Christ in the Rubble: A Divine Perspective on the End Times

 

𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒: 𝐴 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑑 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛"

Here is my reflection and thoughts popup after reading the book, it is not the review or overview of the book but some of the writing that provoked my thought. I have given some of quotes of these books down below. 

 

 

 

 

 

𝐄𝐧𝐝-𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞

In a provocative and deeply theological address, Rev. Dr. Isaac Munther, pastor of the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, has issued a stark warning about the spiritual and political landscape of our times. Drawing heavily from biblical prophecy and the teachings of Jesus Christ, Dr. Munther challenges both Zionist and Christian Zionist ideologies, asserting that they have fundamentally misunderstood the nature of Christ and the true identity of Israel.

𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚

Dr. Munther’s words are both poignant and prophetic: “If Jesus were born today, He would be born in Gaza amid the rubble.” This is very true and it evokes the imagery of a Savior who identifies with the suffering, the oppressed, and the marginalized. Just as Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small and insignificant town, so too would He identify with the plight of those in Gaza today. The Bible reminds us, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you for me will come one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2-5).

If Jesus were to come to Israel today, both Zionist and Christian Zionist ideologies would likely crucify Him again. This is because they have misunderstood the true nature of Christ and the identity of Israel. Jesus Himself warned, “They will do these things because they have not known the Father and me” (John 16:3).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞

One of the most contentious issues in modern theology is the rebuilding of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, a project heavily supported by Zionist groups and funded by Christian Zionists. Dr. Munther labels this effort as nothing short of blasphemy and an insult to the finished work of Christ on the cross.

The Bible is clear that with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the old covenant was fulfilled, and the physical Temple was rendered obsolete. Jesus Himself declared, “Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4:21). The Temple, once the symbol of God’s presence, was reduced to rubble in 70 AD, as foretold by Jesus: “Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝

Dr. Munther emphasizes that the true Temple of God is no longer a physical structure but the Church, the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul writes, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

The idea of rebuilding a physical Temple is, therefore, an affront to God’s completed work on the cross. It is a rejection of the spiritual reality that Christ has established. As the Apostle Peter declares, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝-𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Dr. Munther further warns that the rebuilding of the Temple is not of God but is instead linked to the rise of the Antichrist. He notes that many Jews, influenced by Zionist ideologies, are waiting for a messiah who is not the Christ of the New Testament but an imaginary figure of their own making. Similarly, Shia Muslims await an imaginary Mahdi, while Christian Zionists are misled by Dispensational Theology.

The Bible warns of such end-time deceptions: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

Dr. Munther identifies Dispensational Theology as a primary source of end-time deception. This theology, popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible and authors like Hal Lindsey, divides history into distinct “dispensations” and often supports Zionist efforts to rebuild the Temple and establish a Jewish kingdom in Israel.

However, Dr. Munther argues that this theology is deeply flawed and misinterprets the Bible. It promotes a political and humanistic view of Israel rather than recognizing the Church as the true Israel of God. The Apostle Galatians warns against such distortions: “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).

𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡

Dr. Munther’s message is not one of despair but of hope. He urges believers to look at the world from God’s perspective, not through the lens of politically influenced theologies. As the Apostle Paul writes, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

In these end times, when deception is on the rise, the Church must remain vigilant. Jesus warned, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). It is only by staying rooted in the Word of God and trusting in His sovereign plan that we can avoid being led astray.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐷𝑟. 𝐼𝑠𝑎𝑎𝑐 𝑀𝑢𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑎𝑧𝑎, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑍𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡.

𝐴𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠, “𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦” (1 𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 4:7). 𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠.

𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 “𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞”𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝

    “𝑇𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐸𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠.”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑

    “𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟.”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑

    “𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ…𝑆𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦.”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑

    “𝐼𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒, 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑦 𝑖𝑡, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒.”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑
    “𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒. 𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠…𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡, 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑
    “𝐼𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑎𝑧𝑎.”𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑
    “𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑗𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑.”
    𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑.”
    𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤! 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟.” 

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