).
329
Sandeen,op.cit., p222.
330CharlesG. Trumball, The Life Story C. 1. Scofield, (Oxford University Press,
of
New York, 1920).
331 Joseph M. Canfield, The Incredible Scofield
and his Book, (Vallecito, California,
Ross House Books, 1988). Canfield refers to a third source by William A. BeVier,
A Biographical Sketch of C. I. Scofield: A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the
Graduate School of Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfilment of the
Requirements of the Master of Arts with a Major in History. May 1960; See also
Albertus Pieters, A Candid Examination of the Scofield Bible, (Grand Rapids,
Douma Publications, n.d. ). Scofield's wife Leontine divorced him in 1881 while
he was pastor of Hyde Park Congregational Church, St. Louis. Her divorce papers
charged Scofield with, 'gross neglect of duty' having, 'failed to support this
plaintiff or her said children, or to contribute thereto, and has made no provision
for them for food, clothing or a home... ' The court decided in favour of Leontine
after some delay in 1883 and issued a decree of divorce in December of that year,
describing Scofield as, '... not a fit person to have custody of the children. ' From
the papers in case No. 216 1, supplied by the Atchison County Court, cited in
Canfield, op.cit., p89. He married Hettie Van Wark on I Vh March 1884. Ibid.,
P100.
332Bass,
op.cit., pl 8. See also Loraine Boettner, The Millennium, (Grand Rapids,
Baker, 1958), p369.
333Gerstner,
op. cit., p43.
334Turner,
op.cit., back cover.
335C. 1. Scofield, 'Introduction', The Scofield Reference Bible, (Oxford, Oxford
University Press, 1909).
336C. 1. Scofield, Rightly Dividing the Word
of Truth, (New York, Loizeaux
Brothers, 1888).
337Canfield,
op.cit., p122.
338
Ibid.
123
Sandeen,op.cit., p224.
349Cornelius R. Stam,The New Scofield ReferenceBible, An Appraisal, (Chicago,
BereanBible Society), p12. cited in Canfield, op.cit., p218.
350C.I. Scofield, The New Scofield Study Bible, (New York, Oxford University
Press,1984).
351CharlesRyrie, Ryrie Study Bible, (Chicago, Moody Bible Institute, 1994).
352William E. Cox, An Examination Dispensationalism, (Philadelphia,
of
Presbyterian& Reformed, 1974),pp55-56.
353Gerstner,
op.cit., p46.
354
Ibid.
355CharlesC. Ryrie, The Basis of the Premillennial Faith, (Neptune,New Jersey,
Loizeaux Brothers, 1953);DispensationalismTodgy, (Chicago, Moody Press,
1965); Dispensationalism,(Moody Press,Chicago, 1995).
356John Walvoord, Israel in Prophecy,(Grand Rapids,Zondervan, 1962);The
Nations in Prophecy,(Grand Rapids,Zondervan, 1967);The BlessedHope and
the Tribulation, (Grand Rapids,Zondervan, 1975);The RaptureQuestion,rev.
edn. (Grand Rapids,Zondervan, 1979);The Nations, Israel and the Church in
Prophea, (Grand Rapids,Michigan, Zondervan, 1988); Armageddon,Oil and the
Middle East Crisis (Grand Rapids,Michigan, Zondervan, 1990); Major Bible
Prophecies,(New York, Harper Collins, 1991).
357 Arno C. Gaebelein, The Conflict
of the Ages, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1966).
358 Rausch,
op.cit., p261.
359
Rausch,op.cit., p292.
124
368Our Hope, 2 October (1895), p78369Timothy P. Weber, 'A Reply To David Rausch's"Fundamentalismand the Jew"'
Journal of the Evangelical Theological SocieLy,2411March (1981) pp68-77.
370Paul CharlesMerkley, The Politics of Christian Zionism, 1891-1948,(London,
Frank Cass,1998),p66. Merkley also incorrectly spells Gaebeleinas Gabelein.
371 Timothy P. Weber,Living in the Shadowof the SecondComing: American
Premillennialism 1875-1982,(Grand Rapids,Zondervan, 1983),p137, citing
Gaebelein,Has God CastAway His People?(1905).
372'The Fourth Zionistic Congress:The Most Striking Sign of Our Times', Our
Hope, 6, September(1900). p72, cited in Rausch,op.cit., p247.
373Rauschclaims this periodical had a unique and formative ministry within the
Proto-Fundamentalistmovement.SeeRausch,op.cit., p225.
374Rausch,op.cit., pp213-216;Merkley, op.eit., 92.
375 Merkley,
376 Ibid.,
p 114.
125
p80.
387 Ibid.,
p8l.
388 Ibid.,
p 185.
389 Ibid.,
p 18 5.
390 Merkley,
op.cit., ppl4l-145.
126
op.cit., p92.
Ibid., p42.
411
Ibid., p43.
412Cited in Halsell, Prophecy., cit.,
op.
pp5,45.
413
Ibid.
414
Ibid., pp46-47.
Ibid.
421Cited in Carter,op.cit., pp228-234.
422Ronnie Dugger, 'Does ReaganExpect a Nuclear Armageddon?' WashingtonPost,
18 April (1984).
423Halsell, Prophecy,
op.cit., p5.
424 Ibid.,
pp49-50.
425 Ibid.
http://falwell. com
429Iwan Russell-Jones,'Give me that prime time religion' New Internationalist, 133,
March (1984).
430JamesPrice and William Goodman,Jerry Falwell, An UnauthorizedProfile,
cited
in GraceHalsell, Prophecyand Politics, Militant Evangelistson the Road to
Nuclear War, (Westport, Connecticut,LawrenceHill, 1986),p72-73.
127
431
Ibid.
432Allan C. Brownfeld, 'Fundamentalistsand the Millennium: A Potential Threat to
Middle EasternPeace'The WashingtonReport, June (1999), pp82-84.
433Donald Wagner, 'Evangelicalsand Israel: Theological Roots of a Political
Alliance. ' The Christian Centu!y, November 4, (1998), pp 1020-1026.
434Brownfeld, cit.,
op.
pp82-84.
435Wagner, 'Evangclicals', op.cit.,
pp1020-1026.
436http://www.
nljonline.com/feb02
437Wagner, 'Evangelicals', op.
cit., pp 1020-1026.
438Brownfeld,
op.cit., pp82-84.
439Jerry Falwell, http://falwell.
htm
com/action`/`20alerts/actnow.
440Gerard Straub,Salvation for Sale,An Insider's View
of Pat Robertson,(Buffalo,
New York, PrometheusBooks, 1988).
441 http://wvw.
ecfa.org/MbrProfasp?MemberlD= 1040
442Pat Robertson,The New Millennium, 10 Trends That Will Impact You
and Your
Family By The Year 2000, (Dallas, Word, 1990); The SecretKingdom: Your Path
to Peace,Love and Financial Security, (Dallas, Word, 1992).
443Peoplefor the American Way, 'Who
are on the Religious RightT
http://www. pfaw.org/issues/right/bg_groups.
html
444Christian Coalition America, 'Christian Coalition DefendsIsrael Against
of
Arafat' http://www. cc.org/becomeinformed/Pressrelease04O5O2.
html
445http://www.
patrobertson.com/Biography/index.asp
446Skipp Porteous,'Road to Armageddon'
http://www. ifas.org/fw/9512/robertson.html
447Paul Merkley, Christian Attitudes towards the Stateof Israel, (Montreal, McGillQueen'sUniversity Press,2001), p200448Christian BroadcastingNetwork, http://cbn.org/cbnnews/israel
449Wagner, 'Evangelicals',
Halsell,
Prophecy,op.cit.,
cit.,
pp1020-1026;
op.
450Hal Lindsey, The 1980's: Countdownto Armageddon,(New York, Bantam,
1981),p 179.
451
Ibid.
452Hal Lindsey, The Final Battle, (PalosVerdes, California, WesternFront, 1995),
back cover.
453Hal Lindsey, The ApocalypseCode, (PalosVerdes, California, WesternFront,
1997),back cover.
454Hal Lindsey, The Late Great PlanetEarth, (London, Lakeland, 1970); Satanis
Alive and Well on Planet Earth, (London, Lakeland, 1973);There's A New World
Coming, A PropheticOdyssey,(SantaAna, California, Vision House, 1973);The
Liberation of PlanetEarth, (London, Lakeland, 1974);The 1980's: Countdown to
128
com
458Lindsey, Road,
op.cit., p 195. For other statisticsseeGeorgeMarsden,
UnderstandingFundamentalismand Evangelicalism,(Grand Rapids,Eerdmans,
1991),p77, and Michael Lienesch,RedeemingAmerica: Piety and Politics in the
New Christian Right, (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, North Carolina Press,1993),
p3l 1. Seealso Gary Friesen,'A Return Visit', Moody Monthly, May (1988), p30.
459J. N. Darby, 'Evidence from Scripture for the
passingaway of the present
dispensations'Collected.,op.cit., Prophetic1,11.p. 108; C. 1. Scofield, What do
the ProphetsSay (Philadelphia,The SundaySchool Times Co, 1918),pp 18-19.
460Lindsey, ELinal.,
op.cit., p.xiii.
461Lindsey, Elanet,
op.cit., back cover.
462J. N. Darby, 'Reflections Upon the PropheticInquiry,
and the Views Advanced in
It', Collected., op.cit., Prophetic1,11,pp6-7; 'Evidence from Scripture for the
passingaway of the presentdispensations',Collected.,op.cit., Prophetic1,11.
p 108; C. 1.Scofield, 'Introduction', The Scofield ReferenceBible; (Oxford,
Oxford University Press,1909); ClarenceB. Bass,Backgroundsto
Dispensationalism,(Grand Rapids,Michigan, Eerdmans,1960),pI 8; John
Gerstner,Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth (Brentwood, Tennessee,
Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1991), p43; Brookes,op. cit.; Allis, op-cit., p 133.
463Lindsey, Apocalypse,op.cit.,
p37. Comparewith Darby, Collected, op.cit.,
Prophetic1,11,pp6-7, p 108.
464Gary DeMar
and PeterJ. Leithart, The Legacy of HatredContinues: A response
129
Ibid.
473Halsell, Prophecy,
op.cit., p 178.
474 W. T. Gidney, The Histo!
y of the London Society for Promoting Christianity
Amongst the Jews, from 1809 to 1908, (London, 1908); George H. Stevens, Go,
Tell My Brethren: A Short Popular Histo! y of Church Missions to Jews, (London,
Olive Press, 1959); Kelvin Crombie, For the Love of Zion: Christian Witness and
the Restoration of Israel, (London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1991). See also Muriel
Corey, From Rabbi to Bishop, (London: Olive Press, n. d. ).
475http: //www.
cmj. org. uk/whoare. html
476Stevens,
op.cit., pp23-106.
477Jos Drummond, 'Mission in the 1990's' The Church's Ministry Amonp,
the Jews
(St. Albans, CMJ, 1989).
478CMJ, Shalom, 3 (1999),
pl.
479Crombie,
op.cit., pp257-258.
480Rob Richards, Has God Finished
with Israel?, (Crowborough, Monarch/Olive
Press, 1994) pp209-21 0; 'Welcome to CMY, Shalom, February (1990), p2; CMJ,
The State of Israel: Why should we support it? (St Albans, CMJ, 1996).
for
dispensationalist.
Jews
Jesus
is
director
Brickner
and
recommended.
of
a
483Moishe Rosen,Overtureto Armageddon?Beyond the Gulf War, (San Bernardino,
California, Here'sLife Publishers,1991).
484Ruth Tucker, Not Ashamed,the Sto[y of Jews for Jesus,(Sisters,Oregon,
Multnomah, 1999),p240.
485
Ibid., pp77-92.
486
Ibid., p78.
487http://www.
ecfa.org/MbrProfasp?MemberlD=207
488Tucker,
op.cit., p239; 'Foreword'.
489Jews for Jesus,"'Billy Graham
for
Jesus
Leader',
Jews
Misunderstood"
Says
was
Briefing Bulletin, http://www.jews-for-jesus.org
490Louis Goldberg, 'Whose Land Is ItT Issues,4.2.
491Merkley, op.
cit., p 168.
492ClarenceH. Wagner, 'Who
September
for
Bridges
Jerusalem.
Peace,
are weT
(1996).
493ClarenceH. Wagner, 'Israel
and the Church at the Dawn of the New Millennium. '
http://www. bridgesforpeace.
com/publications/teaching/Article-I 8.html
494ClarenceH. Wagner, 'Did God break his
covenantwith the JewsT
http://www. bridgesforpeace.
com/publications/teaching/Article-I 9.html
495ClarenceH. Wagner, 'God's
covenants,and the Church'
http://ww-A,.bridgesforpeace.
com/publications/teaching/Article-38.html
496http://www.
ecfa.org/MbrProf asp?MemberlD=1092;
http://www. israelunitycoalition.com
497Merkley,
op.cit., p 170.
498http://www. library.
htm;
comell.edu/colldev/midcast/succoth.
http://www. israelunitycoalition.com
499Jan Willem
(Shippensburg,
Jerusalem?
der
Babylon
Pasadena,
Hoeven,
or
van
Destiny Image Publishers,1993),ppl 51-152,158.
500International Christian Embassy,Jerusalem.
http://www. icej.org.il/pagesihome/aboutus.
html
50, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, (Jerusalem, ICEJ, 1993),
p4.
502Ibid.
503 Ibid.,
p25.
504 Merkley,
op.cit., p 173.
131
132
34
133
Darby's
24
Dispensations
Ryrie's Version of
Scofield's
26
Dispensations
1. Paradisaical state
2. Noah
3. Abraham
3. Human Government
(Gen. 8:20)
4. Promise (Gen. 12: 1)
25
Darby
1. Adam
2. Noah
1. Noah
(Government)
3. Patriarchs
4. Jewish
5. Gentiles
6. Millennium_
7. Resurrection
2. Moses (Law)
3. Aaron (Priesthood)
4. Kingly (Manasseh)
5. Spirit (Gentile)
4. Israelunder law
under priesthood
under kings
5. Gentiles
6. Spirit
7. Millennium
1.10)_
Figure 2. A Comparison of the dispensational schemes of the Morning Watch, John Nelson
Darby, Charles Ryfie and Cyrus Scofield
'... because it was in this the Lord was pleased, without man's
teaching, first to open my eyes on this subject, that I might learn His
will concerning it throughout. '29
Darby therefore justified his own dispensational scheme on the basis that
others had not studied the scriptures correctly and his interpretation was right
because the Lord had revealed it to him personally.
138
to a Dispensational
Literal Hermeneutic
30
heavily
Darby's
draws
Scofield's own dispensational scheme
writing S.
on
Nevertheless, he claims Dispensationalism recovers for the Bible, 'a clear and
coherent harmony of the predictive portions':
'The Dispensations are distinguished, exhibiting the majestic,
progressive order of the divine dealings of God with humanity, the
"increasing purpose" which runs through and links together the ages,
from the beginning of the life of man to the end in eternity. Augustine
said: "Distinguish the ages, and the scriptures harmonize. m3l
Whether Augustine understood 'ages' in terms of Scofield's
dispensations is questionable. Nevertheless, Scofield claimed his scheme
was natural and self evident:
'... there is a beautiful system in this gradualness of unfolding. The
past is seen to fall into periods, marked off by distinct limits, and
distinguishable period from period by something peculiar to each. Thus
it comes to be understood that there is a doctrine of Ages or
Dispensations in the Bible. 132
A comparison between these 'distinct limits' as they appear in the Scofield
Reference Bible and subsequent revisions, where they have moved and been
renamed, would suggest that they are not as clear as Scofield claimed.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Figure 3: A comparison of the dispensations in the Scofield Reference Bible and the New
Scofield Study Bible
needed to do was 'abide in their own land to inherit every blessing.' He goes
on to claim, 'The Dispensation of Promise ended when Israel rashly accepted
139
the law (Ex. 19:8). Grace had prepared a deliverer (Moses), provided a
sacrifice for the guilty and by divine power brought them out of bondage
(Ex. 19:4); but at Sinai they exchanged grace for law. 36In doing so, Scofield
reduces the giving of the Law by Moses from being God's gracious initiative
to the 'rashness' of the Jewish people.
Similarly, in his introduction to the gospels, Scofield artificially imposes
stark divisions before and after Calvary which lead him to the surprising
assertion that, 'The mission of Jesus was, primarily, to the Jews ... The
Sermon on the Mount is law, not grace
the doctrines of grace are to be
...
sought in the Epistles not in the Gospels. P37Surprisingly, Scofield ignores the
one division that is self-evident between the old and new covenants. Mark 1: 1
categorically states, 'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ', while
Matthew 11:13 further informs us, 'For all the Prophets and the Law
prophesied until John'. However, Scofield places the life and ministry of Jesus
within the dispensation of Law along with John the Baptist and the Old
Testament prophets, arguing that the sixth dispensation of grace only'begins
38SO,
death
the
Christ.
for example, the Lord's
with
and resurrection of
Prayer, and in particular the petition, 'Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors' (Matthew 6: 12) is, according to Scofield, not applicable
to the church, since it is'legal ground' 39This is because Scofield believed the
.
gospels were essentially for the Jews and therefore not relevant for the
church. So, in the note attached to Ephesians 3 he states, 'in his (Paul's)
writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the
church. )40 Scofield seems to have imposed divisions that do not exist in
scripture and ignored those that do.
Scofield was the first to formalise the methodology of literalism
promoted within early Dispensationalism in his book, Rightly Dividing the
Word of Truth, 41published in 1888. Scofield based his thesis on the
Authorised Version rendering of 2 Timothy 2: 15 in which Paul instructed
Timothy to, 'rightly divide the word of truth. ' Scofield explains:
'The Word of Truth, then, has right divisions, and it must be evident
that, as one cannot be "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed"
without observing them, so any study of that Word which ignores these
divisions must be in large measure profitless and confusing. The
140
indicate
important
divisions
is
the
to
this
more
of
of
pan
purpose
4phlet
4
Truth.
Word
the
of
Ironically, the foundation of Scofield's hermeneutic appears to be based on an
over-literalised misreading of the verse. The United Bible Societies' textual
commentary, which is the standard work used by translators worldwide,
clarifies the meaning of the verse: "'Rightly handling" translates a Greek verb
that occurs only here in the New Testament. Literally it refers to the act of
cutting something in a straight way; figuratively it refers to expounding
something rightly, or teaching something correctly. Here, what needs to be
handled correctly is the word of truth. 143Scofield took the verb literally to say
that the Bible must be cut up into divisions. Most commentators, however,
recognise that Paul was using the term figuratively to mean, 'correctly handle'
the Bible.
The first chapter of Scofield's book, entitled 'The Jew, the Gentile and
the Church of God' sets the tone for all future dispensational teaching in
which Israel is distinguished from the Church. It is also based on an overliteral interpretation of another verse, 1 Corinthians 10:32, where Paul urges
Christians to 'Give no offence, neither to the Jews, nor the Gentiles, nor to the
Church of God. ' On the basis of this verse Scofield divided the world into
three classes of people, Jews, Gentiles and the Church, an idea which is now
the 'warp and woof of dispensational teaching. 144Others suggest, however,
that the verse is actually delineating two groups of people, Christians and
45
Nevertheless, beginning with
Gentiles.
Jews
non-Christians, whether
or
these passages, Scofield insisted that promises made to the Jews in the Old
Testament were not fulfilled in the New Testament Church but continue to
apply to Israel. So, for example, he insists that, 'Not one instance exists of a
Jerusalem is always
Ispiritual' or figurative fulfilment of prophecy
...
Jerusalem, Israel is always Israel, Zion is always Zion
Prophecies may
...
never be spiritualised, but are always literal. 946Scofield's literalism extended
to exact verbal phraseology. This led him to claim, for example, that there are
47
dispensations,
seven
eight covenants, and eleven great mysteries.
In his Introduction, Scofield explained that over the previous fifty years
there had been an 'unprecedented' degree of interest in Bible study'free from
merely controversial motive'. He claimed that from this 'new and vast
141
exegetical and expository' body of literature, which was 'inaccessible for bulk,
cost, and time to the average reader, ' Scofield had taken the 'winnowed and
attested results'of this study and these were now'embodied in the notes,
summaries, and definitions of this edition. ' Scofield insisted thatexpository
novelties, and merely personal views and interpretations, have been
rejected .'48 He distinguished his own from previous Bible reference systems,
which he regarded as 'unscientific and often misleading. ' Instead, Scofield
insisted that in his new system:
I all the greater truths of the divine revelation are so traced through
***
the entire Bible, from the place of first mention to the last, that the
reader may himself follow the gradual unfolding of these, by many
inspired writers through many ages, to their culmination in Jesus Christ
and the New Testament scriptures. This method imparts to Bible study
an interest and vital reality which are wholly lacking in fragmented and
disconnected study. j49
The footnotes which appear in the Scofield Reference Bible are actually
50
Bible.
Scofield
less
half
the
than
the pages of
rather selective, appearing on
goes much further than other Bible commentators such as Albert Barnes or
Matthew Henry in also providing comprehensive headings embedded within
the biblical text. These not only include chapter and paragraph titles but, in
many cases, verse by verse headings in chapters deemed significant to
dispensationalists that would otherwise prove obscure without such 'helps'.
For example, in Isaiah 11 under the heading 'The Davidic kingdom set up' in
the space of ten verses additional headings guide readers carefully through
the chapter to ensure a dispensational reading:
'(1) The King's ancestry (11: 1); (2) The source of the King's power, the
sevenfold Spirit (11: 2); (3) The character of his reign (11: 3-5); (4) The
quality of the kingdom (11: 6-8); (5) The extent of the Kingdom (11: 9);
(6) How the kingdom will be set up (11: 10-16). ,51
believe for
instance, that the Church did not begin at Pentecost but in Acts 28 when
Israel was set aside; the Great Commission
and therefore not for the Church; the Gospels and Acts describe the
Dispensation
Philippians and Colossians, relate to the Church Age; water baptism is not for
70
Their
ChriSt.
the Church Age; and Israel, not the Church, is the Bride of
teachings are perpetuated today by the Berean Bible Society, Berean
Expositor, Berean Publishing Trust7l and Grace Mission. Despite these
attempts to redefine and reshape the Dispensationalism of Darby and
Scofield, many remain unconvinced. 72 As an outsider, James Barr insists in
,73
144
145
believe the Bible. And that Bible, which we understand has not been revoked,
makes it quite clear that God has given this land as an eternal inheritance to
the Jewish people. '81Anne Dexter also challenges those who reject this
hermeneutic: 'Some Arab believers and expatriate Christians in Israel feel so
strongly about these matters that they will not read the parts of the Bible that
seem to promise the land to the Jews or in any way uphold their election ...
Large parts of the scriptures are effectively invalidated by this approach. )82
In the 1980s the Churches Ministry Among Jewish People
(CMj)83
went further, locating the origin of what they term a 'spiritualised' reading of
the Bible in the heresy of Marcion who proposed the abandonmentof the Old
Testament: 'But that was unacceptableto the Church and a better way to deJudaise the Hebrew scriptures was to "Christianise"the Hebrew scriptures so
as to spiritualise the text and read New Testament concepts into the text.
That view is still prevalent today.'84Hal Lindsey has also attributed the
development of erroneous views concerning Israel to an allegorical, nonliteral hermeneuticallegedly advocated by Origen.85
Others, however, have argued that it was the consistent approach of
the Post-Apostolic Fathers, including Origen, to interpret the Hebrew
86
New
Testament
scriptures typologically, that is as 'types' of
realities, just as
Jesus and the Apostles had done. 87 Indeed Jesus was often misunderstood
by those who took his words too literally. John's gospel contains several
instances. For example, after he had cleansed the Temple and was asked by
the Pharisees for a sign, Jesus replied, 'Destroy this Temple and I will raise it
again in three days' (John 2: 19). They thought he meant their Temple. In the
next few chapters: Nicodemus wonders how he can enter his mother's womb
again (John 3:4); the Samaritan woman believes Jesus is offering her water
on tap (4: 15); and the religious leaders fear Jesus is advocating cannibalism
by insisting they must eat his body and drink his blood (6:51-52). Ironically,
one of the most common mistakes the gospels record, therefore, is the way in
which people deduced a literal earthly interpretation when Jesus intended a
"
spiritual application. Because of their commitment to literalism, however,
Lindsey and other dispensationalists make the same mistake and do not
distinguish between the figurative or typological approaches used by the
Reformers and the allegorical methods of interpretation found typically in pre146
95
Yet he testified and God bore witness that he actually saw and
heard things like: supersonic jet aircraft with missiles
advanced
...
attack helicopters ... intercontinental ballistic missiles with Multiple
Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicles tipped with
thermonuclear warheads... biological and chemical weapons,
aircraft carriers, missile cruisers, nuclear submarines, laser
weapons, space stations and satel(ites. '98
Such literalism is problematic when futurists attempt to keep pace with the
dramatic geo-political changes as seen in Eastern Europe and the Soviet
Union in the last two decades. Lindsey had insisted in 1981 and again in 1994
that his, by then, apparently contradictory assessments of Russia were,
nevertheless, both predicted in the Bible.
1980's Countdown to Armageddon
'Today, the Soviets are without
question the strongest power on the
face of the earth. Let's look at recent
history to see how the Russians rose to
the might predicted for them thousands
of years ago. '99
With the gradual demise of Russia as a world power and the disintegration of
the Communist bloc, Lindsey began to switch his emphasis from Russian
Communism in 1970 to Islam Fundamentalism by 1994.101 In The Late Great
Planet Earth (1970) the threat comes from 'The Russian force'. 102 By 1997
this had become, 'The Russian-Muslim force'. 103In keeping pace with the
changing Middle East scene, by 1999 Lindsey was claiming this axis of evil
"04
led
by
was now
a'Muslim-Russian alliance.
Lindsey's difficulty with finding an accurate and lasting interpretation is
nowhere more evident than in his attempts to date the Second Advent. In
Matthew 24: 34, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly
not pass away until all these things have happened. ' In 1970 Lindsey raised
the question, 'what generationT Logically, he suggested, it would be the
generation that had seen the signs Jesus had described, but added, 'chief
among them the rebirth of Israel'. He then suggested a biblical generation
was around 40 years: 'If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or
so of 1948, all these things could take place. Many scholars who have studied
148
"05
Lindsey was not the
is
Bible prophecy all their lives believe that this so.
06
Messiah
in
1988.1
When Jesus
to
that
the
would return
only writer
suggest
did not return that year, however, Lindsey revised his timescale by suggesting
that a biblical generation could be anything from 40 to 100 years and that
perhaps Daniel's prophetic clock had only started ticking again in 1967 when
Israel captured Jerusalem rather than in 1948.107Undaunted, in 1988 Grant
Jeffrey calculated that Daniel's last'week'would
Tribulation would occur in 1997 and the cleansing of the Temple and
Millennium would begin in the Autumn of 2000.10'Like Lindsey, his
109
books,
1993,
being
subsequent
written after
so specific.
avoided
1.4.2 Symbolic Literalism
Although Christian Zionists insist scripture must be interpreted literally, they
have not always been consistent themselves.
'It is then permitted - while holding firmly the historical verity - reverently to
"10
historical
the
David Brickner's hermeneutic
spiritualize
scriptures.
illustrates this tension. In his interpretation
first
he
24-27
Daniel
9:
of all
of
"'
figurative
interpretation
'He is not speaking of
the
'week'.
term
requires a
of
literal weeks but of periods of time, each a period of seven years. ' 112
However, in order to give a futurist reading to Daniel's prophecy and apply it
to today, it is also necessary for dispensationalists
to place a 'parenthesis'
of
2000 years between the 69th and 70th week when the prophetic clock was
inexplicably stopped in mid-verse. Daniel 9: 26 reads, 'After the sixty-two
'sevens'the
Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of
the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will
come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations
have been
decreed. ' Brickner claims that the prophecy has not been completely fulfilled.
The first half of the verse was fulfilled in 70 AD but apparently one 'seven' of
the seventy still remains in Brickner's words, 'to be played out'. He argues,
'But there seems to be a break in Daniel's countdown;
he indicates a time
149
Kenneth Barker, the editor of the NIV Study Bible, ' 13offers several
reasons for the apparent gap of 2000 years in Daniel's prophecy. His two
strongest arguments are based on literalist presuppositions which crumble if
they themselves are questioned. He suggests that firstly, the seventieth
Iweek'could not have been fulfilled because the results of the Messiah's work
outlined in verse 24 have not yet been fully realised. Secondly, the remaining
is
'present
be
the
church
age
unintelligible
unless
unfulfilled prophecies would
regarded as a distinct period of time of unknown duration in God's prophetic
"
14
The problem with this interpretation is that it assumes there must
program.
be a gap because a literal interpretation becomes 'unintelligible' without one.
The arbitrary decision to stop the prophetic clock and place a 2000 year gap
between Daniel's 69th and 70th week is probably the most eccentric example
of a non-literal and unnatural interpretation imposed on the text by those who
insist on a literal hermeneutic. 115Other commentators such as John
Goldingay regard attempts to date Daniel's 'weeks' literally as flawed because
they try and read this prophecy as a literal chronology instead of what he
terms 'chronography'. He argues that Daniel is using, 'a stylized scheme of
history used to interpret historical data rather than arising from them. ' It is, he
116
'
'comparable
to
claims,
cosmology, arithmology, and genealogy.
