Friday, May 25, 2007

A Lie From the Pit of Hell

One of the most disturbing aspects of Preterism is its blatant anti-semitism. I don't know about you, but I will not stand quietly on the sidelines and watch these arrogant men attack Israel.

How many times did God promise Israel his covenant with them was everlasting? "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:31). I think it's safe to say that "everlasting" qualifies as eternal. The Preterists (full or partial--take your pick--it's like saying you're partially pregnant) rant to anyone who will listen that the Church is the new Israel--and God has forsaken the old one. Sorry, but all this reflects is ignorance--historical and theological.

Paul refutes it quite effectively in Romans 11 when he says the children of God can be compared to a tree (Israel) with many natural branches, and some branches God has grafted on to the tree (Gentiles). Just because some of the natural branches are cut off, does not mean God has cut down the tree: "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew."

Joseph Farah, an Arab-American Christian, has a unique and powerful perspective on this situation. Calling it "a lie from the pit of hell," he takes on Preterism's newest convert here:


Answering 'the Bible Answer Man'

By Joseph Farah


Hank Hanegraff, also known as "the Bible Answer Man," may know more about theology than me.

He may have memorized more Scripture than me.

He may have a deeper understanding of some Bible passages than me.

But he sure doesn't know much about the Middle East.

Therefore, today, I am going to address some issues being raised by "the Bible Answer Man" – especially insofar as they apply to the suicidal policies he is advocating with regard to this explosive area of the world.

In a new novel he has written with fiction writer Sigmund Brouwer, "Fuse of Armageddon," he makes the amazingly false case that America's support of Israel causes, at least in part, terrorism directed against Americans.

It is fitting that such a preposterous and wholly unsupportable thesis could only be marketed to the American people as a work of fiction – because that's what it is.

"Much of American Middle East policy is influenced by a huge voting bloc of evangelicals who are taught not to question Israel's divine right to the land," says Hanegraff. "God is not pro-Jew. He is pro-justice. He is not pro-Palestinian. He is pro-peace. Only a gospel of peace and justice is potent enough to break the stranglehold of anti-Semitism and racism fueled in part by bad theology."


Now let's deal with this statement. Let's talk about justice and peace.


Who is it in the Middle East that genuinely wants peace? Who is it in the Middle East that genuinely works toward justice?


There is only one nation in the Middle East that has bent over backward for peace to the point of being counterproductive and risking its own survival. That nation is Israel.


There is only one nation in the Middle East that has worked for justice – offering Arabs and all other people civil and human rights. That nation is Israel.

As an Arab-American who had the opportunity to serve as a Middle East correspondent and study the region over the last 30 years, I think I can make that statement without any equivocation or hesitation.


Full article here:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55820

All I can say about this is that my father would have had these theological lightweights for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Joseph Farah is the founder, editor and CEO of WorldNetDaily.

10 Comments:

Blogger JohnD said...

Preterism is not only anti-Semitic, it is also anti-prophetic relegating future prophecy to past fulfillments that are at best contrived interpretations of historic events.

Gary DeMar for example claims that the elements refer to Temple elements:

2 Peter 3:10-12
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Quite a stretch, but one they make without batting an eyelash.

9:41 PM  
Blogger JohnD said...

Agozino and I butted heads crossed swords on his old Cross Talk show on KBRT in Southern California. DeMar and Gentry were regular guests.

How I'd get 'em clawing at each other was to get them into a spiting contest as to who was right full or partial preterists. Also I'd rag on the partial preterists pointing out they had no sound reason not to be full preterists, and then I'd go on to refute full preterism on the basis that the second coming has not happened yet nor are we in our resurrected state. {sinister grin}

Comes under the heading of being wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

9:46 PM  
Blogger JohnD said...

I've begun a new blog Preterism: a Non-Prophet Organization. In it I will share my encounters with this dogmatic eschatological group of believers who (in my estimation) belong to that which is prophesied as the falling away (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and who do not endure sound doctrine but follow those who tickle their itching ears...

What greater deception could Satan want in the tribulation than those who debunk the tribulation itself in the Christian camp... relegating it to an ancient fulfillment in Judea (70 AD)?

http://nonprophetorg.blogspot.com/

9:28 AM  
Blogger David said...

