Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 1850 Location: Currently Andover
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:53 am Post subject: London vicar Stephen Sizer attacked for Israel Did 9/11 link
Quote:
The Church of England is investigating a vicar accused of posting an article on Facebook blaming Israel for the 9/11 attacks in the US.
The Rev Stephen Sizer, vicar of Christ Church, in Virginia Water, Surrey, allegedly posted a link to an article entitled: "9/11 Israel did it."
He reportedly wrote: "Is this anti-semitic? It raises so many questions."
The Diocese of Guildford said it was taking "immediate steps" to investigate.
A spokesman for the diocese - which oversees Rev Sizer - said it was a matter of "deep sorrow and shame" that the posts appeared in the same week as the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 2568 Location: One breath from Glory
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:41 am Post subject:
beat me too it. scuba. Is it anti arab by saying Muslims did it?. The things is it doesn't even say that the Vicar agrees with the statement. First thing people are going to do now is search for the article. In the same way thinking people don't blame all muslims they wouldn't blame all jews. We don't blame all jews for the King David Hotel bombing just the ones who did it and their political masters
Quote:
A vicar is being investigated by the Church of England after posting an article on Facebook blaming Israel for the 9/11 attacks.
Reverend Stephen Sizer, who is vicar of Christ Church, in Virginia Water, Surrey, is accused of posting a link to an article headlined: "9/11 Israel did it."
He reportedly accompanied the link with the words: "Is this anti-semitic? It raises so many questions."
The Diocese of Guildford said it was taking "immediate steps" to investigate, though the vicar was currently overseas.
A Church of England spokesman said: "Our attention has been drawn to comments by the Rev. Stephen Sizer made (...) on social media.
"In those comments Rev. Sizer linked to an article entitled '9/11 Israel did it'.
"These comments would rightly be seen as unacceptable whenever they were posted."
The spokesman added that it was a matter of "deep sorrow and shame" that the link has appeared in the same week as the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
"The Diocese of Guildford, where the Rev Sizer is licensed, is taking immediate steps to investigate.
"The diocese is aware of the seriousness of the matter and are also in touch with the Board of Deputies of British Jews."
The Bishop of Dorking, The Right Rev Ian Brackley added: "I want to reassure everyone that we are taking this complaint extremely seriously.
"The Diocese of Guildford is committed to building cohesive communities and fostering strong interfaith relations built on trust and respect."
Mr Sizer has removed the Facebook post.
Board vice president of British Jews, Jonathan Arkush, told the Jewish News: "Posting, and giving approval to, an article which in effect accuses Jews of responsibility for the 9/11 atrocity is unquestionably anti-Semitic, just as it is beyond absurd."
Today is the 9th Anniversary of that tragic day when America was attacked by agents of the Israeli Mossad, their Sayanim operatives working in America, and their compliant helper slaves in the US Government itself. There is no doubt that Israel is fully responsible for the deaths of some 3000 innocent American lives. It may still take time before the US citizens actually wake up to this bitter truth.
There is no better piece of work that covers the fact that Israel did 9-11 than the following report, courtesy of Ognir's great website: www.theinfounderground.com entitled: "Israel did 9-11- All the proof in the world!", and I want to present it in its entirety right here for my own readers to view, and to copy for their own information. Please spread this, the REAL truth about 9-11, around:
Israel did 9/11
Figuring out exactly how 9/11 was done is the work of crime investigators or conspiracy hobbyists who will endlessly go on discussing and debating every minuscule and intricate detail of the event to no avail. It doesn't take a structural engineer to tell you that two 110 story buildings and a 47 story steel skyscraper plummeting to the ground at nearly free-fall speed requires the assistance of explosives. All you need is two eyes that can see and a brain that thinks to come to that sound conclusion. This is why it is of my opinion that more emphasis should be placed on the "who" instead of the "how". It should be obvious to anyone that discovering who did 9/11 is infinitely more important than discovering how they did it.
An Uncanny Prediction Comes True
First we start off with an unusual and eerie prediction that was made by a most suspicious individual. This prediction, in unison with the status of the person of who made it, is extremely indicative and foretelling of who planned and executed 9/11.
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Isser Harel - Spymaster of the Israeli Intelligence Services. Director of Mossad and Shin Bet from 1952-1963.
In 1979, twenty-one years before September 11, 2001, Isser Harel predicted with uncanny accuracy the events of 9-11 to Michael D. Evans, an American supporter of Zionist extremists of the Jabotinsky sort.
On September 23, 1979, Evans visited Harel at his home in Israel and had dinner with him and Dr. Reuven Hecht, a senior adviser to then prime minister Menachem Begin.
In an editorial entitled "America the Target", published in the Jerusalem Post of September 30, 2001 Evans -- a Khazar Jew masquerading as a Christian -- asked Harel about Arab terrorism and if it would come to America. Harel told Evans that Arab terrorists would likely strike the "tallest building in New York City" because it was a "phallic symbol". The fact that 9/11 was planned by the Mossad through the admittance of Isser Harel is well documented and appears in a book written by Michael Evans. (Belief Net, 7th Paragraph).
Securing Control of World Trade Center Complex
The first step in the preparation of the 9/11 attacks was to secure the control of the WTC into private hands. This was crucial to the success of 9/11 because without complete control over this complex there would be no opportunity or possibility of setting explosive charges in place as the coup de grâce in bringing the towers to the ground.
In steps four key Jewish Crime Network assets:
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1) Larry Silverstein -- Larry is a Jewish American businessman from New York. Larry obtained a 99 year lease on the entire world trade center complex on 24 July, 2001. The towers were nearly worthless,being filled with asbestos, yet Larry “felt a compelling urge to own them”. Larry had breakfast in "Windows on the World" restaurant (107th Floor North Tower) every single morning. Larry was absent from this routine meeting on the morning of September the 11th. Larry’s two children, who also worked in the WTC, conveniently decided to take the day off as well. Larry Silverstein scored more than $4.5 Billion in insurance money as a result of the destruction of his complex. Silverstein was personal friends with Zionist media-magnate Rupert Murdoch, former Israeli president & infamous Zionist war criminal Ariel Sharon, as well as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Silverstein was such good friends with Benjamin Netanyahu that he would speak with him on the phone every single sunday.
