(from http://www.againstbombing.com/ArmageddonUpdates.htm )

Some Fundamentalists Ache for Armageddon The 12 yr old classic warning by Allan C. Brownfeld: Those who pass from forecasting Armageddon to actively promoting it

AND an after-World Trade Center Bombing Follow Up--Robertson & Falwell Blame American Secularism) & Israeli Fears of Armageddonites

4/19 Republican Congress Leaders as Dispensationalists -- Sen. Inhofe & Tom Delay--God Gave West Bank (& from Nile to Euphrates) to Sharon/Likud 

5/16 An Apocalyptic Foreign Policy  by Joseph Sobran & Citing Scripture refutation in Bible

Is Bush One of Them?  "chosen by God to lead America"    and   Bush's Armageddon Obsession    his use of words indicate that he is

Christian Thinkers Opposing Armageddonites, (lots of info) the Preterists holds that all the prophetic events -- even the resurrection of the dead -- spiritually came to pass with the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. (which preterists consider the Great Tribulation)

"Prophecy and Politics-- The Secret Alliance"   "Christian Zionism"  Grace Halsell's Book--    "What Israel wants is what God wants." (to help end human life on earth)   See also her Chapter Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear War, of how some evangelists, including Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Hal Lindsey, hinted that use of atomic weapons was inevitable as part of the final battle of Armageddon.  (Note: Bush new plan for "first use" of nuclear weapons)  For more detail about Halsell's book see http://www.mepc.org/journal/0002_wall.html (Middle East Policy Council)

"Why the Alliance with the LIKUD?---Each Side Thinks it's Using the Other, one to gain backing for the settlements on West Bank, the other to help bring about the end of the world." Ed.

Dispensationalists (by Gary North)    Supporting war and chaos in the Middle East as God's will--so good Christians (and Jews who convert) can go to Heaven without Dying  --by Theologian Gary North  (See excerpt below) 

"The Unannounced Reason Behind American Fundamentalism's Support for the State of Israel" by Dr. Gary North

Excerpt----"According to pre-tribulation premillennialists, who are known as dispensationalists, Jesus will come secretly in the clouds and raise deceased Christians – and only Christians – from the dead. Immediately thereafter, every true Christian will be transported bodily into the sky, and from there to heaven: the Rapture event. The passage cited to defend this view is found in Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessolonica: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thes. 4:16-17). Throughout most of church history, this passage was associated with the final judgment, but beginning sometime around 1830 in England, it was linked to the premillennial, pretribulational Rapture – a word that is not found in the Greek text or in any English translation of the New Testament. Its Latin root word is in Jerome’s Vulgate, a translation of the Greek "harpazo" – seize, catch, or pluck.....

......................."As the slogan says, 'Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.' The doctrine of the imminent Rapture allows Christians to believe seriously that they can go to heaven without dying. Millions of Americans believe this today.

"But how can they be so sure? Because of the events of 1948. In that year, the crucial missing piece of the prophetic puzzle – the restoration of the nation of Israel – seemed to come true. Critics of the dispensational system could no longer say, "But where is Israel in all this?" The answer, at long last: "In Palestine, just in time for the Great Tribulation."

"Nothing can or will be done by Christians to save Israel’s Jews from this disaster, for all of the Christians will have been removed from this world three and a half years prior to the beginning of this 42-month period of tribulation. (The total period of seven years is interpreted as the fulfillment of the seventieth week of Daniel [Dan. 9:27].)


"In order for most of today’s Christians to escape physical death, two-thirds of the Jews in Israel must perish, soon. This is the grim prophetic trade-off that fundamentalists rarely discuss publicly, but which is the central motivation in the movement’s support for Israel. It should be clear why they believe that Israel must be defended at all costs by the West. If Israel were militarily removed from history prior to the Rapture, then the strongest case for Christians’ imminent escape from death would have to be abandoned. This would mean the indefinite delay of the Rapture. The fundamentalist movement thrives on the doctrine of the imminent Rapture, not the indefinitely postponed Rapture.

"Every time you hear the phrase, "Jesus is coming back soon," you should mentally add, "and two-thirds of the Jews of Israel will be dead in ‘soon plus 84 months.’" Fundamentalists really do believe that they probably will not die physically, but to secure this faith prophetically, they must defend the doctrine of an inevitable holocaust.

