A Short Word on Fashionable Christian Anti-Zionism & Emergent Neo-Christofascism - Part One

Not so long ago, I became painfully aware of the importance of being right about the Jews theologically; are the Jews really God’s chosen people? Even if they were, are they still & what were [or are] they chosen for?

Among [professing] Christians that I know personally, there are those who are staunchly anti-Israel, but their arguments are largely political. I filtered these out because the politics of the region have little or nothing to do with the real issue at hand, primarily. Policy doesn’t answer the question. As well as this, there’s the fact that some folk simply mistake their personal politics for biblical convictions. It’s after this particular question concerning the place of the Jews has been answered that we can then choose to enter into the political debate if we so choose to use our time thus, at least from my perspective anyway.

Thesis & antithesis do not simply hold each other in a tension because they have nothing better to do.

If we argue the politics of the so called Arab/Israeli conflict, without any reference between the issue’s relative extremes, we’ll find absolutely no resolution whatsoever. Resolution I say, not between Arab & Jew, but rather between those [professing] Christians who are pro-Israel & those who are not. *(By the way, there’s a valid reason why I leave the word ‘professing’ in parenthesis; a significant number of anti-Zionists are simply that, ‘professing’ & nothing more, hence my reticence).

Personally, I’m pro-Israeli but my stance has nothing to do with my view of Israel’s politics. The Israel that I stand with are not simply the physical, natural decendants of the Patriarch Abraham. I’m standing with the Jews & Israel as they’re defined biblically & theologically.

So, we have those [professing] Christians who will answer the opening question with a resounding ‘NO’, those who will answer with a defiant ‘YES’ & those who will err on the side of ignorance, sheepishly whispering that they think the Jews used to be. You’ll know those in this last group by the way their lips never, ever move when they speak about Israel.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll state my reasons for standing with Israel, answering the basic question as it has been put to me & also in response to an almost unbelievable ignorance among certain groups of [professing] Christians. However, I am not an expositor of Scripture, an expert in any field whatsoever, or a theologian. I’m just just a bloke who loves Israel & their Messiah most especially. *(There is a broader argument that cannot go unmentioned here & it is this; our understanding of Israel & their place in God’s plan will affect our eschatological theology absolutely & directly. However, in this brief open letter I’m not dealing with that). The State of Israel & the state of The Church are inextricably linked & no matter which side of the debate we decide to come down on, we have to ackowledge a few essential, principle things first. Forgive me if I miss anything out.

Abraham obeyed God’s commandment concerning circumcision & [in my opinion] became the first Jew (Genesis17:24). Isaac was a Jew. Jacob was a Jew. Later, God renamed Jacob & called him Israel. Jacob’s sons, the heads of the twelve tribes, were Jews. Joseph, who was sold into slavery & who then miraculously rose to power some time later, was a Jew. Moses, the deliverer of the Hebrews from their oppression in Egypt & reputed writer of the Pentatuch, was a Jew.

Joshua, who led the Children of Israel into the land promised to Abraham, was a Jew. The judges of Israel & those they judged, were Jews. The kings of Israel & those they ruled, were Jews. The prophets in Israel & those to whom the Word of The Lord was delivered, were Jews. The priesthood & those on whose behalf they ministered, were Jews. The Old Testament as we have it, would not be in our hands today had it not been written down & preserved for & by the Jews.

Elizabeth, the wife of  Zachariah the High Priest & mother of John the Baptist, was a Jew. Mary, the virgin to whom the angel Gabriel appeared, was a Jew. Her husband-to-be, Joseph the carpenter, was a Jew. Jesus Christ The Messiah, our Lord & Saviour, was a Jew. The disciples He chose, who would later become Apostles of The Lamb, were Jews. The people He taught in the temple, were Jews. The pharisees & saducees were Jews. The doctors of the law were Jews.

