Q162 : Is Today’s Israel Still Chosen by God?
Hi. I stumbled upon your site today and have read many of the answers that have been posted to questions pertaining to the end-times and Israel and related topics. I have to say your biblical knowledge is astounding and makes me feel guilty for not studying more. But one thing that has been bothering me as I read your responses was about Israel.
I feel that many Christians today do not realize how much today's physical Israel has strayed from even barely resembling any past remnant of God's Chosen People of Israel. I feel this is a huge deception that thousands if not millions of Christians have fallen for, and I would like to present some ideas that you should at least consider.
And you will have to forgive my tone here. I tend to come across a little bitter, but the Lord is working on me.
Firstly, I want to address the usage of the phrase "Anti-Semitism."
"Anti-Semitism," as the mainstream view goes, means a "hatred of Jews." Ever since the rise of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, the phrase Anti-Semitism has been manipulated into a tool and a weapon, which I have personally witnessed used as an easy way of saying, "You don't agree with me because I'm Jewish! You must be an Anti-Semite!" which would then make me racist apparently and as a result cause all sorts of people to assume I was some Nazi low life with no sense of "tolerance and respect for persecuted peoples."
Ironically, calling someone an Anti-Semite is like saying they hate all Semitic peoples. Did you know that a majority of the people who live in the Middle East are considered Semitic people? This includes not only ethnic Jews, but countless ethnic groups of Arabs as well. Just a tidbit of information you might want to chew on.
Secondly, there is the issue I have with your statements about Israel still being "God's Chosen People," that for some reason the Church has not replaced Israel, but that they are two separate entities. This poses a problem for me spiritually, and I believe for the Body of Christ as a whole.
Considering Israel as God's chosen people after the birth , life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes the New Covenant between Jesus Christ and His Church seem like a secondary issue, as if Israel is more important than true followers of Christ. Although there aren't a lot of things in this world that can be considered "black and white," I feel this issue is. One is either a born-again member of the Body of Christ and part of the Church, or one is not. There can be no middle ground. Which means Israel cannot possibly be God's chosen people anymore.
Here are a few Biblical examples of why I believe Israel is no longer God's "chosen people" (Mat. 3:1-12; Acts 10:34-35; Rev. 2:8-9; 3:7-9).
Regarding Israel's treatment of their neighbors: as a God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian, I have not found it within myself to be able to say that I can support Israel, or at least not the physical nation of Israel. Perhaps it is my rebellious streak. Perhaps it is something deeper, like my conscience.
I'll just be frank: the nation and government of Israel treats its Palestinian neighbors like cattle. They run the Palestinian people off their land and take their homes so that Israelis may move into them. The Gaza strip is another set of horror stories which I would rather not go into great detail about, but Israel's current treatment of the Palestinian people today is very closely reminiscent to Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews in the 40's. Clearly Israel has not learned how to (or perhaps is hard-headedly refusing to) "love thy neighbor as thyself," to quote the wonderful words of our Savior.
How can a Christian still believe that God has still claimed the Nation of Israel as His "chosen people"? It makes no Biblical sense.
I hope you will consider what I have said here, and pray about it earnestly, with an open heart. Maybe the Lord has something He wants to reveal to you. |