Not long ago many people came to the conclusion that John Hagee denied that Jesus was the Messiah in his book In Defense of Israel. I was one of those people. What drove my conclusion was reading parts of the book and listening to audio of Hagee. Despite our theological disagreements this alleged belief of his was very disconcerting. Especially, given the amount of people he reaches each week.
Hagee has now offered some clarification explaining that he does not deny Jesus is the Messiah. He published his response in the article A Special Message from Pastor John Hagee Regarding His Book In Defense of Israel. Though we still don’t agree on several points I’m glad he clarified. It is good to know that he is not denying the Gospel on this point by denying Jesus is the Messiah.
I don’t have time to interact right now. I want to offer a few quotes from the article that stood out to me though. Maybe some of you can give some of your own feedback.
I chose to use challenging language that I hoped would confront the body of Christ to consider events from the Jewish and historical perspective and therefore develop greater empathy for our Jewish friends.
Over the centuries, Christians have been quick to condemn the Jews for failing to recognize Jesus as Messiah. This approach led to replacement theology and the viewpoint of some that God has rejected and broken covenant with the Jewish people. These ideas, in turn, opened the door to a vicious Christian anti-Semitism that led to the Crusades, the Inquisition and countless pogroms.
Jesus came the first time as the suffering Messiah, as exemplified by His persecution, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus will come back as the reigning Messiah, who will rule the world from His throne in Jerusalem as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The primary change will involve how I use the word “Messiah.” In the expanded version, I will clarify the clear distinction between the “Suffering Messiah,” the Lamb of God and the “Reigning Messiah,” the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
I also hope that we can return our focus to what I had anticipated to highlight all along, the fact that we Christians must shift from condemning the Jews for what they missed to thanking them for what they gave.
What do you think? Remember grace!
For what it’s worth…
Mark
tagged as John Hagee in Church Issues,Gospel,theology
About the author
Mark is a Christian, husband and father. He is a businessman by day working to support his family while attending seminary in the off hours as he prepares for vocational ministry.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
“Thanking them for what they gave.”
That should not at all be our focus , as Hagee says, sharing with them what they have missed must be our focus.
Matt, I agree. That is along the line of why those things I quoted stood out to me.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Hagee…not about what you all are discussing, but in general. Of course, speaking in broad generalities is dangerous, but I do think that many believers talk down to Judaism. Surely most would rather ignore the Old Testament than research it, even though our giants of the faith (Paul, Peter, etc) used scripture from that testament.
Christianity, at least according to what I've been taught so far, was originally an extension and fulfillment of Judiasm, not a replacement. Because of what we've done, especially in American Christianity, I think we did need the confrontation.
Don't get me wrong…lots to be concerned about with Hagee, but I don't think he was as far off on some of this as we might think.
sdan, I might understand what you're getting at. But just think for a moment. Think about what Hagee has written and then about what the Apostles did and said in the New Testament.
Without getting into an eschatological debate, my guess is that Hagee might take issue with what you've said that Christianity was an extension and fulfillment of Judiasm. From what I've seen even when someone who is charged with replacement theology offers extension, fulfillment or expansion it's still a no go.
By the way, please call me Dan. sdan makes me think of my first name, which is of course why I go by my middle name! haha.
Anyway, like I said, I couldn't believe I was agreeing with him, and I assure you that I don't agree with most of what he says. I was just taking this in the context it was given. I don't even know how you feel about the Christianity being an extension of Judaism, so I'm not sure if I can or should have mentioned it, but you're probably right about Hagee. Anyway, I loved the post because it really made me think…which is maybe the only thing he did right. Who knows?
I disagree. Jesus is born in the line of King David. Matthew 1. born King of the Jews. Matt2. the King cometh Matthew 21:5; , He is the King of Israel. John 1:49. the whole Palm Sunday, Trial, Pilate interview, cross inscription, we have no king but Caesar, and the epistles are replete with this message. It is precisely the suffering of Jesus that displays that He is King, it is precisely His death, that proves He is anointed of God. He is “the prophet” Moses spoke of. David is King and he suffered in Caves. Joseph is leader and he suffered from his brothers. Jesus reigned on the cross, He went willingly. He laid down His life. Why try to confuse the idea that suffering is not reigning, as to think there is a time when Jesus (fully God) does not reign. Jesus is God, and they rejected God as King, just as they rejected God as in King in 1 Samuel 8:7
Todd, exactly!
I'm not sure why so many miss this.
Thanks for the comment.
I posted some blog articles regarding this issue.