The prophesies concerning Christ in His first coming were given to Jews & fulfilled by a Jew Who had been sent to Jews. He sent His disciples to minister to the Jews. The early Church at its inception was comprised of Jews. The Gospels & Book of Acts were written by Jews. The epistles were written by Jews. The Revelation of Jesus Christ was penned by a Jew who had been closer than close to the Jew that it’s all about; Jesus. The New Testament as we have it today, was written by Jews.

So far, God has seen to it that the people He raised up for Himself have been substantially provided for in His will; His redemptive plan. A people to whom He gave His Law, Covenants, Promises & Prophesies; with whom He suffered unfaithfulness, rebellion, backsliding & idolatory; through whom He brought forth The Messiah & for whom He shed His own blood. If, by this stage, the Jews were not God’s people, they most certainly ought to have been!!

The question put to me was this; how can the Jews still qualify as God’s people from a New Testament stadpoint, after rejecting Christ as their Messiah? My simplistic answer is ‘because God says so’ but this comment on its own proves insufficient. *(I must say here that in my view, being wrong about Israel isn’t necessarily tantamount to anti-semitism, at least it doesn’t appear to be so in the beginning. However, it is a one way street that travels straight to replacement theology (also known as supersessionism) with no turn offs. Eventually, one becomes anti-semitic by default; first in theory & then so in practise).

This particular question suggests that God no longer has a people called out for His name, unless I’m missing something. Of course, the obvious initial response is that The Church has replaced the Jews who openly rejected the Gospel & their Messiah. At this point in discussions, I lean back in my chair with a cup of tea & a custard cream. I won’t pretend that I don’t become angry with people at times, especially when I explain exactly what they’re actually saying when they present this argument.

The term ‘anti’ is widely percieved as meaning something against or in opposition to. This determination is correct. However, this is not the only thing the term means; it also means in the place of. By definition then, to claim that The Church has replaced [or is in the place of] Israel, is by nature anti-semitic. Moreover, it would also mean that God is responsible for this unfounded prejudice & has endorsed it in Scripture. This is a dangerous claim to make, but make it some do.

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans2:28-29).

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Romans9:6).

Many detractors cite these verses as proof that physical circumcision is nullified & superceded by the circumcision of the heart. Jews who have not experienced this, they say, are only Jews outwardly & as such are not the people of God. The ‘inward’ Jews, they say, are believers in Christ, who have had their hearts circumcised in new birth. It is these people, they say, who are the true Israel of God. Their insinuation does an injustice & a gross  mischief to the text.

I agree that physical circumcision under the Mosaic Law has been superceeded in the New Testament. However, I suggest people read the entire chapters of Romans 2 & 9 before coming to the conclusion that Israel has been replaced by The Church. It has not. As a matter of fact, I would go further & suggest reading the entire book of Romans.

In Romans chapter 2, Paul makes a very simple case concerning what a true Jew is. He is not making the case that Gentiles who have circumcised hearts somehow replace Israel & the Jews. If this was indeed the case, The Lord got the rough end of the deal. The Gentile Church has proven far worse than Israel in many, many respects. Verses 9 & 10 of the chapter show us that Paul knows the difference between the two. He also underscores the point in verse 11, letting us know that God does not suffer from the malady of partiality. He is however, a keeper of His Word.

The Apostle argues that the moralist & legalist won’t escape the wrath of God simply because of their natural heritage, or a successful crossing of ‘t’s & dotting of ‘i’s.

He continues his treatise, directly addressing the hypocrisy of morality & legalism held in a double standard.  ‘Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God’ (Romans2:17). This, he points out, is laughable to the point that the Gentiles commit blasphemy because of it. Then Paul delivers a hammer blow in verses 28 & 29, describing what a Jew is & what a Jew is not. For he is not a Jew which. But he is a Jew which. Paul is saying that true Judaism is of the heart, not in morality & legality. So far, Paul has said nothing anti-semitic. He has said nothing to indicate a replacement of the Jews by The Church.

