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Israel, the Church, and the Middle East: A Biblical Response to the Current Conflict (Book Notice)

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Israel, the Church, and the Middle East: A biblical response to the current conflict by Darrell L. Bock (Editor), Mitch Glaser (Editor), Joel C. Rosenberg (Foreword)

 

 

The relationship between the church and Israel has been the source of passionate debate among Christians throughout much of church history. In recent years the traditional pro-Israel stance of evangelicals has come under fire by those who support the Palestinian cause, calling for a new perspective and more nuanced approach by Christians who believe that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people by virtue of God’s covenants and promises.

Israel, the Church, and the Middle East challenges the supersessionist drift of the modern church, showing that God retains a plan and purpose for the Jewish people while also addressing a number of the divisive issues raised by authors critical both of Israel and of those who affirm Israel’s right to the land. The book explores the hermeneutics and wider effects of the conflict, such as the growing antipathy within the church toward the evangelization of the Jewish people. It provides readers with an objective and interdisciplinary treatment, which is irenic and respectful in tone. The book is directed toward pastors, global Christian leaders, theological students, and well-read lay Christians who are actively seeking guidance and resources regarding the Middle East conflict. The contributors represent a broad evangelical spectrum.

Contributors

Richard E. Averbeck (Contributor), Mark L. Bailey (Contributor), Craig Blaising (Contributor), Mike Brown (Contributor), Tom Doyle (Contributor), Jr Walter C. Kaiser (Contributor), Craig Parshall (Contributor), Michael Rydelnik (Contributor), Erez Soref (Contributor), Michael J. Vlach (Contributor), Mark Yarbrough (Contributor)

A Review

“Israel, the Church, and the Middle East” is a compilation of articles written by several scholars about the relationship between the three areas mentioned in the title. Around 270 pages, the book covers many topics, including:

1. The Messianic Jewish movement in modern Israel.
2. The rise and danger of supersessionism (belief that because of rejecting Christ at His first coming, the Jewish people no longer play a role in God’s plan).
3. Relationship between Israel and the Bible.
4. Modern Palestinian church in Israel.
5. Reconciliation between the Jews and Arabs.
6. Reasons why, despite their past history, the Jews should have their own nation and territory.
7. Viewpoints over dividing the land of Israel.

While written by many scholars, the book is very readable, well-documented, smoothly transitions from topic to topic, and contains a helpful bibliography for further reading. I will definitely use this as a helpful future reference and will read more deeply in the near future. Recommended. I was given a review copy by Kregel Publications in exchange for a fair review.

 

 

See also The Messianic Hope

 

Why Pope Francis Will Not Have an Address in the Holy City of the New Jerusalem

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In an interview, Pope Francis is alleged to have said: “They are not punished, those who repent obtain the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear. There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls.” Source

[*Update: There is a report that the Vatican is backtracking. But what is conspicuous about this report is that it is absent of any statement from the Pope confirming his belief that the unrepentant will go to hell. ]

But Jesus himself warns:

“And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city [New Jerusalem] that are described in this book.” (Rev 22:19)

What “words“?

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:10–15)

“A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.” This requires the steadfast endurance of the saints—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus.” (Rev 14:9–12)

 

 

 

The Pope Is Wrong, God DOES Decree Trials, Temptations, and Tests for Our Good, and Its Relevance for the Coming Antichrist…

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Recently the Pope has thought that he possesses the authority to change Jesus’ words and intention with one of the petitions in the Lord’s prayer, which I am sure most of you have heard about by now (“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” Matt 6:13). This issue is germane to the tests, temptations, trials that the Lord will ordain for the last generation of the church under the Antichrist’s great tribulation.

One of the reasons why so many pretribs (not all) believe that they will be raptured and escape before the Antichrist arrives is because they hold to an aberrant theology that teaches that “God would never do that to his Bride.” This stems from a more fundamental and ancient heresy called Dualism, which says that God and Satan are independent sovereign beings vying for supremacy throughout the ages.

