On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend

By Timothy P. Weber

Book Overview

Examines dispensationalism, the evangelical relationship with Israel, and how it affects American politics regarding the Middle East. This book is intended for those who are interested in American-Israeli relations, history, theology, and politics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801031427
• ISBN13: 9780801031427
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Simply a Must-Read for Evangelical Christians

Perhaps one of the single most devastating errors pervading evangelical Christianity is its love affair with Israel. It is so deeply engrained into the evangelical psyche that rational discourse on the issue is often impossible (note the reviewer who concluded the author must be questioning his own faith). This love affair springs from an aberrant eschatological system known as dispensationalism. This interpretation of the Bible's end times scenario is vogue in 21st century America but was unknown to Christendom for over 1800 years. It is a significant departure from historical, orthodox Christianity (I write this as an evangelical Christian myself, for those who may question my insider credentials). Never mind that its proponents have engaged in the kind of time tabling and newspaper theology that Jesus Himself forbids (e.g., despite Hal Lindsey's repeated discredited predictions, he still commands a respected following within evangelicalism...). Saddam is dead now so he must not be the anti-Christ. Maybe its Ahmadinejad???!!! Wake up, Christendom. Return to a historically and biblically sound eschatology. Begin by reading this book to help uncover the predicament in which dispensationalism has landed us.

A historical overview of dispensationalism.

I found this book to be informative and well researched. The author examines the diversity of premillenialist's beliefs as well as dispensational beliefs. The key issue in "On the road to Armageddon" is their support for the state of Israel,particularly in light of their Biblical interpretation of Armageddon. Some of the highlights for me were: The Plymouth Brethren. Who they were and the manipulation of the crucifixion date in relation to Artaxerxe's decree. The source of the rapture theory. Most likely from Margaret MacDonald, a "prophetess" from Scotland. John Darby's oppurtunism as an early proponent of the rapture theory. "According to recent theory,Darby returned home totally against the so-called outpouring of the Holy Spirit but convinced that Maragaret MacDonald's view of the rapture was true."-page 24. Premillenialism as well as postmillenialism and other branches of eschatological belief are based on interpretation of Scripture. This paves the way for "proof texting",cherry-picking and avoidance of interpreting Scripture while considering context. The effect that "higher criticism" had on strenghening the dispensational movement. The origin of identifying Scriptural "Gog" as Russia and why it is very likely wrong. The Presbyterian church's missionary work among Jews between the World Wars draws a striking paralell to messianic judaism of today. Retaining Biblical holy days and Old Testament law(Torah) while accepting Yehusha as Savior or Messiah. The author provided a historical overview of messianic judaism as well. This is the first I have read of a potential,future "bloodless" temple. I find it hypocritical that any Christian would advocate a future temple that would reinstate animal sacrifice. An excellent book on the subject. "Forcing God's Hand" by Grace Halsell is another very good book on the subject,but I would recommend this book more.

The Strange Christian-Israeli Alliance.

