The clash of political and religious ideologies

The shocking heritage of antisemitism¹

Church confesses its contribution to Jewish suffering

October 31^st – time to recapture territory from the enemy!

As we have celebrated the significance this week of 31 October, which marks 500 years since the Reformation began, we would do well to be reminded of other important anniversaries which add to the significance of this day.

Nearly 2,000 years earlier on the same day, according to Jewish tradition, the Prophet Ezra called for national repentance as he read the Book of the Law to Jerusalem’s citizens. It was 445 BC and they had sinned grievously against God.

Fast forward to 31 October 1917, to another hugely important event largely ignored by the many Protestants marking the day, 400 years earlier, when Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenburg, challenging the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.

For it is now 100 years since Britain’s War Cabinet agreed the Balfour Declaration (though the letter itself is dated 2 November 1917), promising to make every effort to repatriate Jews in their ancient land. It just happened to coincide with the Battle of Beersheba when 800 bayonet-wielding ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand) soldiers pulled off a surprise, and astonishing, victory over Turkish forces which paved the way for the capture of Jerusalem and all of Palestine, ending 400 years of rule under the Islamic Ottoman Empire.

I have written elsewhere of how the ANZAC horsemen rode a death-defying gauntlet of shrapnel, high explosives and machine-gun fire in a bid to prevent the intended destruction of local wells, and this too is an incredibly important centenary because it opened the way for Jewish restoration and the implementation of the Balfour Declaration – along with the fulfilment of Bible prophecy relating to the return of Jews from every corner of the globe.

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

Reformation Needed

Luther faced two major challenges – a corrupt Church, and the real possibility of a Turkish Muslim invasion via central Europe – in the face of which he recognised the importance of the Book of the Law (the Bible) and the need for national repentance.¹

Many disagreed with Luther. Some German pastors even suggested welcoming Islam, seeing it as less oppressive than their situation under the Church.²

Today’s Church faces the same challenges and more, with secular humanism seriously eroding society’s Judeo-Christian foundations, leaving the Book of the Law despised and Christianity increasingly abhorred.

Dark Distractions

Part of this erosion has included the substitution of a Christian festival – Hallowe’en – for a celebration of the occult, which has taken the shine off the spiritual triumphs we have experienced on this special day.

Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening) was originally dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs and all the faithful departed. But it is widely thought to have pagan roots and is now associated with ghoulish practices. One view is that it originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts, in which case it is hardly surprising that it has morphed into an obsession with ghostly goings-on, playing pranks and divination games.³

If the Church of the Middle Ages had focused less on the dead and more on the resurrection, we may have been spared this nonsense. In any event, it is clearly a devilish ploy to substitute the light of truth with the darkness of witchcraft.

A City Set on a Hill

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:14f), in aiding restoration of the Book of the Law, following in the footsteps of Ezra, Luther and others. It is time to take back spiritual territory lost to 21^st Century paganism, just as the ANZAC horsemen bravely charged across the Negev desert to capture vital wells that would save the Allied forces from dehydration and defeat. We too are called to run a gauntlet of spiritual bullets in order to recapture the wells of salvation from an enemy intent on silting them up with lies and propaganda.

Modern-day Zionists should be seeking the restoration of the Book of the Law – not only to Israel, but to our land as well, where we have endured a long famine of hearing the word of the Lord.

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel.

We must pray and work towards the day when the Jews are able to fulfil their calling to be a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6). True, they have already become a powerful nation since their re-birth 70 years ago, but have not yet fully returned to the Book of the Law. They are back in the Land, but not yet fully with the Lord.

That will come, and Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage them to acknowledge that Jesus, whom they had believed was the God of the Gentiles, is actually their own Messiah too. In fact, he came for them first (John 1:11f; Rom 1:16) and has promised that, if they fully obey him, they would be his “treasured possession” (Gen 19:5).

The Times of the Gentiles

In this respect, it’s interesting that the patriarch Joseph was taken into Egypt after being rejected by his brothers. After Jesus was largely rejected by the Jewish people (though a significant number accepted him, of course, or the Church would never have come into existence), the message about him was taken to the nations, and the Gentile world elevated him to a prominent role in their affairs. Isaiah had prophesied that the Gentiles would put their hope in him (Isa 42:4; see also Matt 12:21).

