Film

February 2, 2010

Jews, Evangelicals: Strange Bedfellows

By Tom Tugend

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Israel may have become a punching bag for much of the world, but 50 million Americans back the Jewish state 100 percent, no ifs, buts or maybes.

As portrayed in the striking documentary “Waiting for Armageddon,” these supporters are Christian Evangelicals who are neither rural hicks nor ranting fanatics.

What they hold in common is an unshakeable faith that every inch of Israel/Palestine belongs to the Jews. “They want the Muslims to be evicted by the Jews, the Jews to rebuild the Temple of Solomon and then Christ to return and trump everyone,” one analyst explains in the film.

The action-backed beliefs of the Evangelicals confront most American Jews with a dilemma. They applaud the unstinting financial support to Israel from the Evangelical community, about $75 million annually, and even more its political clout and lobbying on behalf of the Jewish state.

But, the support comes with a theological price tag. At the end of days, after the final battle between good and evil on the plains of Megiddo in northern Israel, they believe, the Jews will either see the light and accept Jesus Christ, or die.

“When we first discussed the film, we agreed that we didn’t want a Michael Moore diatribe,” said David Heilbroner. “We embarked on this as an open-minded journey, without preconceptions.”
Heilbroner joined forces with two other documentary filmmakers, Kate Davis and Franco Sacchi, in directing, producing and shooting “Armageddon,” after they discovered that each had planned independently to deal with the topic.

As the filmmakers started in-depth interviews with Evangelical leaders and families and joined them on a pilgrimage to Israel, a clearer picture emerged, which is revealed in the final product.

“We found the Evangelicals to be well-educated and intelligent people, not the anti-science fanatics often portrayed,” said Heilbroner, son of a Jewish father and Christian mother.

On the other side, he noted that many Israelis and Diaspora Jews are not fully aware of the ultimate theological price attached to Evangelicals’ unswerving support of Israel.

Nothing in the film is as startling as the utter calmness and precision with which Laura Bagg, who with her husband James works as an engineer at a Connecticut jet propulsion facility, lays out the scenario.

First comes the Rapture, in which all who believe in Christ will be snatched up to heaven in one sixty-fourth of a second. Exactly 144,000 Jews will save themselves on the spot by accepting Christ, but the rest will perish, she says.

The Rapture may occur at any moment, a prospect anticipated with joy by Tony and Devonna Edwards of Oklahoma, but less so by their teenage daughter, Kristin.

Moving up suddenly beyond the clouds seems OK for her grandparents, but Kristin had hoped to be married and have children, she explained somewhat plaintively.

Next come seven years of Tribulations, with catastrophes and horrors to make all previous wars and natural disasters pale in comparison.

Ultimately, all the world’s armies converge at Armageddon, and “blood will rise as high as a horse’s bridle,” Laura Bagg notes quietly, culminating in the reign of Christ and 1,000 years of peace and harmony.

However, the forerunner for all these pre-ordained events is the return of the Jews to their homeland. To that end, Evangelicals celebrated the victories of 1948 and 1967 as joyously as any Jews, foreseeing destruction of the Dome of the Rock and other Muslim holy places, the building of the Third Temple and continuing turmoil in the Middle East.

“You see, it’s all God’s plan, and it all centers around Israel,” James Bagg declares.

From the modern Jewish perspective, the case is summarized by Israeli historian Gershom Gorenberg, who observes, “Our Christian friends say to the Jews, ‘We love you, but you must cease being Jews, you must give up what is most central to you.’”

In pre-screenings, “Armageddon” encountered warm receptions by Evangelical audiences.

Jewish viewers were more contentious, reflecting a continuing split in the community’s attitudes toward Evangelicals, with “pragmatists,” including most Israeli leaders, arguing that powerful Christian support is needed now, and let the ultimate future take care of itself.

Many other Jews, however, view the prospect of being loved to the point of extinction with considerable foreboding.
“Waiting for Armageddon” opens Feb. 10 at the Downtown Independent Theater, 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles. (213) 617-1033.

A version of this article appeared in print.

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The eschatological scheme highlighted above is the majority view of Christian evangelicals, but by no means the only view. Neither is it necessary to hold that particular interpretation in order to embrace the Jew’s claim to the entirety of the Biblical lands. Traditional, conservative Christians not only believe God’s promises, they believe that simple justice mandates a safe haven for the most persecuted people on earth.

