I am one of those who believe in Israel’s restoration and conversion; who receive it as a future certainty, that all Israel shall be gathered, and that all Israel shall be saved. As I believe in Israel’s present degradation, so do I believe in Israel’s coming glory and preeminence. I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood by understanding God’s purpose as to Israel. I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future, whether political or scientific, or philosophical or religious, must be failures, if not taking for their data or basis God’s great purpose regarding the latter-day standing of Israel. I believe that it is not possible to enter God’s mind regarding the destiny of man, without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding the ancient nation—that nation whose history, so far from being ended, or nearly ended, is only about to begin. And if any one may superciliously ask, What can the Jews have to do with the world’s history?—may we not correctly philosophize on that coming history, and take the bearing of the world’s course, leaving Israel out of the consideration altogether? We say, nay; but O man, who art thou that repliest against God?

Art thou the framer of the earth’s strange annals, either past or future? Art thou the creator of those events which make up these annals, or the producer of those latent springs or seeds of which these arise? He only to whom the future belongs can reveal it. He only can announce the principles on which that future is to be developed. And if He set Israel as the great nation of the future, and Jerusalem as the great metropolis of earth, who are we, that, with our philosophy of science, we should set aside the divine arrangements, and substitute for them a theory of man?… I believe that the sons of Abraham are to re-inherit Palestine, and that the forfeited fertility will yet return to that land; that the wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad for them, and the desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose. I believe that, meanwhile, Israel shall not only be wanderers, but that everywhere only a remnant, a small remnant, shall be saved; and that it is for the gathering in of this remnant that our missionaries go forth.

I believe that these times of ours (as also all the times of the four monarchies [Dan 2]) are the times of the Gentiles; and that Jerusalem and Israel shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. I believe that, with the filling up of these times of the Gentile pre-eminence, and the completion of what the apostle calls the fullness of the Gentiles, will be the signal for the judgments which are to usher in the crisis of earth’s history, and the deliverance of Israel, and the long-expected kingdom.

How Jewish history shall once more emerge into its old place of grandeur and miracle, and how it shall unwind from itself the bright future of all nations, I know not. But so it is fore-written, “What shall be and miracle, and how it shall unwind from itself the bright future of all nations, I know not. But so it is fore-written, “What shall be the reconciling of them be, but life from the dead?” [Rom 11:15] “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit” [Isa 27:6].13

Horner, Barry E. (2007-10-15). Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged: 3 (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (p. 11). B&H Publishing.

Mike examines and comments on several issues including Barack Obamas admission that he supports same-sex marriage; the controversy involving Atlanta pastor Andy Stanley and homosexuality and the recent article by Albert Mohler calling Stanley to account; and a brief comment on the subjects of dispensationalism and Israel which includes an audio clip by John MacArthur.

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The Article: What the Evangelicals Give the Jews

The Source: Commentary (May 2012)

The Author: Michael Medved, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host

The Gist: Medved considers the question, “Should Jews view our born-again fellow citizens as natural allies or inevitable adversaries?”

The Excerpt:

In which areas, exactly, can committed Jews identify irreconcilable differences with serious Christians when it comes to most significant questions of morals, ethics, and righteous behavior? Does anyone suppose that our Baptist neighbors cherish the centrality of the family less passionately than we do, or display a weaker commitment to acts of compassion for the poor, or express a more feeble determination to repair a broken world in the tradition of tikkun olam? Anyone who honestly believes that born-again believers neglect their obligation to “love your neighbor as yourself” hasn’t visited their churches and schools and service organizations to witness the prodigious acts of loving kindness that sometimes put our communal efforts to shame. Aside from such impressionistic evidence, there’s a wealth of data in Arthur C. Brooks’s indispensable 2006 book, Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, which shows that evangelicals honor the great Jewish tradition of tzedakah at least as well as we do.

The Bottom Line: Medved, an Orthodox Jew, dispels many of the myths about evangelicals: we aren’t trying to install a theocracy, we don’t support Israel only because we are expecting the Armageddon, and we aren’t particularly successful in converting Jews to Christianity. As Medved notes, less than half of 1 percent of the Jews alter their religious identity to join a Protestant denomination commonly counted as “evangelical” (such as Southern Baptist).