As far as the UK and the USA are concerned, it would be true to say that from the 17^th through 19^th centuries the Gospel of Christ and the Bible itself was the most influential teaching they possessed, affecting virtually every institution and producing great wealth and power in the process. At the same time a host of passionate preachers went out to the far corners of the world spreading this Gospel to heathen nations.

Jesus had in some respects become Lord of the Gentile world, a situation that would, in time, make Israel “envious”, according to the Apostle Paul, an orthodox Jewish rabbi who led the mission to the Gentiles (Rom 11:11).

But just as Joseph never forgot his brothers, and longed for reunion with them, so Jesus – actually descended from Judah and described in the Bible as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) – reaches out in love to his long-lost brothers in the flesh, for whom things got worse before they got better. Now, over the past two centuries (even in the midst of multiple pogroms and the Holocaust itself), he has been revealing himself afresh to his people.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage Israel to acknowledge that Jesus is their Messiah.

Jewish Restoration to Messiah Jesus

Though sadly Jesus is still seen largely as God of the Gentiles, Jewish eyes have gradually been opened. It is believed, for example, that there were as many as 100,000 Jewish followers of Jesus at the outbreak of World War II in 1939.⁴

Tragically, many of them would have perished in Hitler’s gas chambers. But out of the ashes of the Holocaust, we not only have a re-born nation of Israel, but a growing number of so-called Messianic fellowships bringing Jesus back to where he belongs.

Just as Joseph was a sign of what was to come 400 years later, with deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb, so the voice of the prophets recorded in the Jewish Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament) fell silent for 400 years until the revelation of Jesus in the New Testament. Joseph provided his brothers with grain amidst the famine. And now Jesus is “the bread of life” – the manna from heaven – as he “fills the hungry with good things” (John 6:35; Luke 1:53).

There will come a time when, back in the land of promise and delivered from bondage in a hostile world, all Israel will recognise Yeshua, their Messiah (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26). What a day that will be – life from the dead as he who was despised and rejected of men is revealed to his brothers alive…and as Lord of all!

Notes

1 BarnabasAid editorial, September/October 2017, published by Barnabas Fund, an aid agency for the persecuted church.

2 Ibid.

3 E.g. see here.

4 Restoring Israel by Kelvin Crombie, published by Nicolayson’s Ltd, Christ Church, Jerusalem, p156.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Last Reformation’ by Torben Sondergaard (Laurus Books, 2013).

This is a book which has influenced many and will interest anyone who wishes to explore how the Church today has changed since the 1^st Century and how it can recover its early life-force (hence the subtitle: ‘Back to the New Testament model of discipleship’).

The title itself is intriguing – what does the author mean by ‘last’? Is this part of the Reformation, or another phase of a larger scenario which has been developing over five centuries? The answers become clear in the Preface as Sondergaard, a Danish evangelist, begins to make his case.

After the Lutheran reformation of the 15^th Century came the Wesleyan one in the 18^th. If the former was a doctrinal reformation, then the latter was a spiritual one, “in which personal intimacy with Christ was rediscovered” (p11). However, neither changed the structure of how church operated, its framework and services. In fact, Sondergaard asserts that “none of the revivals of the past have seriously done anything about the church structure” (p11). He is looking for a new and radical reformation, a third and final one that will transform everything.

Luther and Wesley both brought reformation, but the structure of how church operated has remained the same.

Preparing to Meet the Bridegroom

Although he has not included other movements in his assessment (such as the Evangelical awakening, Pentecostalism or the more recent Hebraic roots movement), he does accept that each revival has brought the Church closer and closer to the 1^st Century model. But overall, these small changes have not made a radical difference. They have simply produced more denominations!

Sondergaard calls for a completely fresh start based on the Word of God and Jesus himself. Only then will we have a reformation where God can “put together all the pieces and prepare the church to meet her Bridegroom” (p16).

