Eric Casagrande (17 Oct 2007)
"John Hagee"

Hi John & All:

I am somewhat troubled in spirit over a recent development which has come to my attention, concerning a stance being taken by John Hagee. In some of his recent programs Hagee touts a book just put out, in which he denies that Jesus was the Messiah.

Now please don't get me wrong. I love the Jewish people. I weep at what they went through both during the Crusades and the Holocaust. Without any doubt they were absolutely horrible events. When the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, unbiblically removed the Jewish people from their homes in the Gaza strip community of Gush Katif, in August 2005, I showed my support for them by giving a financial gift to assist in the needs of the displaced Jews. As well, I pray daily for the Nation of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem. Further it is my belief that the land of Israel belongs only to the Jewish people, exclusive of the so-called palestinans, due to an everlasting covenant between God and the Jewish people.

Now having said all that ....

In an effort to placate the Jewish people, Hagee has felt the need to castigate modern-day Christians, sometimes not so subtly blaming them for the events of both the Holocaust and the Crusades - neither of which happened to occur in my lifetime. But in all fairness that was not a big problem for me, since I do see an educational value for Christians, in understanding the Jews perception of us because of what their ancestors experienced.

No problem. Totally understandable.

Where I do have a very serious problem however, is when Hagee in his efforts to reach out to the Jewish audience, now denies Jesus as the Messiah. In the video link below, Hagee says that:

- The Jewish people as a whole did not reject Jesus as the Messiah.

- Jesus did not come to Earth to be the Messiah.

- Jesus refused, in both word and deed, to be the Messiah.

- The Jews cannot be blamed for not accepting what was not offered.

Contrary to Hagee's teachings that Jesus was not the Messiah, please allow me to point out what is written in the Book of Daniel, concerning Him:

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going

forth of the commandment to restore and to build

Jerusalem unto the MESSIAH the Prince shall be

seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the

street shall be built again, and the wall, even in

troublous times."

- Daniel 9: 25

"And after threescore and two weeks shall MESSIAH

be cut off, but not for himself ..."

Daniel 9: 26

Here we have two very clear references from the Old Testament no less, that gives the timeline to the crucifixion of Jesus, and calling Him the MESSIAH. The Hebrew word, twice used in these verses and without misunderstanding, is MASHIACH.

Furthermore, there is at least yet another Old Testament reference that points to Jesus as the Messiah during His first advent, and from which Jesus quoted in the Gospel of Luke (see Luke 4: 18-19):

"The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because

the LORD hath anointed me to preach the good

tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind

up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the

captives, and the opening of the prison to them

that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD ..."

- Isaiah 61: 1 - 2

The word anointed used here, is the Hebrew word MASHACH, which is the root of the Hebrew word MASHIACH.

But let's move on now to the New Testament, addressing Hagee's teaching that Jesus never called Himself the Messiah. In case you are not aware, the Greek word for Messiah is "CHRIST" (Messiah; Anointed One).

"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered, and said unto him,

Thou are the CHRIST, the Son of the Living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed

art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath

not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which

is in heaven."

- Matthew 17: 15 - 17

There was also this conversation that took place, shortly after the arrest of our Lord, in which He openly acknowledged that He was the Messiah:

"But he held his peace, and answered nothing.

Again the high priest asked him, and said unto

him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son

of man sitting on the right hand of power, and

coming upon the clouds of heaven."

- Mark 14: 61 - 62

This next conversation, in which Jesus aknowledges Himself as the Messiah, took place just three days after His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus:

"Then he [Jesus] said unto them, O fools, and

slow of heart to believe all that the prophets

have spoken:

Ought not the Christ to have suffered these

things, and to enter into his glory?

Then opened he their understanding, that they

might understand the scriptures.

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and

thus it behoved Christ to suffer; and to rise

from the dead the third day ...."

- Luke 24: 25-26, 45-46

These are just a drop in the bucket, in terms of scripture verses referencing Jesus as the Messiah. Without going on endlessly, allow me two final quotes on this matter, the first a warning from the Word of God:

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus

is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth

the Father and Son."

- 1 John 2: 22

The second is a blessing concerning this matter:

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ

is born of God: and every one that loveth him that

begat loveth him also that is begotten of him."

- 1 John 5: 1

Hagee's position that Jesus was not the Messiah, is clearly at odds with the Word of the Living God. If he is making a play on words to please the Jewish members of his audience, then he is treading an extremely dangerous line.

I for one would never financially support anyone denying Jesus as Messiah.

Just click the link below and then scan down the page and click again within the picture area of the video player.

http://threshingfloor.onevoicemm.net/weblog/?p=868

See ya in the air,

Eric