… It is correct to distinguish between the ‘Israel after the flesh’ and the church. But dispensationalism incorrectly divides between the seed of Abraham after the Spirit, saying that saved Jews before Pentecost and saved Jews living in the millennium do not belong to the church. In this way, there are two distinct ‘regenerate’ peoples of God belonging to two eternally distinct entities with different destinies. This constitutes a false view of the nature of the church. Hence, they fail to see that those of the natural seed of Abraham that are predestined for national salvation at Christ’s return will be as much a part of the body of Christ on earth as any living now before the Lord’s return. It is a question of what defines the church. …
Books: “An Alternative to Left Behind Eschatology”
[…] You happen to have caught me just as I am working through one of the first books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in quite a while. I think its one that you would particularly enjoy, if only for its ability to revive some of the themes of mutual interest in eschatology. Its “A Case for Historic Premillennialism; An Alternative to Left Behind Eschatology,” edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Chung.
I’ll forward this recommendation to our larger group of friends with the caution that it is academic in character and approach, and might seem tedious to some. I suggest that any that think they might be interested first go on line to Christianbook.com, or Amazon.com, and check out the table of contents and read some excerpts before buying.
By no means is this a blanket endorsement to such a diversified collection of essays. It is only some iron that may sharpen those that have a specialized interest, or that labor and in this field. One of the essays might be of particular interest for those interested in a concise historical survey of Jewish views of the after life and the ‘messianic age’. It will inform but sadden. […]
The Use of Prophecy in Evangelism and the Church’s Call to Israel
All modern trends are moving inexorably in the direction predicted by the Hebrew prophets. In addition to keeping the church wakeful, this fact should be continually pointed to in the church’s witness, as a powerful evidence of the Bible’s authority and inspiration, and as a call to come to terms […]
The Remnant Tasting the Bitterness of the Nations
[…] In considering judgment on nations and particular localities, we should remember the pattern we observe in scripture. However righteous and set apart, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were required to taste the bitterness of exile along with the rest of the apostate nation. Therefore, though the end of an individual may be quite different in the ‘long run’, he or she may well be required to suffer in the judgements that descend on a nation whose iniquity has come to full. That is the pattern we see in Israel’s exile, and I can’t see where it would be too different in a world where the church is called to be a ‘diaspora’ people, scattered throughout the earth as a witness people. Why, even the church’s sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s table are suitably quite portable. We are a pilgrim people, in every place, and often on the move.
The church is called to be a light in a dark world. What part of the world does not lie in wickedness? Where does one go to hide their loved ones from the judgment that hovers over a cursed land? If we flee from certain levels of societal debauchery that seems to especially concentrated in some cities or nations more than others, we might well be fleeing to a worse place where God has marked a perhaps more hidden but just as hateful kind of pride. […]
The Eschatology of the Everlasting Covenant
… The New Covenant, also called the Everlasting Covenant, envisions nothing short of the salvation of ‘all’ Israel. “And so all Israel shall be saved: … for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sin” (Ro 11:26-27). In the context of Paul’s argument, a future event is in view. It is based on nothing other than the covenant. Hence, there can be no doubt that at least something of the covenant remains unfulfilled where Israel is concerned. Whatever is understood of the phrase, “and so all Israel shall be saved,” one thing is clear: For Paul, there can be no final fulfillment of the covenant that stops short of this future ‘fullness’ (compare Ro 11:12 w/ 25-29). We need to understand what Paul means by “and so all Israel shall be saved,” as interpreters are divided over just about every word of this much disputed phrase. …
