Prophets Collide; Two Voices With Very Different Messages
Bethlehem, Palestine, July 20, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Rev. John Hagee is the founder and National Chairman of the well funded Christian-Zionist organization Christians United For Israel. He is a leading Christian voice for the Jewish state, and enjoys worldwide notoriety. He has authored several books and he is shown on networks around the globe reaching up to 150 million households.
Rev. Terry McIntosh is a lesser known personality, but appearing on the scene recently out of near obscurity. He is founder of the Jesus Christ Embassy Palestine. Palestinian press says that his message is a far cry from Zionist teachings including values of humanity, adding that he came to Palestine proclaiming "Peace" and to celebrate the love of God.
"This is not a simple issue of disagreement about theology. We should warn others not to participate in the ongoing racial and prejudiced spiritual holocaust taking place and "carried" in the name of Jesus."
Terry McIntosh, CEO, Jesus Christ Embassy Palestine
When Hagee speaks, millions of Christians and Jews applaud. Palestinians ignore him. When McIntosh speaks, Palestinians applaud. Christians and Jews ignore him.
There is a stark contrast between the two men. During the Gaza War 2014 Hagee tells America to get out of the way and let Israel "finish the job." McIntosh rebuked both Israel and Hamas while calling for cessation of violence. He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."
Both men are Christians. Both men have a message from God. Therein lies a problem. The messages they speak are at direct odds with each other regarding Jews and Palestinians. Both of them can't be right if they are hearing from the same God.
Hagee is well received among Jewish officials and the Christian Zionist community. His gospel says that Jews don't need to follow Christ, rather that Jews have an eternal covenant with God that isn't yet fulfilled. If Jews follow the Law of Moses, they will be saved, according to Hagee. His message resonates well with Jews because he is not proselytizing them for Jesus. He offers comfort to Jews and preaches political salvation on their behalf, and raises tons of dollars for the Jewish agenda which includes conquest of land.
The Hagee gospel says that God gave the Holy Land to Jews. He supports the acquisition of land legally owned by Palestinians. Hagee says to Israel, "God is with you," and invokes the Genesis 12:3 blessing "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." He says that America must stand with Israel or be cursed. He predicts an eventual and resounding victory for the Jewish state over all of its enemies.
McIntosh, on the other hand, is well received by Palestinians and a minority of Christians. His Gospel emphasizes God's love for Palestinians and says that Jews must repent to be saved. He says that Palestinians are as much entitled to land ownership as any Jew, and further identifies a majority of Palestinians as descendants of the original Israel. His conclusions are based on Bible and secular history, and now confirmed by DNA test results according to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The McIntosh version of the Gospel promotes reconciliation and condemns Jewish theft of land and continued subjugation of the Palestinians. He warns Israel against such activity and points Jews back to the Ten Commandments saying, "Thou shalt not steal." McIntosh predicts judgment against Jews if they persist in what he calls ungodly conduct. He warns Israel, "Stop. Turn around. Give life and receive it."
He says the Abrahamic blessing belongs to Palestinians, too, and that the Zionist political movement is dividing the land of God and giving it to Jews, when in fact it was given to the 12 tribes of Israel, not the one tribe of Judah. "They don't know who Israel really is. The Church is God's Israel, not a secular state, and they don't want to accept scientific facts that prove Palestinians are descendants of the original Israel. Christian leaders originally responded to the state of Jewish Israel because they did not know the truth. But, now that truth is declared openly, if one rejects and buries that truth, the all Jewish defense becomes a lie."
McIntosh says his message is vital to the health of Christianity. "Christian giants are comforting the Jewish people with false hope that leads to death, and furthermore encourages the Christian world to oppose God's plan of reconciliation and partnership between Jews and Palestinians. They fuse God's word with today's politics, the fear of Islam, and a misguided read of the Bible to promote continued division and civil war between brothers."
"This is not a simple issue of disagreement about theology. We should warn others not to participate in the ongoing racial and prejudiced spiritual holocaust taking place and "carried" in the name of Jesus. Do not steal and do not covet applies to Palestinian property. How so many Christians can justify such actions in the name of Jesus defies explanation."
McIntosh says that America is presently in stress partly because of its support of the all Jewish agenda. "As long as we support Jewish theft of legally owned land and subjugation of Palestinians, we are under the curse."
The Hagee and McIntosh gospel versions are dynamically opposed. With such opposing gospels being preached, it would appear expedient to rightly divide the word of God.
Hagee says, "Trying to convert Jews is a waste of time." In a promo for his book "In Defense of Israel," he says '(It) 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."
McIntosh says we should rely on the Bible. He quotes Jesus speaking to Jews in John 5: 39-40 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
McIntosh says, "Jesus preached to Jews. Anything less is heresy."
He, too, has written a book entitled "Resurrection Palestine" in which he identifies Palestinians as the original Israel of the Bible.
He further claims that leading Christian media outlets are aware of Christian activities in Palestine, but refuses to report on it out of fear that Christian support may swing toward Palestine. "It's wrong to let politics interpret the Bible. It should be the other way around."
Hagee says that anyone who teaches something not in the word of God is a false prophet. "They may be not mentally well, but they're not prophets." If the message doesn't correlate to the Bible, according to Hagee, "forget it."
Time will reveal which prophet is speaking God's message. If the number of followers is evidence of truth, then Hagee wins out hands down. If a few voices crying out in the desert is evidence, then McIntosh wins hands down.
McIntosh is often falsely accused of being antisemitic. He denies the charge and says the best way to know the truth is to read the Bible correctly and not depend on soundbites taken out of context.
While Hagee is a leading television personality, McIntosh is the only Christian evangelist to preach Jesus over Islamic owned television and radio thus far. That is likely because Hagee speaks a political message seeking support for Israel. McIntosh speaks to both nations and lifts up the name of Christ as the eternal solution.
God's Roadmap to Peace for Israel and Palestine examples the McIntosh message to both nations.
