Hagee vs. Hagee - In His Own Words
Rachel Tabachnick printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Fri May 21, 2010 at 04:29:59 PM EST
Hagee's sermons, books, and media stand in direct contraction to his claims in this week's Forward op-ed.

John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), has an  op-ed this week titled "Why Christian Zionists Really Support Israel" in the Jewish Daily Forward, one of the oldest and most prestigious Jewish publications in the country.   Hagee made the startling claims that Christian Zionists don't support Israel because of the desire to "speed the second coming of Jesus," or to proselytize Jews, and most incredibly, that CUFI is not using its influence to stand in the way of efforts to promote a two-state solution.

Following is a compilation of quotes from John Hagee's books, sermons, and other media, Hagee vs. Hagee; in his own words. For definitions of the terms Rapture, the Tribulation, and "fishers and hunters," in this context, see the box of definitions at the end of this article.

Hagee has played a significant role in politics in recent months, including hosting a televised CUFI event in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the night that Joe Biden arrived in Israel, a repeat of a similar event in 1998, when Jerry Falwell and Hagee gathered Christian Zionists to meet with Netanyahu at the Mayflower Hotel in D.C. to chant "Not one inch, not one inch!" before Netanyahu's meeting with President Bill Clinton.  

For years, Hagee has broadcast to millions globally an end times narrative in which certain prerequisites must be fulfilled in order to bring about the "Rapture," the forced repentance of a remnant of Jews in the "Tribulation," and the beginning of the 1000-year reign of Jesus on earth. John Hagee Ministries Magazine regularly includes forms soliciting donations to "Become a Part of Biblical Prophecy" by funding Jews to move to Israel.  CUFI director Billye Brim has told television audiences that "God prophesizes things in the Bible, but it takes men working with him to bring it about - it takes you!"  Fulfilling their roles as "fishers" Hagee, Brim, and other CUFI directors are luring Jews to the West Bank with swimming pools, sports buildings, and other developments.

Peace in the Middle East
Hagee from the Forward op-ed,
"Another concern that some individuals have expressed is that Christian Zionists will use our influence to stand in the way of efforts to advance a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.  Such a claim is a complete disregard of our record...We have never, and will never, oppose Israeli efforts to advance peace."


"God's Word is very clear! There will be grave consequences for the nation or nations that attempt to divide up the land of Israel... This is not a time to provoke God and defy Him to pour out judgment on our nation for being a principal in the division of the land of Israel."
-John Hagee, Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World, (Lake Mary, FL:  Frontline, A Strang Company, 2006) p. 194.
Note that in 2007 a revised version was published titled Jerusalem Countdown: A Prelude to War with different pagination.

"To give up more land for peace, Joel 3:2, says any nation that tries to get Israel to divide my land, I will bring it into judgement,  I want those of you in the State Department and in Washington to hear this.  If America does not stop pressuring Israel to give up land I believe that God will bring this nation into judgement because I believe what this book says.  And if God brings this nation into judgement he will very likely release the terrorist that you've already let here  through the ridiculous immigration policy that you refuse to stop and this nation is going to go through a blood bath that you have permitted because of what you have done."
Video

"We know this battle over Israel will occur, and I believe it will result in the Antichrist's stepping in to offer Israel and it's enemies a seven-year peace treaty.  We also know the church will be taken away before the Antichrist is revealed.  However, we cannot unequivocally say whether the church will be snatched up before or after Russia's attack upon Israel."
-John Hagee, Attack on America: New York, Jerusalem, and the Role of Terrorism in the Last Days  (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001) p. 145

"The war between America and Iraq is the gateway to the apocalypse... Bible prophecy is absolutely accurate.  God knows the future and has revealed it in great detail in the Bible. During this series , you will receive a guided tour of the future."
-Case Cover of Hagee's sermon series "Iraq: The Final War," 2003 Sermon Series

"We also know the Antichrist will enter the world stage with a reputation of being a powerful man of peace.  Perhaps he will be a Nobel Peace Prize winner."
-John Hagee, Daniel to Doomsday: The Countdown Has Begun, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) p. 190.