I say again that we must have a correct view of Israel, biblically & theologically. I also reiterate that I’m answering the question as it has been put to me in discussion with [professing] Christians.

Fans of Romans chapter 2 seem to forget chapter 3, where Paul’s opening salvo states, ‘What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God’(Romans3:1-2). The implications here are enormous if The Church has replaced Israel. God made His covenent with the Jews & no one else.

In Romans chapter 9, Paul discusses God’s relationship with & election of Israel. He does not discuss the election of the Gentile Church, but rather, their inclusion by the selfsame exercise of faith in Christ Jesus. He states emphatically, ‘neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed’ (vss.7-8). They are not all Israel which are of Israel.

Again, The Apostle’s statement reveals the true Israelite as one who is more than simply a child of Abraham according to the flesh. He says nothing of the Gentile Church usurping the promises God made to Abraham & to his seed. The Jews who believed the promise given to Abraham, a promise reiterated time & time again throughout Scripture, these are the true Israel. These are the true Jews who recognised their Messiah. The Gentile Church is not the Israel Paul is speaking of here. He is speaking of his fellow Jews.

In the opening verses of Romans 9, Paul states his burden for the Jews quite clearly. He refers to them as his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh & Israelites (vss.3-4a). He then goes on to catalogue what God has given to said Israelites. The adoption; the glory; the covenants; the giving of the law; the service of God; the promises; the fathers; Christ Himself (vss.4b-5). These things have not been taken away from Israel & given to The Church. Rather, the Gentiles have been offered inclusion into these elements & their fulfilment by faith in the Jewish Messiah (vss.23-26).

Those Jews who have so far failed to follow through to faith in Christ, although they possessed every means to do so, may not have attained the righteousness of God, but they have by no means been supplanted by a spiritual Israel. Viewed biblically & theologically, the Jews are still God’s people, although they haven’t yet accepted Jesus Christ. Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

Paul’s lamentation continues in chapter 10 of Romans, where he says ‘my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved (Romans10:1). They have a zeal of God; they are ignorant of His righteousness & [consequently] they have not submitted themselves to it (vss.2-3). The Gentiles however, have responded to the call of the Gospel. Concerning the Jews, Paul asks, ‘Have they not heard? Did not Israel know?’(vss.18a-19a). The answer is yes & yes. Does this disqualify Israel? The answer is no; not biblically & not theologically either.

In chapter 11, The Apostle uses very plain language. ‘I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elijah? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace’(Romans11:1-5).

If Israel had been cast away & replaced, Paul himself would have been cast away also, along with every other believing Jew. This was not the case. God’s covenant was cut with Isreal, not with the Gentile Church. He identifies himself as an Israelite, of Abraham’s seed & a Benjamite. In Acts 22:3 he calls himself a Jew. In his epistle to The Church at Philipi he lists his natural heritage. Ritually circumcised; of Israel’s stock; a Benjamite; a true Hebrew; a Pharisee; demonstrably zealous; blameless concerning the law (Philippians3:5-6). When defending his ministry against that of the [so-called] super apostles, he states, ‘Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I’ (2Corinthians11:22).

He continues through chapter 11, demonstrating the grace of God in giving the Gospel to the Gentiles, using Israel’s partial blindness as an opportunity to accomplish this. The Jews are the natural branches of the olive tree & the Gentiles are grafted in through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet we are exhorted not to be highminded, but fearful, because God is well able to graft them back into their own tree. How can this be accomplished if God has finished with Israel & the Jews?

Any theory that attempts to ‘spiritualise’ the place God has for Israel in His plan & replace them with The Gentile Church, is nothing more or less than a misguided, ill informed & ignorant anti-semitism. Even the cursory overview we have here ought to remove the notion that God has in any way, shape, or form, removed Israel from her place in theology, history, prophecy or the world.

End of Part One.

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