Comment by Bill Dalrymple on 2/02/10 at 11:35 pm

Christens look forward to the Second coming of Christ not to the devastation that well preceed it. Not all Christians believe in the Rapture, Most believe we will endure the same horrors the Jews will suffer.We believe that During that 7 years Gods attention will be focused solely on the Jews, They are his People, He wants them back!

Israel is the clock on the wall, By what happens there we know how close to midnight we are.

Comment by Greg on 2/03/10 at 3:11 pm

There are many Christians and Jews who believe being Jewish and beliwving Yeshua(Jesus) are not contradictory. After all, Yeshua was 100% Jewish.

Comment by Nao on 2/05/10 at 10:16 am

There are Evangelicals and Evangelicals. I’m one althought British not American. My Zionism is political, not theological. My theology doesnot consign the nonconverted jewish nation to hell. I believe the salvation of Jewish people is through the Abramhamic convenant. I’m know in America there are differing forms of evangelical belief. For instance Jim Jones the left-wing evanglical.

Comment by Jonathan Bird on 2/05/10 at 8:29 pm

While US Evangelicals believe that the Jews must accept Christ or be killed - that is not the story that the Bible tells. The actual Biblical account can be read in the free book called “The Second Coming in Slow Motion” and can be found on SCRIBID at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14971456/The-Second-Coming-in-Slow-Motion

Comment by Dennis Murphy on 2/06/10 at 3:06 am

As a Bible-believing Christian, I do not agree with this entirely.

After the Rapture of the church, God turns his full attention back to Israel on a national scale for the next 7 years.

At the beginning of this 7 years, Israel makes a peace deal with the new leader of the world, effectively a deal with the devil.

Revelation 7 shows 144,000 ethnic Jews, all males from 12 tribes, including Levi, but excluding Dan, being specially sealed (or protected), like in Ezekiel.

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:06 am

These Jews are immune to any of the plagues. Also, Moses and Elijah are preaching in Jerusalem, and cannot be stopped or harmed in any way.

I am convinced that many Israeli Jews will believe their preaching and be saved voluntarily.

Halfway through the 7 years, the world leader desecrates the new temple and sets himself up as god, demanding worship, and killing everyone who doesn’t worship him.

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:08 am

At this time, he is able to kill Moses and Elijah, who come back to life after 3 days and ascend into heaven, along with the 144,000.

The remaining Jews, saved or not, flee to a special place where they are Divinely protected and even fed with manna and water from the rocks.

Yes, there is the battle of Armageddon, but the Messiah shows up at this time and crushes all the attacking armies.

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:09 am

And now, the Messiah is right there in plain sight. Just like Joseph revealed himself to his brethren on their SECOND trip to Egypt. Those who still want to be God’s enemies, will be destroyed. Isn’t that what happened to the 3,000 at the golden calf incident? Isn’t that what happened with Korah’s revolt, when the earth opened up and swallowed them?

Then the Messiah restores Israel and sits himself down on the throne of David in Jerusalem and rules the world for 1,000 years (Rev 20).

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:10 am

At the end of this, the devil is finally destroyed and final judgment casts all the lost into the lake of fire, and there is a new heaven and a new earth.

What’s wrong with that? Stop being Jews? Why, the Messianic Kingdom is Jewish! (Matthew 5-7)

What we’ve had going on for the past 2,000 years here is a separate dispensation to the Gentiles, which happened because of the first rejection of Israel in Acts 7, not Matthew 27. Acts 7 is where it all changed.

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:11 am

We Bible-Believers, whether Jew or Gentile, already know in advance what God is going to do with Israel, and we know Israel will run the world from the Messianic Kingdom.

Comment by Andrew Baird on 2/06/10 at 11:13 am

Post tribulation rapture.
First the Jews then everyone else.
Jews on one side of the tracks and gentiles on the other.
y’shua is the train going on the tracks.
Calling out “all aboard”
Shalom in Y’shua

Comment by onewheelskate on 2/06/10 at 4:32 pm

“But, the support comes with a theological price tag. At the end of days, after the final battle between good and evil on the plains of Megiddo in northern Israel, they believe, the Jews will either see the light and accept Jesus Christ, or die.”  Change the name “Jesus” to “Messiah” and most Jews will have no problem. The issue is in accepting Jesus as Messiah. And of course, when Messiah arrives, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind. Messiah is Messiah, no matter what His name.