"This specific motivation for the support of Israel is never preached from any fundamentalist pulpit. The faithful hear sermons – many, many sermons – on the pretribulation Rapture. On other occasions, they hear sermons on the Great Tribulation. But they do not hear the two themes put together: "We can avoid death, but only because two-thirds of the Jews of Israel will inevitably die in a future holocaust. America must therefore support the nation of Israel in order to keep the Israelis alive until after the Rapture." Fundamentalist ministers expect their congregations to put two and two together on their own. It would be politically incorrect to add up these figures in public." (see article for full details)

War as the Will of God--Justin Raimondo (scroll down to War in the Heavens), why many conservatives support settlers in the West Bank and Likud extremists.

"The End of the Age"   Pat Robertson's novel about Armageddon.  Helpful (very helpful) in understanding his views of Dispensationalism.   (Rabin was killed because he worked for peace (against God's will) in the Middle East + much more)   "Reflecting on the Rabin assassination on November 14, Robertson said: "I believe that anyone who injures God's land - God's holy land - and blocks the flow of prophecy in that land is in great danger. And the Lord warned me years and years ago, 'You're coming into Israel, the land of the Bible. You don't make mistakes here because the prophecies will stand.' And however much God may love me, He'd take me out of the way...to keep me from interfering with prophecy." This was the first time in months that Robertson spoke against the peace process."  http://www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9512/armageddon.html

Excerpt------"The religious contagion, originating in the Middle East, in the ancient tribal rivalries of two fierce desert peoples, has invaded this country – and I don't mean the immigration of the Jews to American shores. The growth of the millennialist varieties of evangelical Christianity has meant the strengthening of the Israeli lobby in this country to such an extent that it has become the dominant force in the conservative movement – and a big factor in the activist base of the Republican party. The Christian Coalition, and its leader, Pat Robertson, adhere to this view of the Bible that gives Israel a special place as the harbinger of the Last Days. The Antichrist, whom many say will rise out of Russia, or perhaps the EU, will confront Israel on the plain known as Armageddon – and after that, the conversion of the Jews, the Rapture, and the Kingdom of God on Earth." 

10/25  Christian Right too eager for Armageddon   --- Cox Newspapers

10/17  Christian Right Making America the Enemy of Moslem World (20% of human race)

9/10  Fundamentalist and War by Karen Armstrong, author of "The Battle for God"

8/2   Christian Zionist Support in order to End the World Bothers Some Jews  "may jeopardize the allegiance of mainstream Americans"   US NEWS

7/21 Baptist Leaders opposed to Armageddonites Write Bush

7/10  U.S. Christian Evangelicals financing Israeli settlements

6-25  TIME Magazine reports on Armgeddonites and Promotion of End of World

6/2  Fundamentalists and War --many opposed disarming after collapse of communism

5/22   Theology Makes Bad Foreign Policy by Doug Bandow

4/19  Senator Inhofe's Pro-Apocalypse Foreign Policy (Republican Senate No 2)
Why Conservative Christians Back A Genesis-Inspired Mid-East Map

Evangelicals and Israel: Theological Roots of a Political Alliance

History of Fundamentalism

Dancing with Devils    Apocalyptic Millennialism
and Contemporary US Right-Wing Movements-----Examining the Different Sectors

All About Dispensationalism  Very extensive Site with in depth Research and links to original sources

Hal Lindsay --founder of Christian Zionism  --his writings and analysis from England

Armageddon book sales booming with current war and 9/11 Attack 

Washington Times 4/6/02 Report on Armageddon Groups

A Religious Study of Dispensationalism --Perspectives on Biblical history

Religious Extremism inside Israel --by Allan Brownfeld, Threatening Barak & peace makers with death

Rabin's Murder --Israel's Fanatics--details of the assassination

Details of Armgeddon war + Origin of idea to "help" God bring it sooner --Baptist Standard--a good, easy to read description with opposing views

The Assyrians --Christians under Pressure in Iraq and Turkey

A Historical Analysis --Did God Give Israel to the Jews WorldNetDaily

Details of Armgeddon war + Origin of idea to "help" God bring it sooner --Baptist Standard

Religious Fundamentalism and Legal Systems: Methods and Rationales in the Fight to Control the Political Apparatus   Israeli Fundamentalists --the Haredim

New Program to Link Evangelicals with Israel

7/12 Fundamentalists Donate for Israeli Settlements on West Bank  --estimated 3 million hard core Dispensationalists (to bring Jews back to Israel so God can kill or convert them)

OTHER DISPENSATONALIST VIEWS

Cal Thomas, the Brutal Dispensationalist-An Arab American Answers--calls for U.S. and Israel to expel all Palestinians (6/6/01) from their homes & kick them out of their country.

