Vatican, Churches Criticize Christian Zionist Movement

This story is incoherent

I also could not find it. So I googled in to the name of the declaration itself through uruknet. This is a good summary of the heresy of Christian Zionism: It ignores the teachings of Scripture.

I found a letter in a Dutch newspaper (Nederlands Dagblad) of 2006-08-31 that I translated. Here it is:

Title: There is no holy land any more. Sub-title: The establishment of the State of Israel was a political event and not the fulfilment of a Biblical land promise. Unless one ignores eighty years of world history.

"We stand in the midst of world history." This sentence appeared in a contribution by Mrs. G.A. van der Spek-Begemann in "Nederlands Dagblad" of the 14th of August. In my opinion, she stands somewhat strangely in world history. She advises us (Christians), yes in fact she considers it mandated to stand unconditionally behind the State of Israel. That is the duty of Christians. This duty was placed on us when the State of Israel was established. This is supposedly also a holy duty: laid upon us by nobody else than the God-of-Israel Himself. Our Christian instruction is, she says: "Comfort, comfort My people!" (Isaiah 40:1). God wants to be called the God-of-Israel, right?

I would say: No, madam, that is not true. God does not want to be called the God-of-Israel. I mean: He does not want to be called the God-of-the-State-of-Israel. Not more (and also not less) than that He wants to be called the God-of-the-State-of-the-Netherlands.

There is no holy city Jerusalem any more. There is no holy land any more. There is no holy people any more. You are allowed to say that, but then you must also dare to say: There is a holy city Amsterdam, a holy land Nederland, and a holy people, the Netherlanders.

"Race, blood and territory" formed a part of the ideology of nazism. From that ideology, the nazi's committed numerous crimes, of who the worst is that they brought indescribable grief upon Jewish individuals. As if the Man through whom Yahweh then and today does not rule the whole world, was and is not a Jew. Also during the centuries preceding the Second World War, Jews have suffered and suffered. Also through the assistance of Christians. It is for me a cause to be deeply ashamed. Not that I have done this myself, but my fellow believers have done this on a massive scale and for a very long time. This shame can and may not be held from (church) history books and forms an enormous accusation against humanity including Christendom.

Own State

In part as a result of the holocaust, the Jews have desired to obtain a safe place on earth. Major powers have agreed to that. And thus the State of Israel was established in the Near East. That the Arabian people around Palestine, and the many Arabians in Palestine had and have grave objections against this, is completely understandable. That they reached for their weapons, I can also understand. Understanding is something else than approving.

To provide some sort of divine sanction to the happenings around the establishment of the State of Israel - who compels me to do this? I consider that whole chain of events as a political affair.

I desire, and I pray during worship services, that the Arabian peoples will recognize and accept the State of Israel. Although remember: this State has been thrust upon them.

Further, the State of Israel behaves itself in such a manner, that the Arabian peoples feel very little for recognition and acceptance. I refer to the settlement policy. Not only do I not stand unconditionally behind the State of Israel on this point.... I am unconditionally against this.

I do not stand unconditionally behind the official or unofficial policy in the State of Israel regarding our Jewish brothers and sisters who recognize Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. These brothers and sisters are hardly being tolerated. I unconditionally disapprove of this.

Why does Mrs. Van der Spek not bring into the equation the fact that the words "Comfort, comfort My people!" were taken into hand by Yahweh Himself in sending His Son, Jesus of Nazareth? And that this comfort was refused when He was on earth? And that this was refused "en masse" during the forty years between Jesus' resurrection and the destruction of Jerusalem, a period which was full of prophets who called to repentance? You may read about it in the Acts of the Apostles, written by doctor Lucas.

Pray for peace

How would Yahweh these days think about a Jewish State that still barely tolerates the worshipers of His Son, and that continues to reject the Son, who came in the first place for the Jews (see Acts 3:20-26)?

I seriously desire that peace will be established between the State of Israel and its neigbouring countries, close by and further away (like Iran). I consider that we must earnestly pray our God for this. And that we must insist on the authorized representatives in the West and in the East, to exert themselves greatly for this peace.

Yahweh shall in fact never "forget" that the Jewish people descend from His big friend Abraham. But during the time of the Judges, during the time of the Kings, and during the time of Christ, the descendants of Abraham have always resisted the Holy Spirit. Stephen said this to the leaders, the men of authority, the members of the High Council. This has caused our God a tremendous amount of sadness, and He is also very angry about this. That was clear when He lead the armies of the Romans against His own people, just as He lead the armies of grasshoppers against His people in the days of Joel.

To come with an argument of a promise of land in the current situation between Yahweh and the State of Israel – which we may not relativize according to Mrs. Van der Spek – is according to me not a sign of standing as Christians in the midst of world history. To this world history also belong the years between 10 before Christ and 70 after Christ.

I would wholeheartedly grant the Jewish people a State of their own. I also feel it as somewhat of a duty to allow them this, and to do something for it after all the misdeeds committed against them. I would have loved it if this State had been established in the Flevo Polder, after a referendum among the people of the Netherlands with the question if they could have agreed to this. Expansion of that region should then have been possible by way of making a larger portion of the Ysselmeer into inhabitable land.

Because in effect, the Flevo Polder is just as much "holy land" as Palestine.

Nederlands Dagblad - 2006-08-31. Commentary by Rev. W. Wierenga, retired reformed pastor (GKN), Midlaren.

(Parts of the universal church is divided on this: as we sing in that famous hymn "The Church's one foundation .." --- "by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed".)

Good ol' RENSE , eh, Jeff LOL?<br />
<a href="http://canadiandimension.com/articles/2006/09/01/634/">http://canadiandimension.com/articles/2006/09/01/634/</a><br />
enjoy<p>---<br>We have met the enemy and he is us<br />
Pogo<br />
A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled.<br />
Plutarch

I actually went to the real unedited version at <a href="http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m26148&w=ev">http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m26148&w=ev</a> because these days, one cannot believe many things in Cyberspace.<br />
<br />
I am aware that there are some (Reformed Baptist) pastors in Israel that have recently expressed their support for the State of Israel, like the Rev. Baruch Maoz