Comment by Rev. Tim Lehmann on 2/06/10 at 6:11 pm

The scenario that Bagg gives regarding salvation of the Jews post-rapture is not entirely accurate (see text). The 144,000 do not save themselves, but are chosen at 12,000 each from each of the twelve tribes of Israel by God for special service during the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7; Rev 7:3-9).  The actual number of Jews saved during that time is a large multitude (Rev 9:6-11), and a great multitude will be alive in Israel to see the return of Messiah and receive Him (Zec 12:8-10).

Comment by David Dansker on 2/06/10 at 7:21 pm

My father a Jew, my mother a Christian.  I wish Jews studied the Law and the Prophets as much as the Evangelicals.  Isaiah proclaims that the nation of Israel will look upon the one they have pierced (Jesus) and mourn.  Evangelicals rejoice because we know that Israel will come to believe, just as the prophets proclaimed long ago.  If only the Jews would passionately pursue their own scriptures, then they would know.

Comment by Matthew Sherman on 2/06/10 at 9:52 pm

So on the one hand we have radical Islam that does its best to murder Jews everywhere; and on the other we have Evangelicals who support Jews but think that after we die we go to hell.  Fine, since I know the Evangelicals are wrong about where I’ll end up, I’m happy to take their help here on Earth.

Comment by paul almond on 2/06/10 at 10:29 pm

I can’t tell you how grieved I am when I read a report such as this. There are so many Evangelicals who believe in the end times in a different way than what is being portrayed by this movie. I have to believe that the film makers have an agenda, and were only showing the Evangelicals that fit their pre-determined (biased) view of what “all” Evangelicals believe. No group is monolithic, and Jewish people ought to know this as much as anyone.

Comment by LM on 2/06/10 at 10:41 pm

What is the Jew’s attitude toward the Old Testament? What shapes the Jews’ view of who God is? What shapes the Jews’ view of their own identity? Could it be that the Evanglicals have a better understanding and more faith in the promises made to the forefathers than the Jews?

Comment by Randy Johnson on 2/07/10 at 12:56 am

A good number of evangelicals support Israel while disclaiming the end-time scenario you describe. Most of these are Reformed evangelicals, rather than fundamentalist, and their support is based on the conviction that God is still in gracious covenant with Israel, and on moral historical grounds.

Comment by Baruch Maoz on 2/07/10 at 1:31 am

The photo does not show the Al Aqsa Mosque, but the Dome of the Rock.

Comment by Dominique on 2/07/10 at 9:17 am

That photo is NOT the Al Aqsa mosque.  It is the Dome of the Rock.

Comment by An Israeli on 2/07/10 at 9:39 am

Okay…everybody calm down and think!
Jesus is Jewish. He will return. He is setting up a Jewish Kingdom. He will be rebuilding the Jewish temple. He has and will uphold Torah law. It will be Jewish. There will be no forced conversions to Christianity. In fact, Christianity, as it is now known, will cease to exist. The law will go forth from Zion form Jesus (Yeshua) the Jew!

Many will be surprised. Some pleasantly, some shocked, some grudgingly.

Most Jews and Christians are ignorant of this.

Comment by Pete on 2/07/10 at 10:23 am

The more orthodox and generally accepted view of end times held by the majority of Evangelical Christians is much less exciting and would not serve the purposes of this “story”. 
Why did they not go to a seminary and speak to a professor of theology and ask these questions?
That seems like strange and irresponsible reporting to me, would this person also report on financial trends by interviewing the cashier at Burger King? Perspective ...it does a body good.

Comment by Kevin Bullock on 2/07/10 at 10:36 am

WE MUST STOP LICKING OUR WOUNDS.  This Evangelical movement comes directly from G-d.  I pray for your enlightenment.

Comment by Marlene on 2/07/10 at 12:54 pm

Gershom Gorenberg’s observation is incorrect for “true” Christians. We would never want/expect Jews to ever give up being Jews, absolutely not, the Jews are God Chosen people. This misconception is addressed in the Bible, God will protect His chosen & honor His covenants.

Comment by Cheryl on 2/07/10 at 1:23 pm

the idea of the evangelists is the usual medioeval idea of trhe jews they did not advance in the idea of converting with force the jews i think that the catholic are more advanced to a dialouge with us.

Comment by alessandro caprotti on 2/07/10 at 1:39 pm

Conventional wisdom states, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  So what if the Evangelicals believe they are helping to bring about the “second coming.”  I find the Naturei Karta a much bigger problem for Jews in general, and Israel in particular.  Thank G-d for the Evangelicals and their unwavering support of Israel!

