So many people oppose Israel as a nation...as a land.

But it's so clearly evidence that God is not done with Israel, and in fact has a special place in His heart for Israel.

In this episode, we dive into one of our favorite chapters of Chris' book, Is God A Zionist, showcasing how the land matters to God and why it points to God indeed being a Zionist.

There are 4 main objections or points of contention for Christian when it comes to holding this view, and we unpack each of those, and then go into the underlying theology behind why this is so hard for people to grasp...basically, that the importance of the physical world has been eroded due to forces like Neoplatonism and Gnosticism.

If you're wondering why it matters that Israel is back in the land, join us.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

1:45 (original 13:59) Why Do So Many Oppose A Jewish People in a Jewish Land?

7:16 Foreign From Christian Storyline

10:07 The New Israel

13:08 Anti-Semitism

18:44 Neoplatonism

25:02 A Non-Biblical View of Heaven

34:35 Israel's Restoration WILL Happen This Way

37:51 The Hope for the Jewish People

45:11 Epic Love Story

Resources:

Buy Is God A Zionist on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04QXsy0r

Buy Is God A Zionist on Restore7: https://www.restore7.org/products/is-god-a-zionist-finding-god-s-story-in-a-world-obsessed-with-israel

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The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/

Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/

Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/

Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/

Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

Today we dive into Chapter 5 of Chris' book, Is God A Zionist, tackling one of the most clear and persuasive arguments for why we hold the position that we do, that God IS a Zionist.

We'll be teasing out Romans 9 through 11, and showing some of the nuance that is often missed in this conversation to prove that replacement theology is NOT what Paul had in mind, and that there is still something extremely important about the Jewish people in God's plans.

This has often been called the apex of argumentation for the Jewish people in Paul's writings, so grab your copy of the book (link below) and listen as you read along to get the full story.

This is THE issue we need to get right as Christians in this time in world history. Make sure you know what you believe, and why.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

2:10 Waterfalls with Yaron

5:16 Why did Paul write about this so specifically to the Romans?

11:09 The Power of Jews' Present Tense Covenental Status

18:12 The Power of God's Election

29:11 The Remnant

34:46 Is the veil lifting?

43:14 Has the Church made the Jews jealous?

48:39 The Olive Tree

58:00 The Mystery

59:30 Who is "All Israel"?

1:08:04 Gifts and Calling

Resources:

Buy Is God A Zionist on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04QXsy0r

Buy Is God A Zionist on Restore7: https://www.restore7.org/products/is-god-a-zionist-finding-god-s-story-in-a-world-obsessed-with-israel

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

This is a raw and real episode, packed with wild stories from 2 Jewish hippies who found the Lord Jesus and gave their life to Him.

John is joined by Elliot Rudell and together they tell story after story about the amazing way God has worked in each of their lives.

Miracles. Revival. Lives saved (physically and spiritually). Woodstock.

You won't find a conversation like this very often, ESPECIALLY one that aims to glorify the Lord.

Join us and be encouraged!

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

9:09 Where the Jews fit into the story

13:22 Jewish in Brooklyn

16:33 The 60s

24:23 Revival: God moved in

36:25 Woodstock and getting saved

56:17 The most important thing I've learned

1:00:16 I shouldn't be alive

1:09:10 Prayer

Resources:

Elliot's site - EZ37:28: https://ez3728.com/

Elliot's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2rsOfI2jkuHrbOcvMfd0qt

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Buy Is God A Zionist on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04QXsy0r

Buy Is God A Zionist on Restore7: https://www.restore7.org/products/is-god-a-zionist-finding-god-s-story-in-a-world-obsessed-with-israel

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

If we really want to understand Israel's role in God's plans for the world, and if we want to think clearly about how to approach current-day Israel as Christians, then we need to understand God's covenantal relationship with His people.

In this episode, we break down the 5 major biblical covenants, and explain why they support the restoration of land to Israel, why Israel is still a unique people, distinct from the nations, and how this plays into our own faith in God's promises as believers in Christ.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

1:19 Experiencing Shabbat

8:29 Does God's Promise = God's Fulfillment?

12:54 The First 3 Major Biblical Covenants

18:28 Why Did God Add Conditions?

22:07 The Final 2 Major Biblical Covenants

25:12 The Massive Contradiction of Replacement Theology

34:36 Daniel's Prayer and the Land of Israel

40:22 The Remnant

43:08 Why Gentile Believers Should Not Be Proud Toward Jews

47:11 When You Disconnect Christianity From Judaism

50:08 People Hate This Idea

57:20 Main Takeaways

Resources:

Buy Is God A Zionist on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04QXsy0r

Buy Is God A Zionist on Restore7: https://www.restore7.org/products/is-god-a-zionist-finding-god-s-story-in-a-world-obsessed-with-israel

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Stop, in the Name of God by Charlie Kirk (Charlie's book on the Sabbath): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPPV48PB/

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

This isn't a subject best left to theologians in seminaries...this is something that impacts how everyday Christians see the world around them - specifically the Jews and Israel - and how they obey and follow God.

In this episode, we'll talk about Replacement Theology - what it is, where it came from, who believes it, and why i don't think it's a tenable position to hold in light of the world around us today.

We'll use Chris' new book, Is God A Zionist to help guide our discussion (make sure you pick up a copy at the links below!), and get into just how big of an impact this has had on the world and Jews in particular, and why we have to make sure we do NOT hold on to this mistaken theology.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

1:46 Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress

6:21 Deep Division

11:32 Does This Top The Stupid List?!