The first blog was, The Hagee Heresy: Jesus Was Not The Messiah For The Jews
http://alwaysreformingtoscripture.blogspot.com/…
Before I posted this article, I tried to get a reply (phone and email) from Hagee’s ministry concerning this issue and I never received a response or clarification.
I wrote another blog article, The Hagee Puzzle. http://alwaysreformingtoscripture.blogspot.com/…
Mark, after reading your article, I realize I need to write a follow up article on Hagee’s revised chapter. What is interesting is that he took out all of the controversial statements but never explained his first edition statements. There are still some questions I have regarding Hagee’s views.
I am concerned with what Pastor Hagee believes about Jewish salvation. What does he believe about the salvation of Jewish persons who reject Jesus as the Messiah and die with that view? Does he believe that a Jewish person must believe Jesus as the Son of God, God incarnate and Messiah–before they die?
I will get the revised book out and work on a follow up.
Kendall,
Thanks for the links. It has been very hard to nail exactly what Hagee believes about the salvation of Jewish persons who reject Jesus as the Messiah.
If you find any clear statements please let me know.
I posted some blog articles regarding this issue.
The first blog was, The Hagee Heresy: Jesus Was Not The Messiah For The Jews
http://alwaysreformingtoscripture.blogspot.com/…
Before I posted this article, I tried to get a reply (phone and email) from Hagee’s ministry concerning this issue and I never received a response or clarification.
I wrote another blog article, The Hagee Puzzle. http://alwaysreformingtoscripture.blogspot.com/…
Mark, after reading your article, I realize I need to write a follow up article on Hagee’s revised chapter. What is interesting is that he took out all of the controversial statements but never explained his first edition statements. There are still some questions I have regarding Hagee’s views.
I am concerned with what Pastor Hagee believes about Jewish salvation. What does he believe about the salvation of Jewish persons who reject Jesus as the Messiah and die with that view? Does he believe that a Jewish person must believe Jesus as the Son of God, God incarnate and Messiah–before they die?
I will get the revised book out and work on a follow up.
Kendall,
Thanks for the links. It has been very hard to nail exactly what Hagee believes about the salvation of Jewish persons who reject Jesus as the Messiah.
If you find any clear statements please let me know.
I believe this is a symptom of the dispensational futurism that characterizes so many of the visible Christian ministries today. And as Hagee epitomizes the more extreme of those views, I am reminded of what Jesus said in stark contrast to the approach that many take in favoring Israel :
“Ye shall be hated of all men for MY NAME’S SAKE” (Emphasis mine)
Isaiah 66:5 speaks of the BRETHREN being cast out for His name’s sake. In other words, those that were to receive Christ as Messiah – to honor God and His Word – were to be cast out by the rest of Israel (who would ultimately be given over to unbelief). He (that is Christ) shall appear to YOUR (that is, believing Israel) joy and THEY (that is, unbelieving Israel) shall be ashamed.
Those that defend the nation Israel because of their identification with Israel of old are missing the fact that there is no respecter of persons with God. Israel is certainly hated by many, but not for Jesus’ sake. Has God cast them off? No! But as Paul said, we should cast out the bondwoman with her son, for the son of the bondwoman WILL NOT be heir with the son of the free (Galatians 4:30 but see vv22-31 for the fuller understanding).
Between prophecy, Christ’s words to, and ministry among, Israel and Paul’s teaching in Romans and Galatians, how can anyone glory in a stiff-necked people continuing to reject their Messiah? Anything that Israel gave the Gentiles came from God alone. Their judgment is the more fearsome (if they do not repent) because of what God has done through them. With Paul, we should the more be praying FOR them (Romans 10:1) rather than siding WITH them (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Israel’s unbelief is to be mourned, not ignored.
Let me add this : the main impetus behind my post is NOT the unbelief of the Jews, but the John Hagees of the world who are complicit in aiding and encouraging unbelief. I make no judmgent of Hagee’s sincerity and trust he is doing what HE thinks is right. But the disservice this sort of thing does is immense. It muddies the waters in EXACTLY the place where they should be clearer than anything :
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto salvation to EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH ; TO THE JEW FIRST, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
Hagee, and others like him (inadvertently, I hope) totally undermine this order. And by introducing what amounts to respect of persons into the gospel, the full weight of the ugliness of man’s unrighteousness (EVERY mortal man’s unrighteousness) is diluted because there is apparently an exception. God must have one or two PC “bones in His body” (so to speak). We can’t offend the unbelieving Jews with the gospel! That would be wrong! I think I may have some understanding of the vehemence with which Luther condemned the Jews. I haven’t read all his comments, but if it is true that his attitude towards them became more negative with age and exposure, I can only surmise that it was their unbelief that got him so exasperated. Thank God that He is more patient and longsuffering than Mr. Luther (for ALL our sakes), but it is that unbelief that is so destructive that makes countering beliefs like these (that Hagee appears to espouse) so critical. As much as I don’t like (or agree with) dispensationalism, it’s this treatment of Israel that is the crux of the matter. Tolerance of persistent unbelief is a serious problem – regardless of who perpetuates it.
