In a prophecy written by Zechariah about 3,000 years ago, we learn,ย โBehold, I am going to make Jerusalem aย cupย that causes reeling to all the peoples all around. Nowย the oneย in siege against Jerusalem will alsoย beย againstย Judah.ย But it will be in that day,ย thatย I will make Jerusalem a heavyย stone for all the peoples; all who heave it up will beย severelyย injured. And all theย nations of the earth will be gathered against it”ย (Zechariah 12:2-3.) It is very unfortunate, but it is part of the word of God and it is guaranteed to happen, but how soon?
In a nutshell, at some point in history, the whole world (Yes, that includes the United States) will go against Jerusalem and by proxy, the Jewish people. This is a prophecy that just a few years ago would have appeared to be in the distant future, but today, it very well could be unraveling in front of our very eyes.ย One Bible teacher succinctly put it this way,ย “Youโve now reached the point where right-wing isolationists & nationalists have essentially the same anti-Zionist & anti-Semitic beliefs as left-wing neo-Marxists & Hamas supporters. Can you think of any other issue where the polarization between Left & Right has dissolved in such a way and led to a more-or-less unified position?
A perfect example of that is theย recent interview that Tucker Carlson conducted with Pastor Munther Isaacย of Bethlehem Bible College.ย Munther Isaacย is a Lutheran Pastor in Bethlehem and is the academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College. He is no friend of Israel and behind a thin veneer of Christian love and reconciliation, he promotes a one-sided agenda, throws Israel under the proverbial bus, and supports Hamas. What was Tucker thinking?
Was Tucker used by Munther Isaac without being prepared? How much does he really know about that man? That interview was a clear endorsement of Munther Isaac and the Palestinian narrative, and it was laced with lies and based on false premises. Frankly, Tucker seemed to be completely out of his lane, unprepared and unresponsive, but it could be worse, maybe he was unashamed and aware of who he was talking with. At the end of the interview, Tucker closed by saying to Munther Isaac,ย “that was a thoroughly decent and sensible analysis,” when in fact, it was a thoroughly biased and deceptive analysis.
Munther Isaac is also the Director of the biennial Conference “Christ at the Checkpoint,” which is a gathering of “Christians” claiming that they seek, peace, reconciliation and biblical love. This sounds really commendable at a time when the whole Middle East seems to be sitting on a powder keg with a very short fuse. Biblically speaking, anything done in the name of Yeshua and following His teaching should lead to peace and turning the other cheek. Furthermore, the leadership of CatC claims that,ย “The conference brings Palestinian and international Evangelical leaders, to study and explore the rise of religious extremism within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and how this impacts the Israel/Palestine conflict. We will also explore what the Bible has to say about religious extremism in any form. Together, we will seek a Biblical response to religious extremism, and find ways that provide an alternative through living out the kingdom of God. “
On May 21-26, 2024, the seventh “Christ at the Checkpoint (CatC) Conference will take place in Bethlehem. The theme will be, “DO JUSTICE, LOVE MERCY: CHRISTIAN WITNESS IN CONTEXTS OF OPPRESSION.” From their own website, they give the world their mission, which is:ย “The aim of Christ at the Checkpoint is to provide an opportunity for Evangelical Christians to prayerfully seek a proper awareness of issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation. We seek to renew the biblical call for justice and mercy in contexts of oppression and compel a unified mission of the global Church.”
Their mission appears to deal with any form of extremism within Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In and of itself, this seems balanced and very informative, but the problem is that CatC conferences build every two years on the work accomplished by the previous conference(s), and as such, CatC has gained a reputation that increasingly lacks ethical stability.ย The first six conferences were all advertised under the banner of “reconciliation,” but at the end of the day, each oneย resembledย more a witch hunt against Israel than a dialogue to find a healthy compromise. Unfortunately, many evangelicals are blinded by Palestinian victimhood rhetoric.
Much could be gleaned from the CatC Manifesto, for which I wrote an analysis. To be honest, as I recognized that it included some truths, half-truths and lies, all mixed, which makes it even harder to decrypt, I had to look at each of the 12 articles carefully. It is well worth reviewing. (in bold are the exact words of the manifesto as published on the CatC website.)
1. The Kingdom of God has come. Evangelicals must reclaim the prophetic role in bringing peace, justice and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel.
DISAGREED: Kingdom Now Theology claims, among other things, that Yeshuaโs Kingdom was inaugurated at His First Coming while Scripture states that He will reign as Messianic King on the throne of David from Jerusalem, in a yet-to-come Millennial Messianic Kingdom (Psalm 72:8, 11, 17; Isaiah 9:7, 11:6-11; Jeremiah 23:6, Zechariah 3:10
2. Reconciliation recognizes Godโs image in one another.
AGREED:God created man and woman in His image, regardless of ethnicity (Genesis 1:27; 5:1; 9:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Ephesians 4:24). However, inviting blatant anti-Israel speakers year after year defeats that purpose.
