Everyone should be a Christian.
many Christians, almost all sincere Christians are good people who support Israel as a moral imperative. And, as the good Lord has instructed,
“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3
Sorry, but this is just a misinformed theological viewpoint to support a political cause. The scriptures are clear that Christians of every race and ethnicity ARE the spiritual Israel the prophets referred to as God’s own people now, and the Bible does NOT command us to support a secular nation comprised of ethnic (and largely mixed ethnicity) Jews. Read the Bible, not commentaries: The physical descendants of Abraham broke the covenant established at Mt. Sinai and later repeated at Gerizim and Ebal. Once they had fulfilled their purpose to bring the Messiah into the world, and the new, spiritual Israel (the church) was established as Jeremiah and other prophets stated, physical Israel was finally destroyed— just as our righteous God had promised them He would. The modern day state of Israel is not “God’s people”; the family of Christ everywhere is.
This verse (Gen. 12.3) is usually quoted without regard to the context. The context is that the Jewish people didn’t even exist at the time this promise was spoken, and wouldn’t for several hundred more years. Likewise, the Jewish people or nation of Israel weren’t even named in the passage. Had they been, the modern political state of Israel wasn’t envisioned or spoken of, either, yet this is used as his principal passage in support of our support for the modern political state of Israel.
Note also that this passage says exactly as much about the Arabs as it does the Jews, for they came out of Abraham just as the Jews did. Is the author consistent in his use of the passage to assert that we should bless the Arabs too? Are those who speak badly of, bring in contempt, despise, and revile the Arabs, going to be accursed by God?
In the original text of this verse, this promise was given to a single individual, Abram. Note:
And I will bless them that bless thee (sing.-Abram) and curse him that curseth thee (sing.-Abram): and in thee (sing.-Abram) shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The promise Hagee and a multitude of others quote out of context was made to one person, Abraham.
Thanks for reading, and considering.
Bump for the Donald and Israel
No country is perfect, but my default is to support Israel where ever they aren’t clearly in the wrong. And even then, to support them as far as I can.
And I admire Netanyahu. So those forces inside Israel that are trying to take him out, I see as analogous to the forces trying to take Trump down. No political leader will ever be perfect, but I see Trump and Netanyahu in much the same light.
Jesus Christ was jewish. Why would I not support Israel?
I do not support Israel for religious reasons anymore than I do Italy or Poland
They are western kinsmen
Not savages
Is why
I’m a Christian but I find it insulting when others surmise THAT is why I support Israel. I support Israel because it is the logical and moral thing to do. They are the proxy of the free world in the Middle East. They are the only democracy over there and provide medical services to Jew and Arab alike, even those that blow off limbs trying to kill Jews. And faced with the same situation, surrounded by hostile homicidal maniacs, that outnumber us, we would never show the same restraint Israel has.
Who is the Israel of God?
by Charles S. Meek
The Israel of God is no longer fleshly, natural Israel, but rather all believers in Jesus. Not all Israel is Israel. Here is a sampling of passages about this:
Galatians 6:14-16. In the context of the rest of Galatians, Paul refers to the “ISRAEL OF GOD” as those who walk according to the Spirit—by faith in Jesus Christ (and specifically not by works of the Jewish Old Covenant Law, including circumcision).
Matthew 3:7-11. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees not to count on their physical descent. Indeed, they are about to be cut down in the wrath about to come.
Matthew 21:18-19. Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 14:6), and the fig tree withered away.
Matthew 21:33-45. Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church.
Matthew 22:1-4. The Parable of the Wedding Feast. It was obviously the Jews who were invited to the wedding, but their refusal to accept Christ as Messiah would lead to their demise—“destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” (Matthew 23, the next chapter, details why the Jews were the object of Jesus’ wrath. Not only were they exceedingly sinful, but also refused to accept Him as Savior.)
John 8:31-47. Jesus explains to the Jews of his day that they are not truly offspring of Abraham, but rather are offspring of the devil.
Romans 9:6-8. Paul taught that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (“FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE ISRAEL”), and not all are children of Abraham. It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God.
Romans 11:11-32. Branches (of Israel) were broken off and Gentiles grafted in by faith. This is not to be seen as strictly “replacement theology,” but rather “inclusion theology.” Whoever accepted Christ, both Gentiles and a remnant of Jews are saved.
Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29. Heirs to the promise, i.e. the true sons of Abraham, comes from faith in Christ, not physical descent.
Galatians 4:22-32. Physical Jerusalem, that is, the old covenant, is cast out making way for the New Spiritual Jerusalem—the new children of the promise.
