Fundametalist Protestants & Israel
Many Jews are confused about why certain Fundamentalist Protestants are so unflinchingly supportive of Israel. Indeed, until a week or so ago I didn�t know a good part of the story. Let me tell you a little bit of what I�ve learned.
That support for Israel comes out of a movement known as Premillennial Dispensationalism. This movement is based on a Christian understanding of Biblical prophesy, including the Book of Daniel in our Tanach and the Book of Revelations in the Christian Scriptures. Premillennial means that, in their understanding, Jesus will return to rule at the beginning of a thousand years of a Jewish kingdom. Dispensationalism means that God has decreed seven eras, called dispensations, of covenants between Israel and God.
Through their study of Scripture Premillennial Dispensationalists think that they have a clear understanding of the steps in God�s plan to bring history to an end; the End Times scenario. In their understanding of that sequence, before the return of Jesus, Jews would be gathered back to Israel, and then Israel would be attacked and most Jews would die. Those remaining would welcome Jesus as their savior.
Before the founding of the state of Israel, dispensationalists were content to teach their doctrine, look for signs of the times, and predict what was going to happen in the future. After Israel became a nation and especially after the Six Day War, many dispensationalists believed that they should take as active a role as they could in the fulfillment of God�s plan for the establishment of a Jewish kingdom in the boundaries of the ancient land of Israel.
This belief in a sure understanding of the general course of history, in accordance with certain symbolic scenarios in Daniel and Revelations, is what has led so many evangelical fundamentalists to support Israel and to support the retention of the territories. In what looks to most Jews as a contradiction, many dispensationalists also support missions to convert Jews, such as Jews for Jesus. Their logic is that if a Jew has accepted Jesus as savior then he/she will not have to go through the tribulation before the return of Jesus because they, along with all true believers, would be taken up into heaven before all the terrible persecutions.
All this sounds very strange to most Jews. Most of us believe that supporting work for peace in Israel/Palestine is the right thing to do. These Christian Rightists believe that Israel is destined by God to occupy all the land the Palestinians live on today. Peace is not part of the Divine plan the Dispensationalists see in .Scripture. Thus they tend to support the most right wing elements in Israel. We need to ask ourselves, �Are these people really our friends, Israel�s friends?�
Rabbi Stephen Forstein
November 04, 2004 / 21 Kislev 5765