Lindsey takes a similar approach to the apocalyptic descriptions in the
book of Revelation, suggesting that a first Century person would be unable to
comprehend scientific developments some 2000 years later. Lindsey claims
John 'had to illustrate them with phenomena of the first century; for instance,
a thermonuclear war looked to him like a giant volcanic eruption spewing fire
and brimstone. ' Lindsey claims the symbolism found in Revelation was the
result of 'a first-Century man being catapulted in God's time machine up to
the end of the twentieth century', then returning and describing what he saw
in ways familiar to his own generation. ' " Capitalising on the Bible Code
'
18
his
Apocalypse
the
Code.
Lindsey
described
Using
own as
phenomena,
this 'key' enables Lindsey to claim that John's 'locusts' are helicopters;
'horses prepared for battle' are actually heavily armed attack helicopters;
9crowns of gold' are the helmets worn by pilots; and the 'sound of their wings'
is the 'thunderous sound of many attack helicopters flying overhead'; 119the
'bow'wielded by the Antichrist in Revelation 6: 1-2, is actually'a code for long
150
to
the
that
the
Lindsey
'120
like
ICBM's.
reference
claims
even
range weapons
Icolour of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone' in Revelation 9: 17 refers to
21
01
the
the'Chinese national flag
military vehicles.
on
emblazoned
...
Extending the use of this code to the rest of the Bible, Lindsey claims that
in
Israel,
'Israel'
to
mentioned
other
nations
mean
always
while references
Lindsey
Scofield,
Darby
So,
following
translation.
and
prophecy require
equates ancient tribes and nations mentioned in Old Testament prophecies
122
East.
'In Psalm 83, some
Israel
in
Middle
the
with contemporary enemies of
3,000 years ago, God gave a warning of what would happen in the last days
In these verses the Philistia or Philistines are the modern Palestinians.
...
Tyre is modern Lebanon. Assyria is modern Syria. 123It is not always clear,
following Lindsey, on what basis a literal interpretation may become a
figurative interpretation, other than that it appears to fit a contemporary
application more clearly and reinforces a predetermined eschatology.
1.4.3 Contradictory
Literalism
For DeHann and also LaHaye, the 200 million are'a supernatural horde of
200 million demonic horsemen' 126while for Lindsey and Schuyler English they
127
Lindsey does, however, suggest their'horses'
literally
Chinese
are
soldiers.
128
Each claims his is a
ballistic
launchers.
missile
are symbolic for mobilized
Revelation:
'Do these symbols refer to specific events, single happenings, dates or
persons in history? For if they do, then we may well admit that we
dates
the
thousands
Because
interpret
them.
and
of
among
cannot
events and persons in history that show certain traits of resemblance
to the symbol in question, who is able to select the one and only date,
Confusion
forecast
by
this
that
particular
symbol?
was
event or person
results. We get thousands of "interpretations" but no certainty. And the
Apocalypse remains a closed book. 9129
Indeed some have described this form of literalism as a licence for'full-scale
exegetical exploitation. )130Tim LaHaye's ten volume Left Behind series, for
example, which provides a fictional account of the Rapture and Tribulation,
have proved very lucrative financially for both the authors and publishers,
selling in excess of 32 million copies since 1995.131
1.4.4 Enhanced Literalism
To assist readers in their understanding of otherwise obscure passages of
scripture, Lindsey and others add words which, although absent in the original
biblical text, nevertheless enhance or amplify the interpretation being made.
In The Road to Holocaust where Lindsey takes the promises made in
Romans 11 and applies them to the contemporary State of Israel and not
simply to Jews generally, he adds the word 'national' to the reference to Israel
in the text. 132Similarly, in a quotation of Matthew 24: 15-18, Lindsey assists
readers to see that this prophecy refers to some future date which requires
the rebuilding of the Temple, rather than to 70 AD when the Zealots and
Romans both desecrated Herod's Temple. 133'Therefore when you see the
Abomination which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place [of the rebuilt Temple] (let the reader understand), then let those
134
Lindsey's interpretation of Daniel
in
Judea
flee
to the mountains.
who are
11:40-45 is similarly imaginative, claiming this depicts'the Russian-led
Islamic invasion of Israel. '
'At the time of the end the King of the South [the Muslim Confederacy]
will engage him [the False Prophet of Israel] in battle, and the King of
the North [Russia] will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry
and a great fleet of ships. He [the Russian Commander] will invade
many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also
152
invade the Beautiful Land (Israel]. Many countries will fall, but Edom,
Moab and the leaders of Ammon [Jordan] will be delivered from his
hand. "35
Lindsey touches here upon one of the most important prophecies within
dispensational eschatology. The claim is that 'Gog', also described as the
'Prince of Rosh', and 'Magog', mentioned in Ezekiel 38: 15-16 are enigmatic
references to Russia. While John Cumming was suggesting this theory in
1864,136it only really gained popular recognition as a result of its inclusion
within the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield is probably relying
on Gaebelein when he asserts:
'That the primary reference is to the northern (European) powers, headed
up by Russia, all agree ... "Gog" is the prince, "Magog" his land. The
is
Tobolsk)
Meshech
Tubal
(Moscow
to
a clear mark
and
reference
and
latest
been
the
identification.
have
Russia
the
of
and
northern powers
persecutors of dispersed Israel, and it is congruous both with divine
justice and with the covenants
that destruction should fall at the climax
...
of the last mad attempt to exterminate the remnant of Israel in
Jerusalem. ' 137
Lindsey and other futurists have simply perpetuated the principle begun by
Scofield, however unintentionally, of adding the word Russia to the text to
enhance this interpretation. 'And you (Russia) will come from your place out
138
the
the
of
remote parts of
north, you and many peoples with yoU., The
suggestion that 'Gog' and 'Magog' refer to Russia, or that in Scofield's words,
&all agree, ' is often repeated by other dispensational writers. 139Tim LaHaye
for example, insists, 'Etymologically, the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39
040
Nevertheless, this interpretation has
Russia.
can only mean modern-day
been totally discredited by biblical scholars and etymologists alike. 141 Further
evidence against this futurist interpretation is suggested by Gary DeMar who
observes that there is no mention of Gog and Magog in the Book of
Revelation, chapters 4-19, which dispensationalists claim describes the
142
is
Russia
Tribulation
Israel.
to
the
supposed
period of
attack
when
1.4.5 Arbitrary Literalism
Some advocates of literalism appear rather arbitrary in the way that they
apply passages to contemporary events, peoples or places without
necessarily any corroboration or consistency. By circular reasoning it is
153
contemporary
terms or nations may be substituted. So Lindsey can claim, 'The God of Israel
has sworn in the prophecies that He will not forsake the Israelis, nor let them
be destroyed. 043
'I know from my study of the Bible that the final great war includes
The great
Turkey as part of the Islamic grouping allied with Russia
...
nations that do get biblical reference are the Kings of the East, (China,
India, Pakistan - all openly nuclear), Russia (Gog and Magog), Libya,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq and so on. P144
Without any substantiation Lindsey claims that the Bible foretold many other
recent events including the rise of Muslim Fundamentalism, the collapse of
the Middle East peace process and the development of the European
Community. 145Similar conclusions are made by others. 146For example,
David Brickner claims, 'we know that Persia is Iran', 147and that the
148
radical distinction between church and kingdom. To be sure they are not
identical; but Dispensationalism has added the idea that the kingdom was to
be a restoration of Israel, not a consummation of the church. 9157
From Hal Lindsey's writings in particular, it has been demonstrated that
in practice literalism is not necessarily any more consistent or free of bias
than any other system of hermeneutics: it is actually flexible enough to be
adapted to suit changing events; can contradict other literal interpretations; is
often assisted as much by eisegesis as exegesis; and can lead to dogmatic
and unsubstantiated claims concerning the contemporary fulfilment of biblical
prophecy.
As early as 1871, Charles Hodge, the Princeton theologian understood
the logical consequences of dispensational literalism. From his perspective,
'The argument from the ancient prophecies is proved to be invalid,
because it would prove too much. If those prophecies foretell a literal
restoration, they foretell that the temple is to be rebuilt, the priesthood
restored, sacrifices again offered, and that the whole Mosaic ritual is to
be observed in all its detail. "58
As will be shown, this is precisely what many contemporary messianic and
apocalyptic dispensationalists believe is foretold in scripture.
Covenantalists like Hodge however, argue that the Old Covenant
should be interpreted in the light of the New Covenant, not the other way
round. In Colossians, for example, Paul actually uses a typological
hermeneutic to explain this: 'Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what
you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration
or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ' (Colossians 2: 16-17). The question is
therefore not whether the promises of the covenant are to be understood
literally or spiritually. 159 It is instead a question of whether they should be
understood in terms of Old Covenant shadow or New Covenant reality. The
failure to recognise this principal is the basic hermeneutical error which
Christian Zionists make and from which flow the other distinctive doctrines
that characterise the movernent.
156
157
Darby was not the first to insist on a radical distinction between Israel
th
Marcion
had
Century
In
4
Church
the
the
stressed a radical
and
either.
discontinuity between Judaism and Christianity 'and even between the God of
It was, however, Darby who first insisted
the OT and the Father of Jesus. 9166
that'The Jewish nation is never to enter the Church. )167
Scofield elaborated on Darby's distinction between Israel and the
Church claiming, 'in origin, calling, promise, worship, principles of conduct
and future destiny, all is contrast. '168Historic Christianity has traditionally seen
some measure of continuity between the Old and New Covenants, and in the
relationship between Israel and the Church. Scofield, however, in his
'Introduction to the Four Gospels' insists:
'In approaching the study of the gospels, the mind should be freed, so
far as possible, from mere theological concepts and presuppositions.
Especially is it necessary to exclude the notion -a legacy in Protestant
thought from post-apostolic and Roman Catholic theology - that the
Church is the true Israel, and that the Old Testament foreview of the
kingdom is fulfilled in the Church. 1169
So, in commenting on Matthew 16: 18, where Jesus promises to'build
my church, ' Scofield suggests that, 'Israel was the true "church" but not in any
sense the N.T. church-the only point of similarity being that both were "called
170
'
by
Again, on Acts 7: 38,
God.
All
is
the
out" and
same
else contrast.
Scofield explains away the term used by Stephen of Israel as 'the church in
the wilderness. ' He argues, 'Israel in the land is never called a church. In the
wilderness Israel was a true church (Gr. ekklesia = called-out assembly), but
in striking contrast with the N.T. ekklesia (Mt. 16: 18). 071
Scofield claimed to demonstrate, as Darby had done, that the Church
age will ultimately end in failure and apostasy, to be replaced by a revived
national Israel who will enjoy the blessings of the final kingdom
dispensation. 172 Based on his literalist hermeneutic, Scofield highlighted the
different terms used in scripture for Israel and the Church, distinguishing
between Israel as the'earthiy wife'of God while the Church is the'heavenly
bride' of Christ.
'The N.T. speaks of the Church as a virgin espoused to one husband
(2 Cor. 11.1,2); which could never be said of an adulterous wife,
restored in grace. Israel is, then, to be the restored and forgiven wife of
Jehovah, the Church the virgin wife of the Lamb (John 3.29; Rev. 19.6158
8); Israel Jehovah's earthly wife (Hos. 2.23); the Church the Lamb's
heavenly bride (Rev. 19.7). 173
This led Scofield, following Darby, to insist that Israel's inheritance will be on
earth whereas the destiny of the Church lies in heaven. Lewis Sperry Chafer
draws out the implications of Scofield's dichotomy between Israel and the
church:
'The dispensationalist believes that throughout the ages God is
pursuing two distinct purposes: one related to the earth with earthly
people and earthly objectives involved which is Judaism; while the
other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly
174
involved,
Christian
is
ity.,
objectives
which
For Chafer, 'Israel is an eternal nation, heir to an eternal land, with an eternal
kingdom, on which David rules from an eternal throne' 175so that in eternity,
&never the twain, Israel and church, shall meet. 076 Following Scofield and
Chafer, Ryrie claims the 'basic premise of Dispensationalism is two purposes
of God expressed in the formation of two peoples who maintain their
distinction throughout eternity. ' 177Ryrie justifies this on the basis that, 'When
the Church was introduced God did not abrogate His promises to Israel nor
078
Church.
into
He argues that such a distinction is 'built on
them
the
enmesh
an inductive study of the two words, not a scheme superimposed on the
Bible. 9179
Critics argue that the historical analysis of the rise of
Dispensationalism would suggest the exact opposite. Nevertheless, various
authors have attempted to find in the Bible analogies that justify this perpetual
distinction between Israel and the Church. John Hagee, pastor and founder of
the 17,000 member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, for example,
offers an exposition of Genesis 22: 17 to illustrate how God has 'two Israels,
one physical and one spiritual. 'The verse reads'l will surely bless you and
make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand
on the seashore. ' Departing from a literal hermeneutic, Hagee suggests that
since God mentions two separate and distinct elements, the stars in the sky
and the sand of the seashore, he is referring in dispensational terms to the
heavenly Church and the earthly Israel:
'Stars are heavenly, not earthly. They represent the church, spiritual
Israel. The 'sand of the shore' on the other hand, is earthly and
represents an earthly kingdom with a literal Jerusalem as the capital
city. Both stars and sand exist at the same time, and neither ever
159
Israel,
Israel
the
Just
the
the
and
spiritual
of
nation
so,
replaces
other.
"80
do
not replace each other.
church, exist at the same time and
Hagee's exposition is undermined somewhat by the fact that by around 430
BC Nehemiah looked back and thanked God that the promise made to
Abraham had already been fulfilled, 'You made their sons as numerous as the
stars in the sky' (Nehemiah 9:23). It may be assumed that Nehemiah had
Jewish sons in mind not Gentiles. Jews for Jesus also affirm the distinction
between Israel and the Church somewhat more tactfully, 'We believe that
Israel exists as a covenant people through whom God continues to
accomplish His purposes and that the Church is an elect people in
accordance with the New Covenant, comprising both Jews and Gentiles who
"81
The deduction
Jesus
Messiah
Redeemer.
acknowledge
as
and
nevertheless is that God has two 'chosen peoples', 'two Israels' or two
Icovenant people' called out of the world in different dispensations.
This also
implies that they were chosen on the basis of different criteria as well. The
question raised by this literalist hermeneutic
God has one or two 'chosen people' but also whether there is one covenant
182
two.
or
their Messiah,the rest of the world would not have been offered the gospel.
160
'The gospel and the age of grace would not have come to us Gentiles unless
Israel had fallen into unbelief. " 85 John Hagee put it rather more dramatically,
'if the Jewish people had accepted the suffering Messiah, every Gentile would
have been forever loSt.,186 Hagee, Prince and Lindsey claim that because
Israel has a covenant with God, their national redemption will be achieved
when Jesus returns and they recognise him as their Messiah. Lindsey
in
trusted
Gentile
(both
Jew
Church
'He
the
who
and
explains,
redeemed
Him) at the Cross. That is an accomplished fact. Israel's national redemption
in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant takes place at the Second
Advent. 087The ICEJ shares this viewpoint, distinguishing between 'the former
and latter rains' and between the Church and 'His Jewish sons and
daughters. 088They also claim to have 'received a very clear mandate to be
extremely cautious' in proclaiming 'God's Word to Zion' which is why they
forbid their staff to witness to Jews. 189When asked by a reporter from the
Jerusalem Post whether the ICEJ was actually a 'covert' missionary
organisation in Israel, the director Jan Willem van der Hoeven replied
emphatically, 'Not so. The Zionist Christians are different. Our objectives are
not as you describe. We don't believe in conversion, we don't want to make
the Jews into Christians. ' He explained that'The Jewish religion must modify
itself in the course of time - but on one point only, the identity of the Messiah
they must make the modification as a collective entity. 'As fellow
...
d ispensationa lists affirm, this will occur after the Messiah returns. For this
"'o
reason 'Suborning individuals to secede would serve no purpose.
The ICEJ therefore understand their'biblical responsibility toward the
Jewish people"91 in terms of bringing 'comfort' to Israel. They base this
conviction on Isaiah 40, 'Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak
tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been
completed, that her sin has been paid for' (Isaiah 40: 1-2). ICEJ interpret this
passage as mandating political and practical support for Jews, encouraging
them to make aliyah and settle the land God promised to Abraham, including
the Occupied Territories. According to Isaiah 40: 2 'comfort' is brought to
Israel by explaining how her sins have been atoned for. In 40: 9 it is achieved
by proclaiming the good news to Zion, 'Here is your God'. A reductionist and
materialistic interpretation of this important passage obscures the ultimate
161
192
in
Messiah.
is
for
Gentile
the
both
Jew
comfort
revealed
which
and
Similarly, ICEJ narrows and Zionises Matthew 25: 40 where Jesus explains
that on the day of judgement the King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever
you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. ' ICEJ
interprets this as their mandate for providing material support to the State of
Israel:
,In the same sense that the first apostles were commissioned by the
Lord to be his witnesses from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the
earth, we also feel compelled to proclaim the word of Israel's
restoration, and the Christian's response to it, to every country and in
every place where there are believers. 9193
The equation of the 'restoration' ministry of the ICEJ with that of the apostolic
commission to preach the gospel to the whole world is simply without
precedent.
Derek Prince, like the ICEJ, invests terms such as 'message' and
'proclaim'with new meaning, redefining the Christian message to one of
'Blessing Israel':
'Our obligation is to do everything scripture requires of us to help the
Jewish people regain the fulness of their God-appointed inheritance,
both natural and spiritual. Our message
is this: "He who scattered
...
Israel will gather them"
Today, the regathering of Israel is a banner
...
lifted up by God for all nations to see. It is His preordained purpose at
this time that all nations be confronted with this message. " 4
Margaret Brearley explains the theological basis for disassociating from what
she terms 'mission ising' the Jewish people:
'Because the Jewish people does in some mysterious way bear God's
name and witness to his existence and ethical demand ... Christianity
was clearly not designed to replace Judaism; instead ... there was a
continuing covenant with the Jewish people ... Christians need to learn
from observant Jews. Orthodox Judaism, therefore, can be a helpful
reminder of what should be (and often was) orthodox in Christianity
The Church, God's Gentile worshippers, vitally needs God's Jewish
...
195
,
worshippers; for together we are the "household of God".
Her argument appears to be the logical deduction of the dispensational
distinction between the Church and Israel. However, it is unlikely to be one
that Orthodox or indeed Reform Jews share. It is also questionable whether
Paul had Judaism in mind when he described the unity Jews and Gentiles
shared in 'God's household' in Ephesians 2: 19. In the preceding verses Paul
162
death.
In
following
Christ's
the
through
that
this
achieved
explains
was only
foundation
is
built
the
household
Paul
that
this
of the
on
verse
also explains
'
the
himself
the
Jesus
Christ
'upon
whom
chief
cornerstone,
as
apostles and
Orthodox Jews had rejected and crucified. John Hagee, however, concurs
idea
Jews
the
'the
that
the
two
of
suggesting,
with a
covenant perspective,
is
Christian
doors
the
to
a
churches
of
storm
convert
and
world are going
delusion born of ignorance. " 96In an interview he speculated: 'I believe that
every Jewish person who lives in the light of the Torah, which is the word of
In fact trying
God, has a relationship with God and will come to redemption
...
Jews already have a covenant with God
to convert Jews is a waste of time
...
that has never been replaced by Christianity. " 97Dispensationalists like
Scofield, Lindsey, Hagee and ICEJ, as well as others such as Brearley,
therefore disavow 'missionising' Jewish people, in part because they believe
the Jewish people have a separate covenant relationship with God which
makes belief in Jesus as Saviour unnecessary or at least not essential until
after he returns. Conveniently, it also ensures they receive favoured status as
Christian representatives within the State of Israel.
Ironically it is messianic believers, while invariably d ispensationa list,
who are nevertheless among the strongest critics of this position.
Organisations such as Christian Witness to Israel, whose origins lie within
Covenantal Premillennialism, together with Jews for Jesus, whose leaders
Jewish
dispensational,
for
the
of
necessity
evangelism. John
are
vital
argue
Ross, the deputy director of Christian Witness to Israel, and a minister of the
Free Church of Scotland, has made this assessment of the ICEJ:
'The ICEJ further contradicts its evangelical claims by forbidding
Christians involved in its events from any kind of evangelistic activity.
Participants in the annual Christian Celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles organized by the Embassy, are instructed in the printed
programmes when visiting Jewish homes: "Please do not leave tracts
or attempt to proselytise. This can cause great offence. "'198
Jews for Jesus have also been highly critical of fellow dispensational
organisations such as Bridges for Peace and the ICEJ, for refusing to engage
in evangelism. 199Brickner argues that the disavowal of evangelism among
Jews is an even greater evil than anti-Semitism:
'Some Christian Zionists are so eager to be for Israel that they seem to
163
care little about Jews being for Jesus. They are so in love with the idea
of Jewish people being in the Land that they don't think of the
implications of those same people being outside of Christ God is no
...
more willing to pass over the sins of disobedient Israel today than He
was on that first Passover Eve ... Without the blood of the Lamb on the
doorposts of their hearts, modem Israelites are destined for judgement,
too. This means that the majority of the people of Israel are in
jeopardy. God will judge the unrighteous of the nations and Israel
today, just as He did then. There is no automatic pass. Only in Christ is
Q00
for
Jewish
lasting
the
there assurance of
nation.
safety and peace
True Christian Zionists are, he says, 'unrepentant evangelists of the Jewish
people. The rest are frauds and phonies ... the blood of Israel will be on their
hands. 'Although Brickner forcefully repudiates d ispensationa lists who have
dispensed with evangelism, there is a sense in which even he and other
messianic dispensationalists nevertheless do still affirm another way to God
for Jewish people. According to Brickner, there remains hope for those
unbelievers who miss the Rapture but survive Armageddon and are alive
when Jesus returns. After the Rapture of the Church, during the millennium all
201
he
in
Jerusalem.
God
nations,
claims, will come to worship
2.3 Israel has a Superior Status to the Church
By regarding the Church as a digression from God's continuing purposes for
Israel, it is hard for dispensationalists,
terminology,
Church as merely'a
recognises that to regard Israel as 'God's chosen people, the apple of his eye
his
Nevertheless,
his
and
even
special
one',
arrogant.
appears
ethnocentric
biblical absolutism leads him to insist God is the 'God of Israel' and has his
own reasons for using'a small and seemingly insignificant
people to be his
nation His redemptive purposes for the world will not be completed. Y208
Covenant theologians assert that Gentiles are indeed heirs together with
Jewish people in the grace of God but, in New Covenant terms, it is because
when Christ died on the Cross, he completed the work of redemption.
209
who have persecuted the Jew - well with those who have protected
him. The future will still more remarkably prove this principle. 1213
Dispensationalists
have subsequently
the Jews will be cursed. The notion that Gentiles are 'blessed in association
with Israel', is the principal motivation for the ICEJ, who believe Christian
Zionists are called to 'comfort Zion' rather than bear witness to Jesus as
Messiah. 214The declaration made at the ICEJ Third International Zionist
Congress held in 1996 included the resolution, 'The Lord in His zealous love
for Israel and the Jewish People blesses and curses peoples and judges
5
based
s2l
Allan
Israel
Chosen
People of
nations
upon their treatment of the
MacRae claims that history is full of examples of this: 'The fate of the nations
that have injured Israel is a terrible warning that God never goes back on His
promises. From Haman to Hitler, history shows how dangerous it is to hate
His chosen people. 216Hagee concurs: 'The man or nation that lifts a voice or
hand against Israel invites the wrath of God. ' He illustrates this by pointing out
that because Great Britain voted against the founding of the State of Israel in
1948, and British officers led the Arab armies that attacked Israel, Britain is
therefore, 'now a very small kingdom. 217Hagee does not comment on the
fact that in 1948 the US government was just as opposed. Nevertheless,
Basilea Schlink pronounces similar anathemas on those who question Israel's
expansionist
Canaan is actually opposing God and his holy covenant with the Patriarchs.
He is striving against sacred, inviolable words and promises of God, which He
has sworn to keep. 12l8 There is, however, no indication in the text of Genesis
12 that this promise of blessing and warning of cursing was ever intended to
extend beyond Abraham. The promise, when referring to Abraham's
descendants
in Galatians, Christ is
167
169
170
CMJ, insists to the contrary, 'From its inception in 1809, the US had
235
,
advocated the physical restoration of Israel prior to its spiritual restoration.
While all were convinced the return of the Jewish people to Palestine was
imminent and predicted in the Bible, there was clearly no consensus as to
why this would happen; what the connection was between Israel and the
Church; between repentance and restoration; or national Israel and the
remnant.
3.2 Finding the Jewish People to Return to Zion
The preoccupation of the later Albury conferences and of Joseph Wolff
especially, became the quest to find the 'lost tribes' of Israel, so necessary if a
complete restoration to Palestine was to occur. In 1822, George Faber spoke
at the annual meeting of the US. His talk dwelt on the dating of the
termination of the 'Times of the Gentiles' and on the restoration of the Jewish
236
A report was also received that Jews had been discovered in India
people.
and China and caused great interest. Apparently, they longed to return to
Palestine. McNeile assured: 'They think that the time of His appearance will
soon arrive, at which they much rejoice, believing that at Jerusalem they will
After another
see their God, worship Him only, and be despised no more. 1237
report was received at the 1828 Albury conference, McNeile assessed its
significance:
'The number of scattered members of the tribe of Judah and the halftribe of Benjamin, rather exceeds than falls short of five millions. Now,
if to this number be added the many other millions to be found in the
different countries in the East, what an immense power would be
brought into action were the spirit of the nationality once aroused. j238
As travel beyond Europe gradually improved through the 19th Century, and as
anti-Semitic pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe caused increasing
numbers of Jews to flee, the sense of urgency for their restoration grew.
3.3 The Theological Basis for Restorationism
Like Irving and Darby, Scofield taught that it was God's intention to restore
the Jewish people to Palestine. His Bible notes provide the most detailed
explanation of the basis for the Jewish restoration. To justify his
dispensational scheme and a glorious future for Israel in the kingdom age,
172
'disobedience and rejection of Christ' and yet their restoration 'to their
homeland. '
Scofield's claim that Israel never possessed all the land promised to
Abraham, is also at variance with the books of Joshua and Nehemiah. 246The
author of Joshua insists, 'So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had
directed Moses. ' (Joshua 11:23). At the end of the book of Joshua, the same
assessment is repeated but more emphatically, 'So the Lord gave Israel all
the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it
and settled there ... Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of
Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. ' (21:43-45). It is hard to see how this
fulfilment can be reconciled with the futurist claims of dispensationalists.
Neither Scofield nor Schuyler English footnote either passage. However,
Scofield, like many dispensationalists since, 247bases his belief in a third
248
bones.
dry
Ezekiel
37
restoration on
and the vision of the valley of the
Following the publication of the Balfour Declaration, for example, a CMJ
editorial of 1918 was one of the first to assert that a Jewish State would be
the fulfilment of Ezekiel's vision:
'We believe we are actually seeing that come to pass which was
prophesied by Ezekiel (ch. 37) viz., the movement amongst the "dry
bones" of Israel, bone is uniting with bone The uniting element being
...
the possibility in the very near future of their being allowed to organise
a Jewish State in their own God-given country of Palestine. 9249
With the benefit of hindsight, Lindsey also elaborates on this, using capitals
for emphasis in case his readers miss the plot:
'Ezekiel 37: 7-8
is phase one of the prophecy which predicts the
...
PHYSICAL RESTORATION of the Nation without Spiritual life which
is phase two of the
began May 14,1948
Ezekiel 37: 9-10
...
...
prophecy which predicts the SPIRITUAL REBIRTH of the nation
AFTER they are physically restored to the land as a nation The Lord
...
identifies the bones in the allegory as representing "the whole house of
Israel. " It is crystal clear that this is literally predicting the restoration
and rebirth of the whole nation at the time of Messiah's coming
1250
[Ezekiel 37: 21-27].
It is difficult to conceive how such an entirely futuristic interpretation would
have brought comfort to the Jewish exiles in Babylon to whom Ezekiel was
sent to minister, yet this and similar passages provide the motivation for the
restorationist movement today.
174
Bridges for Peace and Exobus, for example, both use the term 'fishing'
to describe their outreach to Jewish people, based on Jeremiah 16:16, "'But
now I will send for many fishermen, " declares the Lord, "and they will catch
them. -251Zionists use this passage as a 'carrot and stick' reminding Jews
that the verse goes on to warn how God will also send hunters, 'and they will
hunt them down on every mountain and every hill and from the crevices of the
rocks. ' Jewish people in the Diaspora are encouraged to return to Israel but
252
further
if
delay,
that
they
are also warned
persecution may come. The
context of the verse, however, clearly indicates that Jeremiah is comparing an
impending return to the land with the Exodus from Egypt, not with two
previous returns. Furthermore both 'fishermen' and 'hunters', are terms used
to describe a conquering army. In the next verse Jeremiah explains why God
was going to send them. 'My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden
from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. I will repay them double for
their wickedness and their sin because they have defiled my land. ' (Jeremiah
16: 17). In this passage, therefore, the fishermen were not being sent to
rescue but to discipline. Only after Israel had repented of their previous sins in
the land was there any prospect of a return to it.
This arbitrary and futurist interpretation is one of several examples in
which d ispensationa lists mishandle biblical texts concerning the exile and
restoration in order to maintain their dispensational scheme. The prophets,
while warning of judgement and chastisement, also offered the promise of
return and this was fulfilled under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. However,
Scofield and Lindsey insist promises such as those made by Jeremiah and
Ezekiel refer to a third return thousands of years later on the premise that
certain messianic aspects have not yet been fulfilled literally and
253
completely.