What Could Church Look Like?

The strength of his case, and hence of the book, is that the author has been putting this into practice and seeing it work.

His opening chapter draws us in nicely with a thought experiment: imagine there is not a single Christian in the whole world - no churches, no Christian books, no Christian TV. Just one Bible, which someone picks up and reads all the way through. He is converted, decides to follow Jesus completely, witnesses to others and, gradually, churches start.

Sondergaard’s question is: “What do you think their churches would look like?” (p19). And here is the challenge – why aren’t our churches like that? Different traditions and cultures have got in the way, and it is possible today that for many, ‘church’ prevents people coming to Christ.

The strength of his case, and hence of the book, is that the author has been putting this into practice and seeing it work.

The later chapters are powerful in what they propose. The author is against popularising Christianity at the expense of promoting the true Gospel and offering a biblical model of discipleship. ‘Seeker friendly’ services don’t work. It is often said that Christians are the Church (i.e. the Church is the people, not a building), but he goes further, asserting that Christians are also meant to be the ‘church services’. Every member is to be equipped for ministry, as per the early churches in the New Testament.

The chapter on leadership is key to his overall argument. Too often, leaders are put (or put themselves) into elevated positions over their flock whose role is simply to ‘obey their leader’. Recognising that a leader is simply a brother or sister with greater responsibilities can go some way to restoring the balance and encouraging others to play their full part in the Body of Christ.

A Thought-Provoking Book

Overall, this is a thought-provoking book with much to say on the current state of the Church, in this country and elsewhere.

Perhaps its main downside is that there are several chapters of autobiographical details which, for some, may be rather unnecessary and get in the way of the main flow. It may be important to know something of Sondergaard’s personal journey in his ministry, but it does delay the reader in getting to grips with the key message of the book. A shorter book would have worked just as well, maybe even better.

That said, the book will be of interest to all who have a passion to see the Church escape unnecessary trappings and embrace her true calling. It is accompanied by a feature-length movie, also entitled ‘The Last Reformation’, which affords viewers an insight into Sondergaard’s practical application of his passion for the Church. The Last Reformation: The Movie is available to stream for free online.

The Last Reformation (paperback, 173 pages) is for £13.98 on Amazon. Also available as an e-book and as an audio book.

500 years ago this coming week, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

500 years ago this coming week (31 October 1517), Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In those days, this was the traditional way to initiate a public debate on a given theme.

This time the theme was a 95-fold challenge to the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church of the day, that was bent on fundraising at the expense of the poor by selling so-called ‘indulgences’, whereby the unsuspecting were persuaded that they could purchase forgiveness of sins.

The 95 items¹ were headed with the words:

Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Luther summarised his overall purpose under three headings:

1. Selling indulgences to finance the building of St Peter's is wrong.
   
2. The pope has no power over Purgatory.
   
3. Buying indulgences gives people a false sense of security and endangers their salvation.
   

Thus broke out what became the Protestant Reformation, with the rallying cry of Habbakuk 2:4:

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day but became cut off from this community, instead propelling into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church, which has spread its influence widely over these 500 years.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day, but propelled into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church.

Luther’s Blind Spot

This week, we should celebrate this astounding move which brought freedom to millions who were no longer to be chained by the religious orders of the historic Roman Catholic Church, but free to explore the life of faith which pleases God. The later reforms of the Roman Catholic Church surely also owe something to this early proclamation of Luther.

The church door in Wittenberg, Germany, where Luther pinned his 95 theses for all to see. See Photo Credits.

Yet, great though the Protestant Reformation has been, we would also be wise to perceive an unfinished work. Luther had one tremendous blind spot. When he failed to impact the Jewish community with his proclamation of the Gospel, he turned against them. In his publication of 1543 ‘On the Jews and their Lies’, he described Jews as a "base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth." He wrote that they are "full of the devil's faeces...which they wallow in like swine," describing the synagogue is an "incorrigible whore and an evil slut".²

He proposed the following seven actions:

1. To burn down Jewish synagogues and schools and warn people against them;
   
2. To refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians;
   
3. For Jewish religious writings to be taken away;
   
4. For rabbis to be forbidden to preach;
   
5. To offer no protection to Jews on highways;
   
6. For usury to be prohibited and for all silver and gold to be removed, put aside for safekeeping, and given back to Jews who truly convert;
   
7. To give young, strong Jews flail, axe, spade, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
   

Luther could not have foreseen that this unfortunate after-thought in his later life, following many years of powerful and fruitful ministry, would be taken up literally by Hitler’s Nazis as an impetus to the terrible ‘final solution’, culminating in the horror of the Holocaust.

