Aussie Pro-Israel Blog

This is a blog covering headlines about Israel from a sympathetic standpoint. It is very active and a worthwhile visit. Go to Daphne Anson

Why Dispensationalism Still Matters - Baptist Bulletin

I thought this was an excellent summary:

Two of the more common hermeneutical and theological viewpoints within the world of Bible-believing Christianity are dispensationalism and covenant theology. [1] Each position represents a version of Biblical orthodoxy. Both perspectives generally affirm the major doctrines of the Christian faith, such as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, the deity of Christ and the Virgin Birth, salvation by grace through faith in the blood atonement of Christ on the cross, the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the grave, and the visible and literal second coming of Christ. Thus it is possible for the two camps to recognize the members of the opposite group as spiritual brothers in Christ. However, they disagree strongly on many significant theological points. In particular, these disagreements often involve how one views the expression of continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments. Lurking behind this issue are certain hermeneutical and theological commitments by the two sides. In light of these commitments, this article is an attempt to articulate some of the major differences between the two views from the vantage point of a traditional dispensationalist...keep reading

Hat tip to Kathryn D.

Eric Douma's Eschatology Studies

Pastor Eric Douma once presented a formidable defense of the pretribulational rapture view as a response to a challenge. Sadly, these audio studies had been offline for quite some time.

Well, they are finally back up again and can be accessed HERE  

On New Revelation

In the past I've blogged about Ellen G. White's "prophetic" influence on Seventh-day Adventist teachings. I've seen some correlation between the Adventist system and the Roman Catholic Church's Magisterium. The reliance on extra-biblical "prophetic" sources is alive and well among Charismatics as well.

This is a great piece by Dan Phillips. Read it HERE

Excellent Studies in Eschatology

From the Spirit & Truth Website:

Paul Henebury presents a series of lectures concerning eschatology, the study of what the Bible reveals concerning the future. This material concerning unfulfilled prophecy is drawn from more in-depth courses which may be undertaken from Telos Biblical Institute.

Studies in Eschatology

I found the last two lectures "Distinguishing Israel from the Church" particularly helpful.

A Universe from Nothing?

A Creation Ministries International review of Lawrence M. Krauss' book:

Atheists insist that all of nature can be explained on its own terms without invoking a supernatural creator. Some argue, as does Lawrence Krauss in his recent book A Universe from Nothing, that modern science has now made it plausible that space-time, matter-energy, and even the universe can emerge from nothing. As we shall see, these ideas are self-contradictory and not aligned with current thinking—even in the secular scientific community—concerning the possibility of a universe existing in the eternal past...keep reading

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

News.com.au has come out with a lengthy article that, on the surface, appears to neutrally examine the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, using words like "occupation" subtly sways the sentiment. Then there are examples like this leading statement:

The horrific murder of three Jewish teenagers late last month — two of whom belonged to more extreme sects — was met with an immediate and violent retaliation.

Is the writer suggesting that the alleged extremism of two of the teens somehow reduces the culpability of the murderers? Or does the writer want to share out the blame? It is important to be aware that attempted kidnappings of Israelis by Palestinian extremists are regularly foiled by Israel. The alleged "sect" association of these teens wasn't a factor and certainly not an excuse. Moreover, Israel's retaliation wasn't immediate unless the article is referring to the tragic example of the Palestinian teen who was murdered soon afterwards. Yet the very next line refers to Israeli planes and helicopters bombarding Gaza and the West Bank.

A noteworthy observation is that the Simon Wiesenthal Center (among others) quickly condemned the murder of the Palestinian teen. In contrast, the mother of one of the alleged murderers of the Israeli teens said she was proud to be the mother of a martyr. Her definition of a martyr is one who gives one's life to kill Jews. While the deaths of the Israeli teens didn't cause any riots, the Palestinian teen's death was quickly attended with massive riots and more rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and Fatah. That's why Israel retaliated.

Another important contrast that must be noted is that Hamas (as Hezbollah has done in the past) sets up its rocket launchers in civilian areas. This is done to maximize civilian carnage in the event of an Israeli response. In his book Dreams and Visions, Tom Doyle tells the story of Ali, a disillusioned Palestinian Freedom Fighter aspirant. During the 2009 Gaza incursion by Israel he learned that Israel had gone out of its way to warn civilians to get out of the area. Israel's target was Hamas. But Hamas operatives prevented these people from leaving by threatening to shoot them.

Finally, apart from dismissing biblical authority, the writer of the above article has missed the central point of the conflict. One side refuses to recognize the other and wants to destroy it.

It's that simple.

Further resources:

Debunking the Palestine Lie

Prager - The Middle East Problem

Hamas Orders Civilians to Die in Israeli Airstrikes

Hamas Expert at Driving Media Agenda

Dianna Buttu grilled by CNN

Why is Israel fighting with Gaza again?