Strange bedfellows, or armageddon over easy

Recent headline events, such as the Abramoff scandal that is so closely tied to Tom Delay, and Pat Robertson's insane ramblings, have pointed out a very curious aspect of American politics, the strong support of our generally southern white fundamentalist Christians (those who feel quite comfortable with such expressions as "Jewboy") for Israel.

Now on an individual level, much of it is purely criminal, as felons of a feather (Delay, cracker thief, and Abramoff, Orthodox Jewish thief) steal together. But beyond that, though, is an important aspect of fundamentalist theology at play here that shows that religion mixed with politics makes for very strange bedfellows indeed.

Initially, I must make the following disclaimer. I am no expert on millenial eschatology, and the following (except the scripture quotes) is off the top of my head. I welcome corrections and clarifications.

What we would consider "mainstream" Christian dogma in the United States is amillenial in nature. In other words, the "kingdom of God" is essentially spiritual in nature, with the emphasis on salvation through faith. While the rather ecumenical Nicene Creed (adopted in the 4th century A.D. in response to the Arian "heresy" that claimed that Jesus the son was not of the same essential divinity as God the father) does include the "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead" language, that prospect is not generally viewed as an immediate and temporal event.

On the other hand, we have a particular brand of fundamentalists that embrace a millenial theology. Influenced by the 19th-century Anglo-Irish evangelist John Nelson Darby, this "dispensational" view of scripture sees a very real and temporal "end of days" within the contemplation of a human lifetime. You see it in the notion of the "Rapture" as described "Left Behind" books. In addition to the familiar apocalyptic vision of John's revelation, millenialists look to other sources, such as a passage from Thessalonians:

For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air

and the 7th chapter of the book of Daniel, dramatic stuff such as

A fourth beast appeared, one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. It had two large rows of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns. As I was contemplating the horns, another horn, a small one, came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant things. While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire and its wheels were all aflame. A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him.......I was watching in the night visions, And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed.

Then toss in Jesus' words on the fate of Jerusalem:
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled

To make a long story short, fundamentalists believe that the purge of Israel is a necessary component of the rapture. Israel must occupy its historic lands, the scene will be the setting of Armageddon, and the Jews of israel will either be incinerated or converted to Christianity. They don't care about Israel proper, it is just a piece of their nightmarish jigsaw puzzle--until Israel is "intact" and the temple rebuilt, Jesus isn't coming.

Think about it--an apocalyptic vision of the end of time drawn from an interpretation of scripture that is bizarre to say the least is driving U.S. foreign policy.

Have a nice day.