Let us thank God for the good fruits of Luther’s ministry, but now take responsibility for the completion of the Reformation.

The True Life of Faith

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought. He saw the Epistle of James as a “perfect straw-epistle” because he did not understand James’ teaching that faith without works is dead (James 2:26).³

No doubt his mind was already so much against those from a Jewish background (like James, whose name was actually Jacob) to consider them as having a doctrine of salvation by works, like the Roman Catholics of his day.

He did not consider the Hebrew emunah sufficiently to observe that it means both ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’, so that Hebrews 11:1 can be translated equally “faith is the substance of things hoped for” and “faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for”, which completely validates James’ teaching that the faith which pleases God involves the fruitful outworking of our lives.

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought.

A Careful Eye on Prophecy

Of course Luther did not live in our day when we see the miracle of Israel’s re-birth as a nation. Nor did he witness the increasing numbers of Messianic Jews declaring faith in Yeshua HaMashiach. Would he have been ashamed if he knew of his own contribution to fanning the flames of Replacement Theology still rampant in the Christian Church?

Had he lived today perhaps he would not have been so foolish as to speak against the Jews as he did and may well have written a 96^th thesis. He may have had a more careful eye on the outworking of prophecy. In his day, just as he discarded the Epistle of James and also that of Jude, he discarded the Book of Revelation. Perhaps he had not the prompting to consider end time prophecy as we have, with signs all around us.

What would this 96^th thesis be? Let me suggest it:

96 For discussion: We live in the sure expectancy that God is drawing together both Jews and Gentiles into the one community of faith which Paul calls the ‘one new man’ (Ephesians 2:14-15). It is now time to rediscover the original roots of our faith together. God, in His wisdom, is enabling a fresh interaction between Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles as never before to firmly establish the common faith. Surely this will be the means of strengthening for the days ahead, for washing away all doctrinal and denominational division when we are united in Spirit and Truth through Faith in the One True God and His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This is to be the goal of all who believe in Him, whether from Catholic or Protestant backgrounds. Surely this will complete the Reformation begun so sacrificially 500 years ago, but now to be completed as we wait for the return of our Saviour.

References

1 Click here for a translation of the entire 95 theses.

2 Anti-Semitism: Martin Luther - "The Jews & Their Lies" (1543). Jewish Virtual Library.

3 Martin Luther and the Book of James. Biblestudy.org.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘31st October, Destiny’s Date?’ (DVD, 2017, Heritage Resources).

This year sees two major anniversaries centred upon the date of 31 October: the centenary of the Balfour Declaration and the 500^th anniversary of the start of the Reformation, when Luther presented his 95 theses to challenge the practices of the dominant Roman Catholic Church.

The value of this new DVD, presented by Kelvin Crombie, is that it links these events (and two others also on 31 October) and concludes by asking whether this is merely coincidence or whether there is an ultimate destiny behind it all.

The Significance of Beersheba

The DVD is set out in 12 chapters of varying lengths (between six and 18 minutes) and starts with a minute-long trailer (which is also the opening of chapter 1). In some ways the presentation is a slow burner with a lot of preparatory material, starting with the importance of Beersheba in Abraham’s time. For the later significance of this same geographical place we have to wait until chapter 10 - but it is well worth waiting for.

The climax of the DVD is very powerful as the drama unfolds. The mounted attack on Beersheba under General Allenby, and the War Cabinet’s deliberations on what would later be known as the ‘Balfour Declaration’ are skilfully interlinked to produce a tension that is suddenly relieved: God has been in charge all along. His purposes will not be thwarted.

