DIVIDING THE LAND OF ISRAEL

This article is not only addressed to Catholics, but to ALL those who claim to be Christian.  We will take a look at a very important topic, that is, how we view (and interact with) the land and people of Israel.

•         It is a fact that God has given to the Jews the land of Israel as an *everlasting* covenant:

For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis 13:15) And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  (Genesis 17:7-8) O ye seed of Israel His servant, ye children of Jacob, His chosen ones.  He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth.  Be ye mindful always of His covenant; the word which He commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which He made with Abraham, and of His oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance. (1 Chronicles 16:13-18) Art not Thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend for ever? (2 Chronicles 20:7) Let this sink deeply into our brains.  God gave this land of Israel to the Jews (i.e., Abraham’s descendants through the line of his son, Isaac), and He gave it to them FOREVER.   God warns not to part / divide the land of Israel: I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joel 3:2) Notice that God says, “…and parted MY land.”  He takes this personally.  It is GOD’S land given to His chosen people.  No other people or nation is supposed to get any part of the land of Israel.  It is all theirs, and not to be sold, traded, given, or parceled out to anyone else for any reason.  There will be divine judgment for anyone who would participate in such activity. ·         God promises that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.  (Genesis 12:2-3) So, are we BLESSING Israel when we participate in the dividing or the giving away of their God-given land?  Absolutely not. It is a fact that many in America (even Christians) are promoting the parting / dividing of the land of Israel: There is a very interesting book available from About Him Publishing, (McLean VA, Copyright 2008) by William Koenig, titled, “Eye to Eye (Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel).”  The book is a painstakingly detailed account of how the United States of America has suffered over 50 catastrophes (many major) that have been documented since 1991.  These include hurricanes, tornadoes, acts of terrorism, wildfires, ice storms, stock market problems, earthquakes, flooding, heat waves, etc., most (if not all) within 24 hours of certain events… and those certain events have been attempts by America to put pressure on Israel to give portions of their land to the Palestinians.  Yes, it seems that every time America is involved with giving up Israel’s land, a catastrophe happens on American soil.  And the incredible timing of these catastrophes can hardly be considered a “coincidence.”  I would urge every Christian to read the book, and see for himself the uncanny timing of these events and the judgment of God on our nation. The book tells us of many different meetings between our leaders and leaders from other countries who would meet to discuss negotiations to cause Israel to give up land to the Palestinians for “peace.”  Many think that this “exchange” between Israel and her enemies will indeed bring about peace in the Middle East.  They envision a “Jewish state” and a “Palestinian state,” living together in peace and harmony, side by side.  But, as someone so eloquently stated, “It ain’t gonna happen!” Giving away land will never work.  Once land is given them, they will simply want more… and more… and more.  This is ISRAEL’S land!  If we really respect the God-ordained Scriptures, we will acknowledge this. But this “land for peace” concept is an utter insult – this is like a schoolyard bully telling his victim, “You’ll have ‘peace’ if you give me your lunch money!”  In much the same way, Israel’s enemies are saying, “Give us some of your land and then we’ll stop bombing you.”  Would any American worth his salt expect his own nation to just hand over land to some bully nation in return for “peace”?  Then why expect Israel to do it?   Anyway, why all the fuss over this tiny piece of land called Israel?  Why is this going on and why does it have the world’s attention?  All this is happening simply because it is about GOD’S chosen people and the land He promised them.  God is forcing the world to focus on these events because they are the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.  God is merciful and He is allowing the whole world to see that His Word is true. No one is pretending that the solution to the violence in the Middle East is a simple one.  To be fair, we need to note that there are some Palestinians who are reported to be Christians who are caught up in the fight for that land, as well.  So we, as Christians, should feel compassion for those fellow Christians who have lost homes there.  We should be considerate of them and keep them in prayer.  However, we also need to recognize that they are simply being used as pawns to bring about a political agenda which would lead to the weakening, and ultimately the destruction, of Israel.  We cannot expect anyone (Christian, Jew, Palestinian, or otherwise) to violate God’s Word, and not be punished. It is interesting to see that the enemies of Israel have a vast amount of land in the Middle East, yet they want to crowd the Palestinians into this very small space, that is, in Israel.  But if they really had compassion for the Palestinians, it seems that they would be able to abundantly provide homes for them elsewhere.  Surely, they would be welcome somewhere in the Middle East, don’t you think? Replacement Theology There is a false teaching to which many churches in America have fallen victim, and this teaching is called “replacement theology.”  Replacement theology is the concept that Israel has lost its place in the scheme of things and has been replaced by the church, since Israel has rejected its true Messiah, Jesus Christ.  It is the belief that Israel is no longer God’s people, and God has no specific plans for the future of Israel.  They say that the church is now the sole owner of God’s promises, since the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the church.   But this is not true.  The New Testament tells us that although the Jews (in general) reject Jesus Christ as their true Messiah, this is only a “partial blindness,” or a “partial hardening” (Romans 11:25).  God does still have a plan for them, and Israel will certainly be the object of God’s focus once again.  God has supernaturally kept Israel over the centuries and they have become a nation again in 1948, in spite of many attempts by their enemies to destroy them.  So, anyone believing this doctrine of “replacement theology” is deceived. Something to Think About Does anyone think that America could not be destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were?  It certainly is possible, since we not only have a high tolerance of homosexuality in many places in this country, but we also have an open acceptance (even encouragement) of this sin from many of our leaders and celebrities.  Perhaps, in some cities, we are WORSE than Sodom and Gomorrah were!  America is more accountable to God than many other nations, since we started off as a godly country with abundant freedom to worship and we now have abundant access to the Bible - but we have become incredibly self-centered, undisciplined, greedy, proud, and full of immorality… a nation moving away from God.  So, the question is, if this is true, why is America still around, and why haven’t we suffered the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah?  Perhaps it is because we have not yet turned against (and are still allies with) the nation Israel.  This may be the main reason that we still exist as a nation.  So, does anyone think that it is wise to turn against Israel by urging them to divide and give away their God-given land? Conclusion According to William Koenig, the author of the book mentioned above, those who are urging Israel to divide the land include the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (page 32), the Vatican (headquarters for the Catholic Church), and the World Council of Churches (page 28-29). Also included are leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the United Methodist Church, the American Baptist Churches USA, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and others (pages 299-300).  But Christians should know better.  It is sickening to see so many in American churches push so hard to anger God by urging our leaders to force Israel to give up their own land.  These churches… the very ones who should be WARNING us of this problem and pointing us in the right direction… these are the ones who are ignoring God’s Word and causing the judgment of God to fall on this country.  They need to repent.  Those churches involved in these efforts are spiritual traitors.  They are ignoring the simple biblical command to respect and honor God’s chosen people and the rightful possession of their land.  And as a result, they are destroying our beloved nation.  All Christians need to pray for the protection and peace of Israel… and America.  Let us also pray for the souls of all those involved in the Middle East conflict.  And may God help us to bring to them the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ.  What is this message?  It is a message of changed hearts and the hope of Heaven, through trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that alone.  May we bring it to the Jews, the Palestinians, and the rest of the world.

