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In her book Forcing God’s Hand, Grace Halsell very clearly documents why millions of evangelical Christians worldwide pray for a quick rapture and destruction of planet earth.

Halsell explains how the dispensational Armageddon theology has affected U.S. policy since President Harry Truman’s political involvement in recognizing Palestine as a Jewish state in 1948. Many American Christians declared that this event was fulfillment of biblical prophecy. At the time, Halsell and her father were taught and believed that to be true; so did my father and I (Bishop A. Wilson Phillips).

In recognizing a Jewish state, Truman pleased the vocal evangelical Christians and gained their vote. However, Truman and his political supporters “negated the voices of tens of millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world who opposed driving Palestinians from their homeland.”

Today, God’s Holy Spirit is speaking to many Christians about the reform of biblical end-time teaching that could well alleviate unhealthy fear and needless suffering that is being fueled by the popular dispensational Armageddon theology. Secondarily, a change in end-time teaching could help congressional leaders be better stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars. In matters of truth, Christians and Jews alike could be set back on the right course.

Halsell documents how the highly vocal televangelists (Pentecostal, Charismatic, and non-Charismatic) are in a “strange alliance” with dispensational congressional leaders in Armageddon theology. Here’s a list of a few of the highly visible Christian leaders: Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Paul Crouch (Trinity Broadcasting Network), Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (authors of the Left Behind books), and major Assemblies of God and Baptist constituents worldwide. Falwell says, “There are 70 million of us, and if there’s one thing that brings us together quickly it’s whenever we begin to detect our government becoming a little anti-Israel” (60 Minutes, Oct. 6, 2002).

Halsell documents many of the “strange marriages” between politicians, the Christian right, and Israel. They don’t like each other, but they use one another. Religion and politics makes strange bedfellows. Now you may wonder what my point is. Here it comes as a prophetic voice of a compassionate social conservative.

God’s Holy Spirit spoke these words into my spirit, “Whoever controls the language controls the culture.” The pen is mightier than the sword; words are more powerful than bombs. The words that are in opposition to the truth of God’s Word will find themselves opposing God Himself. This is true whether spoken in innocence or with a rebellious spirit.

God’s Holy Spirit is grieved when corrupt or inaccurate communication comes out of our hearts. God’s Word says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:10). We hear His voice in silence, not in noise. Truth must be spoken in love. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

God requires all of His covenant people to be good stewards of their talents, time, money, and human resources. Dispensational Armageddon theology is squandering all of the above.

I highly recommend Grace Halsell’s challenge to all of us who care and desire to know the truth. Grace Halsell’s book Forcing God’s Hand can be obtained from Amana publications.

Book Information

Forcing God's Hand
Grace Halsell
© 1999 by Grace Halsell
Paperback - 164 pages
$12.00

In her startling book, Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture and the Destruction of Planet Earth, Grace Halsell explores the danger of a new religious doctrine sweeping America. Adherents to this doctrine are said to constitute the fastest growing movement in Christianity today. The cult members look like your average next- door neighbors. They are middle to upper-class Americans. Its leaders proclaim that God wants—even demands—that Planet Earth be destroyed in our generation.

Fundamentalist Evangelicals believe there will be catastrophic events on earth, some occurring already, including the turmoil in the Middle East, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon in which Christ will triumph and begin ruling the earth. At this point, they believe, non-believers will be destroyed, good Christians saved and any remaining Jews converted to Christianity. By praying for their Rapture and the End of Time, might they Force the Hand of God--to bring it about?

"What's the number-one item on the agenda of the Christian right? Abortion? School prayer? No and no. Believe it or not, what's most important to a lot of conservative Christians is the Jewish state, Israel; its size, its strength, its survival. Why so?" CBS 60 Minutes (read inside)

"God save us from these people," Yossi Alpher, Israeli political analyst, to CBS 60 Minutes.

"A great expose' of the strange marriage of convenience between the U.S. Christian Right and Israel. Neither likes the other- but they use one another. It's not about religion, but about politics. I highly recommend this book for exposing the hypocrisy." Dr. Alfred Lilienthal, Author-Historian

"Halsell exposes Falwell's Christian tours as having only one purpose: to raise money for Falwell and Israel, under the guise of preparing the pilgrims for the approaching Armageddon. An excellent book." Gore Vidal, Author

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface: The Beginning  vii

1. The Popularity of Armageddon Theology  3

Israel — Center Stage

2. What Is Armageddon? 15

3. The Gog-Magog Wars  23

4. Who Is the Antichrist?  27

5. What Is the Rapture? 33

6. Who Qualifies for the Rapture? 39

7. Brad and his Scofield Bible  45

Jerusalem — Center Stage

8. Jerusalem in History 55

9. Invisible Christians 59

10. Siege on a Mosque 63

The Christian Right - Israel and American Jews

11. The Christian Right - and Anti-Semitism 77

12. The Christian Right - and American Jews 83

The Christian Right - and Politics

13.   The Christian Right - and Middle East Politics 89

14. The Christian Right — and Domestic Politics 99

Epilogue

The Character of Our God 113

What Christians Don't Know About Israel 116

Israeli Extremists & Christian Fundamentalists 123

Review of The Thirteenth Tribe 127

Destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque 131

Appendices

A.   Falwell brands Mohammed a “Terrorist” 137
(Summary of CBS - 60 Minutes Program)

B.   Zion's Christian Soldiers  143
(Transcript of CBS - 60 Minutes Program)

Glossary 153

Bibliography 157

Index 161

Grace Halsell (1923-2000) served President Lyndon Johnson as his speech writer for three years. She covered both Korea and Vietnam as a journalist and wrote for newspapers in the U.S., South America, Europe, Russia, China, Japan and the Middle East. She wrote fourteen books among them the well-received Soul Sister, Prophecy and Politics: Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear War, Journey to Jerusalem and The Illegals.