Monday, March 2, 2009

Would Jesus Concur or Weep?

Looking at the photo of an innocent, dead, Palestinian child, I want to weep. It appears that the child is a girl of around 3 years old. Her parents are probably Muslims because the population of Gaza is predominantly Muslim. However, there are Christians peaceably living there, side by side with the Muslims. So, there is a small probability that this little girl’s parents could be Christians. Of course, it doesn’t make any difference whether her parents were Muslims, Christians or Jews. If her parents are still alive, they would be grieving. And, we as Christians should be grieving.


Americans and our Congress have overwhelmingly supported the actions by the Israelis against the Palestinians in Gaza in the first few weeks of January, 2009. Probably hundreds of young children, as the girl pictured here, were killed. Typically, a large percentage of Americans view the loss of such young lives as “collateral damage.” This is an euphemism used by our military to sooth the American public. We’ve all heard about the collateral damage in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wouldn’t be nice if it were called what it really is: murder. One group in the United States that religiously and fervently supports Israel, no matter how it conducts itself against the Palestinians that reside in Israel, are Christian Zionists. They believe that the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of Old Testament, Biblical prophecy.


In a nutshell, Christian Zionists believe unconditional love must be bestowed upon Israel; not doing so would result in condemnations and curses from God. The idea that the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy is a debate topic that can be carried on between Christians of different viewpoints. As Christians, our first and most important allegiance must be to Jesus Christ. No where in the New Testament does Jesus or another writer require that a belief in a physical state of Israel is necessary for salvation. Jesus’ kingdom is based in the spiritual realm.


We are all equal in the sight of God. He displays no favoritism based on race, social status, or gender. Jesus Christ gave his life out of love, not to save a tiny plot of land or a favored ethnicity, but for all mankind. Not for inanimate shrines and places, as much as we may love what they represent to us, but for the forgiveness of sins and salvation of all who will receive Him. His sacrifice was to make us “living stones” in one glorious temple, not built by human hands, but by a living God who wants relationship with us. That is the gospel. The question for the American church today is simple: What gospel are we believing and preaching?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Biblical Support Against
Scripture teaches clearly of a throne of God Heaven. "The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalms 11:4). In contrast to this, the throne of David, Scripture teaches, is future, earthly, and literal. The careful distinction between these thrones is made in Revelation 3:21, "He who overcomes, I will (future) grant to sit down with Me on My throne (earthly), as I overcame and sat down (present) with My Father on His throne (heavenly)." Blurring these distinctions will lead to confusion concerning promises made to Israel and promises made to the church. This confusion will greatly determine our convictions on the Lord's return, the tribulation period, and the Christian's relationship to the Mosaic Law. Although Progressive Dispensationalists have ardently set forth this paradoxical "already but not yet" view, many do not see it clearly supported by Scripture.
This has led the former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, John Walvoord, to write, "Progressive Dispensationalism, as it is called, is built upon a foundation of sand and is lacking specific proof”. (Issues in Dispensationalism, edited by Willis and Masters, p.90)
Many have noticed that this view moves Progressive Dispensationalism closer to Covenant Theology than to Dispensationalism (B.Waltke, Dispensationalism, Israel, and the Church, p. 348). This view forces its proponents to de-emphasize many fundamental features of Dispensationalism, including the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. What does this all mean for the future? Will other leading features of Dispensationalism fall in favor of current theological trends? Will Progressive Dispensationalism progress even further towards classical Covenant Theology? All of this has led Dr. Walter A. Elwell, of Trinity Theological Seminary, in a book review of Progressive Dispensationalism to surmise, "The newer dispensationalism looks so much like non-dispensational pre-millennialism that one struggles to see any real difference”. (C.T., 9/12, 1994, p.28)
May we labor to rightly divide the Word of truth, especially as we see Progressive Dispensationalism spreading from the seminary classroom to the Christian bookstore and then down to the local church, moving ever closer toward Covenant Theology.
Yes Jesus would weep, but true believers know that the time of Jacobs Trouble is not yet and until the time of the Gentiles is passed, no one will have the answers. Scofield's notes are not inspired, but the KJV Bible is.
kschmidt@livingtruthministry.com

apollonian said...

Christ Would "Get Even" Too, Indubitably
(Apollonian, 31 Mar 09)

Jesus wouldn't just weep--that's not only thing he'd do. "Think not I came to bring peace; rather I come to bring a sword" (Gosp. MATT 10:34).

CONCLUSION: Christ would perhaps weep, for Christ emotes and suffers with us--unlike God-the-Father who would remain impassive. But Christ would also do justice, no doubt. Christ ain't no wussy. Honest elections and death to the Fed. Apollonian

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