Timothy Weber has written a fascinating theological/political history in his book, _On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend_. It covers a strange and often neglected alliance between a subset of Christian Protestant evangelicals (specifically, "dispensationalists") and the political aspirations of Zionism and Israeli expansionism in the Middle East. It also covers in detail related topics such as evangelical missions to convert Jews in the US, Messianic Judaism, Jews for Jesus, popular works of dispensationalist literature, Israeli tours in the Holy Land, and charities formed to Russian Jews in Palestine. Dispensationalist theology developed in the 19th century at the hand of a British minister, John Darby, who carried his message to the United States. The dispensationalist method of Bible interpretation owes greatly to the Scofield Reference Bible (1908). Central to dispensationalist theology is the idea that God has dealt with humanity in a series of "dispensations" where man has been judged based on whether or not he has responded to God's demands correctly. After Christ, believers are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus and may attain to resurrection from the dead and heavenly glories. Central to God's plans for humanity in this age, as Weber focuses on in this book, is the return of Jews to Palestine. In order for Christ to return, the Antichrist needs to set up a one world government and command himself to be worshipped as God in the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem. The Antichrist will persecute Jews who will in turn come to recognize Christ as their savior and repent of their unbelief. In the interim, an estimated two-thirds of Israel will be destroyed by the ravages of the Antichrist. However, believing Christians will not have to suffer this persecution because they will be "raptured" before the global strife (Tribulation) begins. After Christ returns he will set up a millennial kingdom in Israel as the Jewish Messiah in literal fulfillment of such prophecies found in Ezekiel and Revelation. Dispensationalists are reactionaries against theological liberalism and are not connected to established Christian churches. Many of their pastors base their ministries on charisma and preaching rather than institutional authority. Many have built up huge media-ecclesiastical enterprises in the past thirty years. The most popular of the early dispensationalist book was of course the _Scofield Reference Bible_ and a number of books from the early 1900s, many of which dealt with coming destruction of the world, political conspiracies and Jesus' eminent return. In the later 1900s, dispensationalist publications such as Hal Lindsey's _The Late Great Planet Earth_ (1970) and the _Left Behind_ series (late 1990s/early 2000s) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins sold tens of millions of copies. Other notable dispensationalist enterprises include John Hagee's 17,000-member Cornerstone Church in Dallas Texas and P

Must Read

For anyone trying to understand how Israel/Palestine came to be, the story is in here. I'm not finished with the book yet, but have read the chapters on the history of how the occupation started up through the early 1970's. From what I've read of the remaining, I'm not sure I can agree with the previous review. I understand the dispensationalists to be a specific 'sect' if you will of the evangelical right, not entirely binary, but I don't understand all evangelicals to be dispensationalists. Hoping this doesn't confuse people... Dispensationalist was a new word for my vocabulary with this book. My own reaction to the whole concept of dispensationalists is disturbing, and I read the parts of the book I have with disbelief. Humbling, how much I don't know! I was put in that place, for sure! This book should be read by any who have the slightest interest and feel the need to know more about the conflict in the middle east.

An introduction to the strange world of dispensationalism

This book is essentially an analysis American Dispensational Evangelicalism's relationship with the modern state of Israel. As one who is a) not a Jew, b) not American and c) not an evangelical this book was an excellent introduction to what is often a complex and irritating relationship. On the road to Armageddon is split into three discernible sections. The first offers a survey of dispensationalism and its changing theological emphases (eg. the move from being apolitical to being members of the Moral Majority) as well as offering an survey of recent popularizations (Such as "The Late Great Planet Earth" and the "Left Behind" series. The second analyses the history of the role of Israel in dispensationalism's understanding of prophecy both pre and post 1948 (the (re?)founding of Israel) and their approach to Jewish proselytism and finally the third is an overview how the contemporary Israeli state and dispensationalists have actively promoted each other for their own ends. Each section constitutes a comprehensive survey that is at times congratulatory as well as critical that is clearly written and hence accessible to those (like myself) who are novices in the subject area. My only negative comments are firstly that it does not seem apparent that dispensationalism is synonymous with evangelicalism. I am certainly aware that this is not the case beyond the USA but also suspect this is true within it (the book hints at as much in the closing two chapters). It may seem like pedantry but I think this is the overriding non-Christian (and non-evangelical) media perception and Christian scholars perpetuate this then it is only harmful to how Christianity is portrayed. Weber may be unwittingly advancing the myth that conservative Christianity is synonymous with the hordes of prophecy obsessed tele-evangelists. I am not a conservative but am well aware that there is many in evangelicalism that should be afforded respect (Weber himself for example). Secondly, on a number of occasions throughout the text the issue of Christianity's relationship with Judaism surfaced particularly the extent to which Jewish religious identity is crucial to what makes a person a Jew. This seems to me to be an issue of paramount importance for Christians to consider and yet a substantive answer is lacking in the book. Overall however this is definitely worth considering.