All this to say, it is an important point in prewrath theology that teaches that God has good purposes why his church will suffer—not only throughout the church age—but its worst suffering just before Jesus returns during the Antichrist’s great tribulation. Robert Van Kampen, Marvin Rosenthal, Roger Best, Charles Cooper, Ryan Habbena, myself and a host of other prewrath exponents have taught that we must trust—not question—God’s all-good and all-wise purposes when believers suffer under the Antichrist.

Ironically, many pretribulationists have fallen into the same error of the Thessalonians who identified the suffering of persecution they were experiencing with the eschatological wrath of God. This is why they thought the day of the Lord’s wrath had already begun. Tragically, I believe this scenario will play out again in the future when the Antichrist arrives and starts persecuting the church. Many petribbers will think they are experiencing God’s wrath under the Antichrist’s persecution; consequently, they will end up losing hope, faith, and love, and worse may apostatize by falling prey to the trials and temptations that God brings into their life under the Antichrist.

You can read Denny Burk’s refutation of the Pope’s error here. But while you read it, think how this can apply to future end-time trials.

 

 

 

The First Apocalypse of James

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There is hype about a recent discovery of a Greek Gnostic manuscript, The First Apocalypse of James. The mainstream media, predicatively, hypes up this news for click bait. They sensationally tout this as some major significant discovery with the implication that this will change our traditional understanding of Jesus. It does not, at all. I was going to respond to this, but James White beat me to the punch, so I will link his reply to it: He discusses it in the first half hour of his show here.

 

 

“The events depicted in the book of Revelation could never take place…they are merely symbolic”

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A Surprise From the Supervolcano Under Yellowstone

Beneath Yellowstone National Park lies a supervolcano, a behemoth far more powerful than your average volcano. It has the ability to expel more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of rock and ash at once — 250,000 times more material than erupted from Mount St. Helens in 1980, which killed 57 people. That could blanket most of the United States in a thick layer of ash and even plunge the Earth into a volcanic winter. READ MORE…

Revelation 8:7–13: “The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.

Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. (Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day and for a third of the night likewise. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying directly overhead, proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”

Just as Noah’s neighbors certainly laughed at him for building the ark (“Noah, why are you being so ‘literalistic’?”), the wicked today foolishly mock Christians and their belief in the second coming of Jesus. And sadly many Christians see the book of Revelation as simply one big symbolic metaphor.

Repent, for the great day of the Lord’s wrath is coming.

“Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness,while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides” (2 Peter 3:11–13).

 

 

What Is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)? – Michael Heiser’s Interview with Holly Pivec

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LISTEN HERE

The New Apostolic Reformation possesses skewed eschatology, to say the least, containing some of the most bizarre—and unbiblical—interpretations I have come across in my studies.

Holly Pivec (who is prewrath, incidentally) has co-authored two of the standard books on NAR.

A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement and God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

 

 

Afterthoughts on Scott Clarke’s Failed Rapture Prediction and the Gospel-LESS ‘The Sign’ Documentary – Ep. 97

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

I responded to the failed September 23rd rapture prediction of Scott Clarke, Mark Biltz, Michael Rood, and David Meade. There is no repentance from them for their false teachings and misleading the people of God. My focus was on Scott Clarke and my admonishment of his teaching.

I also talked about my interview (or non-interview) with The Sign documentary that aired on Direct TV over a week ago. Listen to this episode and find out what happened!

 

 

 

Apple iPhone’s Finger and Facial Recognition Technology

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“He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand [χειρὸς] or on their forehead [μέτωπον]” (Revelation 13:16 NET)

Why will the Antichrist use both the hand and the forehead for his evil-intentioned use in his mark and image system? At this time the reason is speculation. Perhaps those two regions on the human body are most natural and conducive to implement such a technology to identify his subjects. Incidentally, why the right hand? Perhaps it will streamline the identifying process, where scanning for both hands may be inefficient.

As many of you are aware, this past week Apple announced their FaceID for the upcoming iPhone X, which is a tool for facial recognition in identifying individuals so they can unlock their phones for use. Their current phone already uses finger print technology.

