You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Still to come, Dave and Tom continue their weekly in-depth study of the Doctrine of Salvation, please stay with us. Now,
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here’s this week’s question: Dear Dave, This is in reference to an article that appeared on the Agape Press website. It indicated that you urge Christians not to let Bush get away with policies that you feel might not be as supportive of Israel as you would like. You also noted that Condoleezza Rice is a believer in Replacement Theology. I know Christians who believe that you are not a Christian if you do not believe that God created everything in six days, ten thousand years ago. I know Christians born again who believe in the rapture, and I know those who do not. I know Christians who read the signs of the times and prepare for the Second Coming. I know others who do not believe it will happen for a long time, if ever. I know many Christians who believe it is our duty to support Israel, and I know others who believe we should support Israel, but not condone everything that nation does. In fact, I know Christians who do not believe that the Israel of today will be a nation for very long. In short, I know Christians with differing views in almost everything but the divinity and death and resurrection of Christ. So, why is it that you, of all Christians, think we have the right to insist that Bush and Rice hold the exact theological view that you want them to hold, and that we must not let them get away with holding other views? Especially when we consider that not every born again Christian holds those views down to the letter. Why this different standard for Bush and Rice and not for others, or do you insist that all others also agree with you on these things?
Tom:
Well, Dave, this is for you, it said, Dear Dave, so I’ll take a break here and I will be back.
Dave:
Yeah, I’m at a disadvantage because I don’t have the exact quote of what I said, but I don’t believe that I—first of all, I didn’t imply that Bush was not a Christian, I said that I think he is, he might very well be.
Tom:
I don’t think this person is arguing with that.
Dave:
Well, yeah, but he says that people that believe this and that and some people say they are not Christians if they don’t agree with them, and so forth. I did not say that, nor did I say I don’t believe that if Bush does not agree with me on Israel, or whatever, that he’s not a Christian or that we ought to oppose him. It’s not what I believe, but what I think what I said was, we shouldn’t let him get away with saying, Islam is peace. He keeps saying, Islam is peace. Furthermore, he is going to bring God’s judgment upon America because he is violating—and Tom, it’s not a matter of opinion, it’s not a matter of my opinion against someone else’s opinion. Just read Joel 3:2, where God very clearly says He’s going to bring all the nations in this world into judgment because, they have divided His land! And it’s exactly what the nations have been doing, exactly what Bush’s Road Map to Peace is all about, give them back more land, Israel, give them back more land. And Condoleezza Rice, after forcing Israeli’s to pull out of Gaza, said, Well, that’s a good first step. So, I think of have good, solid biblical backing, not my opinion. There are hundreds of promises in the Bible that said He would restore His ancient people into their land, and their latter end would be better than their first. And we can give you hundreds and hundreds of promises, in fact, the Second Coming doesn’t take place unless Christ returns to rule over His people Israel on the throne of his father David. So now for Condoleezza Rice to say, Well, but Israel has been replaced by the church—
Tom:
Wait a minute, you said the Second Coming doesn’t take place unless Christ comes back to—is that what you meant?
Dave:
Yes, the Second Coming does not take place unless Christ comes back to rule over His people Israel, on the throne of His father David. I’m not talking about the Rapture, we would be safe in heaven, but if there’s no nation Israel left—You know, Tom, there was a preacher some time ago, and I don’t know exactly where this was, but anyway it may just be a story, but it’s a very good story. His sermon was advertised, “How to Destroy Israel”. I think I will try that sometime, it would bring in a good crowd of Muslims and Jews. And there were Rabbis in the front row, and I imagine, a few Muslims as well, hoping for what he would say. Well, his scripture was Jeremiah 31, beginning at Verse 35, and this is what it says: “Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.” And he said, You want to destroy Israel? Pull the sun out of the sky, knock the stars out of there, and one Rabbi poked the other one and he said, I think it’s going to be okay. So, it’s not that I’m trying to impose some nebulous or questionable belief, God called himself the God of Israel 203 times. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, He will never cease to be the God of Israel. Then how can Israel cease to be a nation and how can the church that replaced Israel—It is so clear in scripture, and so, all I am saying is, we should not let Bush get away with saying that Islam is peace, and forcing Israel to give more land back to the Muslims when God has said He is going to punish all the nations of the world for doing that!
Tom:
Now Dave, we’re citizens of this country, we have political rights, we can address our president certainly, but you know, we try not to get into the political realm here. All we’re trying to do is point certain things out that the scriptures say and encourage people to search the scriptures themselves. So, it’s not a matter of judging Bush’s heart or Condoleezza Rice’s heart, it’s a matter of looking at their actions and see if they conform to the Word of God, and everybody should do that, everybody who calls themselves a Christian.
Dave:
Tom, these people, for example, D. James Kennedy says that all of the promises concerning the land were fulfilled under Joshua. All right, just go to Jeremiah 23:7,8 and it says: It will no longer be said, blessed is the Lord who brought His people out of the land of Israel, but blessed is the Lord who brought His people from all the nations where He had scattered them back into that land. Okay, that did not happen in the days of Joshua. And there are so many promises you are going to have to spiritualize them away to say that the church is Israel, and it won’t work and God’s judgment will fall, and that’s what I am trying to warn the President about.
