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Monday, January 5, 2015
The debate about Israel and America
There seems to be an ongoing debate among Christians in America as to whether America is the new Israel or new Jerusalem and whether the blessings and cursing in the Bible associated with Israel are also for America. Books written as fiction, but quote the Bible are adding to the discussion. Over the years, if you are involved in Christianity long enough, you will hear a lot of things taught as fact, but they are often only the opinion of the teacher. Moreover, there are, as Jesus says in Matthew 24:11, “Many false prophets (meaning in Greek/Strong’s Concordance: one who in God’s name teaches what is false) who shall rise, and shall deceive many.” So how do we discern? How do we know what to believe?
One must become a student of the Bible and understand it in its context. To answer the question of whether the blessings and cursing written in the Holy Scriptures regarding the behavior of God’s chosen people also apply to America, it is all about context. Many teachers say that those things spoken of about Israel are only for Israel. It occurs to me that if that were the case, then Jesus the Messiah, would have been only for Israel. Jesus was a Jew. He fulfilled prophecy given to God’s prophets, who were certainly not Americans nor “Christians.” This logic, however, we know is flawed because Christ came to give us all life everlasting, the gift of salvation. We also know that the Gentile is grafted in with the Jew.
The Bible is the one and only true word of God. God may be speaking to Israel, or giving specific instruction to specific people, but the Bible serves as a guidebook for us all. Deuteronomy 28, for example, is the blessing and cursing specifically directed at Israel for either obeying or disobeying the Lord. These are consequences, good or bad, for the people of Israel. In their context, however, they are the laws of the Lord God. These laws, these principles, are universal and if your nation or you, yourself, disobey them, there will be natural consequences. They specifically applied to Israel, but they also apply to all of us. Do the 10 Commandments only apply to Israel? Does Jesus’ instruction only apply to the disciples he is speaking to?
The more you study the Bible in its context–that is, not cherry picking the verses you like and ignoring the ones you don’t like–the more you will find the truth in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The problem comes in when man uses a little bit of scripture to promote his own belief. This is how doctrines of man are developed and over time are taught as if they are written in the Holy Scriptures. My opinion, Israel is Israel. Jerusalem is Jerusalem. America is neither. But the entirety of the Bible is our most tangible instruction on life, how to live it, the blessings of obedience and consequences of disobedience–for both the nations and the people living in them.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
For God’s Glory Alone Ministries thanks Bill Wilson and www.dailyjot.com