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2) Frank Lowy-- Lowy, a Czechoslovakia born Jew, was the owner of Westfield America, one of the biggest shopping mall conglomerates in the world. Lowy leased the shopping concourse area called the Mall at the World Trade Center, made up of approximately 427,000 square feet of retail floor space. Frank Lowy has quite an interesting history. He was a member of the Golani Brigade, and fought in the Israeli war of independence. Before this he was a member of Hagganah, a Jewish terrorist organization. Frank Lowy spends three months of the year at his home in Israel and has been described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "a self-made man with a strong interest in the Holocaust and Israeli politics." He funded and launched the Israeli Institute for National Strategy and Policy, which will "operate within the framework of Tel Aviv University" in Israel. He is also close friends with many top Israeli officials such as Ehud Olmert, Ariel Sharon, Bibi Netanyahu, and Ehud Barak. He was also implicated in an Israeli Bank Scandal with Olmert. Frank Lowy steered clear of the WTC on 9/11. More information about Lowy can be further researched here.
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3) Lewis Eisenberg -- This Jewish criminal personality was the head of the Port Authority of New York and authorized the lease transfer to his Zionist brethren Larry and Lowy. Eisenberg was a large contributor to the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign, as well as a partner in the Jewish bank Goldman-Sachs. Eisenberg has been both a member of the Planning Board of the United Jewish Appeal/United Jewish Federation pro-Israeli government pressure group in the U.S.
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4) Ronald Lauder - Billionaire Estée Lauder Cosmetics magnate. He was the chairman of NY Governor George Pataki's commission on privatization. He is the key individual who lobbied for the privatization of the WTC (Source, 9th pp) -- but he also got the former Stewart Air Force Base to become privatized. Oddly, the flight paths of flight 175 and flight 11 converged directly over this airport.
Lauder is active in the following organizations: Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish National Fund, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Theological Seminary. Ronald Lauder was elected president of the World Jewish Congress on 10 June, 2007.
9-11/Israel did it http://wikispooks.com/wiki/9-11/Israel_did_it
When an event occurs that that fundamentally changes the dynamics of global geopolitics, there is one question above all others whose answer will most assuredly point to its perpetrators. That question is "Cui bono?" If those so indicted are in addition found to have had both motive and means then, as they say in the US, it's pretty much a 'slam-dunk'.
And so it is with the events of 9/11.
Discounting the 'Official narrative' as the absurdity it so clearly is, there are just two organisations on the entire planet with the expertise, assets, access and political protection necessary to have both executed 9/11 and effected its cover-up to date (ie the means). Both are Intelligence Agencies - the CIA and Israel's Mossad whose motives were arguably the most compelling. Those motives dovetailed perfectly with the Neocon PNAC agenda, with it's explicitly stated need for "...a catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor" [1] in order to mobilise US public opinion for already planned wars, the effects of which would be to destroy Israel's enemies.
This article marshals evidence for the proposition that "Israel did it".
Contents [hide]
1 Acknowledgments
2 Control of World Trade Center Complex
2.1 Four key Zionist Network assets
2.2 WTC Security In Zionist Hands
2.2.1 Pre-Knowledge of Anthrax Mailings
2.2.2 Who Killed John O'Neil?
2.3 Airport Security In Israeli Hands
3 Prior Knowledge
3.1 Gomel Chesed Cemetery Incident
3.2 Israeli Citizens Get Tipped Off
3.3 Anomalous trading in the Securities Markets
3.4 Other forewarnings
4 Mossad connections
4.1 U.S. Army Study: On Mossad
4.2 Israeli espionage around 9/11
4.3 After 9/11 – More detentions of Israelis
4.4 Five Dancing Israelis
4.5 "We are not your problem"?
4.6 Truck Bomb Destined for George Washington Bridge
4.7 Mural Van
4.8 Urban Moving Systems
4.9 Israeli Intelligence and P-tech
4.9.1 Ptech Software systems – computer control backdoor
4.10 MITRE corporation (computer software)
4.11 Precision guided plane?
4.12 Rabbi Dov Zakheim and Systems Planning Corporation
5 The US Military Knows Israel did it
5.1 Zionism and Treason
6 Cover Up
6.1 9/11 Investigation in Zionist Hands
6.2 All appointed chief judges were Zionist Jews:
6.3 9/11 Commission: Zionist controlled
6.4 Crime Scene Evidence Quickly Removed and Destroyed
7 Zionist 9/11 Personalities
7.1 Zionist Jews in all the Right Positions!
8 Who was on board flight 11?
9 Bush Speech Writers Grossly Inflate Number of Israeli Casualties
9.1 Who was Bush's Speechwriter?
10 Mohammed Atta Leads Us Directly To Jewish Crime Network Doorstep
11 Al Qaida = Mossad Playing Dress Up
12 Netanyahu Openly Gleeful of 9/11 Terror Attacks
13 Likely Architect of 9/11
14 Connected Events Lead to Israel
14.1 Zionist would-be terrorist incident at the Mexican Congress Building
15 Quotes From Prominent People
15.1 Former Italian President agrees, says Mossad did 9/11
15.2 Former Pakistani ISI Director Says it was Mossad
16 Related Documents
17 See Also
18 References
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Description:
Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon? Paperback – 19 Nov 2004 by Stephen Sizer (Author)
Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 6060 Location: East London
Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:26 am Post subject:
Yep, go to the 'Surrey News' link; you can still post comments!! _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
Zion's Christian soldiers marching as to war
Recorded at Greenbelt 2008: Sunday at 13.00 in Arena
Recorded at Greenbelt 2008
Listen to and download talk
Christian Zionism: roadmap to armageddon?
Recorded at Greenbelt 2008: Monday at 10.00 in Shine
Recorded at Greenbelt 2008
Listen to and download talk
http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/media/talks/14339-stephen-sizer
Christian Zionism: the new heresy that sways the US (and keeps Sharon in Power)
Christian Zionism: the new heresy that sways the US (and keeps Sharon in power) If Christian Zionism is a heresy, why do millions of people support it and how dangerous is it?
Recorded at Greenbelt 2004
Listen to and download talk
http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/media/talks/14340-stephen-sizer _________________ --
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.com http://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."
Comments are on, and I just put one on; here it is:
'On June 5, 2006, the Muckraker Report contacted the FBI Headquarters, (202) 324-3000, to learn why Bin Laden’s Most Wanted poster did not indicate that Usama was also wanted in connection with 9/11. When they phoned the FBI and asked the Chief of publicity (a Mr. Rex Tombs) why, Tombs answered that they had 'no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11'.
But, of course, that didn't stop Bush, Blair and associated War Criminals, Criminals Against Humanity and Criminals Against Peace (the three Nuremberg charges) attacking and devastating one of the poorest countries in the world.