Cal Thomas Column  --America should wait for God to deal with Middle East, i.e. conversion or death of the Jews--(but he's untrue about settlements--Israel was constantly taking land from Palestinians in violation of Oslo Accords--reason Arafat rejected Camp David agreement--it would not have curtailed settlements).  Another column, Rumors of War, ended with the sentence, "Frankly, I don't believe that day will come without divine intervention, and that's why Israel must remain strong and distrusting of all who believe it will."  Thomas constantly undermines and opposes peace negotiations with Palestinians and then writes that resolution must be left to God, e.g. Armageddon with everybody dead.   

"Hebron is in the West Bank.  It is at this place where God appeared to Abram and said, "I am giving you this land.'--the West Bank.  This is not a political battle at all.  It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.......Israel has a right to the land,"  U.S. Senator (Oklahoma) James Inhofe, Republican Whip in Senate, CONGRESSIONAL RECORD 12/4/01

Rapture Ready    Lots of Links by Believers

A Prayer from the Capitol Hill Prayer Alert Foundation Link

"President Bush stunned the Evangelical world Tuesday by announcing his administration's support for the establishment of a Palestinian State. Will we now abandon our historic commitment to Israel to appease our Muslim adversaries and friends? Will the terrorists see this as a reward from Allah for their murderous acts? How does God view this decision? 

--At the beginning of the Gulf War, Pastor David Wilkerson declared that if God blessed our war effort against Iraq it would be for Israel's sake, not ours. He said our hands stained with the blood of tens of millions of innocent unborn children would otherwise prevent His going with our armies. 

--The September 11th attack should have given America newfound sympathy for what Israeli citizens have faced daily for years. It should have motivated us to support their freedom to defend themselves. Instead, we stepped up our pressure on them to refrain from responding to Palestinian attacks and to come to terms with Yasser Arafat. By withdrawing our support for Israel, are we bowing the knee to Allah? 

Radical Muslims hate us for who and what we are (see - Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony - http://www.house.gov/reform/statement_of_netanyahu.htm). They doubly hate us because of our support for Israel. Spiritually blind and reeling like a drunken man, we have made one unbiblical and irresponsible national decision after another. Our arrogance, our unholy alliances, our strange willingness to compromise to please our enemies, all spell confusion. We need God, now! 

Please Join us in Unceasing Prayer: 

--Heavenly Father, Have MERCY! FORGIVE our pride & arrogance. Help us to Humble ourselves before You. Give our president WISDOM & DISCERNMENT. Help us remain true to our friends, tiny Israel. Please, go with our armies! In Jesus' Name. Amen"



Christians for Israel   http://christiansforisrael.org/ 

"The greatest peril to the Palestinian State being proposed by our leaders is that God is not in favor of it.........Those who are pressuring for a Palestinian State not only are working at cross purposes with God, but they place themselves and their own nations in great peril," Dr. James M. Hutchens, President of CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL and Editor of "The Jerusalem Connection"

"....While Jewish votes assure that New York's Senators will always be demonstrably pro-Israel, those votes cannot begin to explain the broad consensus of congressional support for Israel and the consistently positive feeling toward Israel........Many of Israel's staunchest supporters in Congress have traditionally come from states with small Jewish populations:, e.g. Sen. Brownback of Kansas, Hutchinson of Arkansas, Attorney General John Ashcroft (formerly a Senator from Missouri, and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay. ......these are often anathematized by Jewish groups for their social conservatism. On a host of issues.....the consistently line up on opposite side from the organized Jewish community.

"These men support Israel not because of the mainstream Jewish community, but despite it. Their views are shaped by their own consciences and reflect the consensus of their overwhelmingly Christian constituents.....Devout Christians constitute the bedrock of American support for Israel. Such Christians number in the tens of millions..........

"......Israel's Christian friends are thrilled when they meet Jews who take seriously the Bible's commandments and who continue to cherish the Temple Mount as the place where the Divine Presence dwelt. A visible Orthodox community thus serves as an important corrective to Christian stereotypes about Godless Jews. Orthodox Jews are Israel's secret weapon in the ware for American public opinion........They serve as a crucial link between Israel and its strongest Christian supporters." THE INTERNET JERUSALEM POST, 11/15/01 published in the JERUSALEM CONNECTION, published by Christians for Israel