Scofield also claims two passages in the New Testament speak of this
third return, Luke 1:30-33 and Acts 15:13-17. Scofield dwells on the latter in
which James simply quotes from Amos to show that Pentecost had been
predicted long ago, promising that Gentiles would also seek the Lord along
with Jews. 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will
rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and
all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that
175
have been known for ages' (Acts 15:16-18). For Scofield, 'dispensationally,
this is the most important passage in the NT', since he claims, 'It gives the
divine purpose for this age, and for the beginning of the next. 1254Scofield,
however, reads considerably more into this passage than is there and
obscures its most obvious and direct meaning. Scofield interpreted the'after
this' not simply as meaning 'after James' or even 'after Pentecost, ' but rather
1900 years afterwards, God would some day'rebuild the tabernacle of David'
in a literal and permanent return of Jewish people to the Land. In doing so
Scofield ignores the fact that James is simply appealing to Amos to vindicate
the universality of the gospel and the results of the Vt Century Gentile
255
in
If this is seen as 'spiritualising' the Old Testament
mission particular.
text, then it must be acknowledged that it is James who does So.256 Using the
passage to teach a predetermined and futuristic plan for national Israel,
separate from the Church, appears to be the opposite of what James
intended. Scofield and Schuyler English thereby undermine the intention to
show that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Jesus Christ and are
members together of the one Church.
Lindsey takes the same approach with the analogy of the 'fig tree' in
Matthew 24. Whereas 1st Century Christians understood Jesus to be warning
them to observe the signs and flee Jerusalem when the city came under
Roman siege, Lindsey reverses its meaning. He claims Jesus was predicting
the restoration of the Jews to Palestine in the 2 othCentury rather than their
departure in the 1stCentury:
'But the most important sign in Matthew has to be the restoration of the
Jews to the land in the rebirth of Israel. Even the figure of speech "fig
tree" has been a historic symbol of national Israel. When the Jewish
people, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, under relentless persecution,
became a nation again on 14 May 1948 the "fig tree" put forth its first
leaves. 257
Nothing in Matthew 24, however, indicates that Jesus intended his hearers to
understand that he was promising Israel would become a nation state once
more. The New Testament is silent on the question. Nevertheless, Lindsey
has popularised the notion that the return of Jewish people to Palestine since
1948 is the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. Lindsey speaks repeatedly of the
rebirth' of Israel, 258insisting, 'The nation of Israel cannot be ignored; we see
176
in 516 BC there are no biblical references to any further return to the Land.
For example, when Paul lists the present benefits that still pertain to the
Jewish people in Romans 9, he does not mention the Land or kingdom as
260
them.
one of
nation (Israel) bringing forth the fruits thereof. j264Schuyler English in the New
Scofield Study Bible repeats this interpretation. 265
Based on passages such as these, covenantal theologians therefore
argue that there is no theological significance to the founding of the State of
Israel in 1948. This has nevertheless not hindered Christian Zionists from
encouraging and facilitating the emigration of Jewish people to Israel from
Russia and Eastern Europe.
3.4 Restorationism Assessed
The 19th Century restorationist movement arose from the literal and futurist
hermeneutic of the early dispensationalists who, having written off the
Church, believed the Old Testament predicted a spiritual revival among the
Jewish people, restored to their land in belief and associated with the return
of the Lord. This would all occur, they believed, in their lifetime. Prophecies
that had already been fulfilled in the return of the Jews from Babylonian exile
were applied to their own generation.
While it is true that only 50,000 exiles had returned in around 538 BC,
compared with the estimated 3 million that had come out of Egypt a thousand
266
years earlier; and although they returned to only a small part of the original
territory; and built only a small replica of Solomon's Temple; God's prophets
nevertheless describe a restoration so glorious that it could not be contained
within the boundaries of any literal realisation. Haggai and Zechariah, for
example, describe a glorious future where Jerusalem becomes a great city
surrounded by a wall of fire and into which the Gentile nations stream to
worship. As Palmer Robertson explains, the imagery here metaphorically
bursts the limitations of the Old Covenant wine skin.267
The New Testament describes how this vision found its fulfilment, as
Peter quotes from Joel, Stephen from Isaiah and James from Amos, in the
Pentecostal outpouring of God's Spirit which demonstrated that because of
the death of Jesus, 'God does not show favouritism, but accepts those from
every nation who fear him and do what is right' (Acts 10:34-35). Nevertheless,
by re-erecting the wall of division between the Church and Israel, the
restorationists saw in the discovery of the lost tribes, the rise of the Zionist
movement and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, signs that God was
178
Fulfilled
The claim to the land is based on the covenant God made with Abraham in
Genesis 12,13 and 15. Fruchtenbaurn says Abraham is 'commanded to
make what amounts to the first Holy Land tour of Israel, for all the land that he
sees on its length and breadth is h iS.1268The covenant is later confirmed to
Isaac in Genesis 26 and Jacob in Genesis 28. Both Isaac and Jacob are
promised that they and their descendants will possess the land. By the time of
Moses, the Israelites are reminded that their residence in the land was,
however, conditional. They are warned that if they rebel against God they
would be 'scattered among the nations' (Leviticus 26: 33), but that if they
confess their sins, 'I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant
with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land'
(Leviticus 26: 42). Invariably, however, Christian Zionists have minimised the
conditionality of the covenants in favour of Israel's unconditional 'rights'.
McNeile, for example, at the annual US conference of 1822, expressed the
hope that the Jewish people would, 'unite in claiming possession of that land
which was given to them as a "heritage forever. m269
During the 19th Century, with the rise of the Jewish Zionist movement,
from 1948 with the founding of the State of Israel and 1967 with the capture of
East Jerusalem, the contemporary State of Israel has increasingly come to be
179
Hal
Lindsey
As
has
God's
the
promises.
covenant
seen as
of
realisation
expressed it, 'To Israel as a nation were made unique promises ... they were
the only nation that was promised a specific plot of land, a city, and a
kingdom '27c)David Brickner reflects the views of contemporary Christian
.
Zionists generally when he affirms, 'I believe the modern day State of Israel is
John Hagee and John
a miracle of God and a fulfilment of Bible prophecy. 1271
Walvoord draw out the theological significance of these events. Hagee, for
example, sees 1948 as a vindication of Dispensationalism's distinction
between Israel and the Church. 'On May 15,1948, a theological earthquake
levelled replacement theology when the State of Israel was reborn after 2000
Similarly, Walvoord claims the events of 1967 have'to
years of wandering. v272
a large extent revealed the premises and conclusions of both the
273
Neither deduction
be
in
to
amillenarians and postmillenarians
error.
necessarily follows unless one accepts a priori a literal hermeneutic and
futurist eschatology. Nevertheless, the question being asked increasingly is
not whether the Jewish people have a claim to the land of Canaan, for that is
assumed, but rather, how much land.
4.2 Eretz Israel: Its Borders Defined
To many Christian Zionists the present borders of Israel, even including the
disputed Occupied Territories, are only a fraction of those God intends for the
Jewish people. Darby is quite explicit in describing the methods and motives
to be used as well as the extent of their legitimate territory:
'The first thing, then, which the Lord will do will be to purify His land
(the land which belongs to the Jews) of the Tyrians, the Philistines, the
Sidonians; of Edom and Moab, and Amon - of all the wicked, in short
from the Nile to the Euphrates. It will be done by the power of Christ in
favour of His people re-established by His goodness. 1274
Darby therefore sees the restoration of the Jewish people as a means to
Ipurify' the wicked from the land, in terms similar to those used in Joshua.
Although Darby saw this as an act of God, it is nevertheless clear he did not
expect this would lead to a peaceful transition of ownership. It is rare to find
contemporary Christian Zionists being as explicit. Surprisingly, however, it is
largely among the writings of messianic Zionists such as Arnold
Fruchtenbaum
278
Price,
Randall
that the geographical
with Jews for Jesus, together with
extent of 'Eretz Israel' is delineated most clearly. Fruchtenbaum explains that
the 'exact' borders are 'from the river of Egypt to the great river, the
Euphrates. ' He clarifies that the former border refers to 'the most eastern
branch of the Nile Delta, which now goes along the line of the modern-day
Suez Canal. ' Price provides a map showing the boundaries to include parts of
Egypt, Lebanon, Syria as well as the West Bank 279At no point in history have
.
the Jews ever possessed all this land even under king David or Solomon. So
Fruchtenbaum deduces, 'Since God cannot lie, these things must yet come to
pass ... a Jewish State must be formed where they and their descendants
can dwell ... there will be a time when the Jewish people will possess all of
the Promised Land. s280While political dispensationalists encourage Israel to
occupy this land by force, Fruchtenbaum believes this will only be fulfilled
after the Messiah returns, when presumably the Middle East has been
considerably depopulated and subjugated following the battle of Armageddon.
4.3 Eretz Israel Assessed
Lindsey and Fruchtenbaum, like virtually all Christian Zionists, insist that the
Abrahamic covenant remains unconditional 281However, subsequent
.
references to the land in scripture stress that humility and meekness rather
than 'chosenness' became a precondition for inheriting or remaining in the
land, whereas arrogance or oppression were legitimate grounds for exile. For
example, the Psalmist explains, 'But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy
282
Zionists also downplay the repeated warnings
37:
1
1).
great peace'(Psalm
in the Law as well as the Hebrew Prophets which stress that the Land
belongs to God and residence there is always conditional. For example, 'The
land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but
aliens and my tenants' (Leviticus 25: 23). Because the Land belongs to God, it
cannot be permanently bought or sold, let alone stolen or confiscated as has
occurred in the Occupied Territories since 1967. The Land is never at the
disposal of Israel for its national purposes. Instead it is Israel who are at the
disposal of God's purposes. The Jews remain tenants in God's Land. The
ethical requirements for continued occupancy are clearly outlined in the
Law.283The prophet Ezekiel amplifies the same warnings:
181
'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: You shed blood, yet you would keep
do
You
land?
the
rely
your
sword,
you
on
abominable
possession on
I will make the
keep possession of the land?
things
would
you
yet
...
...
land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and
the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross
them. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the
land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have
done. ' (Ezekiel 33:25-29)
On the basis of sober warnings such as this, the question may legitimately be
asked whether, due to its present expansionist policies, Israel might not
expect another exile rather than a restoration.
From a New Testament perspective, the contrast between
contemporary Zionist expectations and the historic Christian hope could not
be greater. Abraham's descendants, both Jewish and Gentile, are now
284
itself.
just
Canaan
but the entire world, indeed the cosmos
promised not
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, quotes and expands on Psalm 37, to
promise that the meek will inherit much more than the Land. Now they will
inherit the earth. Paul explores this profound realisation in Romans, where he
concludes that 'Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would
be heir of the world' not through the Law but by faith (Romans 4: 13). It is no
longer merely a portion of the earth that is the consummation of God's work of
redeeming a fallen world, but one in which the whole cosmos participates. So
paradise restored is not just a return to the Land but a reconstructed cosmos,
a new heaven and a new earth which becomes the home of the resurrected
faithful remnant. 285John Stott concludes, 'Instead, according to the apostles,
the Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Christ and in the international
community of Christ. A return to Jewish nationalism would seem incompatible
with this New Testament perspective of the international community of
Jesus.1286
The tension is clearly evident in the polarisation of opinion
concerning the status of Jerusalem.
5. Jerusalem: The Eternal and Exclusive Jewish Capital
The place and purpose of Jerusalem, or'Zion'as
deeply felt within Christian Zionism. While Brearley accepts that neither land
nor Jerusalem is intrinsically holy, she still insists, 'Jerusalem is the place
where the Lord has 'chosen to place his name' (Deut. 14:23; 16:2,6,11;
182
26: 2), and where he placed the Jews. ' Lindsey also points out that
'Jerusalem's importance in history is infinitely beyond its size and economic
significance. From ages past, Jerusalem has been the most important city on
More prophecies have been made concerning Jerusalem than
this planet
...
any other place on earth .'288The significance of Jerusalem within Christian
Zionism will be examined in the context of the fulfilment of prophecy and how
this shapes its eschatological future.
5.1 Jerusalem in History: The Times of the Gentiles
The most frequently quoted biblical prophecy concerning the contemporary
Jewish claim to Jerusalem is found in Luke 21: 24. Jesus said, 'Jerusalem will
be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. '
Revelation 11:2 says that the Gentile 'trampling' of Jerusalem would continue
for only'42 months', so dating this event is problematic. Scofield suggests
that the 'times of the Gentiles' began with the Babylonian captivity of Judah
under Nebuchadnezzar and will be 'brought to an end by the destruction of
Gentile world-power by the
the Lord in glory (Rev. 19: 11,21),
coming
of
...
With
until which time Jerusalem is politically subject to Gentile rule. 1289
hindsight, however, Schuyler English revises the last sentence to read more
ambiguously, 'Until then Jerusalem will be, as Christ said, "trampled on by the
Gentiles. m290He does this because Jerusalem is no longer'subject to Gentile
rule' but clearly not, as Scofield had predicted, as a result of the 'coming of
the Lord in glory. ' Mike Evans believes Daniel 12: 12 reveals the year when
Jerusalem would be liberated from Gentile control. 'Blessed is the one who
waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days. ' Evans claims this verse
remained a 'mystery' until General Allenby entered Jerusalem and,
'... set it free from times of treading down of the Gentiles, an event
The year
which Jesus had predicted two thousand years before
...
when Jerusalem was set free from four hundred years of Turkish rule
was 1917, which was the date stamped on the Turkish coins minted
that year. And on the other side of the coin was the year 1335,
according to the Jewish calendar. t291
Evans' exegesis is problematic in so far as the preceding verse in Daniel 12
refers to the time when the Temple would be desecrated,45 'days' before the
end. On the assumption that a day equals a year, in his chronology this
183
status of Jerusalem. )293Jan Willem van der Hoeven, whose book Babylon or
Jerusalem? carries a foreword by Teddy Kollek, the former Mayor of
Jerusalem, sees the prediction Jesus made in Luke 21: 24 as now fulfilled.
'Finally, after nearly 2,000 long years, the Jewish people were reunited with
their ancient city and capital. Jerusalem - literally trodden under foot by so
many different nations - was back in the fold of her own people just as Christ
had foretold. 294Wendell Stearns explains why the events of 1967 resulted in
a 'reunification' of Jerusalem: 'The artificial boundary line that had divided
Jerusalem was broken down in 1967 when Israel, in the miraculous Six-Day
War, reunited the city which had been "trodden down by the Gentiles" for
nearly two thousand years. Jerusalem was again under Jewish jurisdiction.
'295
Lindsey, however, suggests the'times' are not quite over. On the basis of the
same verse, he believes attempts to negotiate a settlement of the Arab-Israeli
conflict will always remain futile. He insists the 'Bible tells us' that the dispute
over Jerusalem and indeed Israel's borders will never be settled by any peace
agreement, 'nor any whiz-bang diplomatic breakthrough. ' Jerusalem will, he
insists, continue to be 'a stumbling block for the entire world
literally
we
are
...
A year later, in 1995,
witnessing the end of the times of the Gentiles. 1296
Lindsey rephrased the last sentence to give more emphasis to his timing, 'We
are literally witnessing the last hours of the times of the Gentiles. God's focus
is shifting back to His people Israel. 1297
By'hours'it
184
Ground Zero
298
in
Israel
lies
toward the end of time, and
In Matthew
the eye of the storm. ,
24 and Luke 21 Jesus describes events about to occur in Jerusalem. In
Matthew the sign is the desecration
surrounding
same: flee Judea for the mountains and escape. Following his literalist
hermeneutic,
of the
itabomination. "' To explain why the instructions are virtually identical, Scofield
claims, 'as the circumstances
warnings.
leaves
185
war of Armageddon:
'The Bible also makes clear that Jerusalem - the focal point of the
endtimes fighting - will be vanquished by Israel's enemies in the hours
just before the Lord comes. In fact, it seems that the destruction of the
holy city is the final straw that angers God and provokes Jesus'
""
return.
If such an appalling prospect is imminent as Lindsey suggests, it is surprising
that he does not invoke Jesus'warnings in Matthew 24 to'flee to the
mountains' and encourage Jerusalemites today, as Jesus did then, to save
themselves from the terrifying onslaught to come. Lindsey does, however,
offer some comfort to the survivors. During the millennium, he promises,
'Jerusalem will be the spiritual centre of the entire world
the
of
all
people
...
earth will come annually to worship Jesus who will rule there', indeed he
304
it
become
Lindsey's predictions
tourist
claims will
something of a
attraction.
highlight the contradiction, rarely admitted by Christian Zionists, that their
futurist eschatology leads them to expect both the exaltation and destruction
of most Jewish people.
Taking a stand against God's plans for Jerusalem 'spells disaster'
claims Jarvilehto of the ICEJ. Quoting Zechariah 12:3, '1will make Jerusalem
an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure
themselves', she believes God is currently using the status of Jerusalem as a
test of people's obedience to the Bible.305As with other prophecies previously
cited, whether this particular text is intended to be interpreted in such a way is
debatable since the next verse goes on to warn that God will strike every
horse with panic and every rider with madness. Most dispensational
commentators, however, understand this prophecy to be describing a future
306
Jerusalem
battle
Armageddon.
the
siege of
of
preceding
5.3 Jerusalem Assessed
For dispensationalists, especially, Jerusalem appears as non-negotiable to
Israel as Zion is to Zionism. The New Testament, however, knows nothing of
a preoccupation with a nationalistic and materialistic earthly Jerusalem, let
alone Zionism as it exists today. Access to heaven no longer has anything to
do with the earthly Jerusalem. Jesus had already made this clear to the
186
is
'a
he
time
John
4
Samaria
in
coming when you will
said,
when
woman of
in
Jerusalem.
At
s307
his
trial
this
Father
the
nor
mountain
neither on
worship
Jesus explained further, saying, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my
Jews.
But
kingdom
is
by
the
fight
to
now
my
my
arrest
prevent
servants would
from another place' (John 18:36). The turning point for the Disciples comes
with the resurrection encounters and Pentecost. Until this point they seemed
to share the same understanding of the land as other 1stCentury Jews. They
had looked forward to God's intervention which would at last restore political
308
hopes
This
is
in
Jews
in
Israel.
the
to
the
unfulfilled
reflected
sovereignty
of the disciples who when on the road to Emmaus unknowingly confess to
Jesus, we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel'
(Luke 24: 21). This idea is also clearly still in the minds of the disciples even
as Jesus is about to ascend to heaven when they ask, 'Lord, are you at this
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? ' (Acts 1:6). John Calvin
comments, 'There are as many mistakes in this question as there are
words. )309Jesus' reply indicates that he has another agenda for his disciples.
'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:7-8). Jesus redefines the boundaries of the
kingdom of God and thereby the meaning of chosenness. The expansion of
the kingdom of God throughout the world requires the exile of the Apostles
from the land 310 They must turn their backs on Jerusalem and on their hopes
.
of a materialistic kingdom. They are sent out into the world but never told to
return. Subsequent to Pentecost, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the
Apostles begin to use Old Covenant language concerning the Land in new
ways. So, for example, Peter speaks of an inheritance which unlike the Land,
'... can never perish, spoil or fade' (1 Peter 1:4). Paul similarly asserts, 'Now
I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and
give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified' (Acts 20: 32).
Christians are told instead to inhabit Jerusalem by faith and look
forward to the appearing of a heavenly Jerusalem. 'But you have come to
Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have
come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the
187
church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven' (Hebrews 12: 2223). Similarly Paul announces,
she is our mother' (Galatians 4: 26). In Galatians 4, Paul is at his most explicit
in criticizing the 'Jerusalem-dependenCy'311
the Church in Galatia. They are in slavery he insists. Quoting from Isaiah
54: 1, Paul takes a promise originally referring to the earthly Jerusalem and
applies it to the Jerusalem above which is the home of all who believe in
Jesus ChriSt. 312Paul must have shocked fellow-Jews when he equates
Jerusalem and its Christ-renouncing
children. As has been shown in the context of the relationship between Israel
and the Church, Jewish and Gentile believers in Galatia are now the children
of Abraham and Sarah. Like Isaac, they are children of the promise. By doing
so, Paul nullifies any future exclusive Jewish claim to be the authentic
children of Abraham, with all its covenantal privileges, apart from through faith
in Jesus Christ. J. C. De Young adds:
'Gal. 4: 21 ff represents, perhaps, the sharpest polemic against
Jerusalem in the New Testament
Far from being pre-occupied with
...
hopes for a glorification of the earthly Jerusalem, Paul's thought
represents a most emphatic repudiation of any eschatological hopes
concerning the earthly City.9313
As Palmer Robertson also observes, by the end of the Apostolic era, the
focus of God's redemptive work in the world has shifted from Jerusalem to
314
like
Antioch,
Rome.
There is therefore no evidence
Ephesus
places
and
that the Apostles believed that the Jewish people still had a divine right to the
Land, or that the Jewish possession of the Land would be important, let alone
that Jerusalem would remain a central aspect of God's purposes for the
world. On the contrary, in the Christological logic of Paul, Jerusalem as much
as the Land, has now been superseded. They have been made irrelevant in
God's redemptive purposes.
The contradiction between the Jerusalem-based Christian Zionist
agenda and the progressive revelation of scripture is clearly seen in the
popular expectation that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt. This is also
probably the most contentious issue uniting many Christian Zionists with
Orthodox Jews.
188
189
and Doug
9
Matthew
24,
is
Daniel
literal
futurist
and
such
as
of
passages,
reading
a
and
in
Christian
find
is
to
it
However,
expectation
such
an
writings
rare
accepted.
335
by
Indeed
the
taken
the
Century.
this
20th
to
the
contradicts
stance
prior
336
hold
Early Church, for which the Temple had ceased to
any significance.
When the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built opposite the then
derelict site of the Temple, it was deliberately designed to parallel the layout
337
In Eusebius' Life of Constantine, he explains the
Temple.
Herod's
of
symbolism of the church's design: 'Over the true memorial of salvation was
built the New Jerusalem, facing the far-famed Jerusalem of old time, 93311
suggesting the new basilica had replaced the Temple both symbolically
and
339
Thomas Ice and Randall Price claim, 'By placing the church
actually.
directly opposite and facing the Temple, and in fact on higher ground
overlooking
emphasized
the claim of
describe wild animals prowling among the ruins. By the 7 th Century reign of
Emperor Heraclius, the Temple area had begun to be used as a rubbish tip,
hence the naming of the Dung Gate which dates from about this time. The
Muthir al-Ghiram, for example, report of Muslims in Jerusalem who describe
how local Christians offended the Jews by turning the site into a giant dung
heap 341The conviction that the Jewish Temple would never be rebuilt
.
remained uncontested until the rise of Premillennialism in the early 19th
Century. Since then, belief in the imminent rebuilding of a Jewish Temple has
gradually grown in popularity. The Temple Mount now lies at the heart of the
concerning the Jewish claim to exclusive sovereignty
Old City of Jerusalem. 342
controversy
over the
Scofield was probably the first and most influential writer to popularise
the idea of the necessity for rebuilding the Jewish Temple. In his Bible notes,
Scofield taught that it was God's intention, having restored the nation of Israel
to Palestine, to build two more Temples and reinstitute the priesthood and
sacrificial system: 'in a sense all the Temples (i.e. Solomon's; Ezra's; Herod's;
that which will be used by the unbelieving Jews under the covenant with the
Beast [Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24: 15; 2 Thes. 2: 3,4]; and Ezekiel's future kingdom
191
Temple [Ezk. 40-47. ], are treated as one house - the "house of the Lord. m343
Scofield would probably, however, have been appalled to think Christians
would ever want to support the building of another Jewish Temple since, in
his opinion, it would be associated with satanic worship.
6.3 The Biblical Basis for the Rebuilding of the Jewish Temple
Soon after the capture of the Temple Mount in 1967, John Walvoord was
already speculating when the Temple would be built. In an article published
by Dallas Theological Seminary in Bibliotheca Sacra, he summarises the
position of d ispensationa lists who take the authors of the Bible 'to mean what
they say':
'Orthodox Jews for many years have been praying daily for the
rebuilding of the Temple. In this expectation, they have had the support
of premillenarians who interpret Scriptural prophecies as meaning what
they say when they refer to a future Temple in Jerusalem. The world
as a whole, as well as the majority of the church, have tended to ignore
this expectation as being too literal an interpretation of prophecy. Y344
The conviction that the Temple must be rebuilt is based on the assumption
that certain Old Testament prophecies referring to the Temple have not yet
been fulfilled and upon a few New Testament references which, when read
using a futurist literal hermeneutic, imply the existence of a Jewish Temple
immediately prior to the return of Christ.
6.3.1 Unfulfilled Old Testament Prophecies
One of the most frequently quoted Old Testament passages concerning the
Temple is Daniel 9:24-27. The sanctuary is destroyed in verse 26 yet
sacrifices are only brought to an end when the 'abomination that causes
desolation' desecrates the Temple in verse 27. On the basis of a literal
chronology in which it is necessary to place a gap of nearly 2000 years
between the two verses, Lindsey confidently argues:
'This prophecy speaks of sacrifice and offerings which demand that the
Jews rebuild the Temple for the third time upon its original site. At that
point, Judaism and Islam will be placed on an inevitable course of war
over the site, a war that will start Armageddon ... any move toward that
direction is a crucial clue to what hour it is on God's prophetic
1345
timetable.
192
193
prophecy shows that the physical Temple must not only be rebuilt, but
350
begin
functioning
practising once again.
a
priesthood must
While Lindsey and Walvoord believe Jesus was predicting a future
desecration of a rebuilt Temple, non-d ispe nsatio na list commentators
observe
its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there they did
make Titus Imperator with the greatest acclarnations of joy. '359As a credible
1st Century eyewitness and historian, Josephus shows conclusively how the
Temple was desecrated on numerous occasions, first by Jewish Zealots, then
by the marauding Idumeans and finally by Titus and his Roman army.
Whether at the hands of Jews or pagans, with the destruction of Jerusalem in
70 AD the 'Abomination' had indeed brought desolation. John Calvin believed
God, 'deserted his Temple, because it was only founded for a time, and was
but a shadow, until the Jews so completely violated the whole covenant that
1360
itself.
land
Temple,
in
the
the
the
or
either
nation,
remained
no sanctity
Dispensationalists ignore this historical evidence and the views of the
Reformers, preferring to interpret Matthew 24, and passages such as 2
Thessalonians 2: 1-4 as still awaiting fulfilment. Commentators such as F. F.
sense, 1361or
describing the Church, a view also held by several of the early Church
Fathers. 362While Jesus repeatedly warned of the destruction of the Temple,
and was known by his critics to have done so, he never promised that it would
363
In Hebrews, the author describes the offering of sacrifices
be
ever
reb Uilt.
between the death of Christ and the destruction of the Temple as an
'illustration' of, and 'copies' of, heavenly realities, a 'reminder of sins' but
364
Peter uses the
Christ,
finished
to
take
sin away.
unable, unlike the
work of
same terminology to describe the way Christians are being made into the new
There is
house of God, 365in which Jesus is the 'precious cornerstone. P366
indeed not a single verse in the New Testament which promises that the
Jewish Temple would be rebuilt or that a 2000 year 'parenthesis'
placed between references to its desecration
and destruction.
should be
Christian
Zionists consistently
Instead, they advocate a return to the very practices made redundant by the
Son
God.
the
for
of
of
atoning
work
once and
all
sacrificial system but they disagree on what kind of sacrifice will be offered
and its purpose. Based on his reading of Daniel 12: 11, Walvoord, for
example, claims, 'Judging by scriptures, this is precisely what they will do as it
if
in
they
to
be
impossible
to
cease
were
not
already
sacrifices
cause
would
368
Scofield in his Reference Bible claims that the sacrifices
operation.
mentioned in Ezekiel 43: 19, will however, only be a 'memorial' offering.
'Doubtless these offerings will be memorial, looking back to the cross, as the
offerings under the old covenant were anticipatory, looking forward to the
cross. In neither case have animal sacrifices power to put away sin (Heb.
10.4; Rom. 3.25). Y369
In fact, the verse explicitly refers to the sacrifice of a
'young bullock as a sin offering. 'While Scofield compromises on the issue,
the New Scofield Reference Bible goes further, undermining the
hermeneutical foundation of Dispensationalism:
'The reference to sacrifices is not to be taken literally, in view of the
putting away of such offerings, but is rather to be regarded as a
presentation of the worship of redeemed Israel, in her own land and in
the millennial Temple, using the terms with which the Jews were
1370
familiar in Ezekiel's day.
If this particular reference to sacrifice need not be taken literally then the
whole presuppositional base of dispensationalism is seriously weakened,
flawed by its own internal inconsistency. 371Following a literal reading, the
sacrifice of a young bullock cannot be synonymous with a memorial offering
372
which only consisted of grain and oil. The immediate context for Ezekiel's
vision of a rebuilt Temple is the promised return of the Jews from Babylonian
exile, not some long distant eschatological event. A futurist interpretation
would have been meaningless to the exiles longing to return to Israel.
Furthermore, if Ezekiel were referring to some future millennial age, according
to Mosaic law, Jesus Christ could not serve in such a Temple because he is
373
Levi.
Even if he could, it would surely be incongruous for
the
tribe of
not of
Jesus to offer animal sacrifices when the New Testament asserts he has
374
his
blood.
by
Such an interpretation
the
them
own
replaced
shedding of
undermines the New Testament emphasis that the sacrifice of Christ was
375
If religious Jews do indeed rebuild their
final
sufficient,
and complete.