ROMANS 2:13 AND CONTEXT

(Last Updated 10-16-12)

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. (Romans 2:13)

In the Sola Fide (“faith alone”) debate, Catholic apologists will often insist that the verse above strongly indicates that a person is saved by good works, along with faith in Jesus Christ. In their zeal to promote a “faith plus works” system of salvation, Catholics will often use this verse, but overlook or ignore its context.

But what is the context of this passage? Starting from verse 12 to the end of the chapter, the phrase “the law” is clearly speaking of the Mosaic Law… that is, the law that God handed down to Moses to give to the Jews. But do Catholics really want to claim that it is the Mosaic Law that justifies a person? Is it really doing the works of the Mosaic Law that causes a person to be saved? That is certainly not what the Catholic Church teaches (CCC #1963). But that is the conclusion that the Catholic must come to, if using this verse to deny “faith alone,” and he will end up contradicting his own church’s teachings.

Ok, so what does Romans 2:13 really mean if the works of the law don’t save us? The context is about the Jews proudly possessing the law, but they didn’t keep the law. The Apostle Paul is telling certain Jews, “You are just a ‘hearer’, so how does the law help you there? You will not escape punishment.” The emphasis is NOT that certain types of works will save; the emphasis is that God is impartial when it comes to punishing sin, whether committed by Jew or Gentile. And Paul goes on to say that we’ve all sinned, and all stand guilty before God. So, what’s a sinner to do? Should he find a new category of good works to try to live up to? No, indeed. Because of man’s sin nature, the law (actually, any law of works) is not sufficient as a means of justification.

