CONSERVATIVE U.S. EVANGELICAL "SUPPORT" FOR ISRAEL:
SOME UGLY THEOLOGICAL REALITIES
WOULD TRUE "FRIENDS OF ISRAEL" REALLY
WELCOME THE DEATH OF TWO THIRD'S OF THE WORLD'S JEWS?
ISRAEL AND THE END TIMES IN US EVANGELISM
Most
in the U.S. evangelical movement claim to be the "friends
of Israel." Yet would the true friends of Israel rejoice at
the destruction of two thirds of Israel's citizens?
The following views do
not represent all evangelicals but they do represent the dominant
theology in U.S. evangelism today concerning the end of the world.
We've
included two quotes below from Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey, who are
among the most prominent writers in the Christian Evangelical Movement.
Tim LaHaye is a renowned prophecy scholar, minister and
educator. He has written over forty works of fiction and these works
have been published in over thirty languages. His wife,
Beverly LaHaye is a conservative activist. Hal Lindsey's book,
"The Late Great Planet Earth," was a best seller in the
1970's.
These two men
certainly don't represent all Christians, but they are a voice
for the Evangelicals who believe that the end times are near. This particular brand of Christians call themselves "Premillennial Dispensationalists." There are a series
of indicators that they take from the bible to judge how close
the end times are. One of these indicators is the destruction
of two third's of Israel's Jews.
In order for the fulfillment
of the end times to occur, all of the Jews of the Earth must
return to Israel so that two thirds of them can be
slaughtered according to this evangelical interpretation of the Bible.
"As for us Jews, the Tribulation itself was the time
when God made Israel 'pass under the rod,' according to
Ezekiel 20. God says, I will bring you into the bond of the
covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those
who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the
country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of
Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord...Zachariah 13
says that two-thirds of Israel would die, so that of those
left, 'all Israel will be saved.'" Tim LaHaye's "Glorious
Appearing," Page 367.
"Zachariah predicts that
one-third of the Jews alive during this period will be
converted to Christ and miraculously preserved. In the whole
land, says the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third
into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and
test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and
I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and
they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" Hal Lindsey's "The
Late Great Planet Earth," Page 167.
A PROPHESY OF 10 MILLION JEWS DEAD
According to the doctrine of Premillennial Dispensationalists,
as well as the literature written by LaHaye and Lindsey, Jesus
will call the true Christians of the Earth to heaven 3.5 years
before his tribulations take place. The Tribulations will be a
time of suffering and death dealt out to the non-believers of
the Earth. The Christians will get to ascend to heaven without
having to die and enjoy an eternal paradise while everyone
else back on Earth is suffering. These particular Evangelicals could
be seen as using the Jews as pawns in order to escape from the problems of everyday life - or the boredom of their lives in suburbia.
Yet this prophesy cannot come to pass until all the Jews have
been gathered into the state of Israel. Therefore, the
Evangelical support of Israel is not merely some token of good
will, it is a fulfillment of a prophesy of mass slaughter. There
are currently 4.5 million Jews in Israel. If two-thirds of
these Jews were to die at the time of "Great Tribulation," this
means that 3 million Jews will be killed. If we're counting all the Jews in the world, (which is around 14 million people according to the Jewish Virtual Library), we're talking about 10 million people dead.