3. Racial ethnicity alone does not guarantee the benefits of the Abrahamic Covenant.
DISAGREED:The benefits of the Abrahamic Covenant are multifaceted. They include God’s promises to both the Jewish people and the nations (non-Jews) through Abraham, yet the physical land is ONLY promised to the Jewish people, ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:15;17:7-8, 19; 25:5-6; 26:3; 28:3-4; 35:9-15).
4. The Church in the land of the Holy One, has born witness to Christ since the days of Pentecost. It must be empowered to continue to be light and salt in the region, if there is to be hope in the midst of conflict.
AGREED:Yeshuaโs last command to His disciples was to make disciples of ALL NATIONS (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:47)
5. Any exclusive claim to the land of the Bible in the name of God is not in line with the teaching of Scripture.
DISAGREED: The land of Israel belongs to God Himself (Leviticus 25:23). He chose to make a covenant with Abraham that would include that piece of land (Genesis 15:18-19) as an eternal AND unconditional part of that covenant. Additionally, Godโs gifts are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).
6. All forms of violence must be refuted unequivocally.
AGREED: Yeshua always taught peace between His followers and unbelievers as much as possible, making Christianity a unique faith in which disciples of Messiah must EVEN love their enemies (Matthew 5:39-48; Luke 6:27-35, Romans 12:17-21). Munther Isaac’s support of Hamas is a slap in the face of article 6.
7. Palestinian Christians must not lose the capacity to self-criticism if they wish to remain prophetic.
AGREED: In any conflict, ALL parties must be willing to recognize fault and be prepared to adjust accordingly. (Proverbs 18:12; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:1-17.)
8. There are real injustices taking place in the Palestinian territories and the suffering of the Palestinian people can no longer be ignored. Any solution must respect the equity and rights of Israel and Palestinian communities.
PARTIALLY AGREED AND DISAGREED: While mutual respect of human beings as being made in Godโs image is at the core of peace and reconciliation, what is meant by โinjustices in the Palestinian territoriesโ remains to be defined. (Genesis 1:27; 5:1; 9:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Ephesians 4:24.) The further we advance in history, the more accepted the Palestinian narrative becomes. Unfortunately, it is not founded on historical facts but purely fabricated. Please don’t take my word for it, take the time to study the facts!
9. For Palestinian Christians, the occupation is the core issue of the conflict.
PARTIALLY AGREED AND DISAGREED: While nobody enjoys living in a land that they feel is theirs and yet is occupied by a foreign people group, it remains to be proven biblically that Jewish people are the occupiers. All previous Scriptures cited about the land lead to an opposite view (See verses under points 3 and 5). Additionally, anyone claiming occupation of Gaza is ignoring that Palestinians have been given full authority of the strip since 2005, with zero Israeli occupation, and that there was a ceasefire there since 2005, which was broken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
10. Any challenge of the injustices taking place in the Holy Land must be done in Christian love. Criticism of Israel and the occupation cannot be confused with anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel.
AGREED: While it is possible to disagree with Israeli policies, much of what has been labeled as anti-Israelism or even anti-Zionism has really been antisemitism in disguise. Genuine Christian love is at the core of any reconciliation and is irrespective of color or race. (2 Corinthians 5:14; Ephesians 3:19; Colossians 3:14). CatC continues to invite a plethora of speakers who are very good at pointing the finger at Israel as the โoccupierโ and โapartheid stateโ, but rarely do they speak of radical Islam, terrorism and/or antisemitism.
11. Respectful dialogue between Palestinian and Messianic believers must continue. Though we may disagree on secondary matters of theology, the Gospel of Jesus and his ethical teaching take precedence.
PARTIALLY AGREED AND DISAGREED: Respectful dialogue means that both sides must be heard, and both sides must listen. Agreeing on the Gospel of Yeshua doesnโt negate Godโs covenants with the Jewish people (Romans 1:16; 9-11.) Even the 2016 “Larnaca Document” signed in Cyprus between Palestinian Christians and Messianic believers sounds more like a trap than a true breakthrough. For instance, in their article 2.2, both parties agree to disagree on what constitutes lethal violence. Seriously? So, Israel’s counter-terrorism actions against Hamas should be seen as one version of “lethal violence” on equal footing with Hamas’s bloody terrorism?
12. Christians must understand the global context for the rise of extremist Islam. We challenge stereotyping of all faith forms that betray Godโs commandment to love our neighbors and enemies.
AGREED: While again I find the statement misleading as it could be taken to mean that there is a justification for radical Islamโs violence, I agree that Christian love is always the foundation of any lasting peace and reconciliation (See verses under points 6).
So, forgive me for not getting too hopeful about the seventh iteration of “Christ at the Checkpoint.” ย I think that it has progressively gotten worse. How can we possibly speak of Christian love, justice and in the same breath praise Hamas for October 7., 2023. This conference, led by Munther Isaac is based on their manifesto, and this is what Tucker Carlsonโknowingly or notโpromoted during his interview.
Shame on you Tucker Carlson for promoting a Hamas sympathizer as a Middle East peacemaker! If you wanted to conduct an interview of biblical proportions, you were successful in that you got us all a bit closer to the fulfillment of Zechariah 12.