Rather than being a threat to their religion, Medved claims that Jewish faith is frequently strengthened because “conservative Christians raise serious issues of faith and morality in the public square, and normalize activities such as communal worship and Bible study. . .” Medved concludes that, “The stronger argument insists that evangelical Christians deserve our friendship and cooperation because they aren’t just good for Israel; they’re good for America.”

This is an excerpt from John MacArthur responding to the question…“With regard to Dispensationalism, where exactly do you stand?”

“So let me tell you, I have been accused through the years of being a “leaky dispensationalist” and I suppose I am. So let me take you down to where I believe dispensationalism (I don’t use that term because it carries too much baggage), but let me take you down to what part of dispensationalism I affirm with all my heart–it is this: “That there is a real future for Israel,” and that has nothing to do with some kind of extrabiblical system. That has nothing to do with some developed sort of grid placed over Scripture. The reason that I believe you have to have a future for Israel is because that is what God promised. And you see it in Jeremiah, in Jeremiah, chapter 30, right on to the 33rd chapter, there is a future for Israel–there is a new covenant. Ezekiel, chapter 37, the Valley of Dry Bones is going to come alive–right? God’s going to raise them back up; God’s going to put a heart of flesh in and take the stony heart out and give them His Spirit. And you have the promise of a kingdom to Israel; you have the promise of a king; a David’s line; a Messiah; a throne in Jerusalem. You have the promise that there is going to be a real kingdom.

So my dispensationalism, if you want to use that term, is only that which can be defended exegetically or expositionally out of the Scripture, and by a simple clear interpretation of the Old Testament–it is obvious God promised a future kingdom to Israel. And when somebody comes along and says all the promises of the kingdom to Israel are fulfilled in the Church, the burden of proof is not on me, it’s on them. The simplest way that I would answer someone, who is what is called an “amillennialist,” or a “Covenant Theologian” that is, believing that there is one covenant and the Church is the new Israel, and Israel is gone, and there is no future for Israel–an amillennialism, meaning there is no kingdom for Israel; there is no future Millennial kingdom.

My answer to them is simply this, “You show me in that verse, in the Old Testament, which promises a kingdom to Israel, where it says that it really means the Church–show me!” Where does it say that? On what exegetical basis, what historical, grammatical, literal, interpretative basis of the Scripture can you tell me that when God says “Israel” He means the “Church”? Where does it say that? That’s where the burden of proof really lies. A straightforward understanding of the Old Testament leads to only one conclusion and that is that there is a kingdom for Israel. One way to understand that is to ask yourself a question. In the Old Testament . . . and if you wanted to get sort of a general sense of what the Old Testament is about, it’s simply about this–it reveals God and His Law, and it tells what’s going to happen to you if you obey it, and what’s going to happen to you if you don’t–and then it gives you a whole lot of illustrations of that–right? It reveals God and His Law and it tells you what’s going to happen to you if you obey it, and if you don’t–blessings and cursing.

Now, when Israel sinned, disobeyed God–what happened? Judgment, chastening, cursing, slaughter–was it literal? Yes. Was it Israel? Yes. So if Israel received all of the promised curses–literally–why would we assumed they would not receive the promised blessings literally, because some of those are in the same passages? And how can you say in this passage the cursing means literal Israel, but the blessings means the Church? There is no exegetical basis for that and you now have arbitrarily split the verse in half–you’ve given all the curses to Israel and all the blessing to the Church–on what basis exegetically?”

You can read more and listen to the Q&A at http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA010/with-regard-to-dispensationalism-where-exactly-do-you-stand

Havakuk 3

17 For even if the fig tree doesn’t blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines,
even if the olive tree fails to produce,
and the fields yield no food at all,
even if the sheep vanish from the sheep pen,
and there are no cows in the stalls;
18 still, I will rejoice in Adonai,
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 Elohim Adonai is my strength!
He makes me swift and sure-footed as a deer
and enables me to stride over my high places.

from Apprising.org

“Apparently because Apprising Ministries is a blog with a substantial readership and which often addresses discernment issues, then I’m but some guru running “an attack site.” Hmm, but isn’t R.C. Sproul, Jr. on the attack here himself? This is a real part of the problem. On one hand Seeker Driven prophet-pastor Steven Furtick will complain about haters criticizing him, but then turn around and attack them in a video called Hey Haters.

