The Names of God:
Jesus Saves—The Jehovah of the New Covenant
Jer 31:31-34
(Isa 12:2) "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."
1. The Language Barrier: Clearing the Confusion
a. First, the word “salvation,” or “saved” in the OT, is the Hebrew word “Jeshua,” or “Joshua—Jesus’ name MEANS salvation.”
b. Then let us consider the language of Jeremiah 31:31-34
(1) The word YHWH occurs five times in this short passage—and the passage is all about what God has done and will do for the elects’ sake.
(2) This is the New Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the central figure of this New Covenant (in the Old Testament) Is YHWH, and in the New Testament, is our Lord Jesus Christ.
c. A major issue: Kurios = Adonai? Or, Kurios = Jehovah?
(1) The Old Testament has two distinct words for “Lord,” Adonai and YHWH, but in the New Testament, both names are translated “Lord” or “lord”, or “Master,” or “master,” depending on the context
(2) As to the basic meaning of a word, Kurios could be translated either “LORD,” or “Lord.”
(3) If the verse is a quotation from the OT, the OT usage tells us which word is in view
d. A reminder about Covenant precepts in general.
(1) A Covenant is something conceived and established by God Himself—
(2) The scope of a covenant is defined by God—it may be universal, or it may be personal and limited, such as the covenant with Eleazar.
(3) A Covenant may be conditional (a works covenant) or unconditional (a Grace covenant)—Example of a conditional covenant—the Mosaic (Old) Covenant—
(a) Unconditional: The Second Noahic Covenant and the New Covenant
(b) Conditional: The Mosaic Law.
(4) A Covenant is monergistic, one-sided, dictatorial—God is the ruler and judge of every covenant He makes with man, there is no synergy between God and man.
(5) The times for a covenant are established by God. Some covenants are everlasting, and some have a beginning and an ending. God sets the time of the covenant’s beginning, and God sets the time of duration and ending.
(6) Covenants always involve blood and cutting.
(7) Covenants have rules and regulations of administration and enforcement.
(8) What is a Covenant?
“…A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely-imposed, legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship…” [1]
2. Jehovah is the LORD of the New Covenant
a. He Promised He Would Bring in the New Covenant—Jer 31:31 –
b. God is the Actor, God Will Fulfill His Promises—"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will…” God is Sovereign, God is in Control—Dan 2:20 "…wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings…”
c. God Had Set The Time— Behold, the days come [are coming], saith the LORD, that [when]…”
d. God sent forth His Son at His time—Gal 4:4 “… when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law…”
(1) Christ Himself announced this in His ministry—Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
e. In the prophecy in Jeremiah, we are told that Jehovah God Will Cut the New Covenant— “…that I will make [cut] a new covenant…”
3. Jesus and the New Covenant
a. A Covenant comes into effect when the blood is shed.
b. The New Covenant Was Taught by Christ in the Upper Room the Night Before His Crucifixion—Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
c. The Covenant Meal, which was a picture of the cutting of the covenant to come the next day—Mat 26:20-29
(1) The disciples at the Covenant Meal with the Maker of the Covenant.
(2) After the false disciple left, there was detailed teaching about the new Covenant from John 13-17.
d. The Covenant Presented— Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
(1) Testament = diatheke, which is “covenant.”
(2) Christ Himself is the Covenant Sacrifice to be made.
e. The Covenant Cut— Mat 27:50-51
(1) In this moment the Law is fulfilled—
Gal 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Luke 24:44-49
(1) In this moment, the veil in the temple is torn asunder, showing that the way to God is open, and that the Law and its ordinances are done forever.
(2) This began the New Covenant. We are in the New Covenant, we are seeing its out working continue, and Our Covenant God guides us in working it out in our lives.
f. Jesus Is Jehovah, as shown by the New Covenant
(1) He is the I AM of the New Covenant
(John 6:41) ""I am the bread which came down from heaven.""
(John 6:48) ""I am the bread of life."
