http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/132535


by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu


John Hagee, a leading Christian evangelist who heads the Christian United for Israel movement, told 4,000 followers in Washington Wednesday night that, "The chief obstacle to peace in the Middle East is not Israelis living on the West Bank but the regime in Tehran." He charged that U.S. President Barack Obama is “singling out Israel" for concessions towards the establishment of a new Arab state within Israel's current borders.

Speaking at “A Night to Honor Israel" conference, Hagee declared, "Hello, Congress. We are putting pressure on the wrong people here. You want to get tough, get tough with the terrorists, not the the only democracy in the Middle East."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, trying to garner support against the pressures of the Obama administration, spoke to the group on Wednesday via satellite after a conversation earlier in the day with leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

He told the Christians for Israel, "For centuries, the relationship between Christians and Jews was marked by conflict rather than partnership and friendship. But this is changing…. Today millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for freedom; millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for truth; and millions of Christians stand with Israel because they want to see a genuine peace in the Holy Land.”

Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, Israel Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren and singer Dudi Fisher attended the Christian conference. Hagee told the delegates that Israel has the sovereign right to grow and develop the settlements of Israel as you see fit and not yield to the pressure of the United States government."

President Obama has railed out against construction for Jews in eastern Jerusalem as well as in Judea and Samaria, lumping all of them together as “settlements.” In his “reaching out to the Muslim world” speech in Cairo in early June, he applied the label “illegitimate” to “settlements,” referring to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Virginia Republican Congressman Eric Cantor, speaking at the conference earlier in the week, said that American polices in the Middle East must “be firmly grounded in the beliefs of the Judeo-Christian tradition upon which this country was founded.”

Rejecting the Obama claim that a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem is an obstacle to peace, Rep. Cantor told the Christian delegates, "We all know the real stumbling block to peace is posed by those who vehemently deny the nation of Israel's historical right to the land of Zion."

Hagee has been out of the limelight since Republican presidential candidate John McCain rejected his endorsement in the 2008 campaign because of remarks that many were thought were anti-Catholic and insensitive to Jews.

He told US News & World Report this week his group is trying to repair ties and build contacts on university campuses to educate Christians to stand with Israel. Hagee’s organization this summer is bringing 40 campus leaders to Poland to study the Holocaust before visiting Israel.

Commenting on criticism that the Christian for Israel group is seen as rightwing and partisan, Hagee stated, “Our membership is broad and diverse. We are a big tent for Christians who support certain fundamental propositions about Israel, namely that Israel has a right to exist and a right to defend herself from attack like any other nation.

“We are always working to broaden our base. We are reaching out to Catholics and the Protestant denominations. We are reaching out to Hispanic and African-American churches.”

Christians United for Israel is my opinion is a great blessing on God's people, not only to our beloved Jewish bretheren but also for me personally,and for it's membership which includes a diversified membership base.

I pray every day for the leadership of Israel by name, and ask the LORD to protect and allow the members of the Israeli defense forces not only to put the enemies of Israel to shame through defeat on the battlefield if need be, but also that the God who protects in Zion would also allow the weapons of Israel's armed forces to operate in a supernatural fashion in order that those weapons might be utillized even beyond their maximum potential against her adversaries.

I have been a member in good standing with Christians United for Israel since 2007.

I will again renew my membership at the end of this year during Hanukkah.

The LORD spoke to Moses; '' Tell Aaron and his sons how they are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The LORD bless you
and protect you;
the LORD make His face shine
on you,
and be gracious to you;
the LORD look with favor
on you
and give you peace.

In this way they will put My
Name on the Israelites and I will
bless them.''   selah

Shalom

I appreciate your posts on her "OldGuy"...I would ask if are a rabbi or jewish...a private response if more than fine if you wish.

Brad

Sadly, I think may be quickly coming to a point where the Christian Right will be the only ones who crusade for Israel.

None of this has any relevance to the Last Day since nothing in the Bible requires a rebuilding of the temple building before Judgment Day comes. The New Testament building of God's temple is the building of the church. Compare Amos 9 and Acts 15.

I do not believe that the Israel of today is the Israel of the past.

God chose the Jewish nation (Israel) as the nation through which he provided the Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. One may still speak of the Jewish people as God's chosen people in the sense that God has never taken away his promise to them.  Jesus is their Savior too. They can return to that promise of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus the Messiah.  Read Romans 9-11.  

I believe the millennial and dispensational teachings that see the modern nation of Israel as direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy to be based on inadequate and inaccurate interpretations of several Old Testament prophecies. Millennial thought in general fails to grasp the distinctive nature of prophetic language and misunderstands apocalyptic literature by taking it literalistically (which is different from literally).

These errors also fail to appreciate how the New Testament has understood and identified "Israel of God" as ultimately the New Testament Church, the spiritual heirs of Abraham and his faith, whether Jew or Gentile. And they invariably offer promises of divine grace and mercy separate from saving faith in Jesus the Messiah, a concept that is foreign to Scripture.

In the Old Testament the term "Israel" is used in both wide and narrow ways, with reference to the physical nation and to the believing portion of that nation. The context and accompanying phrases, when used, must determine the specific manner in which the word is used at a given time.

The modern nation of Israel certainly enjoys certain blessings that God in his providence has allowed, just as other nations have and do. That is God's business, and we trust him to use all nations and peoples for his purposes. Being politically or economically successful is not to be equated with possessing blessing as God's elect. Observing many nations and followers of Islam should have taught people that truth.

There are no warnings or promises in the New Testament that are specific to the Jewish people or nation of Israel aside from their blessings or forfeiting of blessings through their relationship with Jesus Christ the Messiah. Because the Jewish people were largely scattered following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and then the modern nation of Israel was established after World War II, many Christians have assumed that the Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled (again) and that this is significant to the activity of God's kingdom in the end times. Especially so-called "dispensational premillennialists" or "dispensationalists" make this connection.

I am convinced, on the basis of the New Testament treatment of the Old Testament prophecies, that the modern nation of Israel is the result of human political development and brings no particularly special significance for the kingdom of God in the end times.

Should we support Israel of today? Yes for moral and political reasons and not necessarily biblical ones. They are the only legitimate democracy in the area.

SAE...it was not out of disrespect to 'Old Guy'. I have read many posts on here and have responded diligently and compassionately to as many as I felt the need to. I have known many who were from all faiths and have good respectfull relations with all of them. I was curious as there are symbols in Old Guy's avatar that point to Judaism as well as the subjects of his posts. It was probably more proper to address him privately to ask but as I do not 'know' anyone in here at the moment and I have learned some Hebrew. I was wondering if Old Guy might assist me once in a while in this respect, as well as answer questions about ancient Judaic Laws. Rabbis are good to get those answers from. If I wished to know what the Catholic church beleived, I went and asked a Priest. If I wanted to know what a Buddhist beleived, I asked buddhist priest. To me, it just makes sense to do so. I have found out many things that are similar in many of the religions telling me there is hope yet for us, LOL. Do not take that question for him as a dig or anything else.

agree to disagree

Thank God for John Hagee!