Paul goes on for another two chapters, telling us that NO ONE (except for Jesus), neither Jew nor Gentile, has ever kept the law according to God’s standard (which is perfection – Galatians 3:10-12; 5:3; James 2:10). So no one has a perfect record. That’s the whole point that Paul is building up to, and that is why God lumps us all together in sin (Romans 3:19; 11:32; Galatians 3:22). But God mercifully gives man a way out… and this way is by faith in Christ, apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28).

The "doers" in Romans 2:13 are not justified because they are following the law... they are following the law because they are justified; and they are justified by faith (and not works), as Paul will soon demonstrate.  In justification, God gives a man a new heart and gives him the desire to obey Him.

 

You see, the Apostle Paul is building his case here a step at a time. His argument is progressive (i.e., proceeding point by point in a certain order). In Romans chapter 1, Paul speaks of the guilt and sinfulness of the Gentiles. In chapter 2, he demonstrates that the Jews are just as guilty of sin, as well. But the specific context of “how a man is saved / justified” comes later on, starting at about chapter 3, verse 20.

But his argument in Romans 2 doesn’t stop at verse 13. Paul concludes his argument at 3:28 (“Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law”) and he then fully discusses this concept in chapter 4. But you cannot go backwards by starting with 3:28 and conclude with 2:13… 2:13 is NOT a conclusion, and 2:13 is not Paul’s main point in chapter 2 and following. Again, he is advancing his argument from one point to the next and (for it to make sense) one must follow the sequence.

Is this the only place that Paul uses this type of progressive argument? Not at all. In the same way, Paul argues in Romans chapters 9 through 11 that God has not rejected His people, Israel. One may read in this passage that the Jews have “not attained to the law of righteousness” (9:31), that they “stumbled” over Jesus Christ (9:32-33), and have been a “disobedient and gainsaying [contradicting] people” who have rejected God’s outstretched hand (10:21). But these passages cannot be considered a “conclusion,” because Paul’s argument does not stop with these. He goes on to say that this is not their end. This is only a “partial hardening” and is only temporary, because Israel will ultimately be saved (11:25-27). If the sequence of Romans 9-11 is ignored, then one could mistakenly think that God is through with Israel.

The point is simply that it is important to recognize when a Bible writer is using such a “progressive” argument, as Paul does in Romans 2 (and following), lest we miss the whole point. And of course, determining the proper context is always essential. Otherwise, one can fall victim to distorted interpretations, as many Catholics do here.

As we have said before on this blog, good works are certainly God’s will for us and we should be doing them. We will get rewards for our good works (which are done in the right spirit) when we get to Heaven. But we do them out of love and gratitude toward God… we don’t do them to be saved. We are only saved by faith / trusting in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and ONLY that work.

See these articles on this blog on “Faith Alone”:

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/01/faith-alone-part-1.html

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/01/faith-alone-part-2.html

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/02/faith-alone-part-3.html

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/08/sola-fide-revisited.html

THE VISIONS OF FATIMA

I was recently listening to a broadcast on which I heard the popular story of three young sheepherding children from the town of Fatima, in Portugal. These youngsters were age 7, 8 and 10 when they first started having visions in 1917 of what appeared to be a woman clothed in white, who was “brighter than the sun.” This entity, claiming to be from Heaven, called herself “the Lady of the Rosary” (supposedly Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ). The children had one of these visions each month for six months, the last month climaxing with a great “miracle” where the sun appeared to be “dancing” in the sky in the presence of 70,000 people.

One can often determine the true source of a vision or apparition by the substance of its message. So let’s take a look at some of the details of the message proclaimed in these visions.

7 Points to Consider

The first point we want to mention is that the “woman” in the vision made a request to the children to bear and accept sufferings “as an act of reparation for the conversion of sinners.”

Apparently, this influenced the children to do certain things, like wearing tight cords around their waists to cause pain, beating themselves with stinging nettles, refusing to drink water on hot days and other works of “penance,” sacrifice, and suffering.