Temple and reinstitute sacrifices for the atonement of sin it will simply
demonstrate their rejection of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. For Christians
196
376
Several
described
has
been
in
to support them
this
as apostaSy.
commentators
of desolation'with
'the blood of
swine' in Isaiah 66: 3 and the Temple sacrifices which were offered after the
death of Christ between 33 and 70 AD, claiming it was these that desecrated
the Temple. 377Indeed, George Pember, an early dispensationalist, takes a
futurist view and yet controversially
Glaser reflects the position of classical dispensationa(ists who hold that the
Temple will be rebuilt because the Jews have a separate covenant
relationship with God, apart from the Church. He therefore does not appear to
see the high priesthood of Jesus as in any sense necessarily replacing or
superseding the Jewish sacrificial system, but perpetuating it during the
millennium.
197
sacrificial
383
finished
by
the
Jesus
Christ.
The
and annulled
work of
and type anticipating the day when God will dwell with people of all nations
because of the atoning work of the true Temple, Jesus Christ. 384
The purpose of the Temple therefore finds its ultimate significance and
fulfilment not in another man-made sanctuary but in Jesus Christ and his
Church. 385The writer of Hebrews assures, 'But you have come to Mount Zion,
to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to
thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly' (Hebrews 12:22),
and the Book of Revelation expressly says that in the future the Lord will
dwell with his people without any need of a Temple. 386 This is why the New
Testament refuses to allow a return to the patterns of the Old Covenant.
Regression to the older, shadowy forms of the Old Covenant, such as the
Temple, are forbidden. This transition within the progressive flow of biblical
history is explained more fully by the writer to the Hebrews. Hebrews 8: 13
198
Zionism,
but
Christian
key
to
hermeneutical
the
challenge
provides not only
Judaizing
the
tendencies
the
Paul's
corrupting
at
vehemence
also explains
church in Galatia:
'By calling this covenant "new, " he has made the first one obsolete;
is
The
law
disappear
is
a
only
aging
will
soon
and what obsolete and
...
shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities
themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices
repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near
to worship' (Hebrews 8: 13,10: 1).
God's children have become temples in which His shekinah glory dwells. To
to
local
is
to
that
the
to
therefore
shrine
single
shekinah
return
a
suggest
is
in
Jerusalem
to regress
to
Jews
Christians
worship
and
which
must come
from the reality to the shadow, to re-erect the dividing curtain of the Temple,
and to commit apostasy, since it impugns the finished atoning work of
Christ. 387The preoccupation, therefore, among Christian Zionists with locating
the site of the Temple; with training Temple priests; with breeding red heifers;
and raising funds for the Temple Treasury is at best a distraction, and at
388
Christian support for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple
worst, a heresy.
is, however, also invariably linked to a belief in an imminent apocalyptic war,
unparalleled in human history. Christian Zionists are therefore, in the words of
Don Wagner, intrinsically, 'anxious for Armageddon. 1389
199
'The first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, was reading it
his
has
been
kept
Since
in
he
died.
the
before
room
everything
shortly
The
Late
died,
Great Planet Earth
he
it
before
of
a
copy
way was
remains on his desk. A friend of mine who is one of Israel's top military
commanders passed out hundreds of copies of the Hebrew translation
to the Israeli Defence forces, even though he personally hasn't as yet
believed in Jesus as the Messiah. 1393
Gary DeMar and Peter Leithart observe that: 'If Lindsey had not intimated at
dates, and used the regathering of unbelieving ethnic Israel to their land as
the basis for his speculations, The Late Great Planet Earth would not have
been an eschatological novelty. It was the predictions that sold the books. 1394
While they suggest that many who call themselves dispensationalists are
really 'Lindseyite dispensationalists', in so far as dispensational writers such
as John Walvoord and Tim LaHaye share Lindsey's approach to prophecy,
(and they in turn have been imitated by others such as Grant Jeffrey, Charles
Dyer, Dave Hunt and Jack Van Impe), the generic term Apocalyptic
Dispensationalism is a more appropriate descriptive term for what has
become the prevailing genre of Dispensationalism today.
Apocalyptic Dispensationalism has grown in popularity largely because
of Lindsey's unconventional approach to prophecy and those who emulated
him. Crucial to this pessimistic reading of biblical prophecy is the conviction
that a period of Tribulation is imminent along with the secret Rapture of the
church and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. This
will trigger the war of Armageddon in which large numbers of Jews will suffer
and die. Jesus will return to rescue the remnant of believing Jews, restore the
Kingdom to Israel and rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years.
395
An
'last
the
things' relating to the
is
with
primarily
concerned
which
eschatology,
396
for
Lindsey
beyond.
Christ
example, that prophecy
assumes,
return of
and
is pre-written history; is authenticated by predictive accuracy; is written in
code and needs deciphering.
7.1.1 Prophecy:
Pre-Written History
Charles Ryrie first described the Bible as 'history prewritten', 397while Charles
Dyer views the dispensations as 'providing us with a chronological map to
398
guide US. Derek Prince amplifies this further by claiming, 'The central
the land and the people of
theme of biblical prophecy
around
revolves
...
Israel '399Lindsey has popularised this idea that biblical prophecy is
.
essentially futuristic and predictive revealing God's future plans on earth and
specifically concerning the future of Israel. So he claims, 'The center of the
entire prophetic forecast is the State of Israel. Certain events in that nation's
recent history prove the accuracy of the prophets. They also force us to
In The Late Great Planet
accept the fact that the "countdown" has begun. 1400
Earth (1970) he asserts, 'Three millenniums of history are strewn with
evidence of their prophetic marksmanship and to ignore their incredible
predictions of man's destiny and the events which are soon to affect this
In the
planet will be perhaps the greatest folly of this generation. 1401
introduction to There's A New World Coming (1973), Lindsey also claims,
'The information in the book you're about to read is more up-to-date than
I think you will be surprised to see what kind of
tomorrow's newspaper
...
By 1980, Lindsey
predictions were made almost two thousand years ago !1402
had become more dogmatic as to the veracity of his latest book: 'it is intended
to analyze what will occur in the decade we have just entered. s403In Planet
Earth 2000 AD (1996), Lindsey suggests that although the world is spinning
out of control '... as you will discover, everything is in order. God told us these
things would happen - in advance. 404Lindsey claims the biblical prophets
have simply recorded future events. So in Planet Earth, The Final Chapte
(1998), Lindsey insists, 'These weapons are so new, so secret, and so deadly
that few people outside of military circles even know such weapons exist. But
God knew, and he told Zechariah all about them when he was given details of
Lindsey does not explain how
another, upcoming battle for Jerusalem. 1405
201
these weapons could remain secret if Zechariah wrote about them 2,400
years ago.
Following Ryrie, however, Lindsey believes 'prophecy is prewriften
history. 406In so doing he detaches predictions concerning the future from the
covenantal context within which the prophecies were originally given.
Lindsey's view is at variance with the Hebrew prophets themselves who
back
to
the
intention
God's
to
their
that
people
was
call
stress
consistently
terms of their covenant relationship, not reveal arbitrary and otherwise hidden
facts about predestined future events. Authentic biblical prophecy is always
conditional rather than fatalistic. The promises and warnings are conditional
upon how people respond to God's instructions. Consequently, sometimes
the prophecies did not come true. For example, when Micah predicted that
Jerusalem would be 'ploughed like a field' and 'become a heap of rubble' his
the
'As
King
Hezekiah.
led
to
a
result,
and
under
repentance
revival
warnings
407
17-1
9).
26:
Lord held back his judgement He had in mind' (Mic. 3: 12; Jer.
The same principle is seen in the story of Jonah. 408
It is suggested, therefore, that Lindsey has more in common with the
false prophets who flattered the people with promises of peace and prosperity
409
faith.
By
the
and
of
repentance
preconditions
specifying
covenantal
without
treating prophecy as deterministic and 'prewritten history' Lindsey
legitimatises Israel's unilateral territorial claims while ignoring the conditional
nature of the covenant relationship.
7.1.2 Prophecy: Predictive Accuracy
In his first work, The Late Great Planet Earth, Lindsey surveys the apparent
revival in interest in astrology, spiritualism and clairvoyancy: 'The Bible makes
fantastic claims; but these claims are no more startling than those of present
day astrologers, prophets and seers. Furthermore, the claims of the Bible
A10
fact.
In his third book,
in
basis
historical
have a greater
evidence and
There's A New World Coming: A Prophetic Odysse
202
'Through these stones, 4000 years ago, priests could sight the sun,
moon and stars and predict with exact accuracy the seasons, sun
There
have
been
the
many,
and
moon
of
sun
eclipses
and
risings
...
throughout the centuries of man's long history, who have sought to
predict the course of human events, but none have had the incredible
411
Hebrew
the
prophets.
ancient
accuracy of
In 1994, looking back at the popularity of The Late Great Planet Earth,
Lindsey challenges his critics, 'Not surprisingly, then, I'll confidently hold up
New
that
track
or
charlatan
of
modern-day
astrological
any
record
against
my
Ironically, the last chapter of The Late Great Planet Earth
Age clairvoyant. 1412
is entitled, 'Polishing the Crystal Ball, W3 while a paragraph heading in There's
'John's
is
Book
Revelation,
World
Coming,
describing
New
the
entitled,
of
a
Chain of ESP. W4 In taking a comparative as well as cavalier approach to
between
blurring
distinction
Lindsey
has
been
for
the
criticised
prophecy,
biblical and occult sources. 415This is further exacerbated by Lindsey's claim
that prophecy is also veiled and needs decoding.
7.1.3 Prophecy: In Bible Code
Hal Lindsey claims to have unlocked prophetic puzzles throughout the Bible.
Hidden away within these enigmas are specific predictions concerning the
present and imminent future. In the wake of the 'Bible Code' debate, Lindsey
rewrote There's a New World Coming (1973) and renamed it Apocalypse
Code (1997) claiming to have deciphered,
'long-hidden
messages about
man's future and the fate of the earth .)416iyoU couldn't get a better picture of
what World War III will be like without being bodily transported into the future.
Hal Lindsey has done it again !9417Allowing for an element of media hype,
Van der Waal nevertheless
,
he
Responding
did not foresee the
to
that
criticism
prophecy.
understand
collapse of Soviet Communism, Lindsey carefully denies that he himself ever
421
be
to
a prophet . He does, however, confess to making 'a series of
claimed
203
had
In
different
Irving
from
however,
those
that
observed.
very
were,
signs
1908, in Jesus is Coming, Blackstone listed eight signs of Christ's 'speedy'
Perilous
knowledge;
times;
The
travel
They
of
prevalence
and
were:
coming.
Spiritualism; Apostasy; World-wide evangelism; Rich men; Israel, and
428
Referring to Daniel's prophecy, Blackstone notes that
Zion
iSM.
significantly,
'It is significant that this first Zionist congress assembled just 1,260 years after
the capture of Jerusalem by the Mohammedans in AD 637. '429 The trauma of
the First World War heightened speculation still further among
dispensationalists. It also generated a good deal of cynicism regarding hopes
for world peace, a pessimism that still persists today. In 1918, Scofield
430
included
SaV?
What
The
Prophets
Do
series
which
of
studies
published,
,a
a chapter entitled, 'Does the Bible Throw Light on This War?:
'So far as the prophetic Word has spoken there is not the least warrant
for the expectation that the nations engaged in the present gigantic
struggle will or can make a permanent peace. It is fondly dreamed that
out of all the suffering and carnage and destruction of this war will be
born such a hatred of war as will bring to pass a federation of the
nations - the United States of the World - in which will exist but one
army, and that an international peace force, rather than an army. For
once there is some correspondence between a popular dream and the
prophetic Word. For that Word certainly points to a federated world 431
in
the
the end-time of
age.
empire
This fixation with a pessimistic interpretation of the geo-political scene also
affected attitudes toward the place of the Jews within this bleak scenario.
Dispensational ists like Newton, for example, took the view that the Jews
would be part of a European political and religious alliance in league with the
Antichrist:
'When the Papists, and the Greek church and Judaism, and
Mohommedanism, and Anglicanism, shall re-echo this sentiment, and
when it shall become governmentally adopted by the nations of the
Roman world, we shall soon see the "Ephah" and "wickedness", its
inmate, established in the land of Shinar. P432
To Newton, the Jews were consigned their allotted destiny in a preordained
prophetic scheme:
'There will be the Jews; some in their land, others scattered throughout
the earth. Of those in the Land, "a third part" will be spared (see Zech.
12:8), and among those that are scattered, there will also be a
remnant. These will be converted, and made a blessing in the earth;
but the great majority of Israel, especially those in the Land, will have
205
linked themselves with Antichrist, and will share his doom. 7433
As has been shown, Newton's prophetic speculations reflect the way in which
the focus of Premillennial Dispensational ism, by the end of the 19th Century,
had become more concerned with dating the'signs of the times'than in
proclaiming the Christian message. Gone was the passion for the lost that
had fired postmillennial missionary expansion a century earlier. Those who
identified more with Covenantal Premillennialism and remained committed to
the established denominations, to Jewish evangelism as well as
Restorationism, tended to view the same signs differently. So, for example,
the London Jews Society response to the Balfour Declaration was optimistic,
since it signalled the end of the 'Times of the Gentiles':
'What does this all mean for us Christians? In the light of prophetic
scripture we recognise that such an action on the part of our
government and on the part of the Allied Powers, in being united in
their resolve to reinstate the Jew in his own land, is full of significance
Ever since AD 70 Jerusalem and Palestine have been under Gentile
...
domination, and now we seem to be on the very verge of a literal
fulfilment of the last prediction, and it is certainly a distinct warning to
us that the Lord "is near, even at the very doors. "' (St Matt. 24: 32). 1434
As has been shown, similar assertions were made in 1948 when the State of
Israel was declared 435and again in 1967 with the capture of East
Jerusalem 436Some thirty-five years later Lindsey was still insisting, 'Folks,
.
the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can already be heard as
He approaches the doors of heaven to return. v437
Dwight Wilson observes how premillennial history is 'strewn with a
mass of erroneous speculations which have undermined their credibility. ' The
supposed restoration of the Jewish people merely compounded disagreement
as to whether the Jews were to be restored before or after the coming of
Jesus, in faith or in unbelief. Similarly, he argues pessimistically that since:
has been pinpointed to have begun in 1897,1917, and
'The restoration
...
It is not likely that the situation will change greatly. 1438
1948
...
While covenantal and dispensational premillennialists agree that these
are the 'Last Days', they disagree, however, over what will happen next.
While dispensationalists disagree among themselves as to whether a secret
Rapture will remove Christians before, during or after the period known as the
206
Tribulation, covenantalists believe the Church will remain on earth until Christ
returns.
7.3 The Rapture: The Great Escape
Dispensationalism, with its distinction between God's eternal purposes for
Israel and the Church, is also associated with the belief, popularised by
Darby439but probably originating with Irving
that there will be two stages to
'440
Christ's imminent return. First, there will be an invisible 'appearing' when
Christians will be removed from the earth and meet Christ in the air, a
process which came to be known as 'the Rapture of the saints. ' With the
restraining presence of the Holy Spirit removed from the world, the Antichrist
will arise, evil will prevail and unbelievers, including the Jews now restored to
Israel, will suffer for seven years during the Tribulation. Satan's rule will finally
be crushed by the public appearance of Jesus Christ. Concerning the
Rapture, Darby argued that, 'The Church's joining Christ has nothing to do
with Christ's appearing or coming to earth. Her place is elsewhere. She sits
in Him already in heavenly places. She has to be brought there as to bodily
441
This hope in a secret Rapture perhaps explains why
presence.
dispensationalists are either complacent or uninterested in what will happen
to the Jews during the Tribulation. Blackstone, for example, says, 'The detail
of the manner of their restoration, and of their repentance and acceptance of
Christ, is not so important to us. For those who are of the Church are to be
taken away first, in the Rapture, and escape all these things through which
Israel must pass. s442
This is why dispensationalists are not afraid of another
imminent holocaust. Whereas Israel is seen as the 'Fuse of Armageddon, 443
Christians will be safely raptured to heaven just before Armageddon begins.
So, in a review of End Times written by John Walvoord, 444Jews for Jesus
promise, 'The end times can be happy and rewarding for Christians. The key
is understanding them. With clarity, logic and conviction, this book
dramatically explores world events in light of biblical prophecy, outlining the
precepts of our faith. Written by one of the field's top experts, it is the
definitive work on prophecy. P445
With increasing interest in the end of time,
other dispensational writers have ventured to emulate Hal Lindsey and
speculate about the Rapture and Tribulation.
207
446
Jacob's Trouble
In Matthew 24 Jesus warned his hearers to flee from the impending fall of
Jerusalem to the Romans. Dispensationalists take such prophecies and apply
them to future events. In so doing, they have dire consequences for Jewish
people today. Early dispensational descriptions of the events surrounding the
Tribulation and Armageddon tend to be concise and almost clinical. 450
Scofield's notes, for example, describe how, 'Armageddon is the appointed
place for the beginning of the great battle in which the Lord, at his coming in
glory, will deliver the Jewish remnant besieged by the Gentile world-powers
under the Beast and False Prophet. P451
208
time, 'Israel will be converted to faith in her true Messiah and then
miraculously protected ... (Zechariah 12:8,9). As promised, God will
strengthen the Israelis to fight with a ferocity never seen before on this earth.
He will also supernaturally protect them from being annihilated 460By 1994,
.
however, Lindsey was making a more pessimistic forecast, '... only a tiny
fraction of the world's population will be left. Only a remnant will have
461
Jews
have
been
killed.
Many
In The Final Battle
the
would
survived.
of
(1995), under the heading 'It will take a miracle to save Israel - Intelligence
Digest, ' Lindsey claims, 'Israel is in for a very rough time. The Jewish State
In a later chapter he clarifies
will be brought to the brink of destruction. 9462
what this will mean:
'The land of Israel and the surrounding area will certainly be targeted
for nuclear attack. Iran and all the Muslim nations around Israel have
already been targeted with Israeli nukes ... All of Europe, the seat of
power of the Antichrist, would surely be a nuclear battlefield, as would
Zechariah gives an unusual, detailed account of
the United States
...
how hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Israel baffle zone will die.
Their flesh will be consumed from their bones, their eyes from their
sockets, and their tongues from their mouths while they stand on their
feet (Zechariah 14: 12). This is exactly the sort of thing that happens
from the intense radiation of a neutron type bomb. 1463
Lindsey claims that for a distance of 200 miles from the Valley of Jezreel near
Megiddo across to the Jordan Valley then down to the Dead Sea and on to
the Gulf of Aqaba, the entire valley will be filled with the debris of war and the
bodies of animals and people, and above all, blood 464He writes:
.
'I have travelled the entire length of this valley
It is almost impossible
...
to imagine the valley covered with blood five feet high! Yet that is
exactly what God predicts, and He always fulfils His Word. Some have
asked, "Wouldn't the blood coagulate and not flow? " Blood exposed to
intense radiation doesn't coagulate
Because of the intense
...
radiation, blood will not coagulate. It will literally become a sea of blood
five feet deep. )465
But Lindsey believes God's power is stronger than nuclear weapons and that
he will supernaturally protect the believing Israelis so that they will survive the
worst holocaust the world will ever see. It is difficult to conceive how this will
be possible, biologically or ecologically, or indeed how 144,000 Jewish
evangelists will have any ministry to perform in a post-nuclear holocaust
world, since half the world's population will have already been annihilated.
210
Lindsey claims that the forces unleashed will be so destructive, they will be
466
level
It
every City.
sufficient to modify the world's climate, topography, and
is difficult to imagine anyone still alive, let alone sane enough who will want to
listen, in his words, to'144,000
world. s467
to Israel, Brickner is pessimistic about their fate. 'The good news is, as the
prophet said, that Israel will be delivered in the end. The bad news is that
deliverance
Holocaust survivors, how can we even begin to imagine another carnage? 1474
211
(sic) and one-third convert to Christianity. " There are some who call
themselves Christian who subscribe to that teaching. We do not and
have sought to refute it where possible. 479
The ICEJ represents, therefore, a more optimistic, though non-evangelistic
form of Political Dispensational ism. The uncharacteristic stance taken by
ICEJ nevertheless highlights a tension inherent within virtually all forms of
Dispensationalism. Because of its commitment to a literal futurist hermeneutic
in which prophecy is prewritten history, d ispe nsationa lists predict both the
480
Jews
They have therefore been criticised
the
persecution and salvation of
.
for acquiescing over anti-Semitism since, in itself, it could be the fulfilment of
the prediction concerning 'Jacob's trouble. ' Dwight Wilson's research into
Dispensationalism in the 1930s, for example, reveals that some premillennial
writers placed part of the blame for anti-Semitism on the Jews themselves;
that they were responsible for revolutions in continental Europe; and even for
the Great Depression in America.
'Pleas from Europe for assistance for Jewish refugees fell on deaf ears
and "Hands Off"meant no helping hand. So in spite of being
theologically more pro-Jewish than any other Christian group, the
premillennarians also were apathetic - because of a residual antiSemitism, because persecution was prophetically expected, because it
would encourage immigration to Palestine, because it seemed the
beginning of the Great Tribulation, and because it was a wonderful
sign of the imminent blessed hope. v481
This explains why, for example, Blackstone and Gaebelein could appear to
use anti-Semitic rhetoric while supporting evangelistic initiatives among Jews
and why Lindsey, Brickner and Fruchtenbaurn could envisage a bleak
apocalyptic future for Israel while blessing Israel and witnessing to Jewish
people. DeMar observes within such an eschatology, 'Jews are always in
jeopardy of being persecuted as long as dispensationalists push a false
interpretation of prophecy that makes Jews the scapegoat for a distorted
482
This leads inexorably to the most detrimental aspect of
theological system
.
contemporary Dispensationalism. Aligning themselves with Jewish Zionists,
they are implacably opposed to any peace deal in the Middle East. While
books by apocalyptic dispensationalists sell in their millions, few concern
themselves with issues of peace and justice, other than to warn of a
483
the
Antichrist
The various strands
Israel.
counterfeit peace which
will offer
213
of Dispensational ism are also united in the belief that God will judge the world
on the basis of how people have treated the Jews.
7.5 Judgement Day: Choosing Sides and Blessing Israel
The return of Christ is seen by all millennial traditions as the consummation of
God's purposes on earth and synonymous with the Day of Judgement.
Dispensationalism, with its rigid distinction between Israel and the Church and
doctrine of a secret Rapture and Tribulation, is based on a rather more
complex eschatological chronology. There is a diversity of opinion as to the
purpose of Christ's return as well as the basis of his judgement. Scofield, for
example, having divided the world into three classes of people,
484
seesthe
Dispensationalism
devil. Scofield, for example, teaches that the Lord will return, after the secret
Rapture and removal of the saints to heaven, in order to 'deliver the Jewish
remnant besieged by the Gentile world-powers under the Beast and False
Prophet. 487Similarly, Blackstone places unbelieving Israel in league with the
Antichrist, 'who will be received by the Jews. s488Lindsey also claims they will
489
Antichrist
the
make a peace pact with
and a 'treaty with Hel 19490
while
LaHaye has Israel sign 'a deal with the devil. 491 Messianic and political
dispensationalists,
Antichrist and the Gentile nations. For example, van der Hoeven of the ICEJ,
claims virtually the whole world will be against Israel:
'Nations will increasingly shut Israel out of their councils until they
214
Brickner warns those who are 'against' Israel: 'Those who oppose the
Messiah, who have aligned themselves with the Antichrist and against Israel,
will be judged and delivered into "the abyss. m493DeHaan also insists,
'Because it is God's Holy Land, anyone who tampers with it and seeks to
separate its people from their possession comes under the judgement of
God '494Derek Prince goes further, insisting, 'When God comes to judge the
.
nations, he will judge them on their response to the regathering of Israel. At
that time, no nation will be able to plead ignorance of Israel's regathering, or
of the fact that it represents the fulfilment of God's prophetic word. '495DeHaan
looks forward to the Millennium but even here makes attitudes to Israel the
basis for world peace. 'When the nation of that land to whom God has
promised it by covenant is given full and free possession of the land, only
then will the nations be at rest and the peace for which men strive shall finally
be realised. P496
Israel has, for some Christian Zionists at least, become synonymous with
believing in Jesus.
foundation upon which the other six tenets are based. However, it has
been argued that this method of interpretation is no more consistent or
216
Christ before Jesus returns. The New Testament is emphatic that after
the death of Christ, the Temple, priestly caste and sacrificial system
became obsolete and their perpetuation apostate.
7. For virtually all Christian Zionists, the immediate future is intrinsically
pessimistic. The Battle of Armageddon will, they claim, lead to the
death of two-thirds of the Jewish people before Christ returns to save a
have
basis
how
He
judge
the
the
the
on
nations
of
world
will
remnant.
treated the Jews. The next chapter will show that such fatalism has
profound consequences for international diplomacy.
There are three inherent problems with Christian Zionism's distinctive
theology. The promises of blessing made to the Jewish people are invariably
detached from their covenantal context; the interpretation of those promises
by Jesus and the New Testament writers is generally ignored; and the State
of Israel is sacralised, the consummation of God's purposes on earth rather
than the atoning work of Christ and his redeemed Church.
8.1 Promises of Blessing are Isolated from their Covenantal Context
Christian Zionists detach the promises and warnings made to the Jewish
people from their covenantal basis as well as their immediate historical
context imposing an artificial futurist interpretation. Such a view is at variance
with the way in which the Hebrew prophets consistently stress their intention
to call their contemporaries back to the terms of their covenantal relationship
with God, not to reveal arbitrary and otherwise hidden facts about predestined
future events thousands of years later. The truly prophetic element of the
Hebrew Scriptures yearns for fidelity. God's message to his people is always
two-edged, promising blessing but also warning of judgement. It was the false
prophets who flattered the people with promises of peace and prosperity
without specifying the covenantal preconditions of repentance and faith. The
future, in biblical terms, is thereby in some sense conditional upon faith and
obedience to God's revealed will.
218
the Cross
Set within the context of the wider Fundamentalist movement, the distinctive
eschatological focus of Christian Zionism is placed upon a restored Jewish
kingdom rather than the Body of Christ and upon the contemporary State of
Israel rather than the cross of Christ. 502In the atoning death of Christ, the
Temple with its sacrificial system was made obsolete. 503The destruction of
the Temple in 70 AD fulfilled this judgement. To suggest therefore that the
Temple must be rebuilt and sacrifices reintroduced in a restored Jewish
kingdom centred on Jerusalem is to reverse the flow of biblical revelation and
to suggest in some sense that the work of Christ was unfinished or
incomplete. It may be argued that such a conclusion is implied by the writer of
Hebrews who warns that to return to the shadows of the Old Covenant is
apostasy for, 'to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again
and subjecting him to public disgrace. ' (Hebrews 6: 6).
Christian Zionism's particular reading of history and contemporary
events, sustained by the dubious exegesis of selective biblical texts, sets
Israel and the Jewish people apart from other peoples in the Middle East. In
so doing, however unintentionally, it justifies the endemic racism intrinsic to
Zionism, exacerbates tensions between Jews and Palestinians and
undermines attempts to find a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict,
219
504
Bible
because
'The
them
tells
all
So., The next chapter will examine the
political consequences of this theological perspective.
Notes to Chapter 3
Most dispensational ists, (but not covenant premillennialists) also believe in the
Rapture when Christians will be removed from the earth either prior to, during or
after the Tribulation - hence three sub divisions within Dispensationalism - PreTrib, Mid-Trib and Post-Tribulationists. See Marvin Rosenthal, The Pre-Wrath
Rapture of the Church, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1990).
Ibid.
220
36
37
Ibid., piii.
50 Footnotes appear
on only 327 out of a total of 970 pages of the Old Testament,
and on only 214 out of 352 pages in the New Testament.
51 Scofield, Scofield,
op.cit., p723.
Jews' in the early 20th Century; to 'The Church's Mission to the Jews'; then, 'The
Church's Ministry Among the Jews'; and finally in 1995 to 'Church's Ministry
Among JewishPeople'.
84 CMJ 'ReplacementTheology: Is the Church the "Israel of God"T (St Albans,
Herts, CMJ, n.d.).
g5 Lindsey, Road,pp7-8.
86 For examplethe Temple and its sacrificesare seenas types or illustrations of
Jesus.SeeHebrews9 and Matthew 26:61 'Destroy this Temple and I will rebuild
it again in three days.'
87 JaroslavPelikan, The Christian Tradition: A Histo!y of the Development
of
Doctrine, The Emergenceof the Catholic Tradition 0 00-600), volume I
(Chicago, University of Chicago Press,1971); Clement, 'First Epistle.' AnteNicene Fathers,edited by A. ClevelandCoxe (Peabody,Massachusetts,
Henrickson, 1994), 1. ppl2-13; Epistle of BarnabasIV. Ante-Nicene Fathers
edited by A. Cleveland Coxe (Peabody,Massachusetts,Henrickson, 1994), 1.
p 138;Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, XI. Ante-Nicene Fathers,edited by A.
ClevelandCoxe (Peabody,Massachusetts,Henrickson, 1994), 1. pp200-267;
Irenaeus,Against Heresies.IV. XXI. 3. Ante-Nicene Fathers,edited by A.
ClevelandCoxe (Peabody,Massachusetts,Henrickson, 1994), 1. p493.
88 T. L. Frazier, A Second Look
at the Second Coming, (Ben Lomond, California,
Conciliar Press, 1999), p78.
89 J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrine,
revised edition (San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1978), pp69-75.
90 John Goldingay, Approaches to Old Testament Inte!
pretation, (Leicester, IVP,
198 1), pp97-114; Richard Longnecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period,
(Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1975); John Wenham, Christ and the Bible, (Guildford,
Eagle, 1993).