16:51 Replacement Theology and Fulfillment Theology

20:07 The 3 Beliefs Replacement Theology is Built Upon

23:36 Ecclesia et Synagoga

26:23 The Fruit of Replacement Theology

29:19 Would the Holocaust Have Happened Without Replacement Theology?

34:41 Rebranding

39:07 Extreme vs Moderate Replacement Theology

46:54 Combatting the 3 Main Beliefs of Replacement Theology

57:52 Neglecting The Witness of the Church Fathers?

1:01:20 Is This Theological Mistake Being ALLOWED By God?

1:10:45 The Most Important Takeaways

Resources:

Order Is God A Zionist on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04QXsy0r

Order Is God A Zionist on Restore7: https://www.restore7.org/products/is-god-a-zionist-finding-god-s-story-in-a-world-obsessed-with-israel

Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress: https://jczcongress.com/

Arise: https://ariseforisrael.com/

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

John and Chris dive into the second chapter of Chris' upcoming book, "Is God A Zionist?", unpacking the split between the Jews and the Church in the 1st century...this time from the Christian perspective (check out the previous episode on the Jewish response)

There are 5 major events that really solidified the "divorce" between Jews and Gentiles, and eventually the Church itself, and we spend a lot of time going through those events.

And guys, the reason for this is simple:

If Christians are not adequately catechized and shown how we ended up where we are today, specifically regarding the Jewish people, history says we'll become anti-semitic.

You can even see it happening today.

And as John says in this episode, hatred of the Jewish people is ultimately hatred of God.

Join us to truly understand the story of Israel and the Church, and answer the question...Is God A Zionist?

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

1:44 The Hospitality of Jews and Gentiles

5:57 My 3 favorite churches in Israel

9:17 Mocking "Judeo-Christian Values"?

13:41 The 5 major events that entrenched the divorce between Jews and Gentiles

17:19 What happens in AD 70 and 135

20:27 Canon challenges

24:07 The Apocalypse of Peter

25:38 The School of Alexandria

30:55 Constantine and Rome

34:31 The Great Divorce - The Council of Nicea

39:03 Christians against Jews

51:23 Pray for Chris

52:19 The main points to take away

Resources:

Part 1: The Jewish Response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVA7sJs_jVk

The God of Israel and Christian Theology by Kendall Soulen: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0800628837/

Is God A Zionist? Book: https://www.presentwitness.org/igaz (March 10 Release Date!)

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

This is a wide ranging, thorough, and deep intellectual conversation I had with Dr. Gerald McDermott, scholar, Anglican priest, and author of dozens of books and papers.

We covered a couple of his books and the implications thereof, including A New History of Redemption, his continuation of Jonathan Edwards' book of a similar name, and The New Christian Zionism.

Dr. McDermott explains how history and theology are inseparable as we look at God's story of redemption for His glory, and then discusses Christian Zionism from many different angles, giving what I think you'll find to be well-reasoned arguments, including a couple of points that I hadn't come across before.

If you're hungry for more truth and understanding about God's plans for the world, for Israel, and for the Jews, this wide-ranging conversation will give you countless threads to explore, and even a challenge at the end: to maintain intellectual and theological humility.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

3:18 A New History of Redemption

11:38 Translating the tetragrammaton

15:11 Historical framework

18:06 The Redemption of God

24:51 How Redemption Glorifies God

34:50 The Story Before Time

43:19 God Disinheriting the Nations

47:51 How the Jews and Israel Play A Part In Redemption History

51:12 World Religions Playing a Role In Redemption

53:47 How God Works Through Different Denominations

56:24 The Reformation

59:48 Why Does The Kingdom of God Have To Come Incrementally?

1:02:24 The Church and Israel

1:11:24 The New Christian Zionism

1:16:27 Dispensationalism

1:22:33 Amillenial Theologians and Israel

1:26:27 Is The Modern State of Israel The Same As The Biblical State of Israel?

1:28:46 Covenantal Fidelity

1:33:35 How Should Christians View The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

1:36:05 The Greatest Threat To Christian Zionism

Resources:

A New History of Redemption by Gerald McDermott: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801098548/

The New Christian Zionism by Gerald McDermott: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830851380/

The God of Israel and Christian Theology by Kendall Soulen: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0800628837/

A History of the Work of Redemption by Jonathan Edwards: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0923WHRWF/

Other Books By Dr. McDermott: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gerald-R.-McDermott/author/B001HP188A

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/

John and Chris dive into the first chapter of Chris' upcoming book, "Is God A Zionist?", unpacking the split between the Jews and the Church in the 1st century.

In order to understand the answer to the question the book poses, and even to understand what happens between Christians and Jews after the first couple of centuries AD, it's vital to understand the background, the politics, the demographics, and the history around both Christians and Jews after Christ's ascension.

This episode covers the Jewish response specifically, in the first 150-200 years after Christ, and will give you a stronger understanding of the early church and what happens next.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

2:22 The Parting of the Ways

4:33 "The whole of our hope..."

7:23 Israel's demographics blew my mind

10:48 Christianity In Israel

12:30 The early church

16:30 John The Baptist

23:05 Did the Jews reject Jesus?

28:08 The original, "true" church

31:09 Expansion from Jewish to Gentiles

40:41 4 major Jewish sects

46:32 70 and 135 AD

52:25 2 main expressions of Judaism

55:52 The primary takeaway

Resources:

Is God A Zionist? by Chris Kuehl: https://www.presentwitness.org/igaz

Comments? Questions? Encouragement? We are here for it. Shoot us a text and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

• The Israel Story: https://www.theisraelstory.org/
• Present Witness: https://www.presentwitness.org/
• Israel Story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelStoryApp/
• Present Witness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apresentwitness/
• Chris's Substack: https://christopherkuehl.substack.com/