Yet no one raises a whisper when OBL and other Muslims are routinely blamed.
Before someone mentions the ludicrous 'Confession Tape', check out 'OBL confession tape fake' (and a ridiculously easy one to see through).
Just like Iraq, where the narrative was built around the pre-planned attack, so it was in Afghanistan. In Libya and Syria it was different, they used mercenary groups to stage armed insurrections, then assisted them in various ways, including providing an airforce for the mercenary thugs. In Ukraine, their hand was better hidden , but still very apparent.
Point: The Truth is what the Government and MSM say it is; all else is plain old lies or 'Conspiracy Theories' (useful term; if you cannot back up your argument, just label the other party 'Conspiracy Theorists').
I, with a small group of fellow '9/11 Truthers', would be happy to hold a public discussion in a public building with a similar group from the Board of Deputies. I strongly suspect hell will freeze over before they would agree.' _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 2568 Location: One breath from Glory
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:08 pm Post subject:
Excellent talk by Sizer at the Greenbelt festival. Think he is buying himself some time by "apologising" and saying he will not speak again. This guy knows his stuff and will not be able to hold it down. His conscience wont allow him.
I see both his websites are "temporarily unavailable" . Possibly been hit . _________________ JO911B.
"for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places " Eph.6 v 12
Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 6060 Location: East London
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:09 am Post subject:
fish5133 wrote:
Excellent talk by Sizer at the Greenbelt festival. Think he is buying himself some time by "apologising" and saying he will not speak again. This guy knows his stuff and will not be able to hold it down. His conscience wont allow him.
I see both his websites are "temporarily unavailable" . Possibly been hit .
I believe he made a devastating mistake, by saying 'Israel did 9/11', instead of the much more acceptable 'Did Israel do 9/11?', or even better, 'Was Israel involved in 9/11?'.
We have lots of what is probably 'circumstantial evidence' of Israel's participation, but like the FBI with OBL, 'no hard evidence'. _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
I agree he made a mistake in linking to the article, even though he did not make the statement himself. Complicity cannot be restricted to any one nation or organisation, this is the clever thing, and if you say i.e. 'USA did it', it cannot be shown to be the case. It's the main obstacle to the truth ever being known.
Fourteen years after 9/11 we finally get to the bottom of it all...
Is the western world allowed to consider the position that the Israeli mafia was the kingpin.
The powerful Judaism/Israel taboo & Zionist/Masonic influence in media/politics/church in surrept of the new crusader state is obvious to anyone who cares, or dares, to look.
outsider wrote:
fish5133 wrote:
Excellent talk by Sizer at the Greenbelt festival. Think he is buying himself some time by "apologising" and saying he will not speak again. This guy knows his stuff and will not be able to hold it down. His conscience wont allow him.
I see both his websites are "temporarily unavailable" . Possibly been hit .
I believe he made a devastating mistake, by saying 'Israel did 9/11', instead of the much more acceptable 'Did Israel do 9/11?', or even better, 'Was Israel involved in 9/11?'.
We have lots of what is probably 'circumstantial evidence' of Israel's participation, but like the FBI with OBL, 'no hard evidence'.
_________________ --
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.com http://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."
The main slander committed against Sizer (and just about any other critic of the Israeli state) is to follow the logic that
To accuse the Israeli state (of just about anything) is the same thing as attacking all Jewish people and this is the same as anti-semitism.
Having said that if the weblink and article had been called 'Mossad up to its eyeballs in 9/11' instead of 'Israel did it', Sizer may have found it easier to defend himself and clarify what he was actually saying.
Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 6060 Location: East London
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:57 pm Post subject:
ian neal wrote:
The main slander committed against Sizer (and just about any other critic of the Israeli state) is to follow the logic that
To accuse the Israeli state (of just about anything) is the same thing as attacking all Jewish people and this is the same as anti-semitism.
Having said that if the weblink and article had been called 'Mossad up to its eyeballs in 9/11' instead of 'Israel did it', Sizer may have found it easier to defend himself and clarify what he was actually saying.
I made the same point above:
'I believe he made a devastating mistake, by saying 'Israel did 9/11', instead of the much more acceptable 'Did Israel do 9/11?', or even better, 'Was Israel involved in 9/11?'.
We have lots of what is probably 'circumstantial evidence' of Israel's participation, but like the FBI with OBL, 'no hard evidence'. ' _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
Daily Pickings (two days ago) said of the wars in the Middle East: "...destabilise the region for decades and create profits for big oil and the military-industrial complex" to which Rob responded: "...and wrecking Israel's regional rivals? The wars have hollowed out the US military and severely damaged the US economy. I guess it is more well received to attack the US behemoth but it is clearly not a nation in control of its own destiny. AIPAC has more influence in US politics than big oil."
The Structural Elite (SE) pursue overlapping and complimentary ambitions and the Zionist project is an integral component of the new world order and global domination. Yesterday's Daily Pickings referred to Larry Silverstein and the House of Rothschild, both of which support the Zionist project, their connections with the Bush dynasty and 9/11. Israel is undoubtedly a beneficiary of 9/11 and destabilisation of the Middle East; the question arises, was Israel complicit in 9/11? Evidence suggests it was.
911, Iraq, PNAC , All roads lead to Israel by Ryan Dawson
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) planned reordering the world for the US to dominate militarily, as well as economically, and was authored by arch-Zionists with dual Israeli-American citizenship - Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle. PNAC needed 9/11 to justify the wars which followed.
The Yinon Plan articulated, in 1982, the need to create division and conflict across the Midde East to expand Israel's territory and control of the region. Israel colluded with US intelligence services to create ISIS which is doing exactly that. Israel was undoubtedly a significant beneficiary of 9/11 and Mossad agents were on hand to film and celebrate the crime.
We should not forget that Israeli military, intelligence and security technology saturates the globe; it is inconceivable that business, military and many other systems aren't vulnerable to exploitation and subversion by their authors. In effect, Israel has inserted Trojan horses into the internet and many other computer systems which are relied on by us all.
Collusion between the US/UK and Israel has a long ignoble history. The US actively supported the development of Israel's illegal nuclear weapons program. Rob referred to AIPAC influence over US policy - Israel works tirelessly to achieve "full spectrum dominance" of Washington, Westminster and media (think of all the Hollywood movies extolling war in which might is right) as highlighted yesterday,
This influence is conspicuous in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo false flag attack in Paris - any politician concerned for their career has to claim "Je suis Juif" or risk castigation in the media and by the ignorant. Claims of rampant anti-Semitism dominate media in the UK but there is scant evidence and by deliberately conflating anti-Semitism and condemnation of Israel's many crimes, the latter continue unchallenged.
