Now we come to the point when we can discuss the relationship between dispensationalism and current events.
One of the most fundamental underpinnings of dispensationalism is the disconnection of the Old Testament from the New Testament such that Israel and the church continue to remain two separate and distinct entities. In other words, neither the gospel nor the church are the fulfillment of Israel because Israel continues to exist separately and distinctly from the church. This is one of the several assumptions which must be held unquestionably. A verse in support of this assumption is Romans 11:26, which says, “[S]o all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.’”
If all Israel will literally be saved, then the dispensationalists believe there must be a yet future event or series of events leading to the salvation of Israel separately and distinctly from the church. Here, the dispensationalists purport that “Israel” must be taken literally and that Israel continues on a parallel line with the church.
The idea that the restoration of the literal nation of Israel must occur before the rapture has heavily influenced politics in the United States for decades. Israel as the nation it is today could not have existed without the support of both the United States and England, both of which coincidentally have spread dispensationalism.
Thus, in May 1948, when Israel’s statehood was proposed, secularists in the federal government were not interested in supporting it. However, the evangelical church, fueled by dispensationalism, had a heavy influence on the direction of Washington D.C. at the time and for a number of decades since then.
Throughout recent history, figures such as D.L. Moody, William Blackstone, Billy Graham, John Hagee, Jerry Fallwell, and others heavily influenced American politics through the lens of dispensationalism. For them, the restoration of Israel, the return of Jews to Israel, and (at least for John Hagee) the rebuilding of the temple are all vitally important goals. Today, Christians United for Israel founded by John Hagee represents a major lobbyist group which continues to influence American politics.
The idea is that unless Israel becomes a nation again Jesus Christ cannot return, and the prophecy of the antichrist cannot be fulfilled. Thus, it is necessary that Israel be its own nation and retain the statehood it achieved in 1948. Anything which threatens Israel, such as the current war with Hamas and Palestine, must be destroyed and eliminated. Of course, politicians will do anything for a vote, and enough politicians perceive that appeasing evangelicals is important to keep their vote.
I believe where events in the Middle East area headed is the redrawing of geopolitical boundaries to incorporate all of Jerusalem into the nation of Israel. Currently, part of Jerusalem, including the original temple site, are within Palestine controlled by Hamas. We have not the time here to discuss the implications of this, but suffice to say that prior attempts to rebuild the temple all ended in complete and utter failure, with some reports of supernatural opposition.
The notion that we can “accelerate” or force God’s hand by engineering events is not just unbiblical. It is blasphemy. However, the topic of Israel is not the only recent effort along the same line. Ralph Winter is a recent notable figure who called for the rapid spreading of the gospel to all people groups, so that we can trigger the return of Jesus Christ. Ralph Winter’s influence on missions is not necessarily all bad, but the false notions interspersed with his wider influence on missions calls everything into question.
What we are seeing today instead is the decline of the church such that there is less sympathy for dispensationalism than in previous decades. This goes for anything church related as well. As more secular individuals come into Congress and the federal government, they are uninterested in supporting the cause of the church, including dispensationalism. This is why we are seeing more vocal individuals support Palestine and disagree with the current war between Israel and Palestine. Is it any wonder this is happening? How could God allow a movement to press forward which accomplishes objectives counter to His will? It would seem, then, that God is more opposing the established evangelical church than He is those who are secular. How tragic!
There are several major problems with dispensationalism at this point. The Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 42:6 says, “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations.”
The fulfillment of Israel is Jesus Christ and the salvation of all nations on the earth. Acts 13:46-47 demonstrates this fulfillment. “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you [Israel] first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’’”
Acts 13:47 quotes Isaiah 49:6, another Messianic prophecy, which says, “He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’” Again, the fulfillment of Israel is the Messiah together with bringing all peoples of the earth into the kingdom of heaven.
In John 4:21-22, we read, “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” The fulfillment of Israel is in Jesus Christ, and salvation for the world originates through Israel. Israel and the church are not separate, distinct and parallel. Israel obtained its fulfillment through Christ as manifested in the church.
One of the key teachings within dispensationalism is the reinstitution of Levitical sacrifices which cannot occur unless the temple is reconstructed. This, however, is gross blasphemy against Jesus Christ, for He is our Passover Lamb. Matthew 26:20-30, John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Revelation 5:6 Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and there is no need for another. Acts 4:12, Romans 5:18
If that is not enough to convince us dispensational is in error, history as well as Scripture itself lead us to believe the events dispensationsalists believe still need to occur already happened over 1,900 years ago. Why do they need to occur again? The purpose of those events has already been satisfied.
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