"Our help is not going to come from Washington... Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of the state of Israel.  It has been for 3000 years...World leaders do not have the authority to tell Israel and the Jewish people what they can and cannot do in the city of Jerusalem. They do not have the authority to tell them what they can and can not build, or who can and can not live there...Israel does not exist because of a decree by the United Nations in 1948... the settlements represent 1.5% of the real estate in Judea and Samaria.  The settlers are not the problem."
-Hagee, prior to introducing Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Jerusalem CUFI event March 8, 2010, the day of Vice President Joe Biden's arrival in Israel. Link to video. The entire two hour internationally televised video can still be viewed at God TV.

A fifteen minute film was shown at the event honoring donations from CUFI and John Hagee Ministries to Israel including:

Im Tirtzu
Renewal of the Jewish Settlement in Shomron
Friends of Gush Katif
Christian Friends of Israeli Communities
Community Center of Efrat (The John and Diana Hagee Lovingkindness Center)
Ariel

"In modern terms, Israel rightfully owns all of present-day Israel, all of Lebanon, half of Syria, two-thirds of Jordan, all of Iraq, and the northern portion of Saudi Arabia."
-John Hagee, The Battle for Jerusalem,  (Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001) p. 236.

Lancaster Online reporting April 22,2010 on John Hagee Ministries Rally and Prophecy Seminar at the Lancaster County Convention Center:
The day after Britain's Advertising Standards Authority said the Western Wall in Jerusalem could not be used in Israeli tourism ads in Britain because it is considered occupied territory, Hagee said, the volcano erupted, shutting down Britain's economy in one day.

"That's coincidence, like the flood was a coincidence. That's coincidence, like the Red Sea was coincidence. That's coincidence, like the earthquake and the Resurrection was coincidence," Hagee told about 3,200 people at Lancaster County Convention Center on Thursday night as part of John Hagee Ministries' Rally and Prophecy Seminar.

"Obama shunned Netanyahu and let the prime minister sit there by himself while he ate with his family. He was trying to pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem," Hagee said.
"But God is the president of Jerusalem, not the U.S. Jerusalem is the city of God.

God made a covenant with Abraham 3,500 years ago, a blood covenant that there will be one Jerusalem then, one Jerusalem now and one Jerusalem forever," Hagee said.  A blood covenant is more binding than family ties, he said, because of the "precious blood of Jesus, the kinsman redeemer."  The land belongs to Israel because of the covenant and "any country who tries to change that will get the judgment of God," Hagee said. "It's like sticking your finger in the eye of God."
 

End Times Prophecy

Hagee from the Forward Op-Ed,
"Some worry that our efforts are motivated by a desire to convert Jews.  Others posit that our Zionism is tied to an effort to speed the second coming of Jesus.  Both of these allegations are flat wrong. ...Regarding the other allegation, the fact is that the vast majority of Christian Zionists and Evangelicals do not believe there is anything that we can do to hasten the second coming of Jesus."


"We are the terminal generation that will see the coming of Jesus Christ..."
-John Hagee, "Prophecy for the 21st Century" sermon series

"Can America Survive: 10 Prophetic Signs That We Are The Terminal Generation" -John Hagee's new book, due to be released June 29, 2010

Hagee, on the purposes for the seven years of Tribulation and rule of the anti-Christ, which he teaches is imminent:
 "There are several purposes, and the first is to bring Israel to the place where she will recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah. ...A second purpose of the Tribulation is to judge the Gentile nations for their efforts to exterminate the nation of Israel....A third purpose of the Tribulation is to allow a Christ-rejecting world to personally experience the sorrow and suffering created by Satan's evil empire.  Just as salt preserves meat, the world has been preserved by faithful Christian living in it, but after the Rapture all Christians will be gone.  The Holy Spirit will no longer be restraining the forces of evil.  A fourth purpose for the Tribulation if for God's wrath to be poured out on all who have rejected the gospel. Physical suffering will be so great that men will want to die, but they cannot."
-John Hagee, From Daniel to Doomsday (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) p. 168 -169.

"I know this has been a gut-twisting walk through the brutal pages of the history of Israel and the Church. But as prophesied, a remnant of Israel has been preserved through great tribulation. With the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, the stage is now set for the final days before the Kingdom of God is established on earth! Are you ready?