There are different meanings of the word “reparations,” like a payment, compensation, or satisfaction for a debt, etc. But the “reparations” in this context are not speaking of the type of personal reparations where your neighbor accidentally throws a baseball through your window and is then obligated to fix it… no, it’s speaking of conversion and having your sins forgiven as it is used in paragraphs #616 and #1414 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

But suffering for the sake of “reparation” for the forgiveness of sins of yourself or others is totally unbiblical, and should be especially insulting to true believers. According to the Bible (Hebrews 10:14-18), Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross has already provided any and all the “reparations” that we could ever need to be forgiven for our sins, and He doesn’t need any “help.” That one sacrifice, and it alone, is what every one of us needs to trust in for salvation, not anyone else’s suffering, penance or sacrifices.

Second, the woman in the vision gave instructions to say the rosary every day “to bring peace to the world and the end of the war” (i.e., World War I).

It is a fact that one of the main purposes of the rosary is to honor Mary (see Rosarium Virginis Mariae, an apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II). When praying the rosary, the prayers directed to Mary far outnumber any other prayers recited. So why promote the rosary if Jesus is supposed to be the center of attention? To make matters worse, the rosary has some other serious problems. It is not a Christian concept at all -- not only is it unbiblical, it also has connections with paganism and (worse yet) the occult. See this article:

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/05/catholic-rosary.html

Third, she told them that God wished there to be devotion to her Immaculate Heart for world peace and for the salvation of souls.

Devotion to “her Immaculate Heart”? What exactly is that, anyway? There is no reason to think that the heart of anyone (other than Jesus Christ) is “immaculate,” since we have all sinned (1 John 1:8-10). Of course, we know that the Catholic Church teaches that Mary was sinless, so those interested might want to see this article, as well:

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2011/05/was-mary-without-sin.html

Anyway, why would devotion to HER bring about world peace and salvation? The real Mary would never request something like this. Isn’t Jesus the Prince of Peace? (Isaiah 9:6) Isn’t it Jesus Who is our Salvation? (Hebrews 5:9) Furthermore, there will never be world peace until Jesus Christ, Himself, returns to this sin-sick world. Mary won’t bring it, nor will anyone else.

Fourthly, the lady in the vision also requested that people pray that Russia would be consecrated to “her Immaculate Heart.”

But Russia, as a whole, will most likely never be converted before Christ returns, since they will be one of the main countries attacking Israel in the end times (Ezekiel 38, 39). Remember, Israel’s enemies are cursed (Genesis 12:3). And again, even if there is a chance of their conversion, why should anyone consecrate them (or any country) to Mary, rather than consecrate them to Jesus? The “lady” in this vision seems to be hungry for attention. But this distracts from attention to the Savior.

Fifth, she asked that a chapel be built there in her honor. Why does the woman in this vision keep pointing to herself? Even the Holy Spirit does not point to Himself, but to Jesus! (John 16:13) But the focus of this woman’s message is certainly not on Jesus. Once again, the real Mary would not make such a request. The real Mary was there near her Son at the foot of the cross (John 19:25). She saw His tremendous suffering firsthand. It would be utterly selfish to request anything in her honor after witnessing that event. The Mary of the Bible would agree with John the baptist and say, “He [Jesus] must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Sixth, in one of the visions, the lady “ascended into the Heavens and the three children were given a vision of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus and blessing the world…” (Emphasis added)

Why in the world would Jesus be depicted as a “child” here, when He is no longer a child and when His greatest work was done as an adult on the cross? Once again, this is a subtle substitution, in a deliberate attempt to rob Jesus of His rightful glory. In visions like this, Jesus is subtly minimized while Mary is being continually exalted.

Seventh, in one of the visions the woman said:

“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted and a period of peace will be granted to the world. ONLY I CAN HELP YOU. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God." (Emphasis added)

What blasphemy! Only SHE can help??? (Psalm 30:10; 40:17; 70:5) SHE is our refuge??? (Psalm 94:22; 91:2, 9; 9:9) SHE is the one to lead us to God??? (John 14:6) What’s wrong with this picture? Can Catholics not see the problem with this kind of language? Of course, some Catholics will attempt to split hairs on possible meanings of her statement here and try to explain this away. But, my friends, there appear to be no deep theological concepts here. She is speaking plainly here because she is speaking to children! Once again, Jesus is demoted, while the “Mary” in this vision is progressively replacing Him.

But Are They Approved by the Church?