(John 8:12) "I am the light of the world…”
(John 8:58) “Before Abraham was, I Am..”
(John 10:7) "…”I am the door of the sheep."
(John 10:9) ""I am the door….”
(John 10:11) ""I am the good shepherd. …”
(John 11:25) "…I am the resurrection and the life…”
(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life…”
(John 15:1) ""I am the true vine…”
(John 18:5) "…, "I am He."
(2) We know He is Jehovah by comparing Old Testament prophesies and New Testament fulfillments.
(a) David said, (Psa 23) "The LORD [YHWH] is my shepherd…” But it is Jesus who is the Good Shepherd—John 10:11
(b) Isaiah Saw the glory of YHWH, but John Says that incident revealed Jesus’ Glory—Is 6:1-11, John 12:37-41
(c) YHWH is the Redeemer of God’s people, but it is Christ in Whom we find redemption—Is 44:6, 1 Cor 1:30-31
(d) Theses passages refer to YHWH, but John the Baptist identified them with Christ
(Isa 40:3) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God."
(Isa 40:10-11) "Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young."
(e) Jehovah is our righteousness, Jer 23:5-6, but Romans 3:21-28 show that it is Jesus Who is our righteousness.
(f) A comparison of Hebrews 1:10-12 compared with Psalm 102 shows that Jesus is Jehovah.
(Heb 1:9-12) "8 But to the Son He says….10
And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.""
(Psa 102:25-27) "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. 27 But You are the same, And Your years will have no end."
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1994, page 515.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Romans 11 Study
For those who receive our regular Sunday notes, that series is based on a schedule started while I was filling in for a few weeks at FBC Clinton. However, my actual Romans class, the Bible Exposition Class at Trace Creek, has made it up to Chapter 11 of Romans, and we have been in that series for several years so far.
Romans 11 is worthy of stand alone study, as it deals with one of the great questions of the Bible, "What is the deal with National Israel?" The lesson posted here today is the first of several on Romans 11.
Israel—God’s Chosen People
(Rom 11:1) "…I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin…”
1. The context of the Text
a. Three Major themes of Romans 9-11
(1) Israel
(2) The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
(3) The Responsibility of Man in Salvation
b. The immediate context—Except for a remnant, Israel’s stubborn refusal to believe the Truth has distressed Paul to no end.
c. The Theological Context
(1) The story of how the church neglected to obey the Abrahamic Covenant and how the church became the great persecutors of Israel is a long-developing drama with many players, but four men stand out
(a) The Roman Emperor Constantine—He “Christianized” the Roman Empire, or perhaps more accurately, he “Paganized” the church—and it was under his reign that Replacement theology became the main position of Christian thinkers.
(b) Augustine of Hippo—one of the greatest minds in the history of the World
(c) Martin Luther—The man used of God to break the chains of Roman Catholicism.
(d) John Calvin—the man who systematized the Reformed Faith.
(e) All of these men, as great as they were in some areas, had many failings and all of them had doctrinal beliefs that are frankly odious to Baptists and other Free Church people
(i) All were infant sprinklers
(ii) Augustine believed in baptismal regeneration, and Luther was not far off from that. Both Augustine and Luther believed there was real grace and some kind of real Presence in the elements of communion.
(iii) All believed that church and state should be unified—they all followed the so-called “two sword doctrine,” ludicrously based on Luke 22:38. 38They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
(iv) This passage has been interpreted in many ways, but the Imperial Church and most of the Reformers as well, used this as an excuse to persecute others violently.
Out of the words of peter recorded in Luke…the Church distilled the ridiculous doctrine that Jesus intended His Church to have two swords, he “sword of the Spirit,” which the clergy wields, and “the sword of steel,” which the soldier swings…By this colossal piece of sophistry the church made herself believe that she could order the life-blood of men to be let, all the while getting none of it on her skirt! (Leonard Verduin, The Reformers and Their Stepchildren, pages 42-43)
(f) Using this totally false teaching, all of these great men persecuted baptistic groups violently, from Augustine’s persecution of the Donatists up through Luther and Calvin’s suppression of the Mennonites and other Anabaptist groups
(g) And, all of these men and their followers either encouraged or allowed the persecution of the Jews.