As the drama unfolds, events are skilfully interlinked and the tension is ultimately relieved: God has been in charge all along and his purposes will not be thwarted.

Slices of History

Each chapter is based upon a slice of history and we are kept well informed of where we are on the timeline. The first two chapters cover the period from the time of Abraham right up to the 15^th Century, picking out necessary background material. Chapter 3 (1453-1798) is the longest at 18 minutes and looks at the dynamics of change brought about by the Ottoman Empire and the Reformation.

Chapters 4 and 5 start with Napoleon’s invasion of the Holy Land (1799) and his call to the Jews to return, and conclude with the second of the four ‘31 October’ events: the arrival of Kaiser Wilhelm II into Jerusalem in 1898 to open the new German church there. The significance of this gradually unfolds in the rest of the DVD.

Chapters 6 and 7 cover the alliances being formed in the period before the First World War and the start of the War itself. Chapter 8 explains the military and political ramifications of the Dardenelles campaign and the landings at Gallipoli. Here we see the beginning of the role that Lord Balfour would play in the years to come.

Chapter 9 is an excellent presentation of the events of 1916-17 leading up to the meeting of the British War Cabinet on 31 October to consider the request of Lord Rothschild for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. But simultaneously we are constantly reminded of what is happening ‘on the ground’ there as the future of Palestine is being fought out under General Allenby. Was it coincidence that the date for the assault on Beersheba was also set for 31 October?

Chapter 10 brings both strands to their conclusion: victory at Beersheba and the chance to push on to Jerusalem, and the Declaration of the British Government concerning a Jewish homeland (2 November 1917). Each needed the other - and God ensured that both happened.

Each chapter is based upon a slice of history and we are kept well informed of where we are on the timeline.

How God Shapes History

Throughout the DVD the question is constantly posed: is it possible that the Jews could ever return to the Land as stated by Old Testament prophecies? At times it seemed impossible or at least a distant dream. By the end of the DVD we can see how God shapes history and in particular how he has kept his promises to his ancient people. We are left in no doubt that history from 1917 onwards is also under God’s direction and prophetic hand.

This DVD is highly recommended for personal edification and can also be useful for group study and discussion, though due to its length certain sections may have to be omitted and replaced by a verbal summary.

31 October, Destiny’s Date? (123 minutes) is available from Re-vived for £11.99. Also available from CFI, CMJ and on Amazon. You can also watch the trailer on Youtube.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Martin Luther, Catholic Dissident’ by Peter Stanford (Hodder, 2017).

In the year when the 500^th anniversary of the start of the Reformation is a major event, it was inevitable that new books on Martin Luther would be produced. Here is a very readable and substantial paperback at a reasonable price that is well worth investigating.

Written by a ‘Cradle Catholic’

The book is well-structured in three sections as we take the journey through Luther’s life and world. All the main events are discussed with a well-informed eye for detail, although at times there might be too much history for some.

The author describes himself as a ‘cradle Catholic’ - born into the faith and influenced by his early upbringing. He confesses that he is “sufficiently Catholic still to resort, when things around me are going awry, to my own prayers of supplication via the saints of my childhood…” (p2).

His introduction tells of a personal trip to Wittenberg made last year. This opening is entertaining but perhaps rather too lengthy, giving the early impression that the book is more about the author than his subject. However, this is soon forgotten as the author settles to his main task.

At times his approach is that of the sceptic: did this really happen? Did Luther really say this? Nevertheless, it is well within the author’s remit, writing as an historical biographer, to try to separate legend from recorded facts and this should not be seen as off-putting, either to the student of history or to the general reader.

Stanford clearly has an admiration for his subject.

A Valuable Contribution

Stanford clearly has an admiration for his subject, and Luther comes out of his analysis as a very real figure whose life occupied and influenced a key period in the religious history of Europe. Anyone whose knowledge of Luther and his times is sketchy and underdeveloped will certainly gain a much better understanding of this complex character with all his doubts and determination. The book illuminates this courageous Catholic dissident whose protests went far further than he probably ever envisaged.

