Thank you, Kevin, for this article! I recently read Pastor Hagee’s book, “Jerusalem Countdown.” Unfortunately, I read it AFTER I signed on to receive news and information from CUFI. As I read the book, I thought I was either too stupid or too old to keep track of all the directions Pastor Hagee was taking me. Turns out, I am neither.

For much of the time, I was horribly confused and many times had to re-read what I had just read. You can believe that I had my Bible out through the whole thing. With my own Scriptural proof at my side, I discovered misquotes, misinterpretations, and twists and turns that left me completely baffled and breathless. The last chapters of the book were, to my mind, awfully close to blasphemy. It’s not for nothing that we are instructed to test everything!

I tossed the book onto the back of my bookshelf, wondering if maybe it shouldn’t go out to the trash instead. Amazed that any author as Bibically well trained and educated as Pastor Hagee could take such liberties and live to tell the tale, I was very dismayed when I realized that he is leading a huge flock the wrong way. There is much he will be held accountable for at the last trump unless he sees the error of his ways and soon.

That said, we are accountable as well. While I will not give Hagee credence again on any matter, the Master instructs us to forgive and to pray for our enemies and for those who would destroy us. It is incumbent upon us (isn’t it?) to pray for this “brother” who is so very badly deceived.

Thanks again, Kevin, for your courage. Na’ahma

I was very struck by a comment you made about that Hagee meant “Yeshua did not come to be the Messiah of Israel, he means, ‘the Messiah who will lead the Jews in their revolt against Rome.”

It is exactly what Hagee means, but also it is exactly the focus of the Christian support that Hagee now rallies for Israel–making the Church a sort of ‘messiah who will lead the Jews in their revolt against’ the political powers of today.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should rally support for Israel in our governments but that focus should not supercede our vision for the salvation of Israel. As someone who advocates for the indigenous ministries of Israel, I can tell you that the focus of Hagee’s followers is definitely NOT ever on the indigenous ministries laboring in the Israel’s harvest.

I believe–in fact, I am hoping–that this controversy is God beginning to break up the wrong focus among Christian Israel supporters (and many Messianics, too, I might add who put politics first and harvest second)to set our priorities in order with His own toward Jews and Israel.

What an awesome Christmas present if this ’tis the season for God to put our eyes on the Messiah’s charge to us in answer to the question, “Lord will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Which was: “It is not for you to know the times or season which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall recieve power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, AND YOU SHALL BE WITNESSES TO ME IN JERUSALEM, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Until Yeshua comes again physically to the earth, we are to be witnesses to Him to Israel, not trying to restore the kingdom to Israel completely prior to His return. This is a little like what King Saul did when he knew he was to wait for Samuel to come offer the sacrifice, but because of the pressure of the people King Saul went ahead and did it. God stripped him of the kingdom that day.

I believe this is going to be a controversy that will separate the Saul’s from the David’s. Saul confessed to Samuel, “I have sinned…because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

John Hagee is ready to bend the gospel over backwards in order to tell Israel in the flesh what it wants to hear. What that does to the 10-15,000 Jewish believers in Israel does not appear to concern him at all. If he has ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, this controversy could turn to great good that will serve the very purposes of God in building the Living Temple in Israel.

Shalom!

Hagee sent Dr. Brown a revised version of the chapter in question, to which Brown responded that the revisions are “entirely cosmetic, similar in nature to the recent email he sent out to the leadership of CUFI in which he stated that he was simply distinguishing between Jesus coming as the suffering Messiah rather than as the reigning Messiah. His central thesis, namely, that ‘The Jews Did Not Reject Jesus as Messiah,’ remains unchanged.”

The UMJC Executives also issued a formal response to Hagee on November 28, 2007. I hope that other Messianic Jewish organizations will follow suit.

Disclaimer: Neither Kevin Geoffrey nor Perfect Word Ministries necessarily endorses other website content presented by the UMJC.

This has been concerning me as well….and thank you so much for taking the time to spell it out. I think I understand your heart on this….this topic is very burdonesome…and yet, its so important to be aware of teaching that is in error. Another verse that comes to mind is John 14:6…Yeshua said to him, “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life, No one comes to the Father except Through ME”….and was HE not speaking to HIS Disciples and the Jews? It seems clear to me.