The battle for Jerusalem has begun. God the Father wants Jerusalem for the throne of His Son Jesus Christ to rule the earth during the millennial reign. Satan (who deceives by imitating the Father) wants Jerusalem as the throne for his messiah - the Antichrist. The stage is set for the Antichrist's appearing and he will solve the Jerusalem dilemma. The urgency for every believer is this: before the Antichrist appears, the Church must be raptured. This means that Jesus could appear any minute! Are you ready? This exciting series races you toward the coming of Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven with an urgent message to believers and unbelievers alike. ARE YOU READY?"
-Promotion for John Hagee's "Battle for Jerusalem" video set advertised for $40US/$52 CAN, John Hagee Ministries Magazine March/April 2001

"Israel and Jerusalem are about to enter a dark hour of suffering in which God personally comes to their defense.....And not only the Jews will suffer during the Tribulation; the entire world will suffer the judgments of God.... The 144,000 Jews who are sealed as witnesses immediately after the Rapture will be granted divine protection so that they may be preserved during the time of Tribulation... The Millennium will be a great time of rejoicing for God's people.  Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, will regather, regenerate, and restore faithful Israel.  He will call the remnant hiding in Petra and welcome them back to Jerusalem."
-John Hagee, Attack on America:  New York, Jerusalem, and the Role of Terrorism in the Last Days, (Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2001) p. 230-233

"What's happening in the Middle East?  What's about to happen in the city of Rome?  What's about to happen in Israel?  This series has four sermons.  The first is the great escape.  In this sermon I tell you why we are the terminal generation that will see the coming of Jesus Christ.  I give you ten bible reasons that none can deny as bible truth.  Get this sermon in the hands of every unbeliever you know.

The second sermon, the Great Tribulation.  In this sermon I describe the seven year period following the rapture of the church when the anti-Christ will rule the earth.   I give you 21 facts of unspeakable terror for those who have rejected his son and his gospel."  
-Hagee, advertising his sermon series Prophecy for the 21st Century marketed with a free chart in 2005 for $24US/$31CAN for audio and $70US/$91CAN for video or DVD.

Proselytizing
Hagee in the Forward op-ed:
"The first rule adopted by Christians United for Israel was that there would be no proselytizing at our events. CUFI exists only to honor and support the Jewish people, never to convert them."

It may be true that there is no direct proselytizing at CUFI events, nevertheless, CUFI directors have made use of their close ties with Israeli to gain access to Jewish communities and to promote the support of Messianic communities and ministries. (Jews who have converted to Christianity but still claim to be Jews and retain some Jewish ritual and custom.)

"Your gift to support the ongoing work of Maoz Israel Ministries enables us to continue on our mission - to bring the Good News of the Gospel of Messiah to the people of Israel until ALL ISRAEL IS SAVED!"
Quote on website of Maoz Israel, a Messianic ministry in Tel Aviv, showing endorsement of :

John and Diana Hagee
Michael and Becky Little (Michael Little is a CUFI Director)
Robert and Ana Stearns  (Robert Stearns is a CUFI Director)
Pat and Dede Robertson

Link to webpage.
Also see article.

CUFI director Stephen Strang:

Stephen Strang of Strang Communications publishes the leading charismatic evangelical magazine Charisma. The May 2008 issue, in honor of Israel's 60th birthday, featured numerous bios of missionaries and Messianics working to convert Jews in Israel.

"In this issue, we offer a look at the Christian peacemakers who are taking the gospel of Jesus Christ not only to Jews and Muslims but also to Russian and Ethiopian immigrants, prisoners, unwed mothers, drug addicts and tourists who visit this unique land. We hope that when you visit Israel you will look beyond the stone monuments, churches and biblical sites to discover the people of faith who are transforming the land."

The magazine lobbies for churches to support Messianic ministries.  From the September 30, 2008 issue, under the heading "Ways to Bless Israel:"

"Evangelize in Tel Aviv with Dugit Messianic Outreach Center."

"The mission of the center is that of its founder, Avi Mizrachi, who since he was saved in the 1980s has been compelled to fearlessly reach out to lost Israelis in his hometown of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Mizrachi pastors Adonai Roi (The Lord Is My Shepherd) congregation and runs the Agape Distribution Center, which provides for the needs of the indigent in the city.

Long- and short-term volunteers support Dugit in its mission to saturate Tel Aviv with Jesus' love. Though there is no structured outreach, teams can arrange their own ventures into the streets or work at one of Dugit's other programs--the Gospel Café, a weekly music concert or the distribution center."