91 E. A. Martens, Plot
and PurDose in the Old Testament, (Leicester, IVP, 198 1);
Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom, A Christian Interpretation of the Old
Testament, (Exeter, Paternoster, 198 1); According to Plan, The Unfoldinp,
Revelation of God in the Bible, (Leicester, lVP, 1991).
225
226
Ibid., p72.
143Lindsey, 1980's,
op.cit., p45.
144Lindsey, Ljnal, op.cit., pp 183,213.
145Hal Lindsey, International Intelligence Briefing, 7th January (1999). Lindsey
also
fault'
'gigantic
runs through the Mount of Olives. Late op.cit., p 174.
claims a
146Charles Dyer, The Rise
of Babylon, (Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House, 199 1),
p 198; Grant Jeffrey, Armageddon, Appointment with Destin , (Toronto, Frontier
Research, 1988), pp] 85-187.
147Brickner,
148Ibid.,
p73.
149Scofield, Scof
ield, op. cit., fri. 1. p 1347.
150Dyer,
op.cit. Following his literalist interpretation, references to Babylon in the
Book of Revelation must logically refer to Babylon, that is, modem day Iraq.
151 Gary DeMar,
op. cit., p342.
152Noah Hutchings, U. S. in Prophecy, (Oklahoma City, Hearthstone Publishing,
2000); Arno Froese, Terror in America, Understanding the Tragedy, (West
Columbia, Olive Press, 2001); Mark Hitchcock, Is America in Prophecy?
(Portland, Oregon, Multnomah, 2002); Hal Lindsey, Where is America in
Prophecy? video (Murrieta, California, Hal Lindsey Ministries, 2001).
153Hal Lindsey, There's New World Coming, A Prophetic Odyssey, (Santa Ana,
a
California, Vision House, 1973).
154Ibid.,
p 185.
155Lindsey, Road,
op. cit., pp 153-154.
156Ernest R. Sandeen, 'Toward Historical Interpretation
of the Origins of
a
Fundamentalism, ' Church History 36 (1967), 70, cited in Gerstner, Wrongly,
op.cit., p 100.
157Bass, op.
cit., p3 1.
158Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, 3
volumes (London, James Clarke, [ 1871
1960), 3, p808.
159R.T. Kendall, 'How literally do
you read your BibleT Israel and Christians Today,
Summer (2001), p9.
160Irving, Preliminar
op.
cit.,
pp5-6.
,
162Ibid.,
p137.
it
from
elsewhere.
or received
166W. Ward Gasque,'Marcion', The New International Dictiona[y of the Christian
Church, edited by J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1978),
p620.
167J. N. Darby, The Hope of the Church of God, (London: G. Morrish, n.d.), p 106.
168C. 1. Scofield, Scofield Bible CorrespondenceCourse, I 91hedition (Chicago,
Moody Bible Institute), p23.
169Scofield, Scofield, op.cit., p989.
170Ibid., fh. 2. p 102 1.
171
Ibid., pp97-98.
180John Hapee,Final Dawn over Jerusalem,(Nashville, ThomasNelson, 1998),
PPI08-109.
181Jewsfor Jesus,'Our Doctrinal Statement', http://www.jews-for-jesus.org
182David E. Holwerda, Jesusand Israel, One Covenantor Two?, (Grand Rapids,
Michigan, Eerdmans,1995).
183Margaret Brearley, 'Jerusalemin Judaismand for Christian Zionists' in,
Jerusalem,Pastand Presentin the Purposesof God, edited by P.W.L. Walker
(Croydon, Deo Gloria Trust, 1992),pp99-124.
184Scofield, Scofield, op.cit., pI 115.This footnote is substantiallymodified in the
New Scofield Study Bible, to stressthat salvation is always through faith. p 1094.
185Lindsey, Road,op.cit., p208.
186Hagee,Final, op.cit., p98.
187Lindsey, Elanet, op.cit., p9g.
188Patrick Goodenough,'Jerusalemjournalist hits back for Zionists', Church of
EnglandNewspaper May (1997).
,4
189Prepare e The Way of the Lord, (Jerusalem,ICEJ, n.d.)
190Cited in John S. Ross,'Beyond Zionism: Evangelical Responsibility Towards
Israel' Mishkan, I (1990) 12,pI 7.
230
193International,op.cit., p22.
194Derek Prince, The Last Word on the Middle East, (Fort Lauderdale,Florida, Derek
Prince Ministries, 1982),p 112,117-118.
195
196
Hagee,op.cit., p 112.
197'San Antonio Fundamentalistbattlesanti-Semitism.' Houston Chronicle, April 30,
(1988), cited in G. Richard Fisher, 'The Other Gospel of John Hagee' Personal
FreedomOutreach,http://www. pfo.org/jonhagee.htm
Ibid.
231
216Allan A. MacRae, 'Hath God Cast Away His PeopleT in Prophetic Truth
Unfolding Toda edited by Charles L. Feinberg (Westwood, New Jersey, Revell,
,
1968), p95.
217Hagee, op. cit., p37.
218 Basilea Schlink, Israel, My Chosen People, revised
edition (Basingstoke, Marshall
Pickering, 1987) p22.
219'Ile redeemed us in order that the blessing
given to Abraham might come to the
Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the
Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set
has
it
is
in
human
been
duly
that
this
to
aside or add
a
covenant
established, so
case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does
not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning
one person, who is Christ. ' (Galatians 3: 14-16); 'There is neither Jew nor Greek,
slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong
to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. '
(Galatians 3:28-29). These things may be taken figuratively, for the women
represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children
who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia
and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with
her children. ' (Galatians 4: 24-25)
220 Amo C. Gaebelein, Half Centurl, (New York, Publication Office
a
of Our Hope,
1930), p20.
221 John H. Gerstner, Wrongly Dividing the Word
of Truth, A Critique of
Dispensational ism, 2ndedition (Morgan, Pennsylvania, Soli Deo Gloria, 2000),
p45.
222'Produce fruit in keeping
with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves,
"We have Abraham as our father. " For I tell you that out of these stones God can
raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and
every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the
fire. ' (Luke 3: 8-9); 'You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by
them you possesseternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet
you refuse to come to me to have life. ' (John 5: 39-40); "'Abraham is our father, "
they answered. "If you were Abraham's children, " said Jesus, "then you would do
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to
the things Abraham did
...
carry out your father's desire."' (John 8: 39,44); '1 am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ' (John 14:6)
223'In him
we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of
him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. '
(Ephesians 1: 11); 'Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. '
(Colossians 3: 12); 'But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called
you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy. ' (I Peter 2: 9-10)
232
233
Ibid., pl9l.
264CharlesRyrie, The Basis of the Premillennial Faith, (Neptune,New Jersey,
Loizeaux Brothers, 1953),p72.
265Schuyler English, op.eit., p 1005.
266Basedon Exodus 12:37 which mentions600,000Jewish men plus women and
children as well as 'many other people'. Exodus 38:26 mentions 603,550men.
2670 PalmerRobertson,The Israel of God, Yesterday,Today and Tomorrow
(Phillipsburg, New Jersey,Presbyterian& Reformed,2000), ppl6-17.
234
Lsrael,op.cit., p20.
289Scofield, Scofield, op.cit., fh. 1.
p1345.
235
303Ibid.,
p262.
304Lindsey, Lsrael,
op.cit., p 165.
305Jarvilehto, op.cit.,
p58.
306English,
op.cit., p953.
307'Believe me, woman, time is
coming when you will worship the Father neither
a
on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not
know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is
in
Father
has
true
the
the
worshipers
will
worship
coming and
now come when
kind
for
the
truth,
they
of worshippers the Father seeks.' (John 4: 21 are
spirit and
23)
308Colin Chapman, 'Ten
questions for a theology of the land' in The Land of
Promise, edited by Philip Johnston and Peter Walker (Downers Grove, Illinois,
InterVarsity, 2000), p 179.
309John Calvin, The Acts
of the Apostles 1-13, (Edinburgh, St Andrew Press, 1965),
p29.
310Robertson, 'new-covenant', op.cit.,
p136.
311Peter Walker, Jesus
and the Holv Cit , (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1996), p129.
312Ibid., 13 1.
p
237
'Will',
p 103.
350Lindsey, Elanet,
op. cit., p 158.
351William Hendriksen, The Gospel
Peter2:5.
366 1
Peter2:7.
367Ephesians 2: 19-21.
368Walvoord, 'Will, ' op.cit., p 104.
369Scofield, Scofield, op. cit., p890.
370Schuyler English, op. cit.,
p864.
371Venema, op. cit., p285
372Leviticus 2:2,9,16.
373Hebrews 7: 14. Venema,
op. cit., p286.
374DeMar, Last, op.cit., p85.
375Hebrews 2: 17; Romans 3: 25.
376Hebrews 6:4-6; 9:25-26; 10: 1-3.
377DeMar, Last, op. cit., p86; Edward J. Young, The Book
of Isaiah. 3 volumes
(Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1972), volume 3, p520.
378Pember, op.cit., pp353-354.
379Zhava Glaser, 'Today's Rituals: Reminders
or Replacements' Issues., 8,3.
380Hebrews 9: 9; 9:23; 8:5.
381John 1: 14; 2: 19-22; Colossians 2: 9.
382John Noe, The Israel Illusion, (Fishers, Indiana, Prophecy Reformation Institute,
2000), p 16.
239
383
Robertson,op.cit.,
_pp53-83,194.
384
John 1:14.
385
Hebrews9:24.
386
Revelation21:22.
387Robertson,Israel, op.cit., p82.
388Hebrews 10:29; Galatians 1:8-9.
389Donald Wagner,Anxious for Armageddon,(Scottdale,Pennsylvania,Herald
Press,1995).
390StanleyJ. Grenz, The Millennial Maze, Sorting out Evangelical Options,
(Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press,1992); Robert G. Clouse,ed., The Meaning
of the Millennium, (Downers Grove, InterVarsity, 1977); Cornelis P. Venema,
The Promiseof the Future, (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 2000), pp 189-362.
391
Seechapter2, p 18.
392Billy Graham,Approaching Hoofbeats,The Four Horsemen the Apocalypse.
of
(Waco, Word, 1983); Storm Warning, (Milton Keynes, Word, 1992);Grant R.
Jeffrey, Armageddon:Appointment with Destin (Toronto, Frontier Research,
,
1988);Ed Hindson, Approaching An-nageddon:The World Preparesfor War with
God, (Eugene,Oregon, Harvest House, 1997); Moishe Rosen,Overture to
Armageddo (San Bernardino, Here's Life Publishers,1991); David Brickner,
,
Future Hope, A JewishChristian Look at the End of the World, (San Francisco,
Purple Pomegranate,1999).
393Lindsey, Road,op.cit., p 195.
394Gary DeMar and PeterJ. Leithart, The Legacy Hatred Continues:A
of
responseto
Hal Lindsey's The Road to Holocaust,(Tyler, Texas, Institute for Christian
Economics, 1989),p 17.
395Lindsey, Lsrael,
op.cit., pp20-30.
396Vemard Eller, 'Theology Promise Theology Hope' The Christian Centu
of
v
of
April 10,1968. http://www. momingstarlawrence.com/eschatology.htm
397Charles Ryrie, The Living End, (Old Tappan, Revell, 1976),
p80.
398 Charles Dyer, The Rise Babylon, Signs the End Times, (Wheaton, Illinois,
of
of
Tyndale House, 199 1), p 199.
399Prince, Last,
op.cit., p54.
400Lindsey, 1980's,
op. cit., pI 1.
401 Lindsey, Late,
op.cit., back cover.
402Lindsey, There'
op.
cit.,
p7.
,
403Lindsey, 1980'
op.
cit.,
p7.
,
404Lindsey, Rlanqt,
op. cit., p2.
405Ibid.,
p227.
240
406C. Van der Waal, Hal Lindsey and Biblical Prophecy, (Neerlandia, Alberta,
Canada, Inheritance Publications, 199 1), p5 1.
407Ibid., pp52,53.
408Jonah 4: 1-3,10-11.
409Van der Waal, op.cit., p5 1.
410Lindsey, Late, op.cit., pp 17-19.
411 Lindsey, There's, op. cit., back page.
412Lindsey, ElanLt, op. cit., p4.
413Lindsey, Late, op.cit., p 180. See also Demar, Last., op.cit., p 197.
414Lindsey, There's, op. cit., p 12.
415Van der Waal, op. cit., p5 1.
416Lindsey, Apocalypse, op. cit., back cover.
417Lindsey, Linal, op.cit., back cover.
418
van der Waal, op. cit., p53.
419Ibid.,
p54.
420Ibid.,
p55.
421 Lindsey, Rianet, op. cit., 19 1.
p
422Ibid.,
p4.
424Edward Irving, The Last Days: A Discourseon the Evil Characterof Theseour
Times Proving them to be the 'Perilous Times' of the 'Last Days' (London, James
Nisbet, 1828),p 10.
425Lindsey, Elanet, op.cit., pp85-138; LaHaye, Are, op.cit., pp32-43.
426Irving, Last, op.cit., p 10.
427Truth (periodical), No. 19 (1897), p385. Cited in Canfield, Incredible, op.cit.,
p125.
428
Blackstone,Jesus,op.cit., p 10.
429
Ibid., p241.
430C. 1.Scofield, What Do The ProphetsSay (Philadelphia,The SundaySchool
Times Co., 1918).
431
433Newton, 'Prophetic, ' op. cit., p 130; also in Fromow, Teachers, op.cit., p60.
434Jewish Missiona! y Intelligence, (1917), ppl29-130, cited in Crombie, Love,
op.cit., p 160.
435CMj, 'The State
iff,
Why
Israel:
should we support
of
Give an Answer Resource, (St Albans, CMJ, 1996).
436
1.
der
Babylon,
15
Hoeven,
op.
p
cit.,
van
437Lindsey, 111anet,
op. cit., p 160, Final., op. cit., p 108.
438Dwight Wilson, Armageddon
Always be Prepared to
.139J. N. Darby, 'The Rapture of the Saints and the Character of the Jewish Remnant, '
Collected, op. cit., Prophetic. 1,11, pp. 153-155.
440Bass, Backgrounds,
op. cit., p4l; Dave MacPherson, The Unbelievable Pre-Trib
Origin, (Kansas City, Heart of America Bible Society, 1973) and The Incredible
Cover-11p, (Medford, Oregon, Omega Publications, 1975). See also Edward
Irving, 'Signs of the Times in the Church' Morning Watch, 11, March (1830),
ppl56-158, cited in Paterson, op. cit., p165.
441 Darby, 'Rapture, ' Collected,
op. cit., ppl53-155.
442Blackstone, Jesus,
op. cit., pI 76.
443Lindsey, Late,
op. cit., p44.
444John Walvoord, End Times, Understanding Todqy's World Events in Biblical
Prophecy, (Waco, Texas, Word, 1998).
445Jews for Jesus, http: //www.
store. iewsforiesus. orgibooks/products/BK232.
htm
453Ibid.,
p24 1.
454Arno Gaebelein, The Conflict of the Ages, (New York, Our Hope, 1933); Timothy
P. Weber, Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming: American
Premillennialism, 1875-1982, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1983), p189.
455Charles Ryrie, The Living End, (Old Tappan, Revell, 1976), p8l. The title of
for
'
Israel.
'A
Bloodbath
is
8
entitled
chapter
456Walvoord, Israel, op.cit., p108.
457LaHaye, Are, op.cit., p146.
458Lindsey, Late, op.cit., pp48,165,167.
459Lindsey, There's, op. cit., p 121.
460Lindsey, Lsrael, op.cit., pp45-46.
461Lindsey, jLlanLt, op. cit., p264.
462Lindsey, Einal,op. cit., p 184.
463
Ibid., pp255-7.
464Lindsey, There's, op.cit., p215.
465Lindsey, Einal,op.cit., pp251-252,284
466Lindsey, Apocalypse, op. cit., p237.
467
Ibid., pl 18.
468Rosen, Overture, op. cit., was inspired by the Gulf War and Saddarn Hussein's rise
to power. See also Brickner, Future, op.cit., Louis Goldberg, 'Haman, Hitler, and
Now Hussein - Another Holocaust? ' Issues, 8.1.
469Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carson, The Late Great Planet Earth (Grand Rapids,
Zondervan, 1979) in Issues Book Review, *Lssues,3.7. http: //www. jews-for-
jesus.org
470Brickner,
471Ibid.,
p35.
472Ibid.,
p74.
473Louis Goldberg, 'Haman, Hitler, and Now Hussein Another Holocaust? ' Issues,
8.1.
474
Ibid.
475
Ibid.
480Timothy P. Weber, 'A Reply to David Rausch's "Fundamentalism and the Jew,"'
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, March (198 1), p70.
243
496
DeHaan,op.cit.
497MECC, What, op.cit., preface.
498Halsell, Prol2hecy,op.cit., p195; Seealso DeMar & Leithart, Legacy, op.cit., p26.
499SeeGalatians4 where the Gentiles are now regardedas the children of Sarahand
the Jewswho have rejectedJesusare seenas the children of Hagar.
500Richard Kyle, The Last Days are Here Again, (Grand Rapids,Baker, 1998),p 199.
501SeeHebrews 1:1-4,8: 13,10: 1.
502
503
Bass,op.cit., pl.51.
Hebrews8: 13.
244
of Christian Zionism
Practice
Chosen People
Restorationism
Eretz Israel
Jerusalem
Temple
The Future
implications of this Christian support must first of all be examined within the
context of how Zionism is viewed politically in the wider world.
1.1 Zionism, Racism and Apartheid
Israel has been accused of institutional racism and apartheid by the US
7
6
8
Nations,
South
United
African
as well as Israeli political
government,
9
activists and academics. The word 'apartheid' is a Dutch Afrikaans word
derived from the root 'apart' meaning 'separate'and 'heid'meaning 'hood'. In
the context of South Africa it was used to describe the legal and institutional
segregation of inhabitants of European descent from those of non-European
descent. 10In 1973, the UN defined apartheid as, 'inhuman acts committed for
the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of
persons over another racial group of persons and systematically oppressing
"'
As has been noted, although subsequently revoked following
them.
pressure from the US, in 1975 the UN specifically applied that definition to
Israel, condemning the ethnic exclusivism of Zionism as, 'a form of racism
12
discrimination.
and racial
The US State Department Country Reports on 'Israel and the
Occupied Territories', provide an objective and accurate evaluation of the
political consequences of Zionism. The 1989 report observed:
'Israel's Arab citizens have
fully in the rights granted to
not
shared
...
Jewish citizens
The Department of State has observed that "Israel
...
welcomes Jewish immigrants ... to whom it gives automatic citizenship
and residence rights, " while it denies such citizenship and residence
rights to Palestinians living in refugee camps in the West Bank and in
Gaza who were born in Israel, and whose very lands Israel has
expropriated and holds "in trust for the Jewish people. " The fourth
...
basic law is Israel's status law, which gives Israel's citizens with "Jewish
nationality" certain rights and privileges which are denied to Israel's
citizens with "Arab nationality
The Report for 1999 shows how liftle progress had been made in the
preceding decade:
'The Government made little headway in reducing institutionalized legal
and societal discrimination against Israel's Christian, Muslim, and Druze
citizens, who constitute just over 20 percent of the population, but do not
share fully the rights provided to, and obligations imposed on, the
country's Jewish citizens. As part of their efforts to address the problem,
some government officials publicly acknowledged significant
246
in condemning
between
the conditions
'I have been very deeply distressed in all my visits to the Holy Land, how
so much of what was taking place there reminded me so much of what
used to happen to us Blacks in Apartheid South Africa. I have seen the
humiliation of the Palestinians at the road blocks and recall what used to
happen to us in our motherland, when arrogant, young white police
officers would hector, and bully us, and demean us when we ran the
gauntlet of their unpredictable whims - whether they would let you
through or not. When they seemed to derive so much fun out of our
sullen humiliation. I have seen such scenes, or heard of them, being
played out in the Holy Land. The rough and discourteous demands for
IlDs from the Palestinians were so uncannily reminiscent of the infamous
pass law raids of the vicious Apartheid regime. We saw on those visits,
or read about things that did not happen even in Apartheid South Africa.
The demolition of homes because of a suspicion that one or other family
member was a terrorist. And so, all paid a price in these acts of
collective punishment. Seemingly being repeated more recently in the
attacks on Arab refugee camps. We don't know the exact truth because
the Israelis won't let the media in. What are they hiding? But perhaps,
more seriousl, why is their no outcry in this country at the censorship of
their media? "
In their contribution to the LIN Conference on Racism held in Durban in 2001,
the ANC also made the following comparison between Israel and South
247
Africa:
'Until its defeat, South Africa's apartheid regime found much in common
Afrikaaner
Both
Israeli
their
nationalism, as manifest
counterparts.
with
in the apartheid State, and Zionism, as manifest in the Israeli State,
Such
"chosen
ideology
the
an
people"
of
an
exclusive
propagated
...
P17
It
is
South
Africans.
black
familiar
is
to
racist.
approach
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, in a report to the US Senate, has
Israeli
Arabs
discrimination
how
works:
against
racial
observed
'Some Education Ministry grants are earmarked only for army veterans,
the report said, making most Arabs ineligible because they are not
drafted into Israel's army. Some private employers also demand military
that
ice
the
store
cream
said,
citing
an
group
civil
rights
service,
is
advertised for staff with an army record. "The criterion of army service
, 18
it
jobs,
"
being
for
Arabs
to
said.
accepted
prevent
cynically used
Apart from in a few locations such as Haifa, Lod and Jaffa, most Israeli towns
Haddad
Professor
Yvonne
observes
segregated.
are
officially
villages
and
that Israel '... not only bans the return of Palestinian Gentiles to their
homeland, but also restricts its Christian and Muslim citizens to specified
living areas and limits their access to resources which are monopolized and
land).
'19
by
State
(such
the
water,
and
as
education,
confiscated
In 1987, the Jewish academic Uri Davis, published what is probably
the most detailed and controversial work on racism in Israel, Israel, An
Apartheid State. In it Davis exposed the inherent apartheid in the official
State
has,
1948,
like
South
Africa,
Jewish
the
which
since
of
structures
defined the national status and citizenship rights of its population on racial
been
State
Israel
has
for
90%
the
He
how,
of
of
example,
shows
grounds.
legally defined as land which only Jews can lease or cultivate. 20In every
aspect of Israeli society, whether in terms of educational provision, access to
medical care, employment rights, or treatment under the judicial system,
Arabs suffer systematic and institutional discrimination and racism. On Israeli
birth certificates for Jewish children citizenship is given as 'Israeli'. In the case
of Arabs this category is left blank. Arab children are thus stateless at birth,
and must earn Israeli citizenship, whereas the Jewish child is born with it.
Arab villages falli ng outside Israeli zoning plans are technically illegal and do
not appear on Israeli maps, and thus cannot apply for water, electricity or
telephones, etc. Since 1948, over 500 such villages have been demolished
248
for
benefit
first
their
Israel.
While
Israelis
State
the
child
all
receive
of
within
child, benefit for subsequent children is dependent on the parents completing
their military service. Orthodox Jews are exempted from this requirement,
while Arabs are not. Consequently 99% of Jews apply, 99% of Arabs do not.
Numerous other well known Jewish figures have been critical of
Israel's apartheid policies. For example, in 1991 Sir Yehudi Menuhin, was
awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize by the Israeli Government. In his
acceptance speech before the Israeli Knesset he referred to Israel's
continued occupation of the West Bank in these terms:
'This wasteful governing by fear, by contempt for the basic dignities of
life, this steady asphyxiation of a dependent people, should be the very
last means to be adopted by those who themselves know too well the
awful significance, the unforgettable suffering of such an existence. It
is unworthy of my great people, the Jews, who have striven to abide by
a code of moral rectitude for some 5,000 years, who can create and
achieve a society for themselves such as we see around us but can
yet deny the sharing of its great qualities and benefits to those dwelling
21
them.
amongst
Noam Chomsky, has made similarly outspoken criticisms of the Israeli stance
in the peace process, drawing comparisons with South Africa. 22
'The intended goal, it appears, is to ensure Israel's control of the
territories, with scattered cantons of local Palestinian administration. If
these are called a "Palestinian State", the result will resemble South
Africa's Bantustan policy, but not quite. The Bantustans were
subsidized by South Africa, while the US-Israeli plan is to leave to the
Palestinian cantons the task of dealing with the bitter effects of the
military occupation, which barred any possibility of economic
development. P23
Jeff Halper, of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions has also
described his own government's policies as fundamentally racist.
'Whether a Palestinian State actually emerges from the Oslo process
or Israel's occupation becomes permanent, the essential elements of
Apartheid - exclusivity, inequality, separation, control, dependency,
violations of human rights and suffering -- are likely to define the
relationship between Israel and the Occupied Territories/Palestine. 124
Following the attack on the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002, Gerald
Kaufman, described Ariel Sharon as a 'war criminal' for using 'methods of
barbarism against the Palestinians. ' Speaking in a Common's debate
249
Kaufman insisted, 'it is time to remind Sharon that the Star of David belongs
to all Jews and not to his repulsive government.
25
,
blood.
Star
David
with
of
250
for
Jesus.
'
In
it
Jews
they
from
Letter
Evangelical
Christians
'Open
to
entitled
Israel
State
the
to
at this
of
with
show solidarity
called upon evangelicals
critical time:
'Now is the time to stand with Israel. Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ, our hearts are heavy as we watch the images of violence and
bloodshed in the Middle East Christian friends, "The gifts and calling
...
for
the
So
11:
29).
(Romans
God
irrevocable"
our
support
must
of
are
for
Now
is
time
irrevocable.
the
Israel
in
dark
hour
be
this
survival of
Christians to stand by Israel. P30
32
created a power vacuum in the Middle East which the US has filled. Following
the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait and then more recently, Afghanistan from the
Taleban, the US has significantly increased its influence in the Middle East. At
the same time there has been a significant increase in the impact of the proIsraeli lobby. As a consequence, the Middle East, and Israel in particular, has
become central to US foreign policy, not least because of the al Qaeda
attacks on New York and Washington. Dick Armey, for example, the
Republican Majority Leader in the House of Representatives and a Christian
Zionist, recently linked Israel's conflict with the Palestinians with the US global
war on terrorism. 'Let me be clear, Israel is fighting the same war on terrorism
that we are fighting. s36Michael Lind contends US foreign policy is skewed
because of the disproportionate influence of the Israeli lobby. He summarises
the ways in which the Israeli lobby has distorted US foreign policy:
'Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, enabled by US
weapons and money, inflames anti-American attitudes in Arab and
Muslim countries. The expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian
land makes a mockery of the US commitment to self-determination for
Kosovo, East Timor and Tibet. The US strategy of dual containment of
Iraq and Iran, pleases Israel - which is most threatened by them but
violates the logic of realpolitik and alienates most of America's other
allies. Beyond the region, US policy on nuclear weapons proliferation is
undermined by the double standard that has led it to ignore Israel's
X
those
India
Pakistan.
nuclear programme while condemning
of
and
The Christian Right came to shape US foreign policy largely through the
election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. His victory over Jimmy Carter gave a
considerable boost to the Christian Zionist cause. Wagner claims his election,
'ushered in not only the most pro-Israel administration in history but gave
several Christian Zionists prominent political posts. ' He points out that in
addition to the US President, those who subscribed to a futurist premillennial
theology and endorsed Christian Zionism included Attorney General Ed
Meese, Secretary of Defence Casper Weinberger, and Secretary of the
Interior James Waft. 38White House seminars became a regular feature of
Reagan's administration bringing leading Christian Zionists like Jerry Falwell,
Mike Evans and Hal Lindsey into personal contact with national and
congressional leaders. In the same year, the International Christian Embassy,
Jerusalem, was founded with the purpose of coordinating 'direct political
252
One of its
lobbying activities in cooperation with the Israeli government. P39
primary goals is to see the removal of PLO offices in Western countries and
the transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 40
At the February 1991 National Prayer Breakfast, Ed McAteer, a rightwing political activist and President of the Religious Roundtable, launched the
Christian Israel Public Affairs Committee (CIPAC), which was modelled on the
powerful American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which for over
twenty years has lobbied on behalf of the right-wing Israeli Likud party.41The
board of directors of CIPAC includes Tom Dine, a director of AIPAC and
Herbert Zweilbon, President of Americans for a Safe Israel. The executive
director of CIPAC is Richard Hellman, a former aide to Senator Howard Baker
and an ICEJ activist. The goals of CIPAC were identical to AIPAC but are
also motivated by dispensational Christian Zionism. One of the first objectives
of CIPAC was to lobby the Congress to make $10 billion available in US loan
guarantees to fund the resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union in
Israel and the West Bank. The Bush administration linked the loan
guarantees to the halting of Jewish settlements on the West Bank. Jan Willem
van der Hoeven of the ICEJ told the Jerusalem Post, the 'Christian
community finds the Bush administration's policy on loan guarantees totally
unacceptable. ' He claimed that 80% of America's evangelical Christians
42
the
loan
supported
guarantees.
The National Unity Coalition for Israel (NUCFI) is probably the most
recent network of Christian Zionists to be formed in the US yet it is already
the largest and most powerful. The NUCFI was founded by Esther Levens in
Kansas in 1994 and now comprises a broad coalition of 200 different and
autonomous Jewish and Christian organisations representing 40 million
members who are'dedicated to a secure Israel. 143Their principal strategy is
to lobby the US media and political establishment, to challenge what they
term 'disinformation and propaganda' and to express 'the truth about Israel. '
The NUCFI includes three of the largest Christian Zionist organisations:
Bridges for Peace, the International Christian Embassy and Christians for
Israel.