(2) The eschatology (end times theology) developed by Constantine and Augustine, and transferred to the Reformation by Luther and Calvin, has many names and one common thread.
(a) First, the common thread—hatred or disregard of Judaism and Jews, and a belief that Israel is a dead letter, with its benefits and promises all spiritualized (made not literal) and transferred to the Church (the “universal” church, all you local church men!).
(b) The first and kindest name—Replacement Theology, meaning that the church has replaced Israel.
(c) Then there is Supersessionism, meaning that the church has superseded the Jews as God’s elect people.
(d) The more accurate and condemning name—Anti-Semitic theology, is appropriate, because the seed of Anti-Semitism was planted by this theology which was taught to the common people and was used as an excuse for every persecution of the Jews up to the present day, most notably in the Third Reich!
(e) A gentler name for replacement theology, is coined by noted author and my former pastor and good friend and great Christian gentleman, Dr Barry Horner in the book Future Israel. He refers to this theology as Anti-Judaism, which means the same thing.
(f) The theology developed among some leaders of the early church, and taken to its ultimate expression in the Holocaust, is the theology that Israel has been replaced by the church.
(g) More than influencing the persecution of the Jewish people for 1700 years, this theology guts the meaning of much of the Bible, because the Bible is a Jewish book, including the New Testament!
2. The Big Question—Has God Forsaken Israel? “…I Say Then has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin …”
a. This is the major question of questions of Romans 11.
(1) First, if God has cast away national, ethnic Israel, there are a lot of very specific prophesies that either were never true, or God was talking out of both sides of His mouth, or that God, in anger, revoked.
(2) Abraham’s initial Call had Unequivocal Promises—(Gen 12:1-7) "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." …7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him."
(a) God promised to make, from Abraham, a special People
(b) God promised to give Abraham’s People a Land
(c) God Promised to make Abraham the father Of many nations
(d) God promised to bless all families in the earth—see Rev 7:9-14
(3) God’s Covenant with Abraham had very specific promises—(Gen 15:7-21) "Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." 8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" 9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces…” The Significance of God’s Action here—
(a) The Covenant Sacrifice Custom was that when two men made a solemn covenant, they would make a sacrifice and divide the pieces of the sacrificial animal. Then, those guaranteeing the covenant would walk in the midst of the pieces, signifying that “If I violate this covenant may I be cut in half like these animals.”
(b) When God made the Covenant With Abraham, God alone walked in the midst of the pieces. God took all the responsibility, because only His Providence could make such promises sure. And what did God SOLELY guarantee?
(4) “… 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; 19 "the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 "the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 "the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.""
(5) Replacement theologians have tried for nearly 1900 years to obscure the meaning of this and to spiritualize the promises by saying “land” does not mean “land,” and by translating every instance of Israel in still-future prophecy by claiming that “Israel = church.”
(6) The claim is that the land promises were done away with because Israel broke the Covenant (which they did). However, Abraham did not walk through the pieces, only God did! For God, the Land Promises given to national Israel stand.
b. The key point missed by those who want to say “Israel has been rejected, is that there is a pattern established in the Bible, of the temporary destruction and dispersion of Israel, followed by a return to the land.
c. There will be a final future return, which will not a partial return of a mostly unregenerate group as in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, but the regeneration and salvation of an entire generation of Jews AND a return to the land in the Millennial Kingdom.
(1) The Pattern in Leviticus—
(a) Lev 26:38-39 Curse
(b) Lev 26:40-42- Restoration
(c) Ultimate restoration and salvation of Israel is foreshadowed by God’s promise that they will not cease to exist as a people, but will maintain some level of identity—Lev 26:44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.'"
