Fight And Die For Israel
If left up to
Hagee, there would be a military strike against Iran today. Since last
summer, Hagee has been practically foaming at the mouth for a new war
with Iran. Why? Because he thinks it is the rest of the world’s job to
fight Israel’s wars and because he thinks such a showdown is a piece of
the puzzle in regards to Bible prophecy. To Hagee, there is no middle
ground on this issue. God told Abraham he would "bless those who bless
you and curse those who curse you" (Gen. 12:3). That means if YOU aren’t
on board with wars that might be in Israel’s interest, but not in the
United States’, then YOU will be cursed by God. At least according to
Hagee.
To see just how
bellicose, belligerent, and militaristic Hagee has come,
just watch his speech at the AIPAC Washington conference. Behind his
thundering prose and love for the Jewish people is a militaristic and
even fanatical mindset that is hoping and praying for the world to fall
apart. After all, Jesus can’t come back unless it does, but all is well
since Christians before the "rapture" will escape the worst of it.
Unfortunately for
the Jewish people, they still await another massive holocaust, according
to many dispensationalists. Anyone interested in this subject should
read our own Gary North’s column,
The Unannounced Reason Behind American Fundamentalism's Support for the
State of Israel. An excerpt:
Nothing can or
will be done by Christians to save Israel’s Jews from this disaster, for
all of the Christians will have been removed from this world three and a
half years prior to the beginning of this 42-month period of
tribulation. (The total period of seven years is interpreted as the
fulfillment of the seventieth week of Daniel [Dan. 9:27].)
In order for most
of today’s Christians to escape physical death, two-thirds of the Jews
in Israel must perish, soon. This is the grim prophetic trade-off that
fundamentalists rarely discuss publicly, but which is the central
motivation in the movement’s support for Israel. It should be clear why
they believe that Israel must be defended at all costs by the West. If
Israel were militarily removed from history prior to the Rapture, then
the strongest case for Christians’ imminent escape from death would have
to be abandoned. This would mean the indefinite delay of the Rapture.
The fundamentalist movement thrives on the doctrine of the imminent
Rapture, not the indefinitely postponed Rapture.
Every time you
hear the phrase, "Jesus is coming back soon," you should mentally add,
"and two-thirds of the Jews of Israel will be dead in ‘soon plus 84
months.’" Fundamentalists really do believe that they probably will not
die physically, but to secure this faith prophetically, they must defend
the doctrine of an inevitable holocaust.
This specific
motivation for the support of Israel is never preached from any
fundamentalist pulpit. The faithful hear sermons – many, many sermons –
on the pretribulation Rapture. On other occasions, they hear sermons on
the Great Tribulation. But they do not hear the two themes put together:
"We can avoid death, but only because two-thirds of the Jews of Israel
will inevitably die in a future holocaust. America must therefore
support the nation of Israel in order to keep the Israelis alive until
after the Rapture." Fundamentalist ministers expect their congregations
to put two and two together on their own. It would be politically
incorrect to add up these figures in public.
Again, however,
one can’t make too big a fuss about this, since "Bible prophecy" demands
this carnage. It’s "God’s will" for the world to fall apart, for
tensions to further inflame between Jews and Arabs, for the United
States to lead the charge in a pre-emptive strike on Iran, to rebuild a
third Jewish Temple after tearing down the Islamic mosque, etc. All you
have to do to prove this is cut passages like Genesis 12, Matthew 24, 2
Thessalonians 2, Ezekiel 36 and 37, and Daniel 9:24–27 out of context
(along with the entire book of Revelation), make up some handy-dandy
prophecy charts, and confidently present it to Biblically illiterate
Christians who don’t know any better.
While there are
many doctrinal disputes amongst Christians, there are none that have as
much practical significance as this one. I strongly disagree with those
who deny the Trinity, but those who deny the deity of Christ are not
clamoring for war, bombs, and destruction. Likewise, Christians disagree
vehemently over issues like eternal security or the proper mode of
baptism, but thankfully we’ve grown up and stopped killing each other
over those issues in the last couple hundred years.
When it comes to
questionable or inaccurate beliefs about the end-times, however, they
are shaping many people’s foreign policy and worldviews for the worse.
It is causing many to hold troubling escapist views towards the world. I
know this because I am constantly told by other Christians that "we are
not in the business of fixing up the world, we are just in the business
of saving souls until the rapture!" It is in part because of faulty
eschatology that Evangelical Christians, more than any other demographic
group in America, supported the ill-advised invasion of Iraq in 2003.
And it is faulty eschatology that is causing this same group of people
to believe the militaristic agenda behind Rev. Hagee’s bombastic
oratory. After all, it’s all been ordained, so how can we oppose it?
But maybe, just
maybe, their preciously held beliefs about future prophecy are way off.
Maybe they are dead wrong in their views and maybe all the wars,
destruction and carnage they think are inevitable aren’t
necessarily mandated by God.
Maybe the Bible is teaching exactly the opposite regarding these
matters than what they teach.
Alas, no matter
how many false predictions these guys make, or how many damaging
theological and political beliefs they espouse, people continue to
follow their dangerous teachings. It’s time for both Christian and
non-Christian alike to call this crowd out on their bad theology, false
prophecies, and deadly worldview.