The book concludes with several pages of endnotes and a full index, and can be thoroughly recommended as making a valuable contribution to a highly significant anniversary.

Martin Luther, Catholic Dissident (424 pages) is available from most major book retailers. RRP £10.99.

There was a serious flaw in Luther’s understanding of the Bible.

From reports of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May, it seems that the UK government doesn’t really believe Iran is a threat to world peace or, for that matter, that God’s chosen people are worth supporting to the hilt.

In defying a call for fresh sanctions against Iran, Mrs May indicated her continued commitment to the nuclear deal which Mr Netanyahu believes to be highly dangerous, saying: “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel, it seeks to conquer the Middle East, it threatens Europe, it threatens the West, it threatens the world.”¹

I am reminded of the indelible link between Bible-believing Christians and comfort for Israel (Isaiah 40) – and where this is lacking, it is through ignorance.

The Goods and Evils of the Reformation

In a year that we are celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, sparked off by Martin Luther, we should be thankful that it opened the way to an understanding of the Bible that had a hugely civilising effect on the West, the heart of his rediscovery being that salvation in Christ comes through faith alone, not by good deeds.

Sadly, however, there was a major flaw in Luther’s understanding in that he failed to grasp that God had not forsaken the Jews despite their overall rejection of Christ. And it is widely reckoned that his anti-Semitic statements sowed the seeds of the Holocaust. Indeed, Anglican clergyman Simon Ponsonby has said that Nazism was a legacy of Luther, who had called for the urgent expulsion of Jewish people from Germany in his last sermon.²

The Reformation had a hugely civilising effect on the West - but sadly Luther may also have sowed the seeds of the Holocaust with his anti-Semitic statements.

A Different Luther

But a 20^th Century hero named after him, Martin Luther King Jr, had a very different view which certainly does not chime with current political correctness.

When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism!

Those with a different agenda try to re-write history by claiming, for example, that this quote is a hoax. But it comes through unscathed on closer examination.³

“Peace for Israel means security,” said King, “and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can almost be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”⁴

Returning to a Biblical Agenda

Judging by the strong Christian content of his inaugural speech along with the make-up of his cabinet including several Bible-believing Christians as well as Jews, I am most encouraged by the new US President Donald Trump.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas. And we are much nearer to being on the right track in world affairs when its ethos and principles begin to dictate policy once more – as it did 100 years ago when the (mostly) evangelical Christian members of David Lloyd George’s War Cabinet understood the importance of a re-born Israel. That led to the Balfour Declaration, promising that the British Government would do all in its power to facilitate the re-creation of a Jewish state in the Holy Land.

That it happened was clearly part of God’s plan, and the Bible’s agenda, but now the world condemns Israel for stealing land from the Palestinians. Yet, in addressing Israel’s restoration, a recurring theme of the Bible, the prophet Amos writes: “I will bring my people Israel back from exile… and will plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted…” (Amos 9.14f).

I’m told that, earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took the trouble to show Mr Netanyahu the very desk at which Balfour wrote and signed the declaration.

That both Balfour and Trump have come under ferocious fire is because they have challenged the fashionable so-called ‘anti-fascists’ of the anti-God brigade.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas.

Challenging Anti-Semitism

Canon Andrew White, the 'Bishop of Baghdad'.

Canon Andrew White – the clerical equivalent of Trump when it comes to plain-speaking – put it perfectly when he said that “the world is anti-Semitic because it is anti-God. This land (Israel) is God’s land…”.⁵

Also known as the Vicar of Baghdad, the Anglican clergyman has stood up to brutal terrorists while negotiating the release of hostages and has become the voice of reconciliation amidst the hatred and bitterness of Middle East conflict.

In an interview with this month’s issue of the Israel Today magazine, he added: “The conflict exists because Israel’s opponents are fundamentally anti-Jewish. One cannot merely say that they are only opposed to Israel; after all, Israel represents the essence of Judaism. No Judaism, no Israel. No Judaism, no God!”