To criticise Israel and Zionism is not anti-Semitic. Ironically, those that rule Israel and many of its population aren't Semites but Khazars (Eurasian). Israel's treatment of Palestinians is anti-Semitic; Palestinians are Semites.
Israel has been conducting ethnic cleansing for decades and the people of Gaza live in a concentration camp. Gaza is the regular venue for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) to show off its illegal military hardware to the world's arms dealers and unsavoury regimes which rely on force to suppress their own populations and attack others. That would include the US and UK who rely on Israel for drone technology and many other hideous weapons.
Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews. So let's not shrink from calling Israel a rogue state. It makes George W Bush's "axis of evil" look positively benign.
Voltaire: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you're not allowed to criticise."
According to the Metropolitan police, last year less than 5 per cent of faith hate crimes were against Jews. 358 out of nearly 13,000.
95 per cent of those kind of crimes were against people of other faiths.
i heard this on 'More or Less', a programme about statistics and suchlike on bbc radio 4.
1. God promises to bless those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel
This popular if misguided assumption is based on Genesis 12:3. It shows how vital it is we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. First, the original promise was made to Abram (that is Abraham) and no one else. Second, there is nothing in the promise to indicate God intended it be applied to Abraham’s physical descendants unconditionally, or in perpetuity. Third, in the New Testament we are told explicitly that the promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and in those who acknowledge Him as their Lord and Saviour. God’s blessings come by grace through faith, not by works or race (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Promise Fulfilment
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ… There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:16, 28-29)
“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore… and through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed…” (Genesis 22:17-1
2. The Jewish people are God’s “chosen people”
The assumption that the Jewish people are God’s “chosen people” is so deeply ingrained, to question it sounds heretical or anti-Semitic. Yet both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures insist membership of God’s people is open to all races on the basis of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 56, we see the Lord anticipate and repudiate the rise of an exclusive Israeli nationalism. In the New Testament the term “chosen” is used exclusively of the followers of Jesus, irrespective of race (See also Ephesians 2:14-16 and Colossians 3:11-12 concerning the unity of God’s people).
Old Testament New Testament
“Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 23:7-
“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)
“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
(Psalm 87:4-6)
“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
(Romans 9:6-
“Let no foreigners who have bound themselves to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” … And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants … who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain… for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”” (Isaiah 56:3, 6-7)
“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:11-12 – see also 1 Peter 2:9-10)
3. The “Promised Land” was given by God to the Jewish people as an everlasting inheritance
Contrary to popular assumption, the Scriptures repeatedly insist that the land belongs to God and that residence is always conditional. For example, God said to his people, “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.” (Leviticus 25:23). In Ezekiel, it seems the Lord anticipated the reasoning of those who arrogantly claimed rights to the land because of the covenant made originally to Abraham.
“Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? You rely on your sword, you do detestable things… Should you then possess the land?’ … I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end.’ (Ezekiel 33:24-26,28-29)
The scriptures insist, residence was open to all God’s people on the basis of faith not race. Indeed, the writer to Hebrews explains that the land was never their ultimate desire or inheritance any way. The land was only ever intended as a temporary residence until the coming of Jesus Christ. Our shared eternal inheritance is heavenly not earthly.
Old Testament Command
New Testament Explanation
“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezekiel 47:21-23)
“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God… These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
(Hebrews 11:9-10; 39-40)
“…the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
(Ephesians 3:4-6)
4. Jerusalem is the exclusive and undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish people
The Christian Zionist assertion that God intended Jerusalem to be the exclusive and undivided eternal capital of the Jewish people has no basis whatsoever in Scripture. As we have already seen, God insists in Psalm 87 that Jerusalem must be a shared and inclusive city. Nations specifically mentioned as having residence rights include those living in what is today, Egypt, Iran and Lebanon. Even the hated Philistines are mentioned as “…born in Zion” on the basis of faith not race. Likewise, the vision of Isaiah 2 associates Jerusalem with the end of war, with peace and reconciliation between the nations.
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:2-3)
The Old Testament vision of Jerusalem is of an international, shared, inclusive city of faith, hope and love. But what of Luke 21:24, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”? Many Zionists like to think this prophecy came true in 1967. This is problematic since, Revelation 11:2 says the Gentile ‘trampling’ of Jerusalem would last only ’42 months’. The context of Luke 21 shows Jesus was referring to the events of 70AD and God’s sovereign use of foreign tyrants to fulfil his purposes (see Isaiah 63:3-6 for the meaning of ‘trampling’). It is more likely Jesus means deliverance will come at his return and not before. The focus of the New Testament instead moves away from the earthly Jerusalem toward the new, heavenly Jerusalem as the home of all who trust in Jesus (Hebrews 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2; 22-27).
5. The Jewish Temple must be rebuilt before Jesus returns
Prophecy pundits like to quote Daniel 9 and Matthew 24 to suggest a future temple will be built and desecrated by the anti-Christ, before Jesus returns to Jerusalem in order to set up his kingdom.
The only problem is, Christian Zionists require a 2,000 year gap between Daniel 9:26 and 9:27 and between Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:1-2 and 24:15-16 in order to explain why, after the destruction of the temple in 70AD, another temple is needed. But there is absolutely nothing in either text, or anywhere else in Scripture, to suggest a gap of 2,000 years, or that a future temple is predicted, let alone needed. Just the reverse – the old temple was declared redundant the moment Jesus died on the cross when the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom (Hebrews 1:3; 10:1-3, 11). The true and lasting temple is revealed to be the Lord Jesus himself and his followers.
John 2:19-21
Ephesians 2:19-21
“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.”
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.”
The true temple, therefore, is under construction. Quoting Old Testament temple imagery, the Apostle Peter writes, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5-7)
6. Believers will soon be ‘raptured’ to heaven before the ‘end-time’ battle of Armageddon
The rapture is a popular idea that Jesus will actually return twice: first of all secretly, to rescue true believers out of the world, then later visibly with his saints to judge the world. There is, again, no basis in Scripture for this novel idea. The Bible is emphatic: the return of Jesus will be personal, sudden, public, visible and glorious.
Matthew 24:30-31
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The idea of a secret rapture is actually based on a misreading of Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 where Jesus warns that one person will be taken and the other left behind. Rapture proponents insist it is the believers who will be taken and that unbelievers left behind. However, in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, Jesus provides the key to interpreting the later parable, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:30).
