ENLARGING OUR HEARTS: A Discussion for Highland Christians about Palestine and Israel (and my written comments on some of the issues raised in the video).

                                            DEPRESSING DISPENSATIONALISM

After watching the Enlargingour hearts: a podcast discussion amongst Highland Christians about Israel &Palestine video I was inspired to write the following:

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Forwhat it’s worth, Rudi Schwartz and I address some of the issues discussed inthe video mostly in our The Kingdom: Every Square Inch book and also in TheUnfaithful Bride & The Faithful Groom book.

Bottomline is that Dispensationalism, with its erroneous views of modern Israel (post1948) and therefore also the Lord’s Church, has caused untold damage toChristianity and Christian politics (USA in particular) regarding the MiddleEast in general and (contemporary) Israel in particular. The popularity of thelate John MacArthur (who has planted churches even in Brisbane!) was the mainpurveyor of this damaging doctrine in our own day. John MacArthur, on accountof his Calvinistic views on certain things, was the crossover point fromDispensationalism into Reformed Christianity. The late and well-respected RCSproul lent MacArthur credibility in Reformed circles by giving him a platform.

See AmazonPremillennialDispensationalism has a great deal to do with the Ben Shapiro/Tucker Carlsondispute. Ben Shapiro has been annoying me for a couple of years now, as hasMark Levin. I like Mark Levin when it comes to help in understanding the intentof the American Constitution but have been left wondering why he andShapiro don’t just pull up stakes and leave the USA and move to Israelwhich, by their weird fixation, they prove beyond any shadow of doubt, theyobviously love more than America! Why? Well, it’s the same way why someChristians love Israel more than they love Christ's Church on earth! Error!Yes, Zionism for the first (i.e., the Jews) and Dispensationalism for thesecond (i.e., misguided Christians). Both are the same thing when it comes topolitics. Both are bad theology. Of course, as soon as you say anything likethis you are likened to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. That’s the bit Idon't understand. I care for the present nation of Israel as I care for anyWestern democratic people. I worry about Israel being surrounded by Islamicnations that hate them. However, I don’t view present-day Israel as the land ofGod’s chosen people (or the present-day land as the chosen land).

Yeolde Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him whocurses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” applies,of course, to Abraham and ultimately to Christ, “For all the promises of God inHim are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20), and,importantly, those who are the true sons of Abraham, i.e., those who are inChrist, Christians. “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, andheirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29) and “Therefore know that only thosewho are of faith are sons of Abraham" (Gal. 3:9). Therefore, if thepresent-day faithless Israel is indeed a Jewish State, and if Ben Shapiro andMark Levin are practicing Jews, then they are Christless. They areoutside of Christ. Therefore, they do not bless Abraham. They certainly do notbless Abraham’s promised Son, Christ the Messiah. And they do not bless thosewho are in Christ. Thus, Dispensationalism stunts the advancement of the Gospelby its worship of Israel instead of Israel’s Son, Jesus Christ. Its Rapture Theologyhands this world over to Satan, instead of winning it for Christ.

Insteadof Christ and His New Testament Church on earth being seen as the continuationof His Old Testament faithful people, through Gentiles, i.e., nations other thanOld Testament Israel, being grafted into the same olive tree,Dispensationalism accuses Reformed Theology of being Replacement Theology,as in the Church replacing Israel. “And if some of the branches werebroken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them,and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, donot boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that youdo not support the root, but the root supports you. You willsay then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in” (Rom.11:17-19). One olive tree, not Israel and the Church. The middle wall ofpartition has been removed. “At that time you were without Christ, being aliensfrom the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you whoonce were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himselfis our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall ofseparation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, thelaw of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to createin Himself one new man from the two, thus makingpeace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body throughthe cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” (Eph. 2:12-16).

Howlong is a piece of string? If Old Testament Israel is a long piece of string, Dispensationalismremoves a chunk out of the middle and reattaches the string with present dayIsrael in the Middle East. The bit that Dispensationalism removes it calls theChurch. The dissection it calls The Rapture. Instead of keeping its eyeson the Lord, Dispensationalism is fixated on present-day Israel. That is whereit looks for signs for its supposed immanent return of the Lord. The Church is thenremoved from earth and the string gets rejoined so that the Lord can get onwith more important things!

Dispensationalismwas popularized in the early 1800s by John Nelson Darby and was even morepopularized in the early 1900s by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield in his (in)famous ScofieldReference Bible. John MacArthur (1939-2025) furthered its debilitating influenceon the Lord’s Church in our own age. Instead of Christians rolling up theirsleeves and getting on with the work of Christ’s Kingdom, we are now hopingthat Christ will return to save us from this evil generation! News aboutpresent-day Israel helps us determine when we will be “Saigoned”, (see,Americans at the end of Vietnam War). This, of course, impacts ourunderstanding of the Great Commission, which in the Dispensational system,is doomed to depressing failure and not to success. Thus Satan, not Christ, wins theworld!

Thefollowing is from The Westminster Directory for Publick (sic) Worship(Of Public Prayer before the Sermon). Note that we are to pray for “theconversion of the Jews" and deliverance from the cruel Turk (i.e., Islam),yes, and we are even to pray for Australia!, and for the removal of heresy, (such asDispensationalism):

“Topray for the propagation of the gospel and kingdom of Christ to all nations;for the conversion of the Jews, the fulness of the Gentiles, thefall of Antichrist, and the hastening of the second coming of our Lord; for thedeliverance of the distressed churches abroad from the tyranny of theantichristian faction, and from the cruel oppressions and blasphemiesof the Turk; for the blessing of God upon the reformed churches, especiallyupon the churches and kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland, now morestrictly and religiously united in the Solemn National League and Covenant;and for our plantations in the remote parts of the world: moreparticularly for that church and kingdom whereof we are members, that thereinGod would establish peace and truth, the purity of all his ordinances, and thepower of godliness; prevent and remove heresy, schism, profaneness,superstition, security, and unfruitfulness under the means of grace; heal allour rents and divisions, and preserve us from breach of our Solemn Covenant.”