Comment by J. C. on 2/07/10 at 2:29 pm

take a look

Comment by arman on 2/07/10 at 2:33 pm

I am a Christian Zionist and I don’t believe in the rapture or any other traditional “Christian” nonsense about Jews and Israel. Like Torah-observant Jews, I believe the restoration of Jews first to Israel hastens the process of redemption - not their destruction.

http://www.davidbenariel.org/israel/christian-zionists-jews-israel.htm

Comment by David Ben-Ariel on 2/07/10 at 2:51 pm

this is a rather one sided piece of evangelical theology and not all evangelicals think this way… me being one of them.  As it is written, all Israel has a share in the world to come and the apostle Saul says, all Israel will be delivered.  For some evangelicals, the issue is not about supporting the Jewish nation as a means to an end, but rather supporting the Jewish nation as it is written ‘all who bless Abraham, I will bless’.

Simply blessing Israel is the blessing.

Steve

Comment by cyberlizard on 2/07/10 at 5:10 pm

According to statistics I have read, Israel has more abortions pro rata than any other country in the world. This shows how secular Jews are in their unbelief in what their Scriptures is saying to them re The Words of Yahweh. So their future fate is in their own hands how they will die.

Comment by Acushla on 2/07/10 at 9:43 pm

Enjoyed article and probably the most accurate portrayal of support for Israel by Christians I have seen. I still do not understand the fear of final outcome should it turn out that G-D’s plan is ultimately fulfilled by the Armegeddon scenario and YESHUA is truly the Messiah we have all waited for.
Les

Comment by Les on 2/08/10 at 12:55 am

Such nonsense. We need all the friends we can get. Let’s worry about converting when the end of days come about and the final battle for good an evil takes place.  Oh, and if all the christians are taken up in 1/64th of a second, thats pretty impressive and upon wittnessing such an obsurd miracle, maybe I should accept jesus.  Until then I will accept the kindness from my christian friends and return it likewise.

Comment by etan on 2/08/10 at 3:01 am

As an observant Jew living in Kiryat Arba I have been in contact with so called “Christian Zionists” for nearly 20 years.  I accept their support with open arms and no strings attached.  I never seek confrontations nor do I accept them.  There is no monolithic plan to convert Jews, although certainly there are missionaries out there as well.  It disturbs me to see all Christians labeled as having ulterior motives when I know this is not the case.

Comment by Gary Cooperberg on 2/08/10 at 4:14 am

The only certainty is good triumphing over evil and that in the person of Christ. Contrary to Gershom Gorenberg, I could never ask a Jew to give up the Jewish tradition. Jews can have faith in the completed work of Christ, love God with all their heart and love their neighbor as themselves. Salvation is to all that believe, Jews first then to us gentiles. Admittedly, my hope is to see the skyline of Jerusalem devoid of a certain gold dome and a temple in its place. Only then can the end come.

Comment by rt elms on 2/08/10 at 8:58 am

How is accepting the support of these Evangelicals paying any “price”?  What does it matter what “end times” belief they have? God and not they will decide who gets into heaven.

Also, the Christian Zionists I know, support Israel because of the prophecy that “Those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse her will be cursed.”  They are horrified by anti-Semitism, love Jews unconditionally, want nothing but good things for Jews, and are among my very BEST and truest friends.

Comment by Fred Hayward on 2/08/10 at 10:39 pm

<a href = “http://michaelmakovi.blogspot.com/2010/02/jews-evangelicals-strange-bedfellows.html”>My response on my blog</a>: ... There’s no price tag for Jews. If the Evangelicals believe Jews will be damned and not availed of the Rapture, then they’ll believe it whether or not the Jews ... form a friendship with the Evangelicals. ... Furthermore, Rabbi ... Soloveitchik clearly and unequivocally teaches that Jews must not begrudge the Christians their eschatological beliefs. ... </a>

Comment by Michael Makovi on 2/09/10 at 2:55 pm

“They [Jews who believe in Jesus] are trying to appropriate the label of Jewishness.”

Yet such a statement is diametrically opposed to reality. One need not appropriate what one has had since birth.

Be they columnists, professors or rabbis, some see themselves not only as guardians of Judaism, but as those who have authority to determine and define what is and isn’t Jewish.

From http://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/16_09/christmas

Comment by Paul on 2/10/10 at 12:01 pm

Yes, Israel is still too secular but even Socialist and Communist Jews have been instrumental in fulfilling prophecies, in type, of making the desert blossom as a rose. I was blessed to be a kibbutz volunteer on 8 kibbutzim over the years, as I share within God-given love for Jews and Israel

Comment by David Ben-Ariel on 2/10/10 at 5:03 pm

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