So it will be unbelievers who are ‘taken’ first and believers who are ‘left behind’ to be with Christ.
However we understand the ambiguous apocalyptic language of Matthew 24, or Revelation, about the future, we must hold on to the clear promises of Jesus. He will never leave us nor forsake us (John 10:27-30; 14:14-27). The biblical vision of the future is of paradise restored and healing of the nations.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2)
Our mandate is to be peacemakers not widow makers (Matthew 5:3-10). We are ‘God’s co-workers’ entrusted as ambassadors with a ministry of reconciliation not speculation (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2).
7. God has a separate plan for the Jewish people apart from the Church
Christian Zionists typically believe that God has a continuing covenant with Israel, separate from the Church. They usually base this on passages like Romans 9-11, although they invariably ignore the context. In Romans 2:28-29, for example, the Apostle Paul defines the word ‘Jew’.
“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)
That is why in Romans 9, the term ‘Israel’ is limited to those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus.
“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Romans 9:6-
In the letter to the Philippians, Paul explicitly identifies the church as the true ‘circumcision’ (Philippians 3:3). This is entirely consistent with the Old Testament, where, as we have already seen, citizenship of Israel was open to all ‘those who acknowledge me’ (Psalm 87:4). And here is the clue to understanding Romans 9-11. Of course God has not rejected the Jewish people. His covenant purpose for them, as with every other race, has always been ‘that they may be saved’ (Romans 10:1), to create one people for himself, made of both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:26). God’s covenant purposes are fulfilled only in and through Jesus Christ. This is most fully explained in Ephesians 2.
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” … remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2: 11-16)
The following passages show that there is a harmony between God’s purposes for his Old Testament saints and for his New Testament saints – a clear continuity between Israel and the Church.
Israel: The Church in the Old Testament
The Body of Christ: The Church in the New Testament
Righteous live by faithfulness (Habakkuk 2:4)
Righteous live by faith (Romans 1:17)
Holy people (Deuteronomy 7:6; 33:3; Numbers 16:3)
Holy people (Ephesians 1:1; Romans 1:7)
Chosen (Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2)
Chosen (Colossians 3:12; Titus 1:1)
Called (Isaiah 41:9; 2 Chronicles 7:14)
Called (Romans 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:2)
Assembly (Psalm 1:5; 89:5; 149:1)
Assembly (Acts 7:38; 20:28; Hebrews 2:12)
‘Church’ = Assembly in Greek (Micah 2:5)
Church (Matthew 16:18; 18:17; Ephesians 2:20)
Flock (Ezekiel 34:2, 7; Psalm 77:20)
Flock (Luke 12:32; Acts 20:2
Holy nation (Exodus 19:6)
Holy nation (1 Peter 2:9)
Treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)
Special possession (1 Peter 2:9)
Kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6)
Royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)
Children of God (Hosea 1:10)
Children of God (John 1:12)
People of God (Hosea 2:23)
People of God ( 1 Peter 2:10)
People of his inheritance (Deuteronomy 4:20)
Glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:1
My dwelling place = tabernacle (Lev. 26:11; Ezekiel 37:27)
Dwelling among us = tabernacle (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 6:16)
I will walk among you (Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:3
I will… walk among them (2 Corinthians 6:16-17)
God is a husband betrothed ( Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; Hos. 2:19)
Christ is a husband betrothed (2 Cor. 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-30)
Twelve tribes (Genesis 49:28; Revelation 21:12)
Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:14; Revelation 21:14)
The most important question to reflect on is this: Does the New Testament teach that the coming of the Lord Jesus was the fulfilment or the postponement of God’s purposes for the Jewish people?
This study can be downloaded and is based on, Zion’s Christian Soldiers: The Bible Israel and the Church (IVP). A more comprehensive Bible study guide can be downloaded from the website
www.withgodonourside.com
This entry was posted in Bible,
Christian Zionism,
Dispensationalism, Evangelicalism,
Israel, Theology on August 22, 2011.
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“I can’t get no satisfaction
I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m ridin’ in my car
And that man comes on the radio
And he’s tellin’ me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can’t get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
I can’t get no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction.”
There are other lyrics but I thought I’d spare you. I think you get the point. “Can’t get no satisfaction” became a hit, way back in 1965, for the Rolling Stones. Co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it makes a perfect title for the Book of Ecclesiastes. Aged 72, Mick Jagger appeared in the news again this week, still it seems, seeking satisfaction. He is not alone. I am sure we’ve all had plenty of first hand experience that confirms that satisfaction is temporary.
Do you remember your very first chocolate Easter egg? Your eyes grew wide as you saw its size. Then as you tried to hold it in your little hands, you sunk your teeth into it. And you discovered one of the simple facts of life. The egg was hollow. Isn’t that experience repeated over and over again through life? We grasp at the sweet thingspossessions, promotion, pleasure and power and find after a while they are hollow, with nothing inside.
Life can often seem empty, hollow, meaningless.
Ecclesiastes is a brutally honest analysis of life lived “under the sun”. In this profound if disturbing book, Solomon takes us on a reflective journey through his own life. He explains, sometimes with humour, sometimes with a little cynicism, how everything he tried, tested, or tasted was “meaningless”useless, irrational, pointless, foolish, empty. And remember, these words were written by someone who had it all – privileged status, tremendous intellect, enormous power and unimaginable wealth. Although the tone of Ecclesiastes is generally negative and pessimistic, the book is actually filled with practical wisdom. If, that is, we can learn from Solomon’s experience and not try and repeat the same experiments to find we have, at the end of our lives, reached the same conclusions.
The key to Ecclesiastes is found in that little expression “under the sun” which occurs around 30 times in the book. Life is utterly futile and meaningless, “under the sun” unless and until we discover life is a gift from God to be lived under the authority of His Son. The wisdom of Ecclesiastes that exposes the futility of life is there for one purpose: to lead us to seek and find meaning and fulfilment in God alone.
Solomon does indeed affirm the value of knowledge, relationships, work, and pleasure, but only in their proper place, seen from an eternal perspective, above the sun. All of these transitory things must be seen in light of eternity. As we study this profound book together over the Summer, we will rediscover the true purpose of life.
In chapter 2, Solomon shows that ultimate meaning in life is not found in knowledge, money, pleasure, work, or popularity. True satisfaction comes once we realise that God has a purpose for our lives. The emptiness and futility evaporate when we discover that he uses our experiences to shape and mould us to become like his Son, Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 has three main sections.