Ok, so hopefully, now it is obvious that there are problems with the visions of Fatima. They are unbiblical and questionable at best, and blasphemous at worst. In light of this, would the Catholic Church approve of such visions?

There is some debate among Catholics as to whether they are obligated to believe and obey the visions of Fatima or not. Catholics may not be forced to believe them, but they are certainly encouraged to.

But the evidence points to the Church’s approval of them…

· According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia:

“The bishop of Leiria (Oct. 13, 1930) pronounced the 1917 visions at Cova da Iria worthy of credence and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Fatima.”

· The two youngest of the children (who both died shortly after the visions) were “beatified” in the year 2000. Beatification is the step prior to canonization (becoming a saint). This seems to suggest that the Catholic Church considers the “miracle” at Fatima to be legitimate and possibly even the basis for their beatification.

· The visions of Fatima were clearly approved by at least six of the eight popes who reigned since the visions in Fatima began in 1917 (including John Paul II and Benedict XVI), according to this website:

http://fatimaforbeginners.org/index.php/fatima/approvals-by-the-popes/404-the-popes-and-fatima

· According to an official Vatican document titled “The Message of Fatima,” from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it is stated that Fatima is one of those events that is approved by the Church:

“…In the private revelations approved by the Church—and therefore also in Fatima…”

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html

What About the Miracle?

Ok, so doesn’t the “miracle of the dancing sun” at Fatima prove that the visions were authentic, that they were indeed from God?

As we stated earlier, the true source of a vision can be determined by its message. The Bible tells us to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), so if the message (of any vision) does not line up or agree with Scripture, it should not be accepted. You cannot depend on a “miracle” that confirms an unbiblical teaching. The visions of Fatima are a deception of the enemy. They were not the real mother of Jesus, the humble handmaid that we find in the Bible, but this was the work of demonic forces specifically designed to “look like Mary,” but sent to deceive the multitudes.

Remember the sorcerers in Exodus 7:11, who copied Aaron's miracle by turning a rod into a serpent? Should we believe that these magicians were also approved by God just because they showed “signs and wonders”? It seems they MUST have been from God, since they were able to duplicate Aaron’s miracle, right? No, they were sent to deceive the people. We know the sorcerers were not from God because their “message” (i.e., what they stood for) was not from God.

Also, the “prophet” in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 found himself in trouble (even though he was exhibiting “signs and wonders”) because his message did not line up with God’s commandments. The enemy can (to some extent, at least) duplicate / counterfeit miracles to deceive God's people. The Bible speaks of lying signs and wonders in the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Revelation 13:11-17; 16:13-14) in order to deceive many. We have the same thing happening at Fatima and, unfortunately, it is working well. So many Catholics have fallen for it.

Conclusion

Fatima is just one example of “Mary” overshadowing Jesus, and there are probably countless others. For example, there are places in the Catholic Church in which we find Mary on the cross! It is reported that in the Church of the Mother of God of Polish Martyrs (located in Warsaw, Poland) there is a painting of Mary hanging on the cross while holding Jesus as a child. It is also reported that in Rome, just outside the basilica called “Santa Maria Maggiore,” there is a crucifix with both Jesus and Mary hanging on it, one on either side.

On May 31, 2008, an “iconic monstrance” (sort of a statue which holds the Catholic Eucharist) was unveiled at Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chicago, Illinois. It is called the “Our Lady of the Sign, Ark of Mercy.” This monstrance depicts Mary seated between the cherubim (angels) on the Ark of the Covenant. But that space is reserved FOR GOD ALONE! (Numbers 7:89; Exodus 25:22; 2 Samuel 6:2) In the Old Testament, God’s very presence was there on the mercy seat between the two cherubim. Interestingly, this is exactly where the antichrist will seat himself to declare that he is “above all that is called God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15) This “work of art,” this Catholic monstrance, is utterly blasphemous.

It is exactly this type of environment that breeds the “excessive devotion” we find so often in Catholicism. And a big part of the problem is that (apparently) the leaders of the Church not only allow it to continue freely without correction, but they even encourage it.

My Catholic friends, please don’t allow yourself to be deceived. Don’t let the emotion surrounding these visions override the simple truth of God’s Word. The bottom line is that Fatima can only offer us a false message with false signs and wonders.

"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14 - NASV)