Jeremy,
I think I agree with you. And whatever theological motivations Hagee has the main problem is his seemingly lack of push to share the gospel with unbelieving Jews. if memory serves me correctly, I believe he is involved in some sort of annual Christians and Jews together celebration. I’d have to look it up though.
If Jesus was not recognized before by the Jews as the Messiah, it would be understandable. He was a man then. It takes time and proof for people to believe. If it happened today, then, the same would have happened.
Dr. Evans, I’m confused by your comment. Jesus was a Man and He was God while He walked the earth. It takes the gospel be presented with the power of the Holy Spirit for people to believe.
Thanks for stopping by.
I very much appreciate a thoughtful dialogue that eventually works its way into a productively useful one as well. Jeremy’s disservice assessment in the above post rings a familiar tone with me. Although this is certainly nothin’ new but it seems of late that “organized” religion is getting … “tooooo organized”. Just considering our Christian Church here in America, we must account for it … “a-thousand-ways-to-Sunday”. I have attended many different denominational gatherings and find that the Hatfields seem to “hang” at the Church of Christ, while the McCoy’s prefer the Second Baptist Church. The feudin’ between these two movements alone is quite clear-cut and defined. They disagree on many rather technical Biblical translations, and just how they are to be interpreted to guide personal behavior, as well as the logistics of the entire respective Church group. This problem tends to expand and proliferate exponentially as this “groupism” grows into certain “chosen-people” over certain “others” … that are apparently … NOT … so chosen. This may seem a bit to “new-age-ish”, but it seems to me these complications could be tweaked down a notch-er-two, by considering that EVERY SINGLE SOUL is what is important here. The shell of the Human Body or the Group, or the Tribe, or the WHATEVER should not even show up on the proverbial “radar-screen”. The Fiber of our BEING, which is likely the conduit of our Soul, should be front-and-center … period. Isn’t our Soul much MORE critically connected to eternity than … this or that … group ??? Such hierarchies give rise to the WORLDLY bureaucracies that seem to disservice the SOUL SAVING PRIORITIES, while feeding the EGOS of the BIG DAWGS while fueling the discontent and resentment of the underlings and their ability to faithfully and confidently connect onto the grace of GOD … thru all this … murk. Surely GOD will explain the reasoning behind this “conundrumy” arrangement when eternity is made clear … WOW !!! COME-ON-WITH-IT !!!
I’m a little taken aback by the comment, too. Instead of starting to believe, the Jews were only hardened in their unbelief after Christ left this earth.
“And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”
Luke 23:27-31
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
Acts 13:45-47
This was said of a people that had the benefit of hundreds of years of the direct dealings and promises of God BEFORE Christ appeared. Time, I think it is safe to say, does not produce belief.
Well, it wasn’t it Jesus who condemned those unbelieving, (Pharasees and scribes)Jews THEN?…”wicked and perverse generation” …In Matthew 23 “Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgement of hell?…that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and alter…Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” And he continues to say to the Pharasees and scribes, “For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” So, Jesus condemned the Jews who crucified and rejected Him, however it says that they will not see Him until they accept the Gospel and who He is. That goes for everyone. Those Jews today who do not believe Jesus was and is the Messiah, are condemned to hell pure and simple and that goes with anyone who rejects Jesus and what He did on the cross as their Savior, Son of God, Lamb of God. It was not a “replacement”…the first Christians WERE JEWS…God says he always has a remnant, so what came out of the first century were many Jews who were Believers and many Gentiles became Believers as well. Nothing was “replaced” and it continues today. There is only ONE BODY and ONE CHURCH and not TWO BRIDES. If Jews today still reject Christ, they are condemned to hell. If they believe, they will “see Him” and welcome anyone who proclaims the Gospel. They will individually be grafted back in as their ancestry were the original branches. This goes for anyone who believes, that they will be grafted into the vine (Christ).