Searching for meaning through pleasure (2:1-11).
Searching for meaning through knowledge (2:12-16).
Searching for meaning through work (2:17-23).
Lets consider them one at a time.
The Search for Meaning through Pleasure
“I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing follymy mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as wellthe delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labour, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)
Raised in the royal palace as the prince regent, with status and privilege, and without the need to work, for a living like most of us, Solomon conducted a series of experiments to find the meaning of life. First he tried pursuing pleasure. He undertook great projects, bought slaves, herds and flocks, he amassed great wealth, he acquired singers, added many concubines to his harem, and became Person of the Year in Jerusalem. We may blush at some of the pleasures Solomon sought but they are remarkably similar to the exploits of the rich and famous regularly featured on the front pages of our tabloids today. Some of his community projects such as the pools, gardens and parks around Jerusalem were indeed worthy causes but even these were futile when pursued as an end in themselves. Solomon concludes this first experiment:
“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)
Solomon built a glorious temple, an extensive empire, and a very large family. But these were all short lived. In Psalm 127, Solomon also concluded, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain..” (Psalm 127:1)
We too can so easily become consumed with seeking pleasures. We can convince ourselves that fulfilment is just round the corner, with the next promotion, the next tax break or pay rise, or the next relationship. “Chasing after the wind” sums up much of human endeavour, doesn’t it? We feel the wind as it blows across our skin, but we can’t catch hold of it or hang on to it. Chasing after the wind is about as fulfilling as chasing virtual Pokemon. You may not yet be addicted to Pokemon but are you pursuing some other pleasure as your god? Or are you pursuing God, who gives meaning and pleasure? What is your motivation in life?
Without God as our foundation, all is ultimately meaningless, a ”chasing after the wind.” Searching for meaning through pleasure is futile. That was Solomon’s first experiment.
2. The Search for Meaning through Knowledge
“Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realise that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!” (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16)
Solomon had plenty of time on his hands to study. The Book of Kings tells us, “Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.” (1 Kings 4:30). Commentators tell us this would have included geometry, medicine, astronomy, architecture, mystical philosophy, psychology, jurisprudence and presumably theology too. Solomon was renowned throughout the ancient world for his wisdom and intellect. But after all his research, after all his experiments, Solomon concluded that even having great wisdom is futile since everyone must eventually die.
Unless we pass on our wisdom to our children, our knowledge dies with us. Unfortunately, Solomon does not appear to have been successful there either, at least with his family. The quest for knowledge can for some people be very addictive. I grew up in a home with few books. The local library was hallowed ground. Perhaps that is why I developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and became a junkie for second hand books. When I became a Christian my thirst turned to theology books. At college we were given Jim Packer’s list of essential books to buy. The symbol SS next to certain titles denoted “sell your shirt” to buy, which I did readily. Charles Spurgeon’s, 19th Century “Commenting on the Commentaries”, became bedtime reading, and I learnt to recognise which evangelical authors to buy and which to avoid. I wanted commentaries on every book of the Bible and on every doctrine. Days off involved prospecting for gold in obscure second hand book shops, competing with friends to be the first to find the religious section. Then the digital age brought the possibility of owning entire theological libraries available on CDs, then online in the cloud. But now CDs, DVDs, hard disks and memory sticks are so last Century.
Dutch scientists at the Technical University of Delft have developed rewritable memory that stores information via individual chlorine atoms on a copper surface, atom by atom. The team has been able to reach a density of 500 Terabits per square inch. That level of density would allow all books ever created to be stored on a single post stamp. It wont be be very long before you will be able to own a copy of every book every written in history and carry it with you on a wrist band or on a mini heads up display. The desire for not just further knowledge but total knowledge can be tantalisingly addictive. But Solomon reached the conclusion three thousand years ago that the pursuit of academic research, with the gaining of higher and higher qualifications or just accumulating back copies of National Geographic Magazine, will never satisfy.
True wisdom comes in realising that memory, intellect, knowledge and wisdom is temporary.
It is as fragile as a computer hard disk about to crash. As transient as the electrical impulses of the human brain just before the lights go out. Death is indeed the ultimate equaliser, no matter what inventions, no matter what discoveries, scholarships, or academic awards you have achieved. The first conclusion Solomon makes is that searching for meaning through pleasure is futile. His second? That searching for meaning through knowledge is pointless also. Solomon conducted a third experiment.
3. The Search for Meaning through Work
“So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-26)
Solomon also discovered that hard work bears no lasting fruit for those who work solely to earn money and accumulate possessions. As he grew older, Solomon increasingly realised that he could not take his legacy with him. He realised he would leave it to his many children who had done little or nothing to earn it. And we know what happened on Solomon’s death. His heir, Rehoboam listened to his friends rather than to his father’s advisors. Solomon’s legacy was torn apart, his vast empire fragmented and his people sent into exile.
Now, Solomon is not questioning the value of hard work. He is not undermining the importance of taking responsibility for the physical and spiritual welfare of our families. But if our life’s work is just one long ego trip “hey look at me”, “look at the car I drive” “look at my house”, if our labours are about building a name for ourselves, rather than glorifying God, then Solomon has a sober warning. “to the sinner God gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
Death is indeed the great equaliser. Perhaps that is why we tend to be less idealistic and more philosophical the older we get. We realise why we “cant get no satisfaction”, this side of eternity and so we stop trying. This morning I hope we have all learnt from these three experiments Solomon conducted.
Searching for meaning through pleasure is futile.
Searching for meaning through knowledge is pointless.
Searching for meaning through work is foolish.
So what is the answer? I think you know it already.
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26).
True enjoyment in life comes only as we intentionally seek God, and put into practice his wisdom for living. Instead of living “under the sun”, place yourself under the Lordship of the Son of God, learn from him and you will indeed find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). Let us pray.
Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 18335 Location: St. Pauls, Bristol, England
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 2:03 pm Post subject:
Rev Stephen Sizer: Understanding Christian Zionism Greenbelt ...
► 105:16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-dMlu9sAU
3 Mar 2015 - 105 min
Stephen Sizer's ground-breaking new book on Christian Zionism exposes how this heretical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsbym4oNzMI _________________ --
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
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Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."
Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 18335 Location: St. Pauls, Bristol, England
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 12:36 am Post subject:
Roadmap to Armageddon - by terrorism and force where necessary - Zionism's self-fulfilling prophecy - in short
by Stephen Sizer
1. The Jews REMAIN God's chosen people
2. Final restoration of Jews to 'scriptural lands'
3. Land belongs EXCLUSIVELY to Jews, including Gaza, West Bank etc.
4. Jerusalem restored as Israel's final capital, exclusively for Jews
5. Third Temple built and consecrated - priests and sacrifices resume
6. Apocalyptic war commences, with no prospect for peace
1. God promises to bless those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel
This popular if misguided assumption is based on Genesis 12:3. It shows how vital it is we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. First, the original promise was made to Abram (that is Abraham) and no one else. Second, there is nothing in the promise to indicate God intended it be applied to Abraham’s physical descendants unconditionally, or in perpetuity. Third, in the New Testament we are told explicitly that the promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and in those who acknowledge Him as their Lord and Saviour. God’s blessings come by grace through faith, not by works or race (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Promise Fulfilment
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ… There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:16, 28-29)
“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore… and through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed…” (Genesis 22:17-18)
2. The Jewish people are God’s “chosen people”
The assumption that the Jewish people are God’s “chosen people” is so deeply ingrained, to question it sounds heretical or anti-Semitic. Yet both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures insist membership of God’s people is open to all races on the basis of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 56, we see the Lord anticipate and repudiate the rise of an exclusive Israeli nationalism. In the New Testament the term “chosen” is used exclusively of the followers of Jesus, irrespective of race (See also Ephesians 2:14-16 and Colossians 3:11-12 concerning the unity of God’s people).
Old Testament New Testament
“Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 23:7-8)
“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)
“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
(Psalm 87:4-6)
“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
(Romans 9:6-8)
“Let no foreigners who have bound themselves to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” … And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants … who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain… for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”” (Isaiah 56:3, 6-7)
“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:11-12 – see also 1 Peter 2:9-10)
3. The “Promised Land” was given by God to the Jewish people as an everlasting inheritance
Contrary to popular assumption, the Scriptures repeatedly insist that the land belongs to God and that residence is always conditional. For example, God said to his people, “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.” (Leviticus 25:23). In Ezekiel, it seems the Lord anticipated the reasoning of those who arrogantly claimed rights to the land because of the covenant made originally to Abraham.
“Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? You rely on your sword, you do detestable things… Should you then possess the land?’ … I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end.’ (Ezekiel 33:24-26,28-29)
The scriptures insist, residence was open to all God’s people on the basis of faith not race. Indeed, the writer to Hebrews explains that the land was never their ultimate desire or inheritance any way. The land was only ever intended as a temporary residence until the coming of Jesus Christ. Our shared eternal inheritance is heavenly not earthly.
Old Testament Command
New Testament Explanation
“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezekiel 47:21-23)
“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God… These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
(Hebrews 11:9-10; 39-40)
“…the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
(Ephesians 3:4-6)
4. Jerusalem is the exclusive and undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish people
The Christian Zionist assertion that God intended Jerusalem to be the exclusive and undivided eternal capital of the Jewish people has no basis whatsoever in Scripture. As we have already seen, God insists in Psalm 87 that Jerusalem must be a shared and inclusive city. Nations specifically mentioned as having residence rights include those living in what is today, Egypt, Iran and Lebanon. Even the hated Philistines are mentioned as “…born in Zion” on the basis of faith not race. Likewise, the vision of Isaiah 2 associates Jerusalem with the end of war, with peace and reconciliation between the nations.
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:2-3)
The Old Testament vision of Jerusalem is of an international, shared, inclusive city of faith, hope and love. But what of Luke 21:24, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”? Many Zionists like to think this prophecy came true in 1967. This is problematic since, Revelation 11:2 says the Gentile ‘trampling’ of Jerusalem would last only ’42 months’. The context of Luke 21 shows Jesus was referring to the events of 70AD and God’s sovereign use of foreign tyrants to fulfil his purposes (see Isaiah 63:3-6 for the meaning of ‘trampling’). It is more likely Jesus means deliverance will come at his return and not before. The focus of the New Testament instead moves away from the earthly Jerusalem toward the new, heavenly Jerusalem as the home of all who trust in Jesus (Hebrews 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2; 22-27).
5. The Jewish Temple must be rebuilt before Jesus returns
Prophecy pundits like to quote Daniel 9 and Matthew 24 to suggest a future temple will be built and desecrated by the anti-Christ, before Jesus returns to Jerusalem in order to set up his kingdom.
The only problem is, Christian Zionists require a 2,000 year gap between Daniel 9:26 and 9:27 and between Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:1-2 and 24:15-16 in order to explain why, after the destruction of the temple in 70AD, another temple is needed. But there is absolutely nothing in either text, or anywhere else in Scripture, to suggest a gap of 2,000 years, or that a future temple is predicted, let alone needed. Just the reverse – the old temple was declared redundant the moment Jesus died on the cross when the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom (Hebrews 1:3; 10:1-3, 11). The true and lasting temple is revealed to be the Lord Jesus himself and his followers.
John 2:19-21
Ephesians 2:19-21
“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.”
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.”
The true temple, therefore, is under construction. Quoting Old Testament temple imagery, the Apostle Peter writes, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5-7)
6. Believers will soon be ‘raptured’ to heaven before the ‘end-time’ battle of Armageddon
The rapture is a popular idea that Jesus will actually return twice: first of all secretly, to rescue true believers out of the world, then later visibly with his saints to judge the world. There is, again, no basis in Scripture for this novel idea. The Bible is emphatic: the return of Jesus will be personal, sudden, public, visible and glorious.
Matthew 24:30-31
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The idea of a secret rapture is actually based on a misreading of Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 where Jesus warns that one person will be taken and the other left behind. Rapture proponents insist it is the believers who will be taken and that unbelievers left behind. However, in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, Jesus provides the key to interpreting the later parable, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:30).
So it will be unbelievers who are ‘taken’ first and believers who are ‘left behind’ to be with Christ.
However we understand the ambiguous apocalyptic language of Matthew 24, or Revelation, about the future, we must hold on to the clear promises of Jesus. He will never leave us nor forsake us (John 10:27-30; 14:14-27). The biblical vision of the future is of paradise restored and healing of the nations.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2)
Our mandate is to be peacemakers not widow makers (Matthew 5:3-10). We are ‘God’s co-workers’ entrusted as ambassadors with a ministry of reconciliation not speculation (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2).
7. God has a separate plan for the Jewish people apart from the Church
Christian Zionists typically believe that God has a continuing covenant with Israel, separate from the Church. They usually base this on passages like Romans 9-11, although they invariably ignore the context. In Romans 2:28-29, for example, the Apostle Paul defines the word ‘Jew’.
