Ted Cruz and the Lunacy of Dispensationalism

Did you see Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson’s heated interview that came out a week ago? If you didn’t, it was something else. In fairness to Cruz, I do believe Carlson was poking and prodding in ways that were a bit annoying, and I don’t fault Cruz for being irritated with Carlson at times. In addition, until Cruz embarrassed himself with two-bit Dispensationalist heresy, I don’t think he was being overly unreasonable, and I agreed with his sentiments in some cases.

Carlson and Cruz spoke largely about the Iran-Israel situation, which, as it stands, is in a state of flux. I won’t pretend to be an expert on it, and what may be the outcome could change at any moment. Due to the subject matter, they discussed the notion of whether a nation, in this case the United States, should be purely isolationist regarding global conflicts or whether there is room for joining in the conflicts involving other nations. Frankly, I personally agree with Cruz that pure isolationism may not be ideal and that there can be instances wherein allies do have each other’s backs. This is to say nothing about Israel per se, only that I agree with the concept. 

In any event, Carlson’s poking and prodding was not senseless or just for dramatic effect, and eventually the interview reached a crescendo when Cruz exposed himself for his Dispensationalist views, which he said explicitly animate his insistence that the State of Israel must be protected at all costs. Without even being asked the question directly, Cruz insisted on telling Carlson why he vowed to be a staunch defender of Israel. He said, “Growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible, those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed; I want to be on the blessing side of things.”

This view is consistent with the Dispensationalism that has run amok in Evangelical circles and is held by millions—if not tens of millions—of Americans, as well as Protestants in other nations and probably even some Catholics. To briefly summarize, Dispensationalists, or “Dispies,” hold to various Fundamentalist views and adhere to strict biblical literalism, at least in some cases. And part of that view entails seeing the modern State of Israel as the Israel in the Bible. In essence, the modern State of Israel is the Israel that Cruz spoke of when he mentioned what is said in Genesis 12, and it amounts to something like a dual-covenant theology; there is one way to be saved for Jews and another for Gentiles. Consistent with this, we find in the Dispensationalist movement a desire to help ultra-Orthodox Jews rebuild the Temple so they can recommence the Old Testament sacrifices. To briefly summarize, Dispensationalists hold to various Fundamentalist views and adhere to strict biblical literalism, at least in some cases. And part of that view entails seeing the modern State of Israel as the Israel in the Bible.Tweet This

Now, if you are Catholic and even understand a small portion of the Faith, you will know that those sacrifices ceased and they prefigured the salvific sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, which is renewed—or re-presented—on the altars in our churches. The Old Testament Israelites were chosen by God to be the people from whence Christ would come, and Christ opened the gates of Heaven with His sacrifice so that all men can be saved. This is basic stuff and shouldn’t be controversial. Now, in fairness to the Dispies, it is true that when you peruse through the majority of the Church Fathers, and numerous great theologians who came after, you will find an insistence that Jews will be integral in the Second Coming of Christ—but not for the happy and fun reasons that so many Dispies think.

According to the majority view of Fathers and others, the Antichrist will be ethnically Jewish in some way, and he will convince the world he is the Messiah. And, he will somehow enthrone himself in the Temple—which will have to be rebuilt before he does that—and recommence the Old Testament sacrifices. This will all take place along with the Great Apostasy, during which most Christians will likely have renounced their faith and been caught up in the international zeitgeist that views the Antichrist as the real Christ. This will not be a fun time, but most Dispies believe there will be a “Premillennial” period where it is believed that Christ will return before a literal 1,000-year reign on earth where He will establish a physical kingdom on earth. Along with this, there is the Rapture, which is held by many Dispensationalists who believe the righteous will be taken away from the Earth before things get really bad. 

Now, some adherents believe that the Rapture will happen before the Tribulation, and some believe it will be in the middle of it, and some believe it will be after. In addition, they believe there will be a restored Israel like the Israel in the Bible, and this is where Cruz’s insistence on supporting Israel comes into play.

Ultimately, those who hold these views believe it is a matter of salvation, or at least biblical history, that the nation of Israel itself should be restored to its Old Testament glory and that this is a good thing that God has foretold in the Bible. Unfortunately, this belief is held by so many influential politicians, like Cruz, and it animates their foreign policy when it comes to Israel. They literally believe that by supporting the modern State of Israel they are doing God’s will and will be rewarded through it—either by being raptured before things get bad or in some other temporal way.

Dispensationalism is insane, and it is heretical, and no one should take it seriously because it is a modern, novel belief that does not correspond to historical biblical exegesis in Catholicism or historical, mainline Protestantism. Nevertheless, those who, for some other reason, adore the modern State of Israel are more than happy to promote and tolerate this heresy because it is good for business.

What is so tragically ironic about the whole thing is that, in a sense, Dispensationalists may be a part of the events that bring about the Second Coming, but they are tools of the devil who will help pave the way for the Antichrist.