Orthodoxy And Israel?

[Orthodox Andrew]

Could somebody help me out here? I have noticed that a good amount of Protestant Americans have support for Israel as a Jewish state. They feel as if it's God divine plan for the Jews to have control of Israel. To be honest, I just don't know what to make of it? Are the Jews still God's "chosen people"? And is Israel their land by any means?

[Philip]

In the first Century, many Jews accepted Christ. They stopped calling themselves Jews and started calling themselves Christians. Those who rejected Christ continued to use the name Jew. It is the Church that is God's chosen people, both those of Jewish descent and those of Gentile descent.

[JeffreyLloyd]

Great way to look at it Philip

[Peter]

Fr. Peter Gillquist has a booklet that deals with "The Nation of Israel In Prophecy." It's put out by Concilliar Press under that title. I'll be right back and see if I can find it on line.

Peace.

Peter

[Reader Nilus]

What Do You Say To "Evangelical Zionists? By Peter Gillquist (http://www.stgabrielokc.org/Articles/Evangelical%20Zionists.pdf)
It may not be the tract that Peter mentioned but it deals with the subject in the OP.
Jeff the Finn

[Orthodox Andrew]

Thanks, guys. From what I have read so far, the Church feels the same way I feel about the issue.

[Maximus]

The best book I have ever read that deals with this issue is T.L. Frazier's, A Second Look at the Second Coming. The forward to the book was written by Fr. A. James Bernstein, a former Jew and one of the co-founders (with Moshe Rosen) back in the sixties of the "Jews for Jesus" organization.

The secular state of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. In fact, it has persecuted Palestinian Christians and continues to do so.

My personal belief is that national Israel will play a big part in the rise of Antichrist, who will be hailed as the "Messiah." Most people will believe this lie. It could be that Protestant Dispensationalism has a part to play in laying the groundwork for the necessary deception involved.

[Orthodox Andrew]

The best book I have ever read that deals with this issue is T.L. Frazier's, A Second Look at the Second Coming. The forward to the book was written by Fr. A. James Bernstein, a former Jew and one of the co-founders (with Moshe Rosen) back in the sixties of the "Jews for Jesus" organization.

The secular state of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. In fact, it has persecuted Palestinian Christians and continues to do so.

My personal belief is that national Israel will play a big part in the rise of Antichrist, who will be hailed as the "Messiah." Most people will believe this lie. It could be that Protestant Dispensationalism has a part to play in laying the groundwork for the necessary deception involved.
I couldn't agree with you more.

God Bless.:)

[Peter]

jeffthefinn found it. That's the very article. Hey, now you can print it off and save $.95 plus S+H.

Peace.

Peter

[Orthodox Andrew]

jeffthefinn found it. That's the very article. Hey, now you can print it off and save $.95 plus S+H.

Peace.

Peter


Nice.:D

[Moros]

Israel is host to holy sites for the world's 3 major religions, plus countless minor ones. Israel should NOT be a Jewish state.

[nicodemus]

The Church is Israel, God's chosen people.

[nicodemus]

I was thinking about the Paschal hymn "The Angel Cried" (also the hymn that opens the Orthodox wedding service) which addresses Christians in the following way:

"Rejoice, all you people! Shine, shine, shine! Shine, New Jerusalem! For the Glory of the Lord has shown on you! Exult and be glad, O Zion!"

[xenia]

I am reading A Second Look at the Second Coming now (almost finished) and I think it's a great book.

I think you could say my former church fell into the "Christian Zionist" category. It's a part of the dispensationalist mind-set, which afflicts Baptists and many non-denomination churches. According to this theology, God has two groups of people- Israel and the church. He's got separate plans for each group, with Israel in the starring role and the church viewed as a "parenthesis" in God's timeline. However, Philip's got it right when he says that in the beginning (at Pentecost) all Christians were Jews, being as Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism. As the decades passed, the Christian Jews and the non-Christian Jews drifted apart and thousands of Gentiles came into the church. So, the Church started out as a continuation of Israel but became mostly Gentile. The Gentiles are the wild branches that God grafted into His tree. I do think that near The End, many Jews will come to know Jesus as their Messiah and will be grafted back into the tree.

So, the Church is now Israel. It hasn't "replaced" Israel, it is the continuation of believing Israel.

-Xenia

[MariaRegina]

I am reading A Second Look at the Second Coming now (almost finished) and I think it's a great book.

I think you could say my former church fell into the "Christian Zionist" category. It's a part of the dispensationalist mind-set, which afflicts Baptists and many non-denomination churches. According to this theology, God has two groups of people- Israel and the church. He's got separate plans for each group, with Israel in the starring role and the church viewed as a "parenthesis" in God's timeline. However, Philip's got it right when he says that in the beginning (at Pentecost) all Christians were Jews, being as Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism. As the decades passed, the Christian Jews and the non-Christian Jews drifted apart and thousands of Gentiles came into the church. So, the Church started out as a continuation of Israel but became mostly Gentile. The Gentiles are the wild branches that God grafted into His tree. I do think that near The End, many Jews will come to know Jesus as their Messiah and will be grafted back into the tree.

So, the Church is now Israel. It hasn't "replaced" Israel, it is the continuation of believing Israel.

-Xenia


Beautifully phrased! :)

Don't know why but I cannot use the smilies, unless I type in the code.

[Moros]

The Christian Communities of Israel
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00n00

Of the over 6 million people living in Israel today, Christians constitute 2.1% of the population (Jews 79.2%, Muslims 14.9%, Druze 1.6%, and 2.2% not classified by religion).

2.1% No reason for a Christian to support the Rogue Zionist State.

The history of the Christian communities in the Land of Israel begins with the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. After his death, the early Apostolic Church, at least that in and around Jerusalem, remained Judeo-Christian until the rebuilding of Jerusalem (c. 130 CE) by the Emperor Hadrian as the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina. Since this date, the local church has been gentile in composition

Judeo-Christianity has not existed, IMO, since 70AD.