(2) Pattern in Deuteronomy
(a) In Dt 28, God pronounced future judgments against Israel—28:64 "Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known; wood and stone. 65 "And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. 66 "Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. 67 "In the morning you shall say, 'Oh, that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Oh, that it were morning!' because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.
(b) Then, in Dt 30:1-10, God pronounces blessing and restoration, and SPIRITUAL SALVATION to all the remnant at the future day of restoration
(3) Jeremiah and the New Covenant follow the same pattern of rejection and full future restoration—(Jer 31:31-37), (Jer 32:36-42)
(4) The same rejection and ultimate restoration is covered by Ezekiel as well—(Ezek 36:1-38), (Ezek 37:1-14)
(5) Details of the final battle and the Glorious appearing are also part of the OT prophesies that have not yet happened in our day.
(Zec 12:8-10) ""In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."
(Zec 14:1-5) "Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You."
(6) Some have gone so far to say that “His people” applies to the church and not to Israel.
(7) In all of these NEW TESTAMENT references to “His people,” the Jewish people are in view
(Mat 1:21) ""And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.""
(Luke 1:68) ""Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,"
(Luke 1:77) "To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,"
(Luke 7:16) "Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people.""
(Rom 15:10) "And again he says: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!""
(Heb 10:30) "For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people.""
(Rev 21:3) "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."
(Mat 2:6) "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'""
(Acts 7:34) ""I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."'"
(Rom 9:25-26) "As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." 26 "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God.""
(2 Cor 6:16) "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.""
(Heb 8:10) ""For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
d. Paul’s personal evidence—The remnant! Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin …”
(1) Paul had seen the conversion of many Jews to The Faith. Late in his ministry, he was comforted by his Jewish Christian co-workers—Col 4:10 “… Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me…”.
(2) In each era, some Jews have been saved through our Lord Jesus Christ—but the majority has persisted in unbelief.
(3) The Bible itself is such a Jewish book that without considering Israel, it makes no sense—our Savior Himself is Jewish, most of the writers of Scripture were Jewish, and the Jewish faith was fully appropriate and true in its day. And, the Jewish faith itself was never regarded to be untrue, but in this dispensation, it is incomplete and apostate! Christ Himself had this to say about the Law—(Mat 5:17-20) ""Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
e. The New Covenant expression of this is the temporary blindness of most Hebrews to the Gospel’s truth—including a hint of a promise of remnant salvation—2 Cor 3:14-16) "… their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
f. This is the “blindness in part” that Paul mentions in Romans 11
(1) The Blindness is only in part—and remember, most Gentiles are not saved either.
(2) The Blindness is a judgment from God which WILL BE LIFTED
(a) It is lifted for some when they come to faith in the Messiah as part of the Remnant—2 Cor 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
(b) It will be lifted for the nation of Israel after the last Gentile has come to Christ—(Rom 11:25-27) "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.""
(Rom 11:1) "…I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!...”
Romans 11 is worthy of stand alone study, as it deals with one of the great questions of the Bible, "What is the deal with National Israel?" The lesson posted here today is the first of several on Romans 11.
Israel—God’s Chosen People
(Rom 11:1) "…I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin…”
1. The context of the Text
a. Three Major themes of Romans 9-11
(1) Israel
(2) The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
(3) The Responsibility of Man in Salvation
b. The immediate context—Except for a remnant, Israel’s stubborn refusal to believe the Truth has distressed Paul to no end.
c. The Theological Context
(1) The story of how the church neglected to obey the Abrahamic Covenant and how the church became the great persecutors of Israel is a long-developing drama with many players, but four men stand out
(a) The Roman Emperor Constantine—He “Christianized” the Roman Empire, or perhaps more accurately, he “Paganized” the church—and it was under his reign that Replacement theology became the main position of Christian thinkers.
(b) Augustine of Hippo—one of the greatest minds in the history of the World
(c) Martin Luther—The man used of God to break the chains of Roman Catholicism.
(d) John Calvin—the man who systematized the Reformed Faith.
