Darrell Bock in Israel

Interesting thoughts on his tour here in Israel and a lecture directed at Israel's future to Palestinian Christians - see especially

My topic was the land. I was asked in because they knew I held to a future for Israel and that they had a right to the land, which I explained (although I complicated things by also noting the land also belongs to the Messiah [opening up some interesting possibilities for a solution], Israel has responsibility to behave justly [as her Exodus experience was to make her sensitive to foreigners in her midst], and that her house is "desolate" until she responds to her Messiah [secular Israel is not equal to covenant beneficiary Israel]).

That last line has been something that I have been pondering over a lot recently.  I think much of the criticism laid at the feet of pre-millenialists (I don't like that "D" word so much) is because of their insistence that Israel (1948-present) is the Israel that Paul talks about in Romans 11 (especially Romans 11:25-36).  While they might "potentially" be God's chosen remnant they are not necessarily a definite fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Meaning that modern Israel as we know it could be wiped clean from the face of the earth and then an ethnic Jewish remnant raised up again for God's eschatological purposes of redemption (obviously this is not something I am hoping for or suggesting will happen). Oh what a blow this loophole shoots in the bubble of "dispensation-Left-Behind-ism!"