This coalition effectively controls both the Republican and Democratic
parties by providing the bulk of campaign funding to both sides. Aluf Ben, a
253
'60
Ha'aretz
Shimon
Peres,
in
for
claiming
as
percent
was
quoted
spokesman
of all financial help to Democrats came from Jewish sourceS.'44According to
the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 'most pro-Israel fund-raisers
funding
90
Democratic
least
60
to
that
campaign
percent
of
at
estimate
comes from Jewish sources, which also supply perhaps 40 percent of
Republican funding. 45
The power of the pro-Israeli lobby, which ensures Israel continues to
receive more than 3 billion dollars annually from the US in grants, loans and
last
fact
US
by
George
be
that
Bush
the
the
snr.
was
gauged
subsidies, can
President to criticise them in public. During the Gulf War, he enraged the
Israeli lobby by pressurising Israel not to retaliate against Iraqi attacks and by
promising Arab coalition partners that he would deal with the Palestinian
issue. In September 1991, he complained that, 'there are 1,000 lobbyists up
on the Hill today lobbying Congress for loan guarantees for Israel and I'm one
lonely little guy down here asking Congress to delay its consideration of loan
guarantees for 120 days. 146Lind points out that the pro-Israeli lobby was
responsible for encouraging, 'the greatest abuse of the Presidential pardon
power in American history'when Bill Clinton, on his last day in office,
controversially pardoned Mark Rich, the fugitive billionaire on the FBI's 'Most
Wanted' list. In a New York Times article in February 2001, Clinton explained
that he had done it for Israel:
'Many present and former high-ranking Israeli officials of both major
political parties and leaders of Jewish communities in America and
Europe urged the pardon of Mr Rich because of his contributions and
services to Israeli charitable causes, to the Mossad's efforts to rescue
Jews from hostile countries, and to the peace process through
sponsorship of education and health programmes in Gaza and the
West Bank. 147
The pro-Israeli lobby is also involved in the selection, appointing and firing of
US government officials and appointees 48Arabists like Andrew Killgore, for
.
example, who gave 25 years to serving in the US Foreign Service in several
Arab countries, found himself, in 1974, when he expected to be named
ambassador to Bahrain, exiled to the embassy in New Zealand. 'I thought
I'd never get a good job [in the Arab world], because the Zionists, in
...
my view, had it in for me at that time. '49Following his retirement in 1980,
that
254
Beside the powerful biblical images of Israel as the land of the 'chosen
people', there are also strong political and economic incentives in portraying
Israel as a land without a people for a people without a land; as the bastion of
Western democracy in a tyrannical Middle East; 'a defenceless Israeli David
The Israeli
pitted against a ruthless and tyrannical Arab Goliath. Y53
government has largely achieved this by refusing to grant tour guide licences
to Palestinians from the West Bank, while training over 3,000 Israeli guides;
by freezing the expansion or renovation of Palestinian hotels in East
Jerusalem while promoting Jewish hotels in West Jerusalem; and by heavily
taxing Palestinian enterprises, traders and hoteliers while subsidising proIsraeli tour agencies. Hagop Sarkissian, the Armenian Bishop in Jerusalem
illustrates how this bias is affecting the Christian businesses.
'We have been here for 1600 years, yet we cannot be sure what will
happen tomorrow. The Israelis claim they are the champions of
255
any one time, Falwell's itinerary has in the past included the following
programme of events:
'1. An Israeli American Friendship Banquet in Jerusalem with Dr
Jerry Falwell and Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
2. Meetings with top Israeli Administration officials and Knesset
Members.
3. Luncheon with Major Saad Haddad, Commander of Christian
forces in Southern Lebanon.
4. Participating (particularly for pastors and other Christian
laymen) in a transatlantic, live TV satellite program.
5. On-site tour of modern Israeli battlefields. (Hear military experts
describe those battles and how they were decided. )
6. Official visit to an Israeli defence installation by a top military
leader. (This tour is rarely offered. ) You will see strategic military
positions, plus experience first-hand the battle Israel faces.
7. A Bibleland tour that avoids ancient Byzantine churches while
emphasising the places where Jesus Himself, Moses, Abraham
and other Bible Greats lived and walked. 56
The order is significant - Falwell and Begin first with Jesus and other'Bible
Greats'last. The ICZC in Jerusalem specifically promotes 'solidarity tours'
256
tourist
traditional
the
to
Christians
to
designed
visit
not
only
enable
which are
places 'but see the settlements and other places and people who specifically
Farah
the
Kamal
to
love.
j57
According
of
and
need our support, comfort
Anglican Pilgrimage Office, it is the policy of the Israeli government to ensure
Wailing
Vashem,
the
Yad
key
three
the
tourists
sites
of
and pilgrims visit
all
Wall and Masada in order to perpetuate a favourable image of Israel, stifle
land:
to
the
their
claim
reinforce
criticism and
'The Holocaust Museum reminds those who come that Christians are
Israel
holocaust,
to
the
as a victim;
and
represent
guilty of perpetrating
The Wailing Wall is the religious place where they speak about waiting
for the coming of the Messiah; and Masada represents a nation
Masada
how
The
freedom.
for
life
should
story
of
whole
and
struggling
being
free,
idea
being
famous
is
fall
This
the
of
again.
never
independent and bein ready to die for freedom rather than as slaves
in their own country. 5P
Christian Zionist tours embrace this Israeli agenda. They focus on the
from
Israel
speakers
with
of
contemporary
religious and political significance
the Israeli government and visits to the settlements to reinforce Israel's claim
to the land and place in prophecy. They invariably stay in Israeli hotels or
Kibbutzim, use Israeli buses and guides and frequent Israeli tourist shops and
restaurants.
For example, to assist the settlements in becoming self-sustaining,
Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) works closely with Lev
Ha'Aretz, the tourism body for Jewish settlements in the West Bank and
Gaza, to promote Christian tours to biblical sites now managed by the
Nablus,
Testament
Old
There
or ancient
sites
around
are many
settlers.
Shechem, for example: Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, on which the
Israelites were promised blessings and curses; Sebaste, the capital of the
ancient Kingdom of Israel and then of Samaria; Elon Moreh, where God
promised Abraham the land; and Shiloh, for 369 years home to the
Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. Doina Chiacu describes how Jewish
settlers stake a biblical claim to the Occupied Territories and 'a sliver of
Israel's $3 billion-a-year tourism industry' with new hotels, advertising
campaigns, and tour guides. 159Sondra Baras of CFOIC explains how they are
seeking to funnel more Christian tourists into these settlements. 'We're
257
saying, "These are the places where the Bible happened - wouldn't you like
to see them?,,' 60Christian Zionists with close ties to the Old Testament are
visiting the sites associated with settlements in greater numbers. Yigal
Dilmoni, tourism director for the Samaria regional council claims the area is
getting around 40,000 Christian visitors annually. Tel Shiloh alone logged
more than 20,000 visitors in 1999, more than 70% of them evangelicals from
the US and Europe. According to Sharvit. 'Protestants feel they have a
connection to the place ... I get so excited when I hear them talking about the
Tabernacle. They know it; they feel it. Some burst into song or prayer at the
Tabernacle site, while others take its measurements to see if they correspond
to those in Exodus 27. ' Baras describes similar reactions. 'They're just
spellbound. There's no other word ... I've seen groups just pray and sing. It's
a whole experience. They join hands in prayer - very spontaneously because they are so moved by what they see. 16l
In the Spring of 2003, Jewish settlers from Gush Eztion, an illegal
settlement near Hebron, began organising 'terror tours' offering Americans a
four day excursion with includes hand to hand combat simulation with
terrorists, weapons training from OF experts including tanks and an F-16, an
aerial tour of 'terrorist enclaves' and 'a live-fire simulation of an attack on a
62
Jay Greenwald, founder of Holy Land Concepts Inc. and
settlement'.
Regional Coordinator for Gush Etzion, claims, 'There's a lot of "wow" factor,
like going up in an army helicopter and firing machine guns but it is also
aimed at training people in how to deal with terrorist situations. 'The highlight
of the tour, Greenwald claims, is a paintball fight in a simulated Arab village,
where 'participants will be able to go room-to-room
terroriStS, 63
258
CMJ, while essentially a Christian missionary society, also runs its own proZionist tour company, Shoresh Tours, as well as a guest house for pilgrim
Church
Christ
in Jerusalem.
both
based
at
groups,
Pilgrimage research has shown that approximately 95% of Western
tour groups visiting the Holy Land fail to make any contact with the indigenous
Christian community.65While traditional pilgrimage groups are largely
indifferent to the existence of an indigenous Christian community and focus
on the biblical sites, pro-Israeli groups, drawn predominantlyfrom American
fundamentalistchurches, visit the Holy Land with an apocalyptic agenda.
They see themselves as active participants in what are the 'Last Days',
showing solidarity with Israel. Kenneth Cragg, former assistant Bishop of
Jerusalem, has observed:
'Local Christians are caught in a degree of museurnization.They are
aware of tourists who come in great volume from the West to savour
holy places but who are, for the most part, blithely disinterested in the
people who indwell them. The pain of the indifference is not eased
insofar as the same tourism is subtly manipulated to make the case for
the entire legitimacy of the statehood that regulates it.,66
The consequencesfor the indigenous Christian communities are entirely
deleterious. The following diagram illustrates the destructive cumulative
effects of these Zionist tours.
Ejewlsh
Mt lb
in,rary of
1
Ical and
1,
,c
f Sites
Progc)heticArmaegcetddon
cenario Exp
ed
I
Presence of Indi
Christians Denli%us
I
Indigenous
Christians
Expendable
Legitimacy
Occupatiah
of Israeli
Affirmed
Inks -I=lh
Zi_ni t..
, . _g. d
The principal motivation among Christian Zionists for visiting the Holy Land is
primarily to bring a blessing to the Jewish people, especially the settlers who
259
are reclaiming Judea and Samaria. They seek to show solidarity with the
State of Israel and witness the literal fulfilment of Biblical prophecy. The
presence of an indigenous Palestinian Christian community is an unwelcome
complication either demonised as Muslim fundamentalists or cast as recent
economic migrants, drawn by the wealth of Israel. With greater contact
occurring between western Christians and the State of Israel, Christian
Zionists return home galvanised in their support for agencies encouraging
Jewish people to make aliyah and claim their inheritance.
2. Restorationism
From the days of Joseph Wolff s expeditions to find the lost tribes of Israel in
the 1820s, Christian Zionists have been convinced that it is God's will for the
Jewish people to return to Israel since it was given in perpetuity to the
descendants of Abraham. With the fall of Communism in the Former Soviet
Union (FSU) and Eastern Europe, Christians Zionists have become
increasingly active in facilitating Jewish 6migrds to make aliyah 68A study of
.
one agency, CMJ, illustrates the tension which Restorationism causes. While
Tony Higton insists that CMJ, '... is not involved in actively encouraging
Jewish people to move to Israel ,69Kelvin Crombie claims that part of the
reason for CIVIJ's popularity in the 19thCentury was the conviction that 'God
was going to use England to play a leading role in helping to restore the
Jewish people to their homeland and to their Messiah. 170In 1992 the Council
of CMJ reaffirmed, 'We see the return of the Jewish people to the Land of
Israel as a sign of God's faithfulness as revealed in the scriptures '71Their
.
commitment, 'recalls the influence that the "Restoration of Israel" theology
had on many of the Society's founders. s72In the 1996 CMJ Annual Report,
and in special editions of Shalom in 1998, celebrating the 50th anniversary of
the founding of the State of Israel, Walter Riggans and Kelvin Crombie
reaffirmed CMJ's commitment to Restorationism:
'in our day there seems to be in some Christian circles a restriction of
interest to the State of Israel and to the significance of various events
for the unfolding of biblical prophecies relating to the end times. CMJ
has always been at the forefront of teaching about God's restoration of
the Jewish people to and in Israel, and we are continually excited by,
and watchful of all that is happening. We are humbled by what the Lord
260
Crombie (1998)
In the 140 years leading to the
formation of the State of Israel CMJ
believed in, and worked towards, the
restoration of the Jewish People to
their own land. Our hope and prayer.is
that CMJ can continue in this
commitment and that the society can
75
its
heritage.
uphold unique
Higton claims that such statements are 'rhetorical rather than literal. v76
Nevertheless, Shalom articleS77together with links to agencies associated
with Restorationism from CMJ's own website demonstrate a degree of
commitment to agencies active in Restorationism, at least among some CMJ
staff, which matches that of other Christian Zionist agencies such as ICEJ
and BFP.
2.1 By Land and Sea: From Restoration to Transportation
Since 1980, a coalition of Christian Zionist agencies has taken the initiative in
encouraging Jewish people to emigrate to Israel, seeing this as the fulfilment
of prophecy. The ICEJ assert:
'In no uncertain terms God has made known His intention to regather
the scattered Jewish people and to plant them in the land with His
"whole heart and soul" (Jeremiah 32: 41). We believe that in the
present massive wave of Soviet Jewish immigration to Israel (almost
400,000 since September 1989), the world is witnessing one of the
most startling prophetic fulfilments of our time - one that should deeply
touch the heart of every Bible-believing Christian and provoke him to
78
,
action.
Exobus was probably the first Christian Zionist agency to turn the doctrine of
Restorationism into a reality and assist Jews in the former Soviet Union (FSU)
to make aliyah. Exobus was founded in 1984 by Phil Hunter, director of the
Good News Travels Bus Company, based in Hull, for the purpose of
facilitating the transportation of Jews from the FSU to Israel. The first Exobus
261
team was sent to the Ukraine in 1991 and since then they have assisted over
56,000 Jewish people to emigrate to Israel in close cooperation with the
Jewish Agency. Exobus is now probably the largest Christian agency
facilitating aliyah, comprising 80 team members, drawn from 13 countries and
operating 40 vehicles. Exobus transports approximately 1,200 Jews overland
from 16 different bases in the FSU each month 79The main financial support
.
for Exobus comes from a sister agency, Christians for Israel International,
80
Exobus
in
US.
the
who promote
Combining economic incentive with biblical argument, their'fishing'
teams visit Jewish communities and present concerts in Hebrew with song
and dance. They explain from the Old Testament the biblical basis for making
aliyah. Videos of dmigrds from their own home town are shown, giving
testimonies of how they have been blessed by moving to Israel. 81Exobus
focuses their operations on the Ukraine which has the largest concentration of
Jews, after New York and Israel. They do so because, they claim, 'it has the
highest and worst history of anti-Semitism in the world. M
At the Third International Christian Zionist Congress held in Jerusalem
in 1996, under the auspices of the ICEJ, a resolution was passed committing
Christians to assist Jewish people make aliyah: 'Christian believers are
instructed by Scripture to acknowledge the Hebraic roots of their faith and to
actively assist and participate in the plan of God for the ingathering of the
Jewish People and the restoration of the nation of Israel in our day. M Since
1991, the ICEJ has paid for the transportation of 40,000 immigrants, 15,000
84
taken
Israel
51
ICEJ
flights.
to
ICEJ Russian
of whom were
on
sponsored
team members are especially active in the more remote regions of the FSU.
Like Exobus, the ICEJ and Bridges for Peace describe their ministry in terms
of 'fishing' for Jews, based on Jeremiah 16: 16. They locate Jews, persuade
them to emigrate, help them obtain documents to prove their Jewish origins,
distribute humanitarian packages and pay for exit permits, passports, debt
repayment, transport and accommodation while their applications are
85
processed by the Jewish Agency in the larger Russian cities. Once in Israel,
ICEJ as well as BFP assist 6migr&s with their resettlement costs, providing
food, clothing, blankets, kitchen and school supplies as well as medical
86
if
equipment, needed.
262
88
nevertheless, since Jews for Jesus, for example, encourage their supporters
to send money 'to ministries that both rescue and witness to Jews, like
Operation Exodus' Ebenezer Emergency Fund, Bridges for Peace and
Blossoming Rose. 89
Hoeven is convinced that even Jews living in the United States will eventually
God
Palestine
that
to
may use anti-Semitism
and
emigrate
pray that even if it takes anti-Semitism
So
if
have
have
So
Israel.
there.
back
to
we
we
must
enough
room
millions
six million American Jews coming we cannot give up the West Bank, can
we? '91
lax
into
the
Israel
is
than
be
criteria used
somewhat
more
entry
allowed
may
by the Orthodox Jewish authorities to determine who may be buried in a
Jewish cemetery. It seems they had refused to bury some Russian dmigrds
and CMJ staff in Israel came to an arrangement with a Jewish funeral director
to allow their burial in the Anglican cemetery in Jaffa, apparently without the
knowledge or consent of the Anglican Diocese. The cemetery, intended for
Anglican Palestinians and expatriates, is therefore now full of Russian graves.
Over the last ten years, based on their apocalyptic eschatology and
somewhat dubious hermeneutic, Christian Zionists have facilitated one of the
largest mass migrations of people since 1948. Raising tens of millions of
dollars they have assisted many of the 700,000 Jewish 6migr6s, from the FSU
and Eastern Europe to make aliyah. It is uncertain how many of these have
done so out of religious conviction, as economic migrants, or from fear arising
from the tactics used by Christian Zionist 'fishermen'.
Believing the West Bank forms an integral part of the land given by
God to the Jewish people for ever, Christian Zionists have not only assisted
Jews to emigrate from the FSU, they have also supported their resettlement
within the Occupied Territories.
3. Eretz Israel : Sustaining the West Bank Settlements
For religious Zionism, Jewish and Christian, the legitimate borders of Israel
are considerably larger than those presently disputed with Syria, Jordan and
the Palestinian Authority. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration promised the
Jewish people a homeland within Mandate Palestine, which then extended to
both sides of the Jordan River. Zionists assumed that this would all be ceded
to the new Jewish state. However, in 1922 Winston Churchill removed 78% of
the territory and gave it to the Hashemite family to form what was initially
95
Transjordania.
The termination of the British Mandate, due in large
called
measure to Jewish terrorism, together with the unilateral declaration of the
State of Israel led to the war of 1948 since Jews and Arabs could not agree to
the 1947 UN partition proposal.
There are as a consequence three separate sets of disputed borders
of Israel: those recognised by the international community in 1949 but no
longer by Israel; the borders following the war of 1967, including the Golan,
265
Gaza and the West Bank, occupied by Israel and held in breach of numerous
UN Security Council resolutions; and the much larger borders promised by
God to Abraham which religious Zionists believe are Israel's legitimate
inheritance.
as
the de facto borders of the State of Israel. However, they were difficult to
defend militarily and tensions led to the Suez Crisis with Egypt in 1956 and
Six Day War with its Arab neighbours in 1967. The war of 1967 resulted in
Israel conquering the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan
the
Begin
In
Menachim
from
Egypt.
1977,
Peninsula
Sinai
the
and
when
and
Likud Party came to power, they began to utilize biblical imagery to justify the
it'Judea
West
Bank
the
renaming
of
settlement
military occupation and
Samaria. 'They also gave Hebrew names to settlements
and
Eretz Israel
David Allen Lewis, President of Christians United for Israel, puts the territorial
claims of Israel into the wider context of the Middle East. He observes that,
this cannot be
'The Arabs already have 99.5 per cent of the land
...
tolerated. 97Derek Prince also voices the common complaint among Christian
Zionists who lament that Israel 'has only 22% of the original inheritance
offered the Jews'98 by the British government in 1917. Echoing the
experience of the Israelites under Pharaoh, Jan Willem van der Hoeven offers
a theological rationalisation for Israel's victory in 1948 and a justification for its
refusal to withdraw from what Lindsey describes as 'biblically Jewish lands. '99
'God wanted to give His people that part of the land which they did not
receive in 1948, and by hardening the hearts of the different Arab
leaders - Presidents Nasser and Assad and King Hussein - He
impelled Israel to react. The result of what became known as the Six
Day War was that Judea and Samaria - heartland of biblical Israel 266
Jerusalem
King
David's
the
capital - were returned
city
of
ancient
and
to their original owner Thus, the Lord, by hardening the hearts of the
...
Arab leaders, caused His people Israel to inherit the rest of the land,
Until
defense!
then,
in
their
since
a
of
self
city,
war
ancient
especially
1949, Jordan had illegally held and occupied the "West Bank" and
Jerusalem. Thus, when Israel recaptured Judea, Samaria and
Jerusalem, they did not even take over a territory that legally belonged
at that time to any nation! How few in the West have even realized this.
"00
Word
fulfil
His
God has His own sovereign way to
and promise.
Bridges for Peace also asks the rhetorical question: 'What is so sacred about
th
1967 lineT Nothing, they argue since historically this was all
June
4
the
,
in
1967
in
defensive
battles
Israel
'squarely
biblical
and
won
and
part of
1973. ' Referring to the Golan, they claim that because it was legitimately
'to
lobby
Christians
their
in
1980,
by
Israel
officials
should
elected
annexed
it
into
Israel
Heights
Golan
Israel's
to
the
giving
and not pressure
right
protect
away to the Syrians. '101
At the First International Christian Zionist Conference held in 1985 and
sponsored by the ICEJ, a resolution was passed calling upon the world to
Judea
'All
judaization
Palestine:
this
nations
should
recognise
of
recognise
Judea
This
Congress
declares
that
Israel
Samaria
belonging
to
and
as
and
...
Samaria (inaccurately termed "the West Bank") are, and by biblical right as
002
Israel.
be,
to
law
a part of
and practice ought
well as international
At the Third International Christian Zionist Congress held in Jerusalem in
February 1996, some 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries unanimously
affirmed a more explicit declaration of Israeli sovereignty: 'The Land of Israel
has been given to the Jewish People by God as an everlasting possession by
an eternal covenant. The Jewish People have the absolute right to possess
103
'
including
Samaria,
Gaza
Golan.
in
Land,
Judea,
dwell
the
the
and
and
The purpose of Israel's occupation of the Golan, West Bank and Gaza
goes well beyond the need for secure borders. Anne Dexter explains why
negotiations involving a 'land for peace' deal will never appease religious
Zionists, Jewish or Christian. Claiming that the question of ancient boundaries
cannot be ignored, she insists that these biblical borders underlie the policies
is
Sinai
Likud
While
Israeli
the
politicians,
notably
right
of many
wing
party.
always negotiable, having twice been invaded and relinquished, it is for this
reason that Jewish settlements on the West Bank and Golan Heights are not
267
simply a matter of secure and defensible borders. 'It is the guiding principle in
Israel's interpretation of West Bank autonomy, which insists that whatever the
degree of self-determination allowed the people, the land itself belongs to
Israel. 004In her view, Palestinians may be allowed limited autonomy but not
statehood. She argues that Palestinian Christians, in particular, must accept
Zionism and the settlements and learn to live with them. 'Arab Christians are
squarely faced with the biblical election of the Jews, and their role throughout
history, particularly in the present. 005
This conviction that the entire West Bank is integral to Israel has led
many Christian Zionists to 'adopt' exclusive Jewish settlements to strengthen
their claim to the land.
3.2 Adopting the Settlements
Since 1967, using various economic and tax incentives as well as appealing
to biblical rhetoric, Israel has encouraged over 400,000 Jews to colonize East
Jerusalem, The West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights through 190 illegal
106
Several Christian Zionist organisations have given their full
settlements.
support to this judaization of the Occupied Territories. Jews for Jesus, for
example, compares Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories with the
settlement of Texas by the United States. 'Many might wish that the Israeli
government could feel secure enough to withdraw the settlements on the
West Bank. But on the same basis, the United States should seriously
consider giving Texas back to Mexico and, indeed, should never have settled
it in the first place. 007The Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC),
founded by Ted Beckett in 1995, works in partnership with Christian Friends
of Israel (CFI) and defines a settlement as:
'A piece of land where brave, Jewish pioneers have taken up
residence. In most cases it is a barren rocky hilltop set up to establish
a Jewish community where none had existed for thousands of years. In
some case, such as Shiloh, settlements are established on the original
site of an ancient Jewish city. In others such as Hevron and Gush
Etzion, a Jewish community is established on the site of a community
destroyed by Arab armies during or prior to Israel's War of
Independence. "08
268
Tony Higton claims CMJ does not have an official view on the presence of
Jewish Settlements in the Occupied Territories. 'The current leadership of the
Society wants to see a just and peaceful settlement for both Israel and the
Palestinians. " 09However, in a controversial decision made in October 1999,
Lockhart,
Ray
Clarence
Wagner
BFP,
the
following
the
of
of
example
and
director of CMJ in Israel, moved into Gilo, an illegal Jewish settlement south
of Jerusalem built on confiscated Palestinian land belonging to the community
110
Higton initially justified the placing of CMJ staff in Gilo on
Jala.
Beit
of
evangelistic grounds, but when challenged, questioned whether Gilo should
be classified as a settlement. "'
'There was of course, no political aspect to this decision. The Society
is called to witness to Jewish people wherever they are. I'm sure that
you would agree that Jewish people in Gilo need to hear the Gospel.
They won't hear it from a church building. But they can from Christians
112
live
in
the
who
community.
Bishop Riah Abu El Assal, of the Anglican Diocese in Jerusalem, responded
by describing CMJ's decision as 'unconvincing, offensive and provocative. '
it
'Much as I would like to believe that there was no political aspect
...
would be hard to do so. It seems incongruous to me that one lives in
Neutrality here is an illusion,
Gilo, but at the same time is a-political
...
and we deceive ourselves by claiming to be neutral ... If one has
I need not
Zionist tendencies, let it be so; but, let it be clear as well
...
remind you that Gilo is an Occupied Territory ... I need not remind you
of the many UN Resolutions that await implementation concerning
those settlements. Those settlements have caused further
fragmentation among the Palestinian population, are environmentally
unsustainable, and incongruent with indigenous land use. Their
existence is a direct violation of international law. Their existence
creates a major political dilemma for the Palestinian authority and the
Israeli government, and their further expansion will not only render
Palestinian geographic integrity impossible, but will also affect the
quality of life for future generations ... I actually find them offensive and
provocative to the Christians who live in Beit Jala and Bethlehem, who
have no power of themselves to shout, as many do in Gilo. " 13
CMJ's unilateral decision to place staff in a Jewish settlement, while pleasing
to the Israeli authorities, undermines the witness of the indigenous Christian
community and compromises the wider church's stance in upholding the rule
of international law. Some organisations, however, have gone much further
than CMJ. Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) encourages
evangelical churches to participate in their'Adopt a Settlement' programme to
269
known
Samaria,
living
in
the
'Judea
Jewish
'brave
the
as
and
settlers'
support
"
14
is
'to
Gaza.
Their
Israel
provide
mandate
plains
of
and
mountains of
'
They
insist
Israeli
they
beleaguered
to
are not an
settlers.
and
aid
solidarity
bridges.
'
love
building
but
outreach
of
and
a
support
ministry
evangelistic
Motivated by Isaiah 40: 1, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith the Lord',
they claim:
'This outreach, the first of its kind in the history of Christian Jewish
relations, mobilizes Christians to be actively involved with the Jewish
to
fulfilling
It
is
the
these
promises
are
now
pioneers
who
settlements.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants regarding the
"
15
restoration of all the land Biblically allotted to Israel.
So far, CFOIC's 'progress meter' shows that 39 illegal Israeli settlements
have been adopted by 50 denominational as well as independent churches in
the USA, South Africa, Germany, Holland and the Philippines. For example,
Ariel has been adopted by Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, Colorado; Hevron
by Greater Harvest in Tallahassee, Florida; Alei Zahav by Calvary Chapel in
Nashville; Revava by the United Methodist Church in Green Forest, Arizona;
and Psagot by Tarana Baptist Chapel in Tarzana, California. To strengthen
the settlers' claim to the land, CFOIC publish maps on their website showing
the few areas of the West Bank given back to the Palestinian Authority. In
deference to religious Zionists who will not print God's name, CFOIC lament
the 'partition' of the land as 'the reality of the "peace process" for those living
in the Land G-d promised the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for
"
16
Christian Zionists have not only made a clear stand in justifying
ever!
Israel's illegal settlement of the West Bank. Their'adoption' programme is
also intended to be a means by which financial assistance as well as practical
support for the settlers is delivered.
3.3 Funding the Settlers
Besides facilitating the emigration of Jews to Israel, several Christian Zionist
agencies are active in funding illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
During the 1991 ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles celebration, for example,
representatives from 12 countries presented cheques to the Israeli Prime
Minister, Yitshak Shamir, to help finance the settlements. ' 17 Through their
'Social Assistance Programme' ICEJ also provides financial support for
270
to
bullet
including
Jewish
in
the
strengthen
vests
proof
settlements,
projects
the resolve of settlers, living among what they describe as '3 million hostile
Palestinians. " 18ICEJ's 'Bulletproof Bus for Efrat' appeal, for example, is also
in
bus
transport
to
$150,000
to
settlers
and
purchase an armour plated
raising
119
has
(BFP)
Peace
for
Efrat
Bridges
from
West
Bank
the
a
settlement.
out of
funds
Ezra'which
50
'Operation
otherwise
over
called
similar scheme
Jala
Beit
farm,
Sde
Bar,
the
near
as
settlement
unsustainable projects such
120
included
for
has
the
CFOIC
Herodian.
the
medical
settlements
also
aid
and
They
furniture.
library
books,
supplies,
and
equipment, computers, preschool
call upon Christians to pray for:
'The safety of the Jewish settlers and for terrorist incidents to stop.
