Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Did He Really Say That?

Pastor John Hagee of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas released a book just a little over 6 months ago titled, "In Defense of Israel." His ministry, John Hagee Ministries (JHM) produced a TV commercial promoting this book where Hagee clearly denies that Jesus Christ came to be the Messiah of Israel.

The video of this commercial can be viewed here.

It's fairly easy to see where Pastor Hagee stands and what Pastor Hagee believes. His expressed views in the commercial for his book cannot be gainsayed in any way:

"This book will expose the sins of the fathers and the vicious abuse of the Jewish people. In Defense of Israel will shake Christian theology. It scripturally proves that the Jewish people as a whole did not reject Jesus as Messiah. It will also prove that Jesus did not come to earth to be the Messiah. It will prove that there was a Calvary conspiracy between Rome, the high priest, and Herod to execute Jesus as an insurrectionist too dangerous to live. Since Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah, how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered? Read this shocking expose, In Defense of Israel."

Wow! If I hadn't heard it, nor seen it with my own eyes, I could have sworn that this man, a pastor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, actually denied that Jesus was the Messiah. Worse yet, Pastor Hagee is basically saying that the Jews would most certainly have accepted Jesus had He actually come to do what Pastor Hagee says He didn't come to do!!!!! Confusing doctrine to say the least.

Now there are a great number (if not hundreds), of Bible cites that clearly show that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Anointed One of Israel. I can think of no better though than the ones that actually described Jesus being anointed.

In the book of Daniel, chapter 9 and verses 24-27 we read:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Since Messiah is a variation of the Hebrew mashach which means "anointed one" and the Greek "Christos" means the same it almost goes without saying that little argument is needed to prove this point, simply based on what others called Him. Peter, in Matthew 16:16, tells us that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16:16
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

In relation to the point made regarding the book of Daniel we see that Jesus was "baptized" by John in the book of Matthew (3:15-17) which is emblematic of being anointed and which was the clear fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24, where Jesus came to "fulfill all righteousness" also lends great credence and proof that Jesus was come as the Messiah.

In the book of Acts we are told by the physician Luke, in the most plain language possible in the recounting Peter's encounter with Cornelius how Jesus was "anointed" with the Holy Ghost and power."

Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

This verse also validates what is prophesied in the book of Daniel regarding Jesus being the Anointed One of Israel.

It is truly unfortunate that such drastic and sensational claims have to be made in order to sell a few books and to attempt to validate the clearly false teaching of dispensationalism and the make the denial that Jesus has come as Messiah to save all of Israel.

But rather than make judgments about Pastor Hagee and his motives we should offer prayer to the Father that the scales will be removed from his eyes and that his ears will be unstopped to the wonderful truth that the Gospel has to offer, namely that Jesus is the Messiah and the risen Son of the Living God. Even when one makes such glaring and obvious mistakes we must still believe in our heart of hearts that God the Father knows the difference, knows what is in Pastor Hagee's heart and has the capacity to rightly judge the true motives of pastors such as John Hagee and the messages they espouse.

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