Christ Following: An Ancient Faith, Rediscovered

Charles E. Carlson
A lady named Sue called saying she is a bible prophesy researcher for a Christian group and discovered Project Strait Gate while researching John Hagee. She was excited to learn we confront him. Why? Because (she said) We Hold These Truths is in the Bible, prophesied in the book of Revelations, in conflict with John Hagee who is a “False Prophet” who precedes the “Anti-Christ.”
One could get a head rush from finding oneself in the Bible, even if not by name! Sue wanted to talk about all kinds of wonderful and frightening prophesy about the end times. But sadly for me, it seems her purpose was not to join us in our work, but to educate us about our importance. After a few minutes of polite listening I excused myself without learning our place in prophesy. I just do not have time to listen to Sue. We are busy working and Sue’s group is wrapped up in writing and talking about future events, so I thanked Sue and moved on.
On that very same day an encouraging newsletter came from a friend. It analyzed the letter by 34 “Evangelical” pastors who recently wrote to President Bush. The 34 were publicly standing up against Bush’s blanket support of Israel right or wrong. They recognize evil in what Israel is doing. Here in part is what the 34 said:
“As evangelical Christians, we embrace the biblical promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you.” (Genesis 12:3). And precisely as evangelical Christians committed to the full teaching of the Scriptures, we know that blessing and loving people (including Jews and the present State of Israel) does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted. Perhaps the best way we can bless Israel is to encourage her to remember, as she deals with her neighbor Palestinians, the profound teaching on justice that the Hebrew prophets proclaimed so forcefully as an inestimably precious gift to the whole world.”
I, of course, applaud the 34 Pastors for recognizing evil and resisting. By their statement we can see they were trained in the dispensational school to think as John Hagee and thousands like him do, and to worship Israel. They have in part reject the logical results of their beliefs.  This is part of the “great turning” from the age of the present Judeo-Christian heresy. The 34 are truly a revolt from within the logical result of Christian Zionism. But in reading the statement pastors made, I have a question for them; why not go all the way to truth?
Why are they still “evangelicals” endorsing a dispensational scriptural belief that political Israel is “the fulfillment of biblical prophesy?”  Genesis 12:3, which they quote, does not say we are commanded by God to support the political state of Israel, and it does not say we will be cursed for failing to do so. These 34 need nest to assert a basic understanding of all Christians, that the “inestimably precious gift to the whole world”  they refer in their letter, quoting from Genesis 12:3,  is the prophecy all right, but not of political Israel.  It is about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah that the present day political Israel has rejected.  Political Israel is not God’s gift to mankind, Jesus is.
But “Evangelical” seminary students are taught otherwise from Scofield References Bibles. Dispensationalism is about Israel and has Israel at its root and core belief, which is why its hard-liners like Hagee and hundreds of others now proudly label themselves “Christian Zionists. They are proud to put Israel first, ahead of American, and perhaps ahead of Jesus Christ as the “fulfillment of prophesy.”
Without Israel dispensationalism is an empty bag. Conversely, if one believes his obligation is to follow Christ’s teachings, as we find them in His words, and if one is willing to be judged accordingly by Christ, as his followers believe He said, Jesus is the judge judge.  Then it also should not matter if there is an “end times” for the world now, in the future, or never. What difference if there is a battle of Armageddon, rapture, a rebuilt Jewish Temple, animal sacrifices, or any of the other dispensational trappings of earthbound prophesies?
Jesus words say  nothing about an allegiance to any political unit then or now, and telling the truth, about Israel or anything else, is basis. Furthermore, if following Christ is the formula to secure heaven for the faithful, as Jesus told His followers, then what difference can it make if there is a rapture, a new Jewish temple, or a red heifer to be sacrificed there? And if it matters not, why would Sue or the 34 Pastors waste a single moment of time in speculation over Armageddon, or any of the dispensational questions? Why spend time researching prophesies if political Israel is not in it? Could it be that vanity tweaks us to write our own Bibles, as Christian Zionists have?
The life goal of following Christ on the “narrow path” hopefully toward the “strait gate” would seem to be best served by observing the standards set by the original dozen or two who falteringly followed Jesus 2000 years ago. They managed without Scofield Reference Bibles, TV evangelists, or even church buildings, and splinter beliefs.
Christian Zionism, Mormonism, and all the “ism” cults that claim to “unraveling of God’s plan” would be irrelevant if we recognized that none of these prophesies, and fantasies should logically matter to Christ following believers. We do not need to know if or when Jesus is coming again, we only need to do what he said.
Christ following negates the need for brainy and intellectual studies by experts on the bible. Nor is there need for good commentaries to counteract the bad commentaries about the “end times.”
This author had the unique experience of hearing our own mission defined in only two words by a perceptive Muslim cleric, who heard me explain Christian Zionism four year ago. He publicly observed that We Hold These Truths purpose appeared to him to be “restoring Christianity.”
Indeed this Muslim observer was cut to the chase.  I might add that our method is to rescue Christianity from suicide by explaining where tens of millions have been misled by Christian Zionism.
I now know that this goal is possible. If 34 dispensational scholars can see the brutality of Zionism, then there is not reason they will not eventually reject Christian Zionism, which is the logical end result of Scofield’s dispensationalism.  And there is no reason the rest of Judeo-Christianity cannot do the same.
Letter to President Bush from 34 Evangelical Leaders. https://whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=1635
Signs of the Great Turning, ending our age of Serial Wars II, by Charles Carlson:  https://whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=1178