“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)
That is why in Romans 9, the term ‘Israel’ is limited to those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus.
“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)
In the letter to the Philippians, Paul explicitly identifies the church as the true ‘circumcision’ (Philippians 3:3). This is entirely consistent with the Old Testament, where, as we have already seen, citizenship of Israel was open to all ‘those who acknowledge me’ (Psalm 87:4). And here is the clue to understanding Romans 9-11. Of course God has not rejected the Jewish people. His covenant purpose for them, as with every other race, has always been ‘that they may be saved’ (Romans 10:1), to create one people for himself, made of both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:26). God’s covenant purposes are fulfilled only in and through Jesus Christ. This is most fully explained in Ephesians 2.
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” … remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2: 11-16)
The following passages show that there is a harmony between God’s purposes for his Old Testament saints and for his New Testament saints – a clear continuity between Israel and the Church.
Israel: The Church in the Old Testament
The Body of Christ: The Church in the New Testament
Righteous live by faithfulness (Habakkuk 2:4)
Righteous live by faith (Romans 1:17)
Holy people (Deuteronomy 7:6; 33:3; Numbers 16:3)
Holy people (Ephesians 1:1; Romans 1:7)
Chosen (Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2)
Chosen (Colossians 3:12; Titus 1:1)
Called (Isaiah 41:9; 2 Chronicles 7:14)
Called (Romans 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:2)
Assembly (Psalm 1:5; 89:5; 149:1)
Assembly (Acts 7:38; 20:28; Hebrews 2:12)
‘Church’ = Assembly in Greek (Micah 2:5)
Church (Matthew 16:18; 18:17; Ephesians 2:20)
Flock (Ezekiel 34:2, 7; Psalm 77:20)
Flock (Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28)
Holy nation (Exodus 19:6)
Holy nation (1 Peter 2:9)
Treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)
Special possession (1 Peter 2:9)
Kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6)
Royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)
Children of God (Hosea 1:10)
Children of God (John 1:12)
People of God (Hosea 2:23)
People of God ( 1 Peter 2:10)
People of his inheritance (Deuteronomy 4:20)
Glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18)
My dwelling place = tabernacle (Lev. 26:11; Ezekiel 37:27)
Dwelling among us = tabernacle (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 6:16)
I will walk among you (Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38)
I will… walk among them (2 Corinthians 6:16-17)
God is a husband betrothed ( Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; Hos. 2:19)
Christ is a husband betrothed (2 Cor. 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-30)
Twelve tribes (Genesis 49:28; Revelation 21:12)
Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:14; Revelation 21:14)
The most important question to reflect on is this: Does the New Testament teach that the coming of the Lord Jesus was the fulfilment or the postponement of God’s purposes for the Jewish people?
This study can be downloaded and is based on, Zion’s Christian Soldiers: The Bible Israel and the Church (IVP). A more comprehensive Bible study guide can be downloaded from the website
www.withgodonourside.com
This entry was posted in Bible,
Christian Zionism,
Dispensationalism, Evangelicalism,
Israel, Theology on August 22, 2011.
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A controversial Church of England vicar will “end his clerical career under a cloud” after breaching the terms of an agreement he had with bishops on not discussing Israel, the Board of Deputies has said.
Stephen Sizer agreed not to write, speak or tweet about the Middle East last year after he was disciplined by bishops for posting a link to an article suggesting Israel carried out the 9/11 attacks.
But the vicar, who leads the Christ Church congregation in Virginia Water, Surrey, last week attended an event at the House of Lords at which an audience member appeared to blame the Jews for the Holocaust.
The session, organised by the Palestine Return Centre, was hosted by Baroness Tonge and led to the Liberal Democrats suspending her party membership.
After attending the event, Rev Sizer published a social media post about it, breaching the terms of his agreement signed in February last year which effectively banned him from saying anything about the Middle East on any platform.
Sizer has spectacularly flouted his written undertaking to the Church of England Marie van der Zyl
The JC understands he posted seven pictures of the session on Facebook, but has since deleted the images.
The Board said he had “spectacularly flouted” last year’s deal.
But Rev Sizer has been allowed to keep his job after being given a final chance by Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford.
The vicar had given notice of his resignation from his church, effective from Easter 2017, and told the bishop he believed the agreement was thus no longer effective.
Marie van der Zyl, Board of Deputies vice-president, said: “The ‘soon-to-be-ex’ clergyman Stephen Sizer has spectacularly flouted his written undertaking to the Church of England by attending an event filled with toe-curling antisemitism.
“If he had any shred of decency, Sizer would have fulfilled the terms of the agreement and tendered his resignation with immediate effect.
“He now guarantees that he will end his clerical career under a cloud. The sad irony that this divisive figure is moving on to a charity called ‘Peacemaker Mediators’ is not lost on us.”
Rt Revd Watson said: “In February 2015, Dr Stephen Sizer undertook to refrain from writing or speaking on themes relating to the current situation in the Middle East and to its historical backdrop for as long as he remained a parish priest in the Diocese of Guildford.
“Until now, this agreement has been upheld in letter and spirit, however Dr Sizer recently attended an event which clearly engages in these themes, and around which there has subsequently been understandable controversy.
“Additionally, Dr Sizer published a social media post relating to the event, also contravening his agreement.
“Dr Sizer has already given notice of his resignation as vicar of Virginia Water from Easter 2017, and said that he attended the event in question on the understanding that our agreement no longer stood now that his resignation had been tendered.
“This is certainly not the case. I have spoken with Dr Sizer to make clear that I am disappointed by his actions and to clarify that our agreement categorically must run until the end of his tenure of office.”
The bishop said the vicar was “aware how seriously I view this” and had not been his intention to break the agreement.
Rev Sizer has been warned any future brief, before he departs Christ Church, would trigger “his tenure of office ending with immediate effect”.
He had previously been warned about sharing Holocaust denial and Zionist conspiracy articles, but last year linked on Facebook to a page entitled ‘9-11/Israel did it,’ which alleges Israel was responsible for the terrorist assaults in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Under the link to the page on conspiracy theory website Wikispooks, he wrote: “Is this antisemitic? If so no doubt I'll be asked to remove it. It raises so many questions.”
Specific occasions where the Old Testament Torah INSTRUCTS Jews to Share the Land of Palestine/Israel - Theology of retired vicar & author Stephen Sizer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eICJ77Pr_No _________________ --
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.com http://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."
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