(e) All of these men, as great as they were in some areas, had many failings and all of them had doctrinal beliefs that are frankly odious to Baptists and other Free Church people
(i) All were infant sprinklers
(ii) Augustine believed in baptismal regeneration, and Luther was not far off from that. Both Augustine and Luther believed there was real grace and some kind of real Presence in the elements of communion.
(iii) All believed that church and state should be unified—they all followed the so-called “two sword doctrine,” ludicrously based on Luke 22:38. 38They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
(iv) This passage has been interpreted in many ways, but the Imperial Church and most of the Reformers as well, used this as an excuse to persecute others violently.
Out of the words of peter recorded in Luke…the Church distilled the ridiculous doctrine that Jesus intended His Church to have two swords, he “sword of the Spirit,” which the clergy wields, and “the sword of steel,” which the soldier swings…By this colossal piece of sophistry the church made herself believe that she could order the life-blood of men to be let, all the while getting none of it on her skirt! (Leonard Verduin, The Reformers and Their Stepchildren, pages 42-43)
(f) Using this totally false teaching, all of these great men persecuted baptistic groups violently, from Augustine’s persecution of the Donatists up through Luther and Calvin’s suppression of the Mennonites and other Anabaptist groups
(g) And, all of these men and their followers either encouraged or allowed the persecution of the Jews.
(2) The eschatology (end times theology) developed by Constantine and Augustine, and transferred to the Reformation by Luther and Calvin, has many names and one common thread.
(a) First, the common thread—hatred or disregard of Judaism and Jews, and a belief that Israel is a dead letter, with its benefits and promises all spiritualized (made not literal) and transferred to the Church (the “universal” church, all you local church men!).
(b) The first and kindest name—Replacement Theology, meaning that the church has replaced Israel.
(c) Then there is Supersessionism, meaning that the church has superseded the Jews as God’s elect people.
(d) The more accurate and condemning name—Anti-Semitic theology, is appropriate, because the seed of Anti-Semitism was planted by this theology which was taught to the common people and was used as an excuse for every persecution of the Jews up to the present day, most notably in the Third Reich!
(e) A gentler name for replacement theology, is coined by noted author and my former pastor and good friend and great Christian gentleman, Dr Barry Horner in the book Future Israel. He refers to this theology as Anti-Judaism, which means the same thing.
(f) The theology developed among some leaders of the early church, and taken to its ultimate expression in the Holocaust, is the theology that Israel has been replaced by the church.
(g) More than influencing the persecution of the Jewish people for 1700 years, this theology guts the meaning of much of the Bible, because the Bible is a Jewish book, including the New Testament!
2. The Big Question—Has God Forsaken Israel? “…I Say Then has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin …”
a. This is the major question of questions of Romans 11.
(1) First, if God has cast away national, ethnic Israel, there are a lot of very specific prophesies that either were never true, or God was talking out of both sides of His mouth, or that God, in anger, revoked.
(2) Abraham’s initial Call had Unequivocal Promises—(Gen 12:1-7) "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." …7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him."
(a) God promised to make, from Abraham, a special People
(b) God promised to give Abraham’s People a Land
(c) God Promised to make Abraham the father Of many nations
(d) God promised to bless all families in the earth—see Rev 7:9-14
(3) God’s Covenant with Abraham had very specific promises—(Gen 15:7-21) "Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." 8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" 9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces…” The Significance of God’s Action here—
(a) The Covenant Sacrifice Custom was that when two men made a solemn covenant, they would make a sacrifice and divide the pieces of the sacrificial animal. Then, those guaranteeing the covenant would walk in the midst of the pieces, signifying that “If I violate this covenant may I be cut in half like these animals.”
(b) When God made the Covenant With Abraham, God alone walked in the midst of the pieces. God took all the responsibility, because only His Providence could make such promises sure. And what did God SOLELY guarantee?
(4) “… 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; 19 "the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 "the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 "the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.""