CUFI director Stephen Strang in the April 29, 2009 issue of Charisma:

"I was recently asked to help find pastors who'd like to visit the Holy Land.  The Israel Ministry of Tourism is willing to fly pastors who meet certain criteria to Israel free of charge."

CUFI director Robert Stearns:

"It is truly amazing then, with all the hostility of the past, to find that we are living today in the midst of the rebirth of the Messianic Jewish movement... Our elder brother is risen from the dead!  In eighteen hundred years of church history, there has been virtually no sizable response to Yeshua - Jesus - from the Jewish people.....Dr. Daniel Juster is another sovereign vessel the Lord has raised up to pioneer this End-Time move of the Lord."
-Robert Stearns, Prepare the Way (Creation House, Strang Communications Company, 1999)

Stearns has held many of his CUFI events, including ones with Israeli and Jewish guests, at Calvary Tabernacle in Cranford, New Jersey, which sponsors Dugit Messianic Outreach Ministry, listed above.

CUFI director Robert Stearns is co-founder of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, an annual event advertised as held in 300,000 churches last year.  The other co-founder of the international event is Jack Hayford, chancellor of the King's Seminary and its "Jewish Voice" division, which trains Messianics "to best reveal Yeshua to all Israel."

Respect for Judaism
Hagee from op-ed,
"But we also believe in religious freedom and have enormous respect for the Jewish faith."

"Hillel was an extremist teaching that a man could divorce his wife "for every cause." According to Hillel, a husband could divorce his wife for talking too loud... The followers of Hillel were constantly trying to lure Jesus into this raging doctrinal dispute...From that moment Jesus was seen as a living devil to the Pharisees who followed Hillel.  They plotted to have him killed. These were "the Jews" that Jesus said were of their "father the devil."  These are "the Jews" that interrogated the parents of the blind man until they shook with fear.  These are "the Jews" from whom Jesus' disciples were hiding behind closed doors.  These are "the Jews" that Christians have used for 2,000 years to condone religious hatred, rape, murder, and execution."
-John Hagee, Final Dawn Over Jerusalem (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1998) p. 87 -88.
Note that three pages later, page 91, Hagee states, "Anti-Semitism is a demonic spirit from the bowels of hell."

"When will the divinely imparted spiritual blindness upon the Jewish people end concerning the identity of Jesus Christ as Messiah?  This spiritual blindness will end when Christ returns to earth and they see the scars in His hands from the Roman crucifixion."
-John Hagee, Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World, (Frontline, A Strang Company, 2006) p. 174

"Those who came founded Israel. Those who did not went through the hell of the Holocaust. Then God sent a hunter. A hunter is someone who comes with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says - Jeremiah writing - they shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the holes of the rocks, meaning there's no place to hide. And that will be offensive to some people. Well, dear heart, be offended. I didn't write it. Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said, "my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel." Today Israel is back in the land and they are at Ezekiel 37 and 8. They are physically alive but they're not spiritually alive. Now how is God going to cause the Jewish people to come spiritually alive and say, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is God?"
-John Hagee, "Jerusalem Countdown" sermon series, 2005

"...this man [anti-Christ] is going to be at least partially Jewish, as was Adolph Hitler..."
-John Hagee "Iraq, the Final War" sermon series, 2003

"I think if I could put a dividing line, the Orthodox and Conservatives who have a Torah appreciation give us wholehearted support. The rest who are not driven by the Word of God have a liberal agenda.
And the liberal agenda is they are pro-abortion. They're pro-homosexual. They're pro-gay marriage -- they want men to marry men and women to marry women -- and their difference with me is not really what I'm doing with Israel. Their hostility to me is poisoned by their liberalism. They take a liberal position that poisons their view of what we could be doing for Israel."

-John Hagee, San Antonio Express, 2006

"The Federal Reserve has never been audited, and yet it totally controls the value of money in this country...While most of the stockholders are members of the so-called Eastern Establishment, allegedly the four largest stockholders are not even Americans but members of the Rothschild family of Europe.

God says in the book of Haggai, 'The silver is mine, and gold is mine.' He is not controlled by the Eastern Establishment, He's not controlled by the Rothschilds..."