Israel first instilled in the minds of Christian America is due to the misuse of the book of Revelation by dispensationalism.
Googling "the Father of futurism in Revelation" will yield results like this:
Origins of this View: In the mid-1500’s a Catholic Jesuit, Francisco Ribera proposed the futurist view of Revelation to take the heat off of the Pope in response to the Reformers Historicist View who claimed the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church was the Anti-Christ and Beast.
Dispensationalism is a futurist system of belief that arose to prominence in the 1830’s with John Nelson Darby and popularized by C.I. Scofield in his Scofield Reference Bible and believes the church will be raptured from the earth at the beginning of chapter 4 and will not be on earth during the seven-year great tribulation on the earth. Often termed, Dispensationalism, it is a system of belief founded upon certain guiding beliefs (see below). The futurist view is widely popular among evangelical Christians today. One of the most popular versions on futurist teaching is dispensational theology, promoted by schools such as Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Theologians such as Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord, and Dwight Pentecost are noted scholars of this position. Tim LaHaye made this theology popular in the culture with his end times series of novels, Left Behind. Other prominent popular adherers to this view are John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, David Jeremiah, Perry Stone.
Pointing the above out to Christians who are "Israel First" angers them because they've been raised on dispensationalism. If dispensationalism is taken away, where does their faith have to go?
There is an extremely good interperpretation of Revelation that doesn't lead to an "Israel First" political stance.
The idealist interpretation of Revelation is a historic interperpretation of the book. The ideal interperpretation is also known as the spiritual interpretation.
Many dispensationalists are taught that you must not spiritualize the Bible. They are taught that spiritual things are not real things. By diminishing the spiritual application of the book of Revelation, they leave it to be a book about physical things. That is "taking away from the book" and "adding to the book"(Rev 22:18-19)
The futurist interperpretation of Revelation is heresy. In order to combat the heresy of futurism in Revelation, some principles have become appearant through the Idealist interpretation.
-
There is nothing physical taught in Revelation, it is a spiritual book in its entirety. Spiritual things are real things.
-
The book of Revelation is not set in physical time. The book of Revelation is set in eternity, where God and Jesus Christ dwell. Eternity is timeless, eternal life in each Christian is the timeless realm where fellowship with the Father and the Son takes place daily.
-
The book of Revelation is not onetime physical events. The events of the book of Revelation take place in the soul of each Christian, bringing the kingdom of heaven to rule in the Christian life.
One of the most popular versions on futurist teaching is dispensational theology, promoted by schools such as Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Theologians such as Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord, and Dwight Pentecost are noted scholars of this position. Tim LaHaye made this theology popular in the culture with his end times series of novels, Left Behind. Other prominent popular adherers to this view are John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, David Jeremiah, Perry Stone.
The doctrines of futurism in Revelation is strongly perpetuated by the most respected teachers in Evangelical circles. Tearing away the heresy is not easy. "Israel first" will not change in American Christianity if the doctrine of futurism is not cast down in the Christian mind. The idealist interpretation of Revelation soundly casts down the futurist interperpretation of Revelation.
The Christian learns to follow Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit working in them. The PSYOP of "Israel First" can be removed from the Christian mind only by following the the life and reign of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is King. Ascend.
...we can all discuss this in Heaven...
The Christian ascends to heaven now, through the door left opened by Jesus Christ. When the Christian ascends they find the Throne of God.
The Holy Spirit is heaven(perfection) in each Christian.
Do you think the topic is too upsetting?
This is truth. Most Christians, primarily protestants, accept dispensationalism as gospel, not as just one interpretation of the Book of Revelation. They also believe that those who have died remain in a sleeping state until Judgement Day. They completely reject the idea of the spiritual realm.