(5) Replacement theologians have tried for nearly 1900 years to obscure the meaning of this and to spiritualize the promises by saying “land” does not mean “land,” and by translating every instance of Israel in still-future prophecy by claiming that “Israel = church.”
(6) The claim is that the land promises were done away with because Israel broke the Covenant (which they did). However, Abraham did not walk through the pieces, only God did! For God, the Land Promises given to national Israel stand.
b. The key point missed by those who want to say “Israel has been rejected, is that there is a pattern established in the Bible, of the temporary destruction and dispersion of Israel, followed by a return to the land.
c. There will be a final future return, which will not a partial return of a mostly unregenerate group as in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, but the regeneration and salvation of an entire generation of Jews AND a return to the land in the Millennial Kingdom.
(1) The Pattern in Leviticus—
(a) Lev 26:38-39 Curse
(b) Lev 26:40-42- Restoration
(c) Ultimate restoration and salvation of Israel is foreshadowed by God’s promise that they will not cease to exist as a people, but will maintain some level of identity—Lev 26:44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.'"
(2) Pattern in Deuteronomy
(a) In Dt 28, God pronounced future judgments against Israel—28:64 "Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known; wood and stone. 65 "And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. 66 "Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. 67 "In the morning you shall say, 'Oh, that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Oh, that it were morning!' because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.
(b) Then, in Dt 30:1-10, God pronounces blessing and restoration, and SPIRITUAL SALVATION to all the remnant at the future day of restoration
(3) Jeremiah and the New Covenant follow the same pattern of rejection and full future restoration—(Jer 31:31-37), (Jer 32:36-42)
(4) The same rejection and ultimate restoration is covered by Ezekiel as well—(Ezek 36:1-38), (Ezek 37:1-14)
(5) Details of the final battle and the Glorious appearing are also part of the OT prophesies that have not yet happened in our day.
(Zec 12:8-10) ""In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."
(Zec 14:1-5) "Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You."
(6) Some have gone so far to say that “His people” applies to the church and not to Israel.
(7) In all of these NEW TESTAMENT references to “His people,” the Jewish people are in view
(Mat 1:21) ""And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.""
(Luke 1:68) ""Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,"
(Luke 1:77) "To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,"
(Luke 7:16) "Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people.""
(Rom 15:10) "And again he says: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!""
(Heb 10:30) "For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people.""
(Rev 21:3) "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."
(Mat 2:6) "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'""
(Acts 7:34) ""I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."'"
(Rom 9:25-26) "As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." 26 "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God.""
(2 Cor 6:16) "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.""
(Heb 8:10) ""For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
d. Paul’s personal evidence—The remnant! Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin …”
(1) Paul had seen the conversion of many Jews to The Faith. Late in his ministry, he was comforted by his Jewish Christian co-workers—Col 4:10 “… Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me…”.
(2) In each era, some Jews have been saved through our Lord Jesus Christ—but the majority has persisted in unbelief.
(3) The Bible itself is such a Jewish book that without considering Israel, it makes no sense—our Savior Himself is Jewish, most of the writers of Scripture were Jewish, and the Jewish faith was fully appropriate and true in its day. And, the Jewish faith itself was never regarded to be untrue, but in this dispensation, it is incomplete and apostate! Christ Himself had this to say about the Law—(Mat 5:17-20) ""Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
e. The New Covenant expression of this is the temporary blindness of most Hebrews to the Gospel’s truth—including a hint of a promise of remnant salvation—2 Cor 3:14-16) "… their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
f. This is the “blindness in part” that Paul mentions in Romans 11
(1) The Blindness is only in part—and remember, most Gentiles are not saved either.
(2) The Blindness is a judgment from God which WILL BE LIFTED
(a) It is lifted for some when they come to faith in the Messiah as part of the Remnant—2 Cor 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
(b) It will be lifted for the nation of Israel after the last Gentile has come to Christ—(Rom 11:25-27) "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.""
(Rom 11:1) "…I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!...”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)