I find this interesting, not because I think the Antichrist will use the iPhone or even the technology behind it. I find it interesting because Apple has chosen the two bodily regions (finger and face) that relate to the two bodily regions that the Antichrist will use (hand and forehead).

In short, there is something about those two regions (or parts of those same regions) that are natural for physical recognition of the individual. In other words, why not a big toe and an ear?

Apple’s direction in using these two physical regions may anticipate the mark system that Antichrist will use.

 

 

Facial Recognition Tech for the Beast?

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Chinese police have used facial recognition technology to catch criminals at a beer festival…

In March a government oversight committee in the US heard that approximately half of adult Americans’ photographs are stored in facial recognition databases that can be accessed by the FBI, without their knowledge or consent, in the hunt for suspected criminals. h.t. Steve Hays

Will this be the means by which the Antichrist will detect recalcitrant Christians who refuse to take the mark and worship his image?

“The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast—that is, his name or his number.” (Rev 13:15–17)

Thankfully, pretrib Peruvian skull scholar L. A. Marzulli reassures us all that we will be raptured out of here before the Beast’s nasty persecution.

 

(VIDEO) No, Mr. Marzulli, we cannot ‘fix it’—but the Living and Almighty God Is Able

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In the video below at timestamp 4:00, L. A. Marzulli makes the following anti-biblical, heretical prophecy:

“We are in a place in history where you can’t fix this anymore.”

He says this is his opinion. Based on what? That is a huge claim he is making. You can have an opinion on who is going to win the superbowl this year. But this claim (“opinion”) is tantamount to knowing the mind of God.

That is not the living and Almighty God of the Bible. “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isa 46:10).

That is a god of his making, a god that is subjected to the creature’s will. (Notice that Scott Clarke nods in agreement with Marzulli’s statement).

Perhaps Mr. Marzulli should shift away from his interests in Peruvian skulls and UFO phenomena and learn about the Living God who can shake mountains and give life to rebel souls…shine living light into despairing darkness.

His man-centered eschatology should be eschewed by all Christians. Despite what Marzulli claims, if the Living God of the Bible so chooses to bring about a revival in this world by turning wicked men toward him, that is his holy and sovereign decree. Is any amount of depravity in this world too much for God to overcome?

There is so much bad theology among many prophecy teachers out there. One’s eschatology is only as good as their theology of God. In other words, you cannot compartmentalize your eschatology from your larger understanding of who the living God of the Bible is.

In short, you need to make sure you do not have a worldly view of God that subjects God’s will to Man’s will, forming God into the creature’s image.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16 ESV)

 

(VIDEO) Scott Clarke Contradicts Himself in His ‘Date-Suggesting’ Rapture Talk

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Scott Clarke is the one responsible for originally theorizing and then promoting the “Rapture in Revelation 12/September 23rd interpretation,” something that has gone viral in recent months and will continue to do so until its failed fulfillment on the morning of September 24.

Last week, he gave a talk at the “The Watchmen Signs in the Heavenlies Bible Prophecy Conference” in Idaho. In the video below starting at 20:55, in a span of about thirty seconds, you can hear Scott Clarke, who is pretrib, go from placing the rapture at the celestial disturbances—which he admits happens after the tribulation period (Luke 21:12–28)—and then immediately contradicting himself by dogmatically claiming that “the Bible is incredibly clear that the rapture of the body of Christ has to take place before the tribulation period.”

He does not seem to recognize his own contradiction in his statement above—including the audience who then clapped after his statement.

Ironically, a few moments later he says “I’m all about the cross-referencing.” But he conspicuously omitted the most important cross-references on the topic of the celestial disturbances in Matthew 24 and the sixth seal in Revelation 6, which buttress’s the point in Luke 21 that the Antichrist’s great tribulation happens before the celestial disturbances, and thus before the day of the Lord.

He, as all other pretribulationists, confuse the day of the Lord’s wrath with the Antichrist’s great tribulation. A fatal flaw to their eschatological framework.

Clarke is an amiable and bright person, but he is wedded to his tradition with pretrib lens that he interprets these things through. I have an ongoing series responding to his theory and interpretation here.

 

Copyright © 2018 by Alan Kurschner.