What we believe about Israel and its future is of utmost importance.
No church is neutral on the matter of Israel’s place in Bible prophecy. In the past few years, several pastors have told me that such matters pertaining to the end times are of lessor significance than other weightier matters of the faith. In my experience, however, they have been the most aggressive in promoting the church as the new Israel and the least tolerant of me and my ministry because of my differing viewpoint on the matter.
Even so, some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” It’s because the place a church assigns to the role of Israel in Bible prophecy is so much more than just a matter of theology buried somewhere in a church’s doctrinal statement, it always impacts key areas of its ministry. Always!
It Results in Elders Who Rule Rather than Shepherd the Flock
A few months ago, I posted an article on my blog, 5 Troubling Trends in Today’s Church, in which I detailed the abuses that flow from the kingdom mentality within churches who believe they represent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.
At the top of my list was elders who behave as kings rather than serve the members of the body of Christ. I have witnessed firsthand the great harm such abuse causes and have heard multiple stories via email from others with comparable stories.
The problem with this kingdom mentality is that it so often results in a far, far different pattern of leadership than what the Lord prescribed in Mark 10:42-45 and Peter later wrote about in 1 Peter 5:1-5:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (emphasis added)
Jesus’ pattern for church leadership is that of a humble servants who act as shepherds caring for the wellbeing of those in their charge. Sadly, the widespread problem of “domineering” elders is sadly not exclusive to churches who regard themselves as the new Israel. This ever popular heavy-handed pattern of leadership by both pastors and elder board continues to wreak havoc throughout the body of Christ and leave behind many wounded people in their wake.
It Places Undue Emphasis on This Life
Another harmful result of denying Jesus’ millennial rule over a restored Israel is that it pushes the Lord’s return to a far distant end of the age event, which more often than not leads to in an undue focus on this life. I have often heard this reflected in conversations with those who because don’t regard the Lord’s return as an imminent event, plan as though nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.
This faulty emphasis on things pertaining to this life robs believers of the relief that comes from seeing the corruption and violence of our day as signs of Jesus’ imminent appearing rather than something they hope will somehow go away or get better. I can’t imagine reading the news of our day apart from the comfort I feel in knowing that at some point in the not-too-distant future, the Lord will dramatically intervene in human affairs after He takes me home to glory.
The expectation of Jesus’ imminent appearing is one of the more encouraging truths in Scripture. I find comfort in this hope each and every day.
It Leads To a False Understanding of the Gospel
There are varying degrees of how false beliefs regarding Israel’s future impact the purity of the Gospel. It’s popular among many in the no Rapture, no Israel, and no Millennium crowd to claim that the Lord’s promise of incorruptible and immortal bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 happens at the moment of our regeneration rather than the future. I’m always shocked when I encounter this false interpretation of the text.
I recently came across an even more dangerous perversion of the Gospel in a quote from a best-selling author and very influential spokesman for the preterists (who believe Jesus returned to earth in AD 70). He claims that Jesus didn’t pay the debt for our sins on the cross, but simply made our “salvation possible.” Such teaching is a doctrine of demons that contradicts the clear teaching of God’s Word.
There’s a more subtle misunderstanding of the Gospel that flows from not understanding the role of God’s mercy and steadfast love behind the keeping of His promises to Israel in spite of the nation’s waywardness throughout history. It results from missing the connection between Paul’s amazing affirmation of our security in Romans 8:18-39 and his declaration of the Lord’s unending mercy toward the nation of Israel (Romans 11:28-32).
The message of mercy for both Israel and believers is that we are okay because God loves us, not because of our love for Him. Sadly, I have seen such legalism in churches who while they believed in a future restoration of Israel, failed to understand how that demonstrates His great mercy and love to us in spite of our many failings.
Please know that God loves Zion and He will do all that’s necessary to bring a Jewish remnant to saving faith by the end of the Tribulation. In the same way, our hope of eternity never rests on our behavior, never, but wholly upon God’s love grace and mercy toward us. Just as with the nation of Israel, our future is secure because the Lord loves us.
The idea that what a church believes about Israel doesn’t matter is one of the more misleading beliefs of our day. It’s simply not true. It’s of utmost significance in the life of any local body of believers.
My book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is available on Amazon. In this book, I demonstrate how the words of Scripture not only verify our beliefs in not only the restoration of Israel, but also our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home to glory. In each section, I show how our beliefs regarding Bible prophecy intersect with our lives on a daily basis.
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