Has R.C. Sproul, Jr. considered why someone like Furtick is being criticized? Well, since he brought up Word Faith prosperity heretic Joel Osteen, is Sproul. Jr. aware that Steven Furtick Calls Joel Osteen A Great Man Of God? Are we really supposed to just ignore that Now Joel Osteen Says Mormonism Itself Is Christian? Or how about when we see that ER2 was largely about giving T.D. Jakes, another WF mogul, a doctrinal pass?

Do we just remain silent as James MacDonald implies that in some private discussions Jakes has told him he’s moving away from WF prosperity preaching? Yet I just showed you in T.D. Jakes Is Not A Word Faith Prosperity Preacher? that in March, after ER2, Jakes did his usual shilling for the WF haven of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. This isn’t TBN but you can watch Jakes with his Prosperity Gospel; Sow A Seed, God Will Bless You.

That was just a couple of weeks before he came to ER2. And we’re supposed to say nothing when Steven Furtick has T.D. Jakes into his evangelical megachurch to speak at his revival and then literally gushes when he tells us T.D. Jakes Is My Favorite Preacher In The World? Maybe we should address celebrity-bullies using their large forums and having their same old buddies into each of their conferences in order to equate their critics with Nazis.

How a blog post about that; or is it just safer shooting fish in a barrel while addressing anonymous bloggers…”

Read the entire article….

Many people in churches have the mindset and philosophy that if the unsaved like us, then they will like Jesus and thus “ask Him into their hearts”; that Christ never offended or condemned anyone and was never ever assertive or direct. Is this scriptural? Mike says this is an inaccurate and dangerous view and examines this issue including clips of a Phil Johnson interview with John MacArthur concerning his book “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”.

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from AlbertMohler.com

“Theological liberalism did not set out to destroy Christianity, but to save it from itself. Is the same temptation now evident? The Great Commission, we must remind ourselves, is not a command merely to reach people, but to make disciples. And disciples are only made when the church teaches all that Christ has commanded, as the Great Commission makes clear.

The megachurches are once again on the leading edge of these questions, but they are not alone. The urgency to reach people with the Gospel can, if the church is not faithful and watchful, tempt us to subvert the Gospel by redefining its terms. We are not honest if we do not admit that the current cultural context raises the cost of declaring the Gospel on its own terms.

Given their size and influence, the megachurches have an outsize responsibility. I am a member and a teaching pastor in a megachurch, and I am thankful for its faithfulness. I know a host of faithful megachurch pastors who are prepared to pay whatever cost may come for the sake of the Gospel. I know that my own denomination was regained for biblical fidelity under the leadership of brave megachurch pastors who used their pulpits to defend the truth. We desperately need these churches as both theological anchors and missiological laboratories.

The times now demand our most careful and biblical thinking, and they demand our clearest conviction matched to a missiological drive to reach the world with the Gospel. We must embrace the truth with the humility of a sinner saved only by grace, but we must embrace it fully.

Once again, the megachurches are on the leading edge. We must pray that they will lead into faithfulness, and not into a new liberalism.”

Mike shares two classic and highly relevant interviews he conducted with Dr. John MacArthur each dealing with two of his most important and popular books, Hard to Believe and The Truth War. These interviews continue to be downloaded but we offer them again for those who may have never heard them.

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Mike visits with Jeffery Johnson, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Conway, Arkansas and author of the book The Church, Why Bother-The Nature, Purpose and Functions of the Local Church. As stated in a review by John MacArthur, “Since Christ loved the church enough to die for her, every believer ought to share that passion. Jeffrey Johnson clearly does, and I believe you will find his enthusiasm contagious”.

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