Raising up of righteous leadership in the USA, Israel and other
countries to support peace with security in the Holy Land. More
Christians to catch the vision and link up with Jewish settlers.
Unity in Israel among the feuding parties that they will put aside self
interest and trust in God for their peace and strength. That the giving
021
be
land
PLO
to the
reversed.
will
away of
Ray Sanders, director of Christian Friends of Israel, believes God raised up
CFOIC at this strategic time as a response to the attempts to 'demoralise the
residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza and invalidate their rights to live in the
land that God has given to them':
'The recent crisis in Israel, however, has changed our priorities
somewhat. The Jewish communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza are
facing their most difficult challenges ever. Long the object of
international scorn, these people are now facing physical danger of
unprecedented severity. The simplest journey to work or to school has
become a life-threatening experience. 122
CFOIC take heart from the promise given by Ezekiel, 'But you, 0 mountains
of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will
soon come home' (Ezekiel 36: 8). They insist, 'it is critical to show another
face of Christianity, one that will last and not give in to international pressure
tactics. ' However tenuous, biblical mandate and divine imperative make for a
powerful combination in the contemporary justification for the occupation and
settlement of the rest of Eretz Israel. In order to achieve this vision it is
imperative therefore that Israel retain, strengthen and expand its settlement
programme in the Occupied Territories.
271
factor. 1123
Recognition
At the core of Christian Zionist support for Israel's claim to the Occupied
Territories lies the conviction that Jerusalem is, and must remain, the
exclusive and undivided Jewish capital. Attempts to reach agreement in the
wider Arab-Israeli conflict have so far stalled or stumbled over the final status
of Jerusalem. Christian Zionists are strongly opposed to any proposal for joint
sovereignty or the creation of a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.
The vital relationship between Jerusalem and Zionism is expressed
124
Parsons.
He even berates Jewish Zionists who
by
David
most strongly
define Zionism too loosely as simply'support for a Zionist State', particularly
those who considered an alternative location such as Uganda or South
America. Parsons insists that it is 'disingenuous to separate the Jewish
connection to Jerusalem from Zionism ... and still contend that you are a
Zionist. 'What remains, he claims, 'is not worthy of the name '125Jarvilehto
.
similarly describes the decision of the UN to declare Jerusalem 'occupied
territory' as a sign that the UN has been 'polluted with anti-Semitism. 9126
Not only do Christian Zionists believe Jerusalem is integral to Zionism,
they also believe the city is the place in which, according to Clarence Wagner,
'the blessings and judgements to the world are manifested in physical form.
There is blessing for those who see this city as God's appointed city, for ever
272
and for all time, and seek to bless it, pray for its peace, honour its God and
honour its people. ' 127The key, therefore to securing this blessing is to gain
international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Christian Zionists
recognise that the most dramatic and symbolic way to achieve this would be
to persuade Western governments, and principally the US government, to
move their embassies to Jerusalem.
In February 1984, the ICEJ therefore sent a representative, Richard
Hellman, to testify before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in
Washington to urge the US to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
128
the
Israel.
the
Jerry Falwell of Moral
capital of
and recognise
city as
Majority and the AIPAC lobby also spoke in favour of such a move. Senator
Bob Dole later introduced legislation in the American Senate which required
the US Embassy to be rebuilt in Jerusalem by 31 May 1999, and authorised
$100 million for 'preliminary' spending. 129In October 1995 he stated, 'Israel's
capital is not on the table in the peace process, and moving the United States
embassy to Jerusalem does nothing to prejudice the outcome of any future
30
'
Lamenting the failure of the US President to ratify the Senate
negotiations.
decision, Dole commented:
'Jerusalem is today as it has been for three millennia the heart and
soul of the Jewish people. It is also, and should remain forever, the
eternal and undivided capital of the State of Israel The time has
...
come ... to move beyond letters, expressions of support, and sense of
the Congress resolutions. The time has come to enact legislation that
"
31
job
done.
the
will get
In 1992, the ICEJ sponsored various receptions marking the 251hanniversary
of what they referred to as the 'Reunification of Jerusalem. 032 In 1996, at the
International Christian Zionist Congress, this position was reiterated when the
1,500 participants signed a declaration insisting:
'Because of the sovereign purposes of God for the City, Jerusalem
must remain undivided, under Israeli sovereignty, open to all peoples,
the capital of Israel only, and all nations should so concur and place
their embassies here the truths of God are sovereign and it is written
...
that the Land which He promised to His People is not to be
9133
partitioned.
In 1997 the ICEJ also gave support to a full page advert placed in the New
York Times entitled, 'Christians Call for a United Jerusalem. ' It was signed by
273
resolute
274
Temple Mount
We will fly our Israeli flag over the Temple Mount,
...
which will be minus its Dome of the Rock and its mosques and will
have only our Israeli flag and our Temple. This is what our generation
must accomplish. 9148
Both the ICEJ and the ICZC promote Salomon's views. 150Van der Hoeven
further speculates:
'Satan, who knows to always take seriously the things God takes
seriously, kept his grip on the Temple Mount for hundreds of years,
until he was almost unseated in the 1967 Six-Day War. Thanks to the
misguided, if generous, spirit of the victorious Israelis, Islam was
Satan
permitted to hold sway over who would worship on the Mount
...
is moving to entrench his position on God's holy hill. The "political"
struggle over Jerusalem has really never had anything to do with who
heads up which municipality or who oversees the city's housing, parks
276
or public buildings or even who controls the old city. At the heart of the
battle lies this small piece of real estate called Mount Moriah, Mount
Zion, the Temple Mount. "51
According to Grace Halsell, between 1967 and 1990 there have been over
100 armed assaults on the Haram Al-Sharif by Jewish militants, often led by
rabbis. She regrets that'in no instance has any Israeli Prime Minister or the
"
52
Sephardic
Ashkenazi
chief
rabbi criticized these assaults.
rabbi or the chief
However, even if Jewish and Christian Zionists are successful in destroying
the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, one of the unresolved difficulties
they would still face is deciding where to rebuild the Jewish Temple.
5.2 Searching for the Temple Site
It is critical to religious Zionists that any future Temple is built on the same
site as the Temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel and Herod. There appears to
have been continuity between them with each enclosing the protrusion of
Mount Moriah, also known as the Foundation Stone, within the Holy of Holies.
There are three main theories advocated by historians and archaeologists as
to the exact site of the earlier temples. 153The most commonly held, with both
traditional support as well as a consensus among Israeli archaeologists
today, is that the Temple stood on the site of the Dome of the Rock.
In the 1970s, Lindsey insisted the Jewish Temple would have to be
built in place of the Dome of the Rock. 'There is one major problem barring
the construction of a third Temple. That obstacle is the second holiest place
of the Muslim faith, the Dome of the Rock. This is believed to be built squarely
in the middle of the old Temple site. Obstacle or no obstacle, it is certain that
the Temple will be rebuilt. Prophecy demands it. "54 Lindsey appeared to
know the exact location of the Temple structure. 'Imagine my emotions as I
stood under a sign at the Wall which read in Hebrew: 'Holy of Holies, 10
Metres', with an arrow pointing towards a spot thirty feet behind the existing
Wall in the direction of the Dome of the Rock! " 55By 1983, Lindsey had
changed his mind however. Now favouring the Northern Theory, Lindsey
believed this discovery, 'has accelerated the countdown to the events that will
bring the Messiah Jesus back to earth. 'This was because, 'the predicted
Third Temple can now be built without disturbing the Dome of the Rock the
...
277
Temple and its immediate guard wall could be rebuilt and still be twenty-six
"56
Having discovered the true site
Rock.
from
Dome
the
the
meters away
of
of the Herodian Temple, Lindsey proceeded to find scriptural verification for
this new location based on clues as to its dimensions in Revelation 11. 'We
are literally in the very last days of the Church Age. The Temple will be rebuilt
157
!,
Brickner also favours the claims made by Randall Price that the
soon
Jewish Temple could actually be rebuilt alongside the Dome of the Rock,
although he concedes in something of an understatement, 'it remains a
"58
issue
To suggest that a Jewish temple could be
least.
to
the
sensitive
say
erected next to the Dome of the Rock, is rather na*fve,as is Lindsey's claim
that a new Jewish Temple would enhance Israel's tourism revenue and
become 'the greatest tourist attraction in the world. 159 It is inconceivable that
the Muslim authorities would countenance any Jewish construction within the
confines of the Haram AI-Sharif. In any case, most orthodox Jews remain
convinced that the Dome of the Rock is an abomination and must be removed
before the Temple can be rebuilt. 160
5.3 Facilitating the Building Programme
In order to sustain a fully functioning Temple rather than simply creates a
tourist attraction or museum, it is also necessary to identify, train and
consecrate priests to serve in the Temple. The dilemma facing prospective
priests is how to become ritually pure before they can offer sacrifices for
others. According to the Book of Numbers, the ashes of a pure unblemished
red heifer, itself previously offered by a ritually pure priest, must be mixed with
water and sprinkled on both them and the Temple furniture. With the
destruction of the Temple in 70 AD the ashes used in the ceremony were lost
and the Jews of the Diaspora have therefore been perpetually unclean ever
since. The search for the ashes of the last red heifer have so far proved
unsuccessful. In 1998, however, Clyde Loft, a Pentecostal Mississippi
rancher, formed Canaan Land Restoration of Israel, Inc. for the purpose of
161
livestock
for
Temple
According to Newsweek, in
raising
sacrifice.
suitable
1997, the first red heifer for 2000 years was born at the Kfar Hassidim kibbutz
162
Haifa
Unfortunately she eventually grew white
near
and named'Melody'.
hairs on her tail and udder. Undaunted, Chaim Richman, an Orthodox rabbi
278
and Clyde Lott, the Pentecostal cattleman, have teamed up to breed red
heifers in the Jordan Valley, in the hope of saving Israel's cattle industry as
163
for
sacrifice.
well as producing a perfect specimen
The design and construction work, furnishings and utensils, the training
of priests and breeding of sacrifices all require funds and in large measure,
like the red heifer, these are being provided by Christian Zionists. The
Jerusalem Temple Foundation was founded by Stanley Goldfoot, a former
terrorist member of the Stern Gang, together with Terry Reisenhoover and
several other American evangelicals to facilitate the rebuilding of the
Temple. 164According to Grace Halsell, Goldfoot raises up to $100 million a
year for the Jerusalem Temple Foundation through American Christian TV
165
including Chuck Smith's
and radio stations and evangelical churches,
Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. '66 Goldfoot has also acknowledged
receiving funds from the ICEJ, Jerusalem. Jan Willem van der Hoeven
admitted that'when supporters volunteer to give money for building a Temple,
he directs them to Goldfoot. 'The ICEJ also sells an audio tape about plans to
167
Jewish
Temple
Haram
Pat Robertson's 700 Club
A[-Sharif.
construct a
on
and Christian Broadcasting Network as well as the ICEJ have also assisted in
168
fund raising for Gershon Salomon's Temple Mount Faithful
.
Professor Gordon Welty of Wright State University, Ohio, a sociologist
and anthropologist, explains the apparent contradiction of evangelical
Christians supporting Jewish terrorists:
'Their power is to keep inconsistencies in airtight compartments, so
If the
that they themselves never recognize these inconsistencies
...
money a muscular Christian donates to the Jewish terrorists buys the
dynamite that destroys the mos je, the muscular Christian will say
16T
"'
"It
God.
simply,
was an act of
As Lawrence Wright has also observed, 'Jewish longing for the Temple,
Christian hopes for the Rapture, and Muslim paranoia about the destruction of
the mosques [are being] stirred to an apocalyptic boil. '17()The implacable
hostility Christian Zionists show towards any compromise over the competing
claims to the Land, the status of Jerusalem or plans to rebuild the Jewish
Temple, combined with their formidable influence in US Middle East policy
makes for an ominous future, given the inherent pessimism of their
eschatology.
279
176
scripture
280
078
The special
Israel and 'Christian' America will stand together. They are perceived to be
pitted against an evil world dominated by Communist and Islamic totalitarian
regimes antithetical to the Judeo-Christian
Israe 1.179
Citing John Laffin, Bennett argues that the Arab 'is neither a vicious nor,
"84
Kenneth Cragg concurs with
but
liar
usually, a calculating
a natural one.
Edward Said's criticism of Orientalism, 185for its 'crude stereotype imaging of
the East' and for being:
6 a gross form of Western superiority complex, expressed in a
-*
literature and a scholarship that imposed its own false portrayal on the
East and refused to care sensitively for the East's own evaluation of
itself. By distortion it had its own way with its eastern versions and
made these the instrument of control and, indeed, of denigration ...
19th and 20th Century Western Orientalism is thus found uniformly
086
culpable, and a conniver with misrepresentation.
With the rise of Arab nationalism and especially Palestinian aspirations
toward self determination, the polemic against Arabs has grown.
Comparisons between Hitler and the Arabs are now frequent in the writings of
187
Christian
Zionists.
Van der Hoeven of the ICEJ is typical.
contemporary
'Just as there was a definite ideology behind the hatred and atrocities of Hitler
and the Nazis, there is one behind the hatred and wars by the Arabs against
the Jews and people of Israel. "88 Citing Joseph Gunther and Samuel Katz,
van der Hoeven claims:
Hitler's
'The greatest contemporary hero (in the Arab world) is Hitler
...
Mein Kampf is still required reading in various Arab capitals and
universities ... The only reason that the Arabs have not yet done to the
Israeli Jews what Hitler did to their forefathers in Europe is that they
have thus far lacked the military means and weapons of mass
destruction which were at Hitler's disposal, to do so. Had there not
been an Israeli Defence Force to defend the remnant of European
Jewry that immigrated to Israel, the Arabs would have gladly fulfilled
Hitler's dream a long time ago by finishing off those of the Jews the
Nazi megalomaniac had left alive. " 89
Hal Lindsey also insists, 'Long ago the psalmist predicted the final mad
attempt of the confederated Arab armies to destroy the nation of Israel ... The
Palestinians are determined to trouble the world until they repossess what
they feel is their land. "90 Franklin Graham, President of the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, made similar but unguarded remarks in a
newspaper interview in 2000: 'The Arabs will not be happy until every Jew is
dead. They hate the State of Israel. They all hate the Jews. God gave the
land to the Jews. The Arabs will never accept that. "91
282
Kelvin Crombie's history of CIVIJin Israel, entitled For the Love of Zion,
Christian Witness and the Restoration of Israel, has also aroused a good deal
of criticism among leading Palestinian Christians. One Episcopal leader in
Jerusalem claimed:
'I found reading it that it was written by a person who really harbours
resentment against the Arabs and against Palestinian Christians ... it
reflects his prejudice, his resentment, his deep dislike of the local
Christians as if they really have nothing to say. Anything that Jews do
somehow is always put in the right light and anything Arabs would do
is somehow always judged as being wrong. 192
Hatred of Arabs is personified in attitudes toward Yasser Arafat. The ICEJ's
antipathy toward Arafat is illustrated, for example, by their Middle East
Intelligence Digest. The June 1997 edition included an article entitled, 'Evil
that will not die: Arafat shares Hitler's determination to wipe out the Jews. s193
In February 1999, Arafat was invited to attend the 47 th annual
Congress-sponsored National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. The breakfast
is normally attended each year by more than 3,000 political and religious
leaders and his invitation generated considerable controversy. For example,
the Traditional Values Coalition, founded by Pat Robertson and representing
40,000 churches, urged congressmen to boycott the breakfast. Randy Tate,
executive director of the Christian Coalition described Arafat as an
Iunrepentant terrorist. "94 Other organizations which boycotted the breakfast
included James Dobson's Focus on the Family, the National Unity Coalition
for Israel and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The ICEJ said
that attending the breakfast with Arafat would be 'like praying with Satan
himself. " 95Despite considerable pressure from pro-Israeli groups the
invitation was not withdrawn. It was left to the White House press secretary,
Joe Lockhart, to defend the invitation. He lamented, 'it's done every year in
the spirit of reconciliation. And it's unfortunate that there are some who don't
fully understand the spirit of reconciliation and inclusion. 1196
Michael Lind observes that while anti-Semitism is taboo in America,
'the taboo against anti-Arab bigotry, however, is weak. ' He notes parallels
between the racist attitudes toward Blacks and Arabs especially in the Deep
South Bible Belt. Lind compares a Jewish editor who insisted Israel should
283
have given the rest of the Palestinians to Jordan in 1967 with 'an elderly white
in
Africa.
"'
left
have
them
"We
told
all
should
me,
southerner who once
'The parallel can be extended. After 1830, the defence of slavery and
later segregation in the old south led white southerners to abandon the
liberal idealism of the founding era in favour of harsh racism and a
Israel
justify
the
to
Since
1967,
the
over a
of
rule
need
siege mentality.
from
humane
has
helot
shift
a
similar
produced
population
conquered
idealism to unapologetic tribalism in parts of the diaspora, as well as in
Israel. It is perhaps no coincidence that the most important non-Jewish
supporters of Israel in the US today are found in the deep south among
97
"
Dixiecrats.
descendants of the segregationist
Antipathy for Arabs generally is also often associated, in particular, with racist
attitudes toward Palestinians.
6.3 The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Frequently, defending Israeli security leads Christian Zionists to deny
Palestinians the same basic human rights. Neil Cohen, vicar of Christ Church,
Jerusalem, for example, argues that equality or partnership between Jews
and Arabs in Israel or the Occupied Territories is untenable because God
gave the land to the Jewish people. 'We live in an age of political correctness
which claims we live in a world where all people have equal rights. I don't
agree with that because I don't think it squares with the biblical record ... the
search for peace in the Middle East, laudable though it is, is a wild goose
"98
Rob Richards of CMJ similarly justifies Israel's policy of segregation
chase.
by designating Palestinians as 'alien' residents in Eretz Israel, to be respected
but not entitled to the same status or equal rights, as the Jews. 'Palestinians
and Arabs who have made Israel their home come under that biblical word
"alien. ""99 Brickner also uses the term 'sojourner' to describe the status of
Palestinians in Eretz Israel,
200
201
Such
arguments ignore the fact that most Palestinians (at least those over the age
of 55) did not choose to 'make their home in Israel'when the State of Israel
was unilaterally imposed upon them in 1948. Indeed, many have been
displaced twice, in 1948 and 1967. Today there are over 3.5 million
Palestinians registered as refugees by the United Nations and constitute 25%
of all refugees in the world.
284
Some like Dave Hunt go much further, questioning the very existence
of Palestinians. He is typical of others like Ramon Bennett who equate
Palestinians with the ancient Philistines and use the term Palestinian in an
202
entirely pejorative sense:
'Central to the Middle East conflict today is the issue of the so-called
Palestinians? There never was a Palestinian
Palestinian people
...
people, nation, language, culture, or religion. The claim of descent
from a Palestinian people who lived for thousands of years in a land
called Palestine is a hoax! That land was Canaan, inhabited by
Canaanites, whom God destroyed because of their wickedness.
Canaan became the land of Israel given by God to His people. Those
who today call themselves Palestinians are Arabs by birth, language,
and culture, and are close relatives to Arabs in surrounding countries
from whence most of them came, attracted by Israel's prosperity. s203
Hunt's logic could presumably be used to challenge the right to self
determination for citizens of the United States or indeed of dozens of
European and Middle East nations founded in the 20th Century.
Dr Thomas McCall of Zola Levitt Ministries suggests Palestinians are a
less advanced race to the Jews. Referring to the limited Palestinian autonomy
in Jericho he observes: 'I'm afraid the casino is an example of what the
Palestinians do with the land when they acquire it. They are not an advanced
culture, and they have never founded an indigenous economy. As a matter of
fact, they are dependent on Israel for their livelihood. s204Nazi treatment of the
Jews illustrates how easily the denigration of an 'inferior' people can lead to
the denial of their human rights and the rationalization for their removal or
eradication.
Jews for Jesus, for example, justify Israel's use of military force to
achieve and maintain control of the Occupied Territories. Comparing the
present Israeli occupation with Joshua's conquest of Canaan, they argue, 'in
Moses' time the sons of Jacob did not traipse into the land of Canaan and find
a welcoming committee eager to greet them and congratulate them upon their
arrival. God commanded that they take Canaan by force. ' They claim the
same principle applies today. 'There may be some who think that God has
learned some new lessons since ancient times, but to our knowledge, God
does not change. It is entirely possible that once again he might move Israel
to resort to force. 205
285
worldwide
211
,
here.
When describing the
in
holy
wars
are eager to engage
Temple Mount, Bridge writes, 'Arab feeling soon runs high here, and is
expressed
in anti-Christian
minarets' loudspeakers
minutes. s212On a walk through the Old City of Jerusalem he contrasts the
Muslim and Jewish Quarters:
Take a few steps
'The Jewish Quarter basked in golden sunshine
...
It
dramatic.
is
into
Quarter
Jewish
Arab
the
the
the
out of
contrast
and
is more colourful, more noisy, more crowded, more dirty. The sounds
and smells are totally different. The (to us) alien chant, part moan, part
yell, part gargle echoes hauntingly from a dozen minarets ... Arab
head-dresses splash the heaving crowds with black and white or red
check, and about one in every fifteen looks uncomfortably like Yasser
Arafat. 9213
Besides erroneously describing the Muslim Quarter as Arab, (since all of the
Old City is designated Arab in international law), the book would have
probably been labelled anti-Semitic had Bridge actually written,
uncomfortably like Menachem Begin, ' or'Yitzhak Shamir'.
Anti-Arab and Islarnaphobic sentiments have become even more
widely tolerated since 11thSeptember 2001. For example, numerous
dispensational authors have written about America's war against Islamic
terrorism following the tragedy. 214 Lindsey's antipathy is evident when he
claims, 'Islam considers it a sacred mission of religious honor to recapture
Old Jerusalem. 215His books are replete with similarly dogmatic and
stereotyped assertions:
'All Moslems see Israel as their enemy.
,216
'Agreements in the Arab nations don't mean the same thing they mean
in the Judeo-Christian world. Islam not only has a track record of reinterpreting, denouncing and reversing settlements, such actions are
actually encouraged if they further the cause of Allah. P218
287
'This movement seeks not only to destroy the State of Israel but also
the overthrow of the Judeo-Christian culture - the very foundation of
our western civilisation ... They have, like the Communists, at their
Q19
"bury
duty
to
US.,
philosophic core the sworn
being
"their
land"
just
taken; it
is
der
Hoeven
believes,
'It
a
of
question
not
van
has far deeper origins, one of the principal ones being the influence and
ideology of Islam
for the universally declared Muslim goal - that
aiming
...
Palestine as a country will revert to Islamic rule and sovereignty. j220Other
Christian Zionist authors have made similar claiMS. 221
222
In
McCarthyite'.
Such views have recently been described as'new
February 2002, for example, Pat Robertson caused considerable controversy
when he too described Islam as a violent religion bent on world domination.
He also claimed American Muslims were forming terrorist cells in order to
destroy the country. Robertson made the allegations on his Christian
Broadcasting Network'700 Club. 'After clips showing Muslims in America, the
announcer, Lee Webb asked Robertson, 'As for the Muslim immigrants Pat, it
makes you wonder, if they have such contempt for our foreign policy why
they'd even want to live hereT Robertson replied:
I have
'Well, as missionaries possibly to spread the doctrine of Islam
...
taken issue with our esteemed President in regard to his stand in
saying Islam is a peaceful religion. It's just not. And the Koran makes it
very clear, if you see an infidel, you are to kill him ... the fact is our
immigration policies are now so skewed to the Middle East and away
from Europe that we have introduced these people into our midst and
223
them.
undoubtedly there are terrorist cells all over
At the 2002 Southern Baptist Convention 224held in Florida, the former
national convention leader, the Rev. Jerry Vines, pastor of the 25,000
member First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, brought applause from several
thousand participants of the pastors' conference when he described
Muhammad as'a demon-possessed paedophile 1225
Such antipathy toward Arabs, denigration of Palestinians and hatred of
Islam invariably leads Christian Zionists to also oppose any peaceful
resolution of the Arab Israeli conflict which might require or coerce Israel to
relinquish territory or compromise its security.
288
289
Christian Zionists recognise that since 1948 Israel's most strategic ally
has been the United States, in vetoing censure at the United Nations;
guaranteeing loans to fund the settlements; providing the latest military
hardware to maintain their military occupation of the West Bank; taking
Israel's side in negotiations with the Arab world and Palestinians; and most
recently, recognising they share in a common war against global terrorism.
290
This chapter has argued that Christian Zionism as a movement has profound
and lasting political consequences. Christian Zionists have shown varying
degrees of enthusiasm for implementing six basic theological convictions that
arise from their literal and futurist reading of the Bible:
1. The belief that the Jews remain God's chosen people leads Christian
Zionists to seek to bless Israel in material ways. However, this also
invariably results in the uncritical endorsement of and justification for
Israel's racist and apartheid policies, in the media, among politicians
and through solidarity tours to Israel.
2. As God's chosen people, the final restoration of the Jews to Israel is
therefore actively encouraged and facilitated through partnerships
between Christian organisations and the Jewish Agency.
3. Eretz Israel, as delineated in scripture, belongs exclusively to the
Jewish people, therefore the land must be annexed and the
settlements adopted and strengthened.
4. Jerusalem is regarded as the eternal and exclusive capital of the Jews,
and cannot be shared with the Palestinians. Therefore, strategically,
Western governments are placed under pressure by Christian Zionists
to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem and thereby recognise the
fact.
5. The Third Temple has yet to be built, the priesthood consecrated and
Notes to Chapter 4
Barbara Tuchman, Bible and Sword, How the British came to Palestine, (New
York, New York University, 1956); Regina Sharif, Non Jewish Zionism, Its Roots
in Western History, (London, Zed, 1983); Paul Merkley, The Politics of Christian
Zionism 1891-1948, (London, Frank Cass, 1998); Michael Prior, Zionism and the
State of Israel, a Moral Inquily, (London, Routledge, 1999);
Grace Halsell, Prophecy and Politics, Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear
War, (Westport, Connecticut, Lawrence Hill, 1986); Forcing God's Hand, Why
Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture - and Destruction of Planet Earth,
(Washington, Crossroads International, 1999); Rosemary Radford Ruether &
Herman J. Reuther, The Wrath of Jonah, (San Francisco, Harper, 1989); Donald
Wagner, Anxious for Armageddon, (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Herald Press, 1995);
Paul Merkley, Christian Attitudes towards the State of Israel, (Kingston, London,
McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001); Middle East Council of Churches, What
is Western Fundamentalist Christian Zionism? (Limassol, Cyprus, MECC, 1988).
3
999-hrp_report/israel. html
(2000).
The UN World Conference on Racism, held in Durban in August 2001, adopted
the following declaration. 'For the purpose of the present Declaration and
Programme of Action, the victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
have
individuals
individuals
intolerance
who
are
or
or
groups
of
are
and related
been negatively affected by, subjected to, or targets of these scourges... We are
foreign
We
Palestinian
the
the
occupation.
people
under
concerned about
plight of
determination
inalienable
Palestinian
the
to
the
and
self
people
recognize
right of
to the establishment of an independent state... We recognize the right of refugees
to return voluntarily to their homes and properties in dignity and safety, and urge
Conference
World
facilitate
'
The
United
Nations.
States
to
all
such return.
Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
Declaration adopted on 8 September (2001), section 1,62 & 64.
Tutu, Ibid.
17 'The ANC
recommits itself to ongoing solidarity with the Palestinian people and
immediately
Israeli
the
to
and unconditionally end: its
calls on
government
campaign of murder and terror against Palestinian activists and leaders; the use of
live ammunition against civilians, and the deployment of military tactics and
weapons of war against civilian communities; detention without trial; its ongoing
gross violations of human rights, and the various forms of collective punishment it
imposes on the Palestinian people; its illegal and provocative programme of
settlement activities. In Israel today, the government classifies its citizens as either
Jew or non-Jew. These classifications are stamped into official identity
documents. Political, social and economic rights and goods are allocated on the
293
Halper, op.eit.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
36 Dick Anney,
quoted in 'Republican Party Leadercalls for ethnic cleansingof
294
Palestinians on Prime Time Talk Show. ' The Electronic Intifada, 3 May (2002)
http: //electronicintifada. net/actionitems/020202dickarmey. html
37 Michael Lind, 'The Israel Lobby', Prospect, April (2002).
38 Donald Wagner, 'Beyond An-nageddon,' The Link, New York: Americans for
Middle East Understanding; October-November, (1992), p5.
39 Wagner, Anxious.,
op.cit., p 107.
40 Ibid., 108.
p
41 Ibid., 108.
p
42 Jerusalem Post, II October (1991), cited in Wagner, op.cit., p108.
43 http: //www. israelunitycoalition.
com
44 Israel Shahak, "Ability
of US Jewish Groups to set Clinton Agenda Depends on
Media. " Washinpton Report, June 1995, pp 10,94.
45 Publisher's Page, Washington Report, June 1995, pp 122.
46 Lind,
op.cit.
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Kaplan,
op. cit., p158.
50 Ibid.
Ibid.
61
Ibid.
62 Ed O'Loughlin, 'Hebron sells itself on terror tourism,' 8 March (2003)
http://www. theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/07/1046826527588.
html
63 'Settlers offer West Bank terror tours'
http: //news. bbc.co.uk/l/hi/world/middle_east/2821391.
64 Ibid.
295
stm
65 Stephen Sizer, Visiting the Living Stones, Pilgrimages to the Un-Holy Land. An
investigation of the perceptions of British and Palestinian Christians on the
impact
Land,
Holy
to
their
to
the
with particular reference
subject of pilgrimages
Occupied
Territories.
in
Israel
Church
indigenous
Anglican
the
the
and
on
Unpublished thesis submitted in part-fulfilment of the requirements of the degree
(1994).