Congress Vote 5/2/02 Who's Who  Israeli & Dispensationalist Lobby

Conflict begins anew debate on end times

  By Larry Witham THE WASHINGTON TIMES


The bloody conflict in the Middle East is again turning some evangelicals to the Bible for texts that speak of a final cosmic battle in those ancient lands. 
Some scholars and religious leaders warn against being too literal. As with the founding of Israel in 1948, the Six Day War in 1967, and the Persian Gulf war of 1991, the ongoing violence between Israel and Palestinians is making some Christians think of a biblical-scale showdown. "I see Israel as the only nation on Earth with a title deed to any real estate," said Hal Lindsey, who popularized the study of Bible prophecy in his 1970 book, "The Late Great Planet Earth." He said that at this time he is focusing on larger biblical themes rather than details, such as terrorist attacks on America or Israel's seizure of Yasser Arafat's political headquarters. "In Jeremiah, God declared a promise to the people of Israel, and He keeps His promise," Mr. Lindsey said. "We're seeing a contest now between God's promise and the rest of the world, which says Israel can't exist." Capital Bible Seminary President Homer Heater, an Old Testament scholar, said Bible prophecy demands a sympathy to Israel but that Christians must also defend the rights of Arab Christians and justice. "I'm trying to persuade Christians to not just carte blance support Israel," Mr. Heater said. "The Christian Embassy in Israel, for example, says Israel can do nothing wrong." Mr. Heater had been a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, widely known for its "premillennial" view of the Bible. In that belief, the 1,000 years cited in the book of Revelation is the millennium-long reign of Christ in Jerusalem before the final judgment. "We do believe there is a future conflagration in the Middle East," Mr. Heater said. "But is this it? I don't know." He recalls how Iraq's 1991 invasion of Kuwait made evangelical media eager for exciting commentary, which he tried to discourage. "Everyone was so hot on the thing," he said. "And I said, 'This is not it.'" Images of an end time in the Middle East stretch from the Hebrew books of Jeremiah, Zechariah and Daniel to the New Testament's gospel of Matthew and the book of Revelation. The more apocalyptic interpretations see the return of Jews to Israel, the rise of an anti-Christ, a new world government and a final battle of Armageddon as key features in God's plan. During the Gulf war, some evangelicals said Saddam Hussein was the anti-Christ and likened the smoke of burning oil wells to Matthew's allusion to how "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light." Also in Matthew, Jesus said that before His return, "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars." Though all Christian traditions adhere to the Bible, mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics take such prophecies and Israel symbolically. Mainline Protestants also have historic missions in Arab Palestine and side with their cause, while Rome has Arab districts and sees Jerusalem as an international city. In contrast, evangelicals such as Pat Robertson back Israel, and the Rev. John Hagee, a San Antonio pastor, built an international ministry on interpreting Middle East events. His end-time evidence includes Jewish control of Jerusalem and world television so everyone may see the final events. Others point to the new European Union as the united empire the Bible predicts. In recent weeks, some Christians have evoked Zechariah's prophecy that God will "make Jerusalem a burdensome stone" so "all the people in the earth gathered together against it." Erin Zimmerman, a columnist for the Christian Broadcasting Network, recently visited Israel with evangelicals and was "surprised by the lack of detailed, 'date-setting' type of end-times speculation that was popular during the Gulf war." She said those who make contact with suffering Israelis and Palestinians "are mostly concerned with their safety," not prophecy, and turn to Bible texts to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" as the Psalms state. "They're becoming more aware that there's a human side to Armageddon," Miss Zimmerman said. "For many Christians, I think the prophetic viewpoint is being tempered by a new level of compassion where the Middle East is concerned." During the Gulf war, 40 percent of Americans told pollsters the world is likely to end in the battle of Armaggedon, and as 2000 approached, 20 percent said the world will end in their lifetimes. Mr. Lindsey's Web site, which receives 8 million hits a month, began a poll on interpreting the new Mideast violence, so far garnering an "unscientific sample" of 4,000 votes. Most — 72.5 percent — agreed with the statement, "I believe we actually are seeing the start of the war that leads to antichrist and Armageddon." Most of the rest said: "I believe it is coming, but this isn't it."



Also referring to Grace Halsey's book linked above, is a monograph by Ruth W. Mouly, The Religious Right and Israel: The Politics of Armageddon, argued that one reason certain sectors of the Christian Right mobilized tremendous support for the State of Israel during the Reagan Administration, was in part because they believed Jews had to return to Israel before the millennialist prophecies of Revelation could be fulfilled. We note the collections of money on Dispensationalist media to "bring Russian Jews to Israel," ostensibly because they face discrimination and danger in Russia. This is in part because they believe most Jews had to return to Israel before the millennialist prophecies of Revelation could be fulfilled.


from:
 http://www.againstbombing.com/ArmageddonUpdates.htm

....Posted by PPflaum, 11/04/02

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