No "Bible Answer Man" is such that is ignorant of the mysteries of God:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Rom 11:25)

Thank you for the post, and the article link,

David
TheNewsBeats.com

4:24 PM  
Blogger Rhology said...

Jill,

Could you please do a favor and distinguish "Preterism" in terms of its prefixes?

Hyper-Preterism = "Full" Preterism = heretical

Orthodox Preterism = "Partial" Preterism = a popular eschatological view among our Reformed brethren.

Recently I had an extended blog convo w/ a Hyper-Preterist who is a total heretic. You can see my blog back in April 07 if you want...but let's definitely be clear in contrasting the Hyper-Prets from the Orthodox Prets!

2:29 PM  
Blogger Jill Martin Rische said...

Alan,

My comments referred to Preterists of all shapes and sizes if they take a position against Israel.

Thanks for posting,

Jill

12:08 AM  
Blogger Rhology said...

Jill and others,

I'd like to point out that JohnD is proposing that Partial Pret-ism is heretical.
Jill, you yourself titled this post "A lie from the pit of Hell", but I can see how you might be referring to certain aspects of Partial Pret theology, and that's OK. I'm not horrified.
Here's what I posted in JohnD's combox:

...heretical? Must you really throw that word around?

You've got people who believe in:
-Monotheism
-the Trinity
-the Deity of Christ
-the Virgin Birth of Christ
-Christ's blood and substitutionary atonement for the sins of man
-The bodily resurrection of Christ
-The futurebodily, personal, imminent return of Christ
-The Person and work of the Holy Spirit
-The verbal, plenary inspiration and total inerrancy of Scripture
-The Total depravity of natural man
-Justification (salvation) by grace alone thru faith alone
-The reality of heaven and hell
-The Person of Satan
-Original Sin
-the priesthood of the believer

etc.

and you want to call them heretical? My point is that it's quite extreme to say that someone who is a solid believer in Christ and all the things listed above and yet who disagrees w/ you just on the issue of whether the Jews are still God's people and whether SOME of the prophecies in the Scripture occurred in 70 AD or so is a heretic.
I'm not asking you to join their church! :-)

But compare this hypothetical Partial Pret to a Hyper Pret, who believes in:

-Christ will not return
-we are in the eternal kingdom now
-there is no sin anymore
-there is thus no need for salvation, thus salvation is not by faith, it's by being born physically
-there is no future resurrection
-man is not depraved at all (since there is no sin)
-universalism (nobody will go to hell since there is no sin anymore)

etc.

That person is a heretic, no question. But the Partial Pret?

Do you see what I mean?

I guess I'm asking for a bit of clarification from you here. I would add that you seemed pretty cool w/ calling Roman Catholics "inside the pale of orthodoxy" in regard to the Beckwith reversion thing, but here JohnD is going after Reformed believers who have FAR more in common w/ you than would a RC.

Thanks!

Peace,
ALAN

5:41 PM  
Blogger Jill Martin Rische said...

Alan,

There seems to be a misunderstanding here: my comments referred to all Preterists who take the anti-Israel position.

I did not discuss the question of heresy; if you wish to answer John's comments here, that's fine. By the way, it was Joseph Farah who called Hanegraaff's anti-Israel position "A Lie From the Pit of Hell." I just quoted him.

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Jill

7:43 PM  
Blogger Rhology said...

Thanks for the clarification, Jill. I was hoping and expecting you wouldn't present the same wild-eyed image that JohnD is putting forth, and I was not disappointed.

9:41 AM  
Blogger Roderick_E said...

As a former Full Preterist of 15 years I can tell you that besides the erroneous conclusions of FP, the 2 major premises that need to be considered that contain the seeds of the fatal flaw are:

1) FP goes against 2000+ years of Christian belief...I'm not talking merely about councils & creeds bu the general belief of Christians for 2000+ years & replaces that with a novel private interpretation. What arrogance!

2) FP not only misunderstands the concept of "covenant" but it distorts it so much that its main advocates claim that "man has become new become the world has been made new" & FP will say the new covenant "world" is here for EVERY man. First off, the Flood event showed us that destroying the former world did not change the hearts of men, not destroying the old covenant world would accomplish this. Men must be born again & THEN & only then will the "world" become new. FP leads to universalism where everyone is automatically in the new "world".

If you want to read more about my departure from FP, go to http://unpreterist.blogspot.com

2:00 AM  

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