Speaking of his experience in Baghdad, where he built up a church of over 6,000, he said: “At first the Iraqi Christians were against Israel, as were the Muslims. I was shocked by this and decided to enlighten them…about the Jewish roots of their faith.”

And it was as a result of this that they developed a love for Israel.

Canon Andrew White has spoken our recently about the need to love Israel.

A New Reformation

Hatred of Israel is due in large part to biblical illiteracy. So it is surely time for a new reformation which sees the word of God restored to its rightful place as the sure foundation for all who claim to be followers of Jesus.

It is revealing that among Christian denominations that have taken issue with Israel are the Presbyterians and Methodists, who are in serious decline both spiritually and numerically.

Israel also needs to restore their relationship with God, as they did in Jehoshaphat’s day. But Christians are called to help with this process by praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6) and by sharing the gospel with them both in word and deed (Rom 1:16).

Notes

1 Cowburn, A. Theresa May urged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back fresh Iran sanctions. The Independent, 7 February 2017.

2 Peace in Jerusalem (p157), quoting Simon Ponsonby addressing the CMJ (Church’s Ministry among Jewish people) Conference at Swanwick, England, in 2013.

3 See Kramer, M, quoted in Yes, MLK really did say the quote that anti-Zionism is anti-semitism... 21 January 2013, Elder of Ziyon.

4 Schachtel, J. The forgotten MLK: An ally of the Jews and Israel. Conservative Review, 16 January 2017.

5 Schneider, A. INTERVIEW: Canon Andrew White on Christians in the Middle East. Israel Today, 3 January 2017.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'When the Cross Became a Sword' by Merrill Bolender (2011, 80 pages)

This book is described as a primer on the origin and consequences of Replacement Theology and as such it is slight in terms of pages and inexpensive. Its value is that its size makes it a simple reference guide and it has large print for easy reading.

The author admits his intention is not to provide a comprehensive treatment but "to paint a clear picture with 'broad brush strokes'" (p11). He adds that he is not trying to demean or judge others, but to help people to "learn and move ahead so that we can avoid repeating similar mistakes in the future" (p12).

Endorsing a Hebraic Mindset

He upholds the view of those who insist that Replacement Theology is nowhere to be found in the Bible being based on nothing more than presupposition, but he is aware that its impact can be highly destructive. He shows how small errors made early in its history has thrown the Church off course and has led over time to greater and greater divergence from biblical truth.

Bolender starts with an examination of Romans 11 and exhorts a Hebrew mindset which enables us to interpret Scripture in a plain and literal way, without always having to resort to an allegorical or spiritualising approach. He shows how the early Church Fathers abandoned their Hebraic roots and embraced Greek thinking, in particular a 'Christianised' form of Plato's philosophy.

Bolender's book is a short and inexpensive primer on the origin and consequences of Replacement Theology – ideal for giving away to those new to the topic.

From Cross to Sword

As he works his way historically from Constantine through the atrocities of the Middle Ages to the Crusades there are plenty of examples and quotes which back up his main thesis that indeed the Cross became a sword. A particularly telling comment is that "the early apostles would not have recognised the Church in her new form" (p37).

In keeping with the overall aim of providing a brief introduction, Bolender provides short chapters (in some cases just two or three pages) on the Inquisition, examples from Russian history, the Reformation and Luther, and inevitably the Holocaust. Much of this material is found elsewhere in much more detail (see, for instance, other books previously reviewed in Prophecy Today, those by Gordon Pettie and Joel Richardson) but this book is perhaps the one that is the easiest to give away to those who need their eyes opening to this important topic. There is a good four-page glossary at the end to help those coming to this for the first time, and a useful two-page bibliography to enable further reading.

The author wants Gentiles to see how blessed they are by being grafted in to all the wonderful advantages of a rich Jewish heritage.

Above all, the author wants Gentiles to see how blessed they are by being grafted in to all the wonderful advantages of a rich Jewish heritage, and he strongly advocates that although we cannot correct past wrongs, we can certainly can do something about the present and, in so doing, we can help change the future.

'When the Cross Became a Sword' is available as an e-book for £3.07 via Amazon Kindle. Available elsewhere in paperback.