Oxford,
University
in
Theology,
M.
Th,
Applied
of
of
66 Kenneth Cragg, The Arab Christian, (London, Mowbray, 1992).
67 Stephen Sizer, 'Render to Caesar the
Holy
to
the
tourism
politics of pilgrimage
Land' International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Manapement, 10: 1,
(1998), pp39-40.
68 , Aliyah'
means 'going up' and is used to describe going up to Jerusalem on
in
Christians
involvement
down
The
Israel
the
of
pilgrimage.
government plays
bring Jews from the FSU. Brearley claims only 2% of the Jewish Agency budget
for 'airlifting' Soviet immigrants has been contributed by Christian Zionists. This
Brearley,
Margaret
Agency.
includes
directly
Jewish
donations
to
the
only
made
'Jerusalem for Christian Zionists' in Jerusalem, Past and Present in the Purposes
112;
1992),
Trust,
Gloria
(Croydon,
Deo
God,
by
W.
L.
Walker
P.
p
of
edited
http: //www. christiansforisrael. org
69 Unpublished letter from Tony Higton, General Director of CMJ, 8 July (2000).
70 Crombie, op.
cit., pp 13-14.
71 'CMJ Commitment',
(1992).
72 Ibid.
73 Walter Riggans, General Director's Annual Report 1996 (St Albans, CMJ, 1996).
74 Israel Trust
1866-1990
Tel
(Tel
Aviv
Immanuel
House,
Church,
Anglican
the
of
Aviv, ITAC, 1990).
75 Kelvin Crombie, 'CMJ
Shalom,
(1998).
Israel'
I
Restoration
the
of
and
76 Unpublished letter from Tony Higton, General Director of CMJ, 8 July (2000).
77 Anne Dexter, 'The Eternal Covenant, Part 3, Exile and Restoration', Shalom June
(1989), pp. 10-11; Murray Dixon, 'Zionism and Christian Zionism after fifty
years' Shalom, 3 (1998).
78 International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, (Jerusalem, ICEJ, 1993),
p9.
79 http: //wAw.
christiansforisrael. org
80 Ibid.
81 Ibid.
82 Ibid.
86 Wagner,
op. cit., p 108; Golan, op.cit.
296
87 Golan,
op.cit.
88 Ibid.
89
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
94 Keren Hayesod
Congress
Zionist
London
founded
in
1920
July
the
as the
at
was
it
declared
build
The
Congress
Jewish
Palestine.
that
treasury
to
was the
public
benefit
Israel.
for
duty
Keren
Hayesod
Jew
the
to
to
of
tithes
absolute
of every
pay
40027.html
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/12/16/Features/Features.
http://www. wzo.org.il/home/dev/karen.htm
95 David Fromkin, A Peaceto End All Peace,(New York, Henry Holt, 1989),p528.
96 Martha Jacobs,'The Key to Israel's Defense' Issues,4,2.
97 David Allen Lewis, 'Christian Zionist Theses',Christians and Israel, (Jerusalem,
International Christian Embassy,Jerusalem,1996), p9.
98 Derek Prince, The Destiny Israel and the Church, (Milton Keynes,Word,
of
1992),p7l.
99 Lindsey, Einal,
op.cit., p 122.
100 Jan Willem van der Hoeven,Babylon or Jerusalem?(Shippensburg,
Pennsylvania,Destiny Image Publishers,1993),p 151.
101Bridges for Peace'The Golan Heights DdjAvu', Despatchfrom Jerusalem,
September(1999), pp 10-11.
102 Declaration the First InternationalChristian Zionist LeadershipConference
of
(Jerusalem,InternationalChristian Embassy,Jerusalem,1985).
103International Christian Zionist CongressProclamation,InternationalChristian
Embassy,Jerusalem.25-29 February 1996.
104Anne Dexter, View the Land, (South Plainfield, New Jersey,Bridge, 1986),
pp214-215.
105
Ibid., p32.
1064Israeli Settlementsin the OccupiedTerritories' Foundationfor Middle East
Peace,March (2002). FMEP list 190 settlementswith a total population of
213,672 in the West Bank and Gaza; 170,400in EastJerusalem;and 17,000in the
Golan Heights, making a total of 401,072 settlersbasedon 2001 figures.
107,zionism.htm' Jewsfor JesusFAQ, http://www.jewsforjesus.
org
108
http://www. cfoic.com
297
109Unpublished letter from Tony Higton, General Director of CMJ, 8 July 2000.
110Ray Lockhart, 'From Israel with Love' Shalom, 1, (200 1), p3.
111Unpublished
March
200
1.
31
El
Assal,
Abu
Riah
Higton
from
Tony
to
email
112Ibid.
113Unpublished letter
2001.
8
March
Tony
Higton,
El
Assal
Riah
Abu
to
of
114http: //www.
The
Program'
'Adopt-a-Settlement
Honig,
Sarah
cfoic. com;
Jerusalem Post 2nd October (1995);
,
http: //www. bridgesforpeace. com/publications/dispatch/lifeinisrael/Article-
I 2. html
115Ibid.
116
Ibid.
117Wagner, Anxious,
op.cit., p108.
118International Christian Embassy, http: //www. icej.
in
'Life
html;
il/about.
the
org.
Settlements', Word from Jerusalem, May (2002), p7.
119International Christian Embassy, 'Bulletproof Bus for Efrat' appeal, Word from
Jerusalem, May (2002).
120Bridges for Peace, 'New Life
January
from
Jerusalem,
Despatch
Farrn'
the
on
(2000), p5.
121
Ibid.
122
Ibid.
123 Lind,
op. cit.
298
134'Christians Call for United Jerusalem' New York Times, 18 April (1997),
a
http: //www. cdn-friends-icej. ca/united. html
135
Ibid.
136Hagee,
op. cit., p42.
137Resolution
of Solidarity with Israel 2001, http: //www. israelunitycoalition. com
138Don Stewart & Chuck Missler, The Coming Temple, (Orange, California, Dart
Press, 199 1); Chuck Missler, Cosmic Code, (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Koinonia
House, 1998); Hidden Treasures in the Bible Text, (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho,
Koinonia House, 2000); The Book of Revelation, A Commenta! y, (Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho, Koinonia House, 2000); 2002 Prophetic Events Calendar (Coeur
,
d'Alene, Idaho, Koinonia House, 2001); Red Sky at Moming, Strate ic Trends
Update, (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Koinonia House, 2002); http: //'A'WW.khouse.org
139Elwood McQuaid, It is No Dream, Bible Prophecy: Face Fiction?, (Bellmawr,
or
New Jersey, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1978).
140Jerry Falwell Ministries, 'Keep Jerusalem Free Petition, ' http: //falwell.
com/
141Brickner, Future,
op.cit., p137.
142Lindsey, Rlanq,
op. cit., p 156; EtInal, op. cit., p 103.
143In his 732
page analysis of the future Jewish Temple, Randall Price lists over 40
books written in the last 30 years compared with only two written in the I 9th
Century. The most recent include Thomas Ice & Randall Price, Ready to Rebuild,
The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Last Days Temple, (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest
House, 1992); Randall Price, The Coming Last Days Temple, (Eugene, Oregon,
Harvest House, 1999); Yisrael Ariel, The Odyssey of the Third Temple, translated
and adapted by Chaim Richman, (Jerusalem, G. Israel Publications, 1993);
Bradley J. Chance, Jerusalem, the Temple and the New Age in Luke-Acts,
(Macon, GA, Mercer University Press, 1988); Ernest L. Martin, The Place of the
New Third Temple, (Portland, Oregon, Associates for Scriptural Knowledge,
1994); Don Stewart & Chuck Missler, The Coming Teml2le, (Orange, California,
Dart Press, 1991).
144Randall Price, The Coming Last Days Temple, (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House,
1999), pp616-644; Randall Price, 'Time for a Temple? Jewish Plans to Rebuild
the Temple. ' Friends of Israel Gospel Ministrv
http: //www. foigm. org/img/timetemp. htm
145Thomas Ice & Randall Price, Ready to Rebuild, The Imminent Plan Rebuild
to
the
Last Days Temple, (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House, 1992).
146Rich Robinson, 'Israeli Groups Involved in Third Temple Activities' Jews for
Jesus Newsletter 10, (1993), http: //www. jewsforjesus. org
147Zhava Glaser, 'Today's Rituals: Reminders
or Replacements' Issues, 8,3.
149Nadav Shragai, 'Dreaming
of a Third Temple', Ha'aretz, 17 September (1998),
p3, cited in Price, Coming, op. cit., p417.
149Sam Kiley, 'The
righteous will survive and the rest will perish' The Times, 13
December (1999), p39.
299
150'The Hanukkah Event of the Temple Mount Faithful on the Temple Mount,
Jerusalem' ICEJ, 27 December (2000) http: //www. cdn-friendsicej. ca/hanukkah. html; Jan Willem van der Hoeven, 'About the ICZC'
http: //w-vvw.israelmybeloved. com/about/organization. htm
151Ibid.
152GraceHalsell, 'The Hidden Hand of the Temple Mount Faithful' The Washington
Report, January(1991), p8.
153Theseare the Northern Theory, the SouthernTheory and the Central Theory. See
discussionin Price, Coming, op.cit., pp337-342;Tuvia Sagiv, The Hidden Secrets
of the Temple Mount, (Tel Aviv, 1993);
http://www. Templemount.org/tempmt.html; Asher Kaufmann, 'Where the
Ancient Temple of JerusalemStood', Biblical Archaeology Review 9,2 (1983)
Ritmeyer
England,
Herod,
(Harrogate,
Leen
The
Temple
Ritmeyer,
of
pp40-59;
Architectural Design, 1993);The Temple and the Rock, (Harrogate,England,
Ritmeyer Architectural Design, 1996),pp38-48.
154Lindsey, Late, op.cit., pp56-58. Lindsey is in error on this point. The Dome of the
Rock is the third most holy shrine of Islam after Mecca and Medina.
155Lindsey, There's, op.cit., p163.
156Lindsey, Lsrael,op.cit., p29.
157
Ibid., p30.
158Brickner, Future, op.cit., p6l.
159Lindsey, Rlanet,op.
cit., pl 63.
160Price, Coming, op-cit., p346.
161Randall Price incorrectly attributesthis story to Time when it actually appearedin
Newsweek.He also misspellsone of the contributor's names.Price, Coming,
op.cit., p375. 'Red Heifers' New York Times, 27 December(1998), cited in
Halsell, Forcing, p65.
'Shortly after this Rev. Lott (who is also a cattlemanby trade) cameto possessa
red heifer that met all the biblical qualifications of Numbers chapter 19. Sincethat
historic time in, November 11,1994 God has miraculously unveiled His divine
plan for the restorationof Israel, to the Church. The Holy Ghost has worked
during this time to reveal to Apostolic ministers and laymen the needto unify
their efforts in order to seethis project move forward, both in the Spirit and in the
natural. August 11,1998 Israel is expecting to receive from CanaanLand
Restoration,500 headof registeredRed Angus Heifers.' JoeAtkins, 'Biblical
mystery of the red heifer affects fanner in Mississippi' The Daily Mississippian,
23 July (1998); Ethan Bronner, 'Portent in a Pasture?Appearanceof Rare Heifer
in Israel SpursHopes,Fears', The Boston Globe, Sunday,April 6, (1997), ppl,
22.
162Kendall Hamilton, JosephContreras& Mark Dennis, 'The StrangeCase
of
Israel's Red Heifer,' Newsweek,May 19, (1997).
163JeremyShere,'A Very Holy Cow' JerusalemPost, May 25, (1997).
300
184Ibid.,
p23; John Laffin, The Arab Mind, (London, Cassell, 1975), p70.
301
185
Said, op.cit.
186KennethCragg,The Arab Christian, A History in the Middle East,(London,
Mowbray, 1992),p297.
197Jan Willem
(Shippensburg,
Babylon
Jerusalem?,
der
Hoeven,
or
van
Pennsylvania,Destiny Image Publishers,1993),pp 132-133;Bennett,Philistine,
op.cit., p134.
188van der Hoeven, Ibid., pp 132-133.
189Jan Willem
Centre,
(2001).
der
'Hitler
Arabs'
The
Freeman
Hoeven,
the
and
van
http://www. freeman.org/m_online/aprOl/hoeven.htm
190Lindsey, Israel and the Last Days, (Eugene,Oregon, Harvest House, 1983),pp3839.
191Charlotte Observer, 16th October (2000).
192Based
interviews
interview
These
Palestinian
are
on an
with a senior
clergyman.
transcribed, but to retain confidentiality they are annotated by date and number
(Interview 1993:3.12).
193'Evil that
will not Die', Middle East Intelligence Dipest, ICEJ, June (1997),
http: //www. cdn-friends-icej. ca/medigest/june97/ evil. html
194Christian Daily News, 4 February, (1999)
http: //www. christiannews. org/archives/I 999/20499/news/full.
html
195Ibid.
196
Ibid.
197
Lind., op.cit.
198Neil Cohen,Paperdelivered to the Guildford DiocesanEvangelical Fellowship, St
John's,Woking. Surrey, 18th March (1997).
199Rob Richards,Has God Finished
with Israel? (Crowborough, Monarch/Olive
Press,1994),p 159.
200Brickner, Don't,
op.cit.
201van der Hoeven,'Hitler',
op.cit.
202Bennett,Philistine,
op.cit.
203Dave Hunt, '0 Jerusalem,Jerusalem',The BereanCall, September(2000).
http://www. thebereancall.org/newsletters/sepOO.
htm
204ThomasMcCall, 'Gershon Salomon& the Temple Mount Faithful: An Interview'
Levitt Letter, Zola Levitt Ministries, July, (1977).
205,zionism.htm' Jewsfor JesusFAQ, http://www.jewsforjesus.
org
206Dick Armey, 'Hardball
with Chris Matthews', CNBC, I" May (2002), cited in
'Republican Party Leadercalls for Ethnic Cleansingof Palestinianson Prime
Time Talk Show' The Electronic Intifada,
http://electronicintifada.net/actionitems/020502dickariney.
html
See also 'Rep. Dick Armey calls for Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians'
302
Ibid.
208 Charles Krauthammer, 'Mideast Violence: The Only Way Out', Washington Post,
15 May (2001); Emmanuel A. Winston writing in USA Today called for the
'resettling the Palestinians in Jordan' USA TodM, 22 February (2002); John
Derbyshire, 'Why don't I care about the PalestiniansT, National Review, 9 May
(2002); Clarence Wagner, 'Apples for Apples, Osarna Bin Laden and Yasser
Arafat', Dispatch from Jerusalem, May (2002), pl, 6,17.
209Tony Higton, 'Beware
of anti-Israel Propaganda' The Church of England
Newspaper, 10 November (2000), p 16.
210Donald Bridge, Travelling Through the Promised Land, (London, Christian Focus,
1998).
211Ibid.,
pp55-56.
212Ibid.,
p70.
213Ibid.,
p60.
222A term
coined by William Safire, a former Nixon speechwriter and conservative
Republican who thought George Bush Snr. was insufficiently pro-Israel. Cited in
Lind, op.cit.
223Alan Cooperman, 'Robertson Calls Islam Religion
a
of Violence, Mayhem. '
Washington Post. 22 February (2002), pA02.
224 The Southern Baptist Convention is
a coalition of 42,000 churches with 16
million members. Since the 1980s it has become increasingly fundamentalist. See
http: //www. sbcannualmeeting. org/sbc02/
225 Richard Vara, 'Texas
secession rumor, attacks on Islam mark Baptist meeting',
Houston Chronicle, 10 June (2002); Alan Cooperman, 'Anti-Muslim Remarks Stir
303
227Walter Riggans, 'The Messianic Community and the Hand Shake' Shalom, 1,
,
(1995), including a quote from Benjamin Berger, elder at Kehilat HaMashiach,
Jerusalem.
228Wagner, 'Driving',
op.cit., p9.
229Brickner, Don't,
op. cit.
230Howard Mortman, 'Don't ignore Pat Robertson', The Frontline, 7 January (2002).
http: //www. hotlinescoop. com/web/content/columns/extrememortman/020107. htm
231Pat Robertson, 'Pat
Christian
Club,
'
700
Israel,
answers your questions on
Broadcasting Network, http: //cbn. org/700club
232Dave MacPherson,
cited in Halsell, Forcin , op. cit., p 10.
233Karen Armstrong, Holy War, The Crusades
World,
Today's
Their
Impact
on
and
(London, Macmillan, 1988), p377.
304
Chapter 5: Conclusions
This thesis has examined the main factors which have contributed to the
emergence and development of evangelical Christian Zionism from 1800
through an appraisal of its historical roots, theological basis and political
consequences and activities. It has been demonstrated that Christian Zionism
is both an influential as well as controversial movement.
This conclusion will summarise the main factors in the development of
Christian Zionism; it will distinguish between its variant forms; delineate
between its constructive and destructive aspects; offer a critical summary;
and make proposals for an alternative.
1. Observations
evangelical denominations.
3. While the strategic value of a Jewish homeland in Palestine was a
significant factor in British foreign policy during the 19th Century, it had
become a dominant feature of American foreign policy by the end of
the 20th Century.
Jewish
Zionist
larger
than
the
least
times
is
ten
movement at
lobby
dominant
become
the
has
within contemporary
and
movement
American politics.
7. Underpinning Christian Zionism is a novel theological system based on
an ultra-literal and futurist reading of the Bible which, while its origins
are rooted in the Reformation and Puritanism, is essentially the product
of early 1gth Century millennialist sectarianism.
2. Variant Forms of Christian Zionism
Four distinct strands of contemporary evangelical Christian Zionism emerge
based on their theological understanding of the relationship between the
Church and Israel; their approach toward evangelism; Restorationism; Eretz
Israel and the settlements; Jerusalem; the Temple; and Armageddon. These
Doctrine
Messianic
Dispensational
Apocalyptic
Dispensational
Political
Dispensational
Relationship to
Church
Part
Separate
Separate
Separate
Evangelism
Essential
Essential
Optional
Unnecessary
Restorationism
Prophesied
Prophesied
Prophesied
Implemented
Negotiable
Millennium
Non-negotiable
Solidarity
Negotiable
Millennium
Non-negotiable
Lobbying for
Temple rebuilt
Irrelevant
Millennium
Imminent
Irrelevant
Armageddon
Optional
Inevitable
Inevitable
Repudiated
Representatives
Higton &
Riggans
Rosen, Brickner
Fruchtenbaurn
Lindsey, Evans
& LaHaye
Robertson
& Falwell
Organisations
I)TS
their own covenant and will recognise their Messiah when he returns. If
Covenantal Premillennialism may be regarded as the most orthodox and
Distinctive
1. Covenantal Premillennial
2. Messianic Dispensational
3. Apocalyptic Dispensational
4. Political Dispensational
3. The Constructive
307
Constructive
Destructive
1. Encouragement of dialogue
between Jews and Christians
2. Commitment to share the gospel
with Jewish people (except Political
Dispensationalism)
intrinsic or exclusive to Christian Zionism but are shared by other philoSemitic evangelical agencies which work among Jewish people and yet do
3
Zion
iSM.
not support
fulfilment of those hopes in the Messiah and his new and inclusive messianic
community.
As a result, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), representing
the indigenous and ancient Oriental and Eastern Churches, regard Christian
Zionism as a deviant heresy. They assert, for instance, that Christian Zionists
have aggressively imposed an aberrant expression of the Christian faith and
an erroneous interpretation of the Bible which is subservient to the political
agenda of the modern State of Israel. They claim the movement represents a
tendency to:
'... force the Zionist model of theocratic and ethnocentric nationalism
the movement of Christian unity
on the Middle East ... (rejecting)
...
and inter-religious understanding which is promoted by the
(indigenous) churches in the region. The Christian Zionist programme,
with its elevation of modern political Zionism, provides the Christian
with a world view where the gospel is identified with the ideology of
success and militarism. It places its emphasis on events leading up to
the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today. 6
In its apocalyptic and political forms especially, Christian Zionism distorts the
Bible and marginalises the universal imperative of the Christian message of
equal grace and common justice. Kenneth Cragg summarises the
implications of its intrinsic ethnic exclusivity:
'It is so; God chose the Jews; the land is theirs by divine gift. These
dicta cannot be questioned or resisted. They are final. Such verdicts
come infallibly from Christian biblicists for whom Israel can do no
wrong - thus fortified. But can such positivism, this unquestioning
finality, be compatible with the integrity of the Prophets themselves? It
certainly cannot square with the open peoplehood under God which is
the crux of New Testament faith. Nor can it well be reconciled with the
ethical demands central to law and election alike. v7
Such literalist assumptions preclude any possibility of an alternative reading
of the Bible, history or a just and lasting outcome to the Middle East peace
negotiations. Instead, Christian Zionism shows an uncritical tolerance of
Rabbinic Judaism and an endorsement of the Israeli political Right. At the
same time it demonstrates an inexcusable lack of compassion for the
Palestinian tragedy and the plight of the indigenous Christian community. In
doing so, whether intentionally or otherwise, it has legitimised their
309
oppression in the name of the Gospel while committing the Jewish people
themselves to an apocalyptic future far more horrifying than even the Shoah.
Christian Zionism only thrives on a literal and futurist hermeneutic in
which ancient Old Testament promises of blessing to the Jewish people are
applied to the contemporary State of Israel. To do so it is necessary to ignore
or marginalise the New Testament which reinterprets, annuls, fulfils and
expands these promises in and through Jesus Christ. Palmer Robertson has
summarised this progressive revelation of the purposes of God:
'In the process of redemptive history, a dramatic movement has been
made from type to reality, from shadow to substance. The land which
once was the specific locale of God's redemptive working served well
within the old covenant as a picture of Paradise lost and promised.
Now, however, in the era of new-covenant fulfilment, the land has been
expanded to encompass the cosmos ... In this age of fulfilment,
therefore, a retrogression to the limited forms of the old covenant must
be neither expected or promoted. Reality must not give way to
shadow. '8
The choice is ultimately therefore between two theologies: one based
primarily on the shadows of the old covenant; the other on the reality of the
new covenant. In identifying with the former, Christian Zionism is an exclusive
theology that focuses on the Jews in the Land rather than an inclusive
theology that centres on Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. It
consequently provides a theological endorsement for racial segregation,
apartheid and war. This is diametrically opposed to the inclusive theology of
justice, peace and reconciliation which lie at the heart of the new covenant.
To suggest, therefore, that the Jewish people continue to have a
special relationship with God, apart from faith in Jesus, or have exclusive
rights to land, a city and temple is, in the words of John Stott, 'biblical
9
anathema'. Paul's warning to the Church in Galatia concerning the
nationalistic and legalistic Christian Judaizers infecting the church of his own
day is perhaps an appropriate description of and response to contemporary
Christian Zionism: 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son' (Galatians 4: 30).
5. Biblical Zionism: An Alternative?
This research has sought to reject both anti-Semitism as well as nationalistic
Zionism. The choice does not have to be between Christian Zionism and
310
Replacement Theology, the idea that the spiritual Church, as the 'new Israel',
has in some sense replaced physical Israel within God's purposes.
Covenantalism recognizes instead that, based on passages such as
Romans 9-11, for example, the Jewish people are loved by God, have fulfilled
a unique role in history leading to the birth of Christianity, and hope that one
day many will come to recognise Jesus as their Messiah.
It affirms that the Church is Israel renewed and restored in Christ and
enlarged to now embrace people of all nations. It also believes that Jews and
Palestinians, like all other races, have the right to self determination and to
311
Notes to Chapter 5
It is recognisedthat thesevariant forms of Christian Zionism are not entirely
discreetand that there is a degreeof overlap, especially in their theological
perspectives.Furthen-nore,someChristian Zionist agenciesare circumspectin
their official doctrinal statementson controversial subjectssuch as the settlements
or Temple. This thesishas thereforerelied on the published views of leadersand
representativesof theseagencies,recognising that their views remain their own
and do not necessarilyreflect thoseof their organisationas a whole.
2 StephenSizer, 'Christian Zionism, True Friends IsraelT EvangelicalsNow,
of
December(2000), p 14; 'Justifying Apartheid in the Name of God', Churchman,
Summer(2001), pp 147-171.
3 Based interviews
include
These
on
with representatives.
agencieswould
InterVarsity Fellowship, the YMCA, World Vision, and Youth for Christ.
4 Colin Chapman,'Ten questionsfor theology the land' in The Land of
a
of
Promise,edited by Philip Johnstonand PeterWalker, (Downers Grove, Illinois,
InterVarsity Press,2000), pp 172-187.
5 ClarenceBass,Backgroundsto Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids,Michigan,
Eerdmans,1960),p 151.
6 MECC, What is WestemFundamentalistChristian Zionism? (Limassol, Cyprus,
Middle East Council of Churches,1988),p 13.
7 KennethCragg,The Arab Christian A Histo[y in the Middle East.(London,
Mowbray, 1992),p238.
8 0. PalmerRobertson,'A
new-covenantperspectiveon the land' in The Land of
Promise,edited by Philip Johnstonand PeterWalker (Downers Grove, Illinois,
Apollos/InterVarsity Press,2000), p 140.
9 John Stott, cited in Don Wagner,Anxious for Armageddon,(Scottdale,Herald
Press,1995),p80.
10 Colin Chapman,WhosePromisedLand? (Oxford, Lion, 2002), 274.
p.
II YeheskelLandau, illustration
an
given in an unpublishedtalk at St George's
Cathedral,Jerusalem,December(1998).
12 Talmud, Kiddushin 49b.
13 Garth Hewitt, 'Ten Measures Beauty' Journeys
of
with Garth Hewitt, The Holy
Land, CD (Nelson Word, 1996).
312
Glossary
Aliyah A Hebrew word meaning 'going up' used in a general sense to describe
going up to Jerusalem on pilgrimage. In the context of Zionism it refers to the
ingathering of the Jewish people returning to their homeland.
Amillennialism There will be no literal or physical kingdom on earth when
Christ returns. The kingdom of God is present in the world now as Christ rules
the Church through his Word and the Spirit. Revelation 20 is metaphorical.
Antichrist A human or supernatural figure who opposes God and the Church
and will reign on earth prior to his defeat at Christ's return. Usually associated
with Premillennialism.
Apartheid A Dutch Afrikaans word derived from the root 'apart' meaning
Iseparate' and 'heid' meaning 'hood'. It describes the legal and institutional
segregation of people on the basis of their race or colour.
Apocalyptic Derived from Revelation 1: 1 and meaning 'unveiling', it refers to
biblical or extra-biblical literature which reveals the mystery of God's end time
purposes prior to the return of Jesus Christ.
Apostasy A deliberate falling away or repudiation of the Christian faith by
professing Christians. One of the predicted signs of the times indicating the
imminent return of Christ.
Armageddon From the Hebrew for'Mountain of Megiddo' it is mentioned in
Revelation 16: 16 as the place where the final battle on earth will take place.
Others understand it as a symbol of the final overthrow of evil by God.
Chiliasm From the Greek 'chilias' meaning 'a thousand', it is a synonym for
millennialism. It is used as a general term to describe either the literal 1000 year
Kingdom of Premillennialism or the extensive era of Postmillennialism.
Classical Dispensationalism The original dispensational position of Scofield
and Chafer. God has two peoples, eternally separate: an earthly people, the
Jews and a heavenly people, the Church. Two ways to salvation, law & grace.
Covenant A solemn and binding commitment between God and his people.
Based on Jer. 31 and the NT, the 'new' covenant is a synonym for God's grace
revealed in the redemption of Christ resulting in a Church of Jews and Gentiles.
Covenantal Premillennialism A literal 1000 year kingdom on earth following
the sudden return of Christ. The Jewish people will have a place of prominence
but as part of the universal Church. Synonymous with Historic Premillennialism.
Dispensational ism Seven periods of time during which humanity has or will be
tested according to some specific revelation of God. Israel and the Church are
separate. The Millennium will be the culmination of God's purposes for Israel.
313
314
315
Restorationism The conviction that the Bible predicts and mandates a final and
Israel.
Christian
This
Jewish
to
the
movement
people
complete restoration of
preceded the rise of Jewish Zionism and facilitates Jews to make aliyah.
Signs of the Times These are specific signs which Jesus predicted would
occur before his return. These include an increase in apostasy, wars, famines,
earthquakes as well as a marked increase in Jewish people believing in Jesus.
Tribulation A period of seven years of suffering on earth immediately prior to
the return of Christ popular within Dispensationalism especially. There are three
variants depending on when the Church is raptured - pre, mid or post.
Typology A method of interpretation in which Old Testament 'types' are seen
(Zion)
fulfilled
(David),
Testament.
These
include
in
New
the
places
as
people
and events (Passover) which are prefigurements or shadows of NT realities.
UItra-Dispensationa Iism Also known as Bullingerism after E.W. Bullinger. The
Church Age begins in Acts 28. Therefore only a few of the Pauline epistles are
for the Church. The rest of the New Testament is for the Jewish Dispensation.
Zion The land of Israel or more specifically Jerusalem. At the heart of the
Zionist dream where land, city and temple are once more restored to the Jewish
people, either inaugurated by the Messiah or brought about by human effort.
Zionism The national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their
ancient homeland and the resumption of Jewish political sovereignty in the land
of Israel centred on Jerusalem as their eternal and undivided capital.
This glossary has been compiled with the assistance of several authors. '
316
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9. Biblical Quotations
Biblical quotations, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New
International Version, (London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1985).
387
388