Teacher to Teacher, October 2008

There have been many peace agreements over the years since 1948, and none has yielded peace. In recent years, with the likelihood of a nuclear arsenal in the hands of an Islamic state, peace seems unattainable. Eschatology Because prophetic writing as a genre is obscure by divine design, interpreters who believe the Bible often come to different conclusions about what prophetic passages are saying.6 The most popular eschatological position among American conservative evangelicals is premillennialism, which posits a future role for Israel, including a political earthly kingdom, in God’s plan. Premillennialists have almost unanimously seen Israel’s reconstitution as evidence of the approaching of that millennial kingdom.7 Postmillennialists, however, see the church as the instrument of bringing in the kingdom and thus see Israel as irrelevant; amillennialists, who see the millennium as either occurring spiritually in the present or already over, 8 similarly find no place for Israel in the prophetic schema. 6 So what does the future hold for the Middle East? Some Christians see a literal messianic kingdom based in Jerusalem as imminent.9 Such Christians are likely to support the modern state of Israel and to reject Arab/Islamic calls for its destruction. Others view Israel as an ordinary modern state in every way and thus may prefer either position in the conflict or have no preference whatsoever. Future Christians form their views of the future of the region based on their theology. There are two theological factors that play into this decision. Hermeneutical System Conservative evangelicals generally fall into one of two groups regarding the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Common among Baptists and similar groups is dispensationalism, which views the NT and OT eras as distinct.5 Common among Presbyterians is covenant theology, which emphasizes the similarities between the two Testaments. The latter group sees the NT church as the modern replacement for ancient Israel and thus sees modern Israel as essentially just another country, though admittedly occupying some really interesting archaeological sites. Dispensationalists, on the other hand, because they believe that God’s OT promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled, continue to regard Israel as holding a special place in the mind and plan of God. 5 A Biblical Approach to the Middle East Having recognized the differences of interpretation, we must also note that the Bible is not exclusively prophecy and that much of it is not abstruse in the way that prophecy is designed to be. The Bible is clear about a great many things, and Christians should be in agreement about those things. What biblical principles can inform all Christians in their approach to the Middle East conflict? • God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26−27). This image continues in mankind even after the Fall (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). Thus, every human being is worthy of respect. This is the basis for the U.S. Declaration of Independence’s axiom that “all men . . . are endowed by their Creator with certain Inalienable Rights.” This principle applies equally to Arabs and Jews. 9 Some mistakenly think that this is entirely a function of hermeneutical system—that premillennialists, for example, will be dispensationalists. While there are trends discernable between the groups, the lines are not clearly drawn; for example, there are premillennialist covenant theologians. For a focused discussion of the different eschatological systems, see “Relating Current Events to EndTime Prophecy,” Teacher to Teacher, August 2005; available online at http://www .bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/0903 .pdf. As a premillennialist, let me admit that this line of interpretation has not always been fruitful. For example, a whole series of misinterpretations of Scripture led some to conclude that the Rapture would occur by 1988, 40 years (or, supposedly, one “generation” [Matt. 24:34]) after the founding of the modern state of Israel. The tortuous process yielding this conclusion could well serve as a negative example in seminary hermeneutics classes until Christ really does come. This view, which sees the events of Revelation as fulfilled entirely or at least mostly at the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, is called “preterism.” 7 Dispensationalism was popularized in the American Christian community by the Scofield Reference Bible, whose notes thoroughly reflected the views of Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. 8 That is my view. I should note, however, that “imminent” need not mean “soon.” I believe that Christ’s return has been “imminent” since His ascension, though of course His people have no way of knowing the timing. Thus the frequent admonitions to be alert and ready. continued on page 10 Teacher to Teacher | October 2008 page 3 http://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/0903.pdf http://www http://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/0903 http://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/0903.pdf http://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/0903.pdf

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