Colossians 2:6-3:17. Paul explains in this passage that physical circumcision had been replaced by spiritual circumcision, thus in spiritual Israel—believers being made spiritually alive IN CHRIST. (See also Philippians 3:3).
Hebrews 8:5-13. The Old Covenant was being replaced by a New Covenant as predicted in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34; etc.)
1 Peter 2:4-10. The new chosen race is the Christian church.
Revelation 2:9; 3:9. There are those who say they are Jews, but are really are a “synagogue of Satan.”
Revelation 16-21. Throughout the Bible, Israel’s relationship with God is portrayed as a marriage (Isaiah 54:5; 62:4; Jeremiah 2:2; 3:14, 20; 31:32; Ezekiel 16:8, 32, 38; Hosea 2:2, 7, 16; Malachi 2:14). Whenever Israel was unfaithful, she is characterized as a harlot or adulterer (Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6-9; Ezekiel 6:8-9; 16:15, 26, 28; Hosea 1:2; 6:10; 9:1). The central theme of Revelation is a story of two women—the harlot Babylon who is judged/divorced (Revelation 17:1, 5, 15; 18:9, 21; 19:2) and God’s new bride the New Jerusalem (Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9). The faithless harlot is apostate Old Covenant Israel. The new bride is the Christian church. (Compare to the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14.)
Here are more passages about this: John 1:12-13; Romans 2:28-29; 4:9-12; Ephesians 2:11-3:6; Hebrews 9:11-28; 10:4-10.
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For more about eschatology, see my website:
www.ProphecyQuestions.com
Why is the author of this article afraid to God, instead using G*d. God is not a cussword that must be disquised.
The sad fact is that Evangelical/Fundamentalist Protestant chrstianity is NOT actual historical chrstianity.
I take no pleasure in telling you folks there's no Santa Claus, but the simple fact is that if you take a look at every one of the populations who are literally descended from those very first converts they are NOT Protestant in any degree. They have priests. They have "the holy sacrifice." They have confession and sacraments/mysteries. They pray to saints and Mary,and pray for the dead. You can squeeze your eyes shut and stick your fingers in your ears and holler "la-la-la, I can't hear you!" but facts are facts.
The ancient Syrian chrstian community isn't Protestant; it's "Oriental Orthodox." The ancient Greek community created by Paul himself is Eastern Orthodox. The Copts are "Oriental Orthodox" and have their own Pope. The ancient Assyrian church is "Nestorian." The ancient chrstian churches in Kerala in India were supposedly founded by the apostle Thomas in the year 52. And do any of you even know about the Ethiopians???
Your view of chrstianity is all skewed because you assume from the outset that the "true" chrstianity was lost and now must be reconstructed (like a paleontologist "reconstructing" a dinosaur) based on data found in the "new testament." And just why do you assume this? I'll tell you why. Because if you did not you'd have to admit that chrstianity is not the religion you think it is. It teaches the same "works righteousness" as Catholicism. Then you'd have to reevaluate your entire theological system and wind up coming to the Noahide Laws.
It's true that if one takes only the written "new testament" one can "reconstruct" a mythical ancient Protestant chrstianity--indeed, thousands of versions of it. And it's also true that actual historical chrstianity goes off on tangents (like use of statues and icons) that it's hard to believe and "successor" religion to Judaism would do. But history is history, and truth is truth.
I'm sorry, but Constantine did not create ceremonial, "works righteousness" chrstianity. The Nestorian church existed outside the Roman Empire altogether (in Persia). Did Constantine corrupt it? Did he corrupt the Coptic Church? Is he responsible for monasticism in Ethiopia and do you really believe the Ethiopians were Baptists/Pentecostals until that time? Did he corrupt the church of India????? You are all living in denial.
And I'm sorry to say it, but none of these ancient churches are remotely pro-Israel and most are fanatically anti-Israel. They maintain the original anti-Judaism attitude of the first chrstians and subscribe to "replacement theology" (it is chrstian Zionism that is the a-historical newcomer).
I know this will not mean a thing to any of you because you will refuse to even consider the possibility. And some FReepers are "paleos" who believe that every person is supposed to subscribe to the traditional religion of his ethnoculture no matter what it is. For these people the truth or falsity of chrstianity means nothing; all that matters is "America is a chrstian nation!" But this is nothing but paganism and ethnolotry. But the fact is that if I didn't say these things it would be a stain on my conscience.
I've given you the unpleasant facts. Now feel free to get mad and endlessly invoke Protestant dogma.