Christian Zionism, Not Really & the Awfulness of Oct 7th, Yes Really

Recently at one of the meetings of the women’s groups at my church I asked them to pray for me because I was becoming depressed reading all the stories of what had happened to some of the people in Israel. I felt I needed to read and listen to better understand so that I could write out of factual empathy. And I admit I wrote some out of anger. I sometimes went to bed weeping. I have placed a video at the end of this which will hopefully allow you to see and understand why the Presbyterian USA’s seminar is a travesty.

The Presbyterian Church USA is sponsoring a video seminar about what they call Christian Zionism. It is not totally about Christian Zionism which is only mentioned a few times, but is about simply Zionism and the wish that the Jewish state did not exist. Some familiar groups and people are a part of it: The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the PCUSA, World Mission’s Middle East and Europe office, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, Office of Public Witness, Rev. Munther Isaac and a Rabbi from the Reconstruction Jewish Group.

I thought about attempting to write on all speakers but that is a long posting and basically they are all saying the same thing.  There are some parts I want to address. They do recommend the booklet produced by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, Zionism Unsettled, a horribly antisemitic work. In past years when I was in the Presbyterian Church USA I wrote about this book at Telling stories that hurt and destroy: A review of Zionism Unsettled.

The authors of the booklet state and use various other antisemite’s statements to slander Zionism. They state that the Israelites who reside in Israel have no connection to ancient Israel an antisemite trope used by the vilest of antisemites. They fail to explain that five Arab nations started the 1948 war.  After writing of how respectful Muslims are they state of Zionism ““Zionism, however, has not reciprocated this respect for all peoples. Instead says Abu Sway, Zionism is by nature a system of discrimination and exclusion.” They defame God and Holy Scriptures by stating, “Zionism has succeeded in reanimating the nationalist tradition within Judaism. Its inspiration has been drawn not from the profound thoughts of the Hebrew Scriptures, but from those portions that betray a narrow and exclusive concept of a tribal god.” As I have pointed out in my earlier posting that is not only antisemitic but gnostic.

In the first video of the seminar Munther Isaac does speak at first of Christian Zionism but uses political terms putting aside the religious views. Using progressive definitions Isaac speaks of Israel as a state as “a settler colonial entity. He also speaks of the Oct.7^th massacre as being separated by Western press from its context. He seemingly believes that Hamas was justified in their actions of rape, killing, mutilations and burning Jewish people alive while at the same time denouncing the just war theory. There is a lot of confusion in his statements.

I have listened to most of the first two videos, there is supposedly a third but I have not yet seen it. I want to end this posting by using a new documentary recently placed on YouTube. It is Screams Before Silence directed by Anat Stalinsky. I am doing this after listening to Isaac attempt to justify what happened on Oct. 7^th, and after understanding all the years the PCUSA and the Israel/Palestine Mission Network maligned and attacked Israel as well as American Jews. There is no justification for what happened. Adults, not children, need to know what really happened—although for some this will be impossible to watch.

 Screams Before Silence (youtube.com)

The Haman Effect: MAGA Looking Forward to Hanging Enemies

In the book of Esther in the Bible, the story is told of Haman. He hated the Jew Mordecai because he would not bow down to him. Because of that Haman created a plot to have all the Jews killed and Mordecai hung. He created the gallows on which he intended to hang Mordecai. Instead, Haman was hung on the gallows by order of the king. 

Recently there are references to Haman, or what is called the Haman effect, among those leaders in the MAGA movement, those leaders who honor ex-president Trump. Their understanding and I am afraid their hope is that their supposed enemies, the Democrats, the so-called Rhinos, people in the Justice department, etc., will experience the Haman effect, will be hung on their own gallows, or will be imprisoned.

 I have written in one posting of Bo Polny, a New Apostolic Reformation advocate and MAGA speaker. Polny is predicting and describing what he calls the Haman effect; what he sees as a televised hanging of the movement’s enemies.

 Julie Green, considered a prophet by NAR and most of the MAGA groups including Clay Clark’s Reawakening America Tour also refers to the Haman effect. Green with God supposedly speaking through her states “these are the days of Haman—and he [God] says you [God’s and Trump’s enemies] cause death—or try to cause death, with all their diseases that they’re trying, with their zombie virus that they’re talking about, and the disease x they’re talking about—he [supposedly God] saying you cause death, that death will come on to you; this Haman, look in the book of Esther what happened to him.”

 In the latest Reawaken American Tour in Detroit one pastor, Phillip Smith, a prosperity preacher loudly claims, “We are in a Haman moment, Haman tried to…hang Mordecai on the gallows, but he ended up getting hung on the gallows that he set up for Mordecai and that’s where we are living right now. Government is tyrannical and they’re trying to set a trap for each and everyone of us but I want you to know…they’re going to hang on their own gallows. "

 This constant refrain of vengeance on enemies is contrary to the New Testament vision for God’s church. Too often it is a politically motivated vengeance, often aimed at other Christians. Here is the bigger problem, many of the leaders in the ultra-right movements will present very scriptural views of God’s promises of protection and keeping power while at the same time insisting that their followers are being persecuted by the government or simply by those who disagree with their ideology. While Christians in other countries, China, Russia, some African nations, Iran, etc. are suffering great persecution most American and Western Christians live in blessed freedom. Sure, there are controversies and social problems that Christians find they need to stand against—but actual bloody persecution—no! 

Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that it was out of their heart that evil came. Speaking about the tradition of washing their hands before eating as a religious requirement Jesus said “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart. And those defile the man.”

 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, slanders. (Matthew 15:18.19) 

The hearts of many of these false prophets and political leaders are dark and heretical since they are speaking of and devising evil against those who simply disagree with them. In the midst of using biblical stories and God’s promises meant for suffering saints they are using slanderous conspiracy stories and giving false prophecies. They are also leading many astray with their words. 

The prophet Malachi, in a time when there was great confusion about what it meant to serve God, spoke of a time when there would be clarity—when those who feared the lord would understand that they were His possession. 

Then those who feared the lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the lord and esteem His name. “They will be mine,” says the Lord, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares His own son who serves him.” 

So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (Malachi 3:16-18) 

 Malachi in his words is speaking of both advents, the coming of the Lord to bring salvation through his death and resurrection and His coming to bring a conclusion to all things. And this is my point, his is not a political message, the sin is not failing to possess the correct pick for a leader, but failing to reverence and honor God. Referring to Levi but with a glance toward the coming one who would have healing in His wings, Malachi says that he “revered Me and stood in awe of My name.” (2:6b) And this is what leaders should be directing people toward—honoring God. 

God’s people are not called to focus on vengeance, the hanging of enemies, but rather their calling is to honor and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1] “ GOD WINS, 45 RETURNS, HAMAN EFFECT, to be "SEEN ON TV"! Julie Green, Bo Polny - YouTube.

[1] ReAwaken America Tour Detroit, MI - DAY 1 | Join General Flynn, Eric Trump, Kash Patel, Mayor Giuliani & Team America + Request Tickets for October 18-19 Selma, NC At: TimeToFreeAmerica.com (rumble.com)