Study – Grow – Know

Dispensationalists Are Anti-Semitic?

January 7, 2010 at 4:46 PM 2 comments

What dispensationalists like the person who claims that preterists have an anti-semitic streak need to explain is how their regard for the future of Israel means that two-thirds of the Jews will be slaughtered before the promises are fulfilled (Zech. 13:8) in what Charles Ryrie has described in his book The Living End as “the worst bloodbath in Jewish history.”[11] Then they need to answer what postmillennialists have always believed: “the conversion of the Jews.”

The above quote was stated by Gary DeMar on his website’s forum.  What amazes me is that Dispensationalists are continually maligned as wanting the upcoming Jewish holocaust, which is believed to be taught in Scripture.  For myself, I have gone back and forth with Mr. DeMar a few times via email and he accused me of this as well.

The problem is this – IF Scripture actually teaches that there will be an upcoming Jewish holocaust, then Dispensationalism is not “willing it,” or “wanting  it” to happen.  If it is taught in Scripture, then it will occur because the Lord has determined that it will happen.  If it is not taught in Scripture, than no amount of discussion or belief in it is going to make it happen.

I know of no Dispensationalist who wants the Jews to be slaughtered.  However, it seeems to me that Preterists and others who believe as they do appear to be anti-Semitic simply because they believe that God has completely rejected them as a nation, and because of the teachings that came from type of allegorical interpretation of Scripture.

This is the same type of belief that was inherent within the Roman Catholic Church centuries ago, and which caused the indoctrination of belief that Jews were the cause of Christ’s death.  Much of the Reformed, Covenant, or Preterist thought and theology, when dealing with Prophecy, especially the End Times, is of an allegorical nature, and has roots in Roman Catholic Eschatology (study of the End Times).  This allegorical nature of interpretation dates back to Augustine, (and really got moving with Origen), who, in an attempt to move Christianity further and further away from its Jewish roots, began to re-interpret Scripture to suit him, so that a clean break with Judaism could be made.  Because of his allegorical interpretation, the Jewish people were often seens as criminals, being blamed for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, among other things.

Preterists like DeMar need to go back and review the history of their own interpretive method; its origins and its meaning.  They also need to understand that Scripture says one thing or it says nothing.

If I – as a Dispensationalist – believe that there is a coming holocaust for Jews in this world, under the leadership and auspices of the Antichrist, I believe this to be so, because of my understanding of Scripture.  If I am wrong, then I am wrong.  My believing it will not make it happen.

To argue, accuse, or claim that I am anti-Semitic because of that belief, is like stating that because I believe in hell, I actually want people to be sent there.  My belief in hell is so strong (it might be stated),  that I am bringing it about for untold millions of lost souls.  This is absurd.

I base my view on hell, and the eternal torment that goes with it, from what I believe Scripture teaches about it; nothing more and nothing less.  The doctrine of eternal torment is in the Bible or it is not in the Bible.  By wishing it, talking about it, or even being adamant about it does not create hell, nor does it send people to hell.  Wishing does not make it so.

The Bible seems clear enough from Ezekiel alone that God will one day have it out with His chosen nation, Israel.  If God has chosen to do this with a people who have been obstinate, rebellious, idolatrous, blasphemous, and all the rest, then that is what He has chosen.  They have cheated on God, He has divorced them, and taken them back many times over.  Yet, they continue to seek their own way.  Anyone who believes these statements to be anti-Semitic has not read the Bible.  These are facts, and God Himself has made these statements.

If a day of reckoning is coming for the nation of Israel because God has declared it, then it is coming, just as sure as one day, I will be with Him in heaven because of the salvation that He has provided me.  There is no amount of wishing, or wanting on my part (even if that was the case, which it is not), that can make this happen.  It is either a fact, or it is not.

The Church is far different from the nation of Israel.  The Church is already righteous, and pure; already seated with Christ (cf. Ephesians 2).  We are Christ’s BRIDE, as we have never been married to Him.  This marriage awaits a future date.  We have never divorced Him, by running off to idols.  Though Christians have sinned and continue to sin in this life, our salvation is never in question.  Paul makes this clear to the Corinthians that while our salvation is never in question, our rewards will be (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15).

The Church does not at all compare with Israel.  God has two programs; one for Israel and one for the Church.  However, let it be clearly stated that God’s salvation for those within both groups is the exact same – via faith, which leads to the imputation of His righteousness.

Preterism has roots in Romanism.  Romanism gave birth to severe anti-Semitism.  Anyone who doubts this only needs to read some of Martin Luther’s (the Reformer) later works, in which he castigates Jewish individuals.  In fact, Hitler read one of these works by Luther nearly every night.

Now, the reality is that Preterists believe that God is done with Israel as a nation.  They believe that the Jews sinned so badly by rejecting Jesus, the Messiah, that God had finally had it with them, and He literally threw them away.  Yet, what the Jews did as a nation during Jesus’ time, was no different from what their forefathers did at every turn, prior to Jesus’ time.  They also rejected God because every time they killed a prophet, or when they demanded to have a king, they were, in fact, rejecting GOD.  Rejecting God is rejecting God.  Don’t believe it?  Check out God’s own words to Samuel when He states, “They have not rejected you.  They have rejected me,” (cf. 1 Samuel 8), when Israel demanded to have a king, like the other nations around them.  It wasn’t good enough to simply have GOD Himself lead them.  No, they needed to have a HUMAN person sitting on a throne, leading them into battle and protecting them.  Apparently, God’s leadership was lacking for the Israelites…

The truth of the matter is that Israel as a nation has always rejected God.  Yet every time, He wooed them back to Him, even after He divorced them.  The book of Hosea alone shows that God did not give up on Israel.

When the religious leaders of Israel rejected Christ as Messiah, they were doing the same thing they always did – rejecting God, this time, in the form of the God-Man.  There was nothing new here!  If God did not finally or ultimately reject them for all their previous offenses when they rejected Him (directly or indirectly), He was certainly not going to do it this time either.

Each time Israel rejected God in the Old Testament, there was always a time of judgment by God.  He usually did this by using other nations to overrun Israel, slaughter some of them and take others into captivity.  Did anyone wish those judgments to happen?  Hardly.  But since I believe it did happen, am I an anti-Semite because of it?  Again, hardly.

When the nation of Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah, they were also judged by God.  That judgment was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the complete obliteration of Jerusalem and the Temple.  However, what Preterists and others believe is that this was also the Tribulation.  In point of fact, it was not the Tribulation and the only way to show that it was, is by completely allegorizing the massive amounts of text of Scripture related to it, and by ignoring pertinent facts, while whitewashing others.

God is going to judge and He is going to judge Israel, as well as the lost of this world.  I want neither one to occur, but that is completely beside the point.  If God has determined that this is what He will do, then that is what He will do.  Nothing I can say or do will prevent it, and nothing I can say or do will make it so.

Entry filed under: Atheism and religion, dispensationalism, Life in America, Posttribulational Rapture, Pretribulational Rapture, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, temple mount. Tags: allegory, anti-christianity, anti-zionist, antichrist, arab states, as it was in the days of noah, christianity, covenant, dave macpherson, dispensationalism, earning salvation, end times, gary demar, great tribulation, israel, jacob's trouble, jews, literal hermeneutic, literal method of interpretation, middle east, nation of israel, preterism, preterist, prophecy, salvation, the coming tribulation holocaust, the day of reckoning, the day of the lord, tribjlation, tribulation.