Wednesday 23 July 2014

The Abrahamic Covenant - Fulfilled or Delayed?

When it comes to Bible-prophecy, I don't understand all that's meant to happen in the future, but I'm quite convinced about certain things which are already past.

As a rule of thumb, I am convinced that any prophecy which showed Old Covenant ceremonies being carried-out, MUST have been fulfilled at a time when the Old Covenant was STILL IN FORCE.

I am convinced of that because to return to Old Covenant practices after the New Covenant has already been made goes against the truth of the grace of God.

But with the exception of Revelation 20, all of today's popular teaching about Israel's future, and about the Millennium, is derived from those very same passages of Bible-prophecy.

That presents a problem to me. If those prophecies are about the future, then it paints a picture of all of us reverting back to Moses' Law in future.

It would also mean that all of the Messianic verses which occur within those prophecies were not about Messiah's first coming but are all about His second coming. That would mean we lose our Scriptural proof for asserting that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled those verses, and therefore lose our authority for believing He is the Saviour.

But if we understand those prophecies as fulfilled, then we can assert that Jesus must have been the Messiah, because He came in the same historical context that was required by the prophecy.

Understanding it this way shows that God's promises to Israel weren't revoked, they didn't fail nor were they postponed.

Someone objected:

"Thing is when the deliverer comes from Zion he will take away their sins. Is Israel saved today? Obviously not."

My answer:

I think it was a prophecy about the Saviour from sin being born within Zion, referring to Jesus and the Gospel.

If we make it instead about the second coming, then we lose our case for asserting that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled prophecy and was the Messiah.

Also, if we make it about the second coming, we would be saying that modern Jews can and will be saved AFTER they see the return of the Lord. But that goes against Gospel truth taught by Jesus in His parables that it will be TOO LATE to repent once the Lord comes.

Objection:

"Paul continues-"As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

My answer:

In its source text in the Old Testament, this verse was a prophecy about the New Covenant.

In Romans 11 Paul was answering the mistaken idea that the Gospel meant God's promises to the Jews had failed, or that God was not so much interested in saving Jews anymore at all.

Paul answered this by explaining that God was still saving Jews - Paul himself was an example - God was still interested in saving Jews - just as He'd promised in the quoted Old Testament passage - but it was just that some of the Jews had become stubborn.

Paul explained that this is the way it would be, and at the same time Gentiles shall be getting saved, and then the end shall come, as Jesus said.

"All Israel" meant that the promise of salvation included the northern tribes and not just Judah. It meant the promise was offered to all. It didn't mean that every Jewish individual would accept the promised-salvation.

(It's like the verse which says Jesus is the "Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe." It means the salvation is promised and offered and procured and available for all - not that all would accept it and experience it. Same with Israel.)

Otherwise we're portraying a picture of a utopian Israel in the last days at or before the second coming. But that's not the picture of the last days which Jesus, or Daniel or the Apostles portrayed. Quite the opposite. They spoke of trouble, persecution even from the Jews, in synagogues, rampant deception in Israel - and immediately after those troubled times, the Son of Man will come.

The only other alternative, in a futurist model, is to say Israel gets saved AFTER the second coming, which as I said is not something Jesus or the Apostles allowed, because salvation is by faith, and faith that is seen is no longer faith. 

Objection:

> "As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:25-29 NIV)".

Answer:

Agreed. Paul stated this in order to make his point that God's promised salvation hadn't failed, and that God was still saving Jews, such as himself.

Many thousands of Jews came to Christ in the early Church. It was amazing! Still, many of the nation's leaders, and many individuals, disbelieved.

Objection:

> "Gods promises to the patriarchs have not been revoked they have future fulfilment. They are his elect."

Answer:

I agree with the first part - Paul taught that the promises hadn't been revoked, like some at Rome had mistakenly assumed. But I don't think he taught that the promises awaited a future fulfilment. Tge promises had not been postponed either. Rather, he explained that some Jews were simply missing out due to unbelief, while others were entering in to what had been promised, like himself and many others.

Jesus said, "Abraham saw my day, and rejoiced". Jesus said God's promise to Abraham was about Jesus - His first coming.

Paul also said that when God gave promises to Abraham, God was preaching the Gospel to Abraham. So the promises to the Patriarchs were fulfilled by the Gospel, not by some future scheme.

Objection:

> "Yes today the New Covenant is all inclusive of both Jew and gentile creating one new man in Christ. But there are clear distinctions between the Church and Israel. If God does not fulfil his promises to Israel then God is a liar. But he is NOT a liar and he will honor his covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Israel will be present during the millennium. Jesus said to his disciples that they will judge the 12 tribes of Israel:And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:29, 30 NIV)This is fact! Do you see the 12 judging(govern, ruling) the 12 tribes? No. It has future fulfilment in the messianic kingdom."

Answer:

Agreed - God wasn't a liar - because the promises were fulfilled in Jesus - and Jews such as Paul and a multitude of others were being saved. That's what Paul was explaining, lest the Romans become conceited.

He was explaining a present reality - not predicting a future scheme beyond the Gospel.

As for sitting on thrones and judging the twelve tribes - I suppose that will happen on judgment day.

Paul told the Corinthians that they will judge angels too.

Jesus told the Apostles to preach in all nations for a testimony against them. On judgment day, the fact that we had preached to people, will be an exhibit in evidence against them on that day.

I don't think it means we will continually be judging people daily for a thousand years. If Satan and all demons are bound during a future Millennium, there shouldn't be a need for continual court-cases during that time! It should be peace.

Also, it is no longer known what tribe Jews come from, mostly.

So I think it likely refers to the day of judgment.

God will indeed restore the kingdom to Israel - when He comes - but only the born-again Jews will see it - and Gentiles will also be in it - forever.

Jesus indeed conferred a kingdom on the Apostles - but during this life we only taste it - but when He comes, the wicked will be removed and only the saved will see it - Jew or Gentile.

Do you think God will expect Jews to start keeping Moses' Law again? the whole world to start keeping Moses' Law again during the Millennium? And curse the nations that don't keep the feast of tabernacles annually?  That goes against Paul's teaching about grace.

Those prophecies were given while Israel was going into captivity, and were fulfilled some years afterwards when God restored them to their land and they resumed following Moses' ceremonies. It's not about our future - it's not about a future Millennium.

God's highest plan for Jews is the Gospel.

They are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

He still wishes for them to be secure in their land.

We owe them a debt of gratitude.

But God isn't planning to put them back under the Law.

He doesn't have another scheme to save them after the second coming.

His promises were not revoked, they didn't fail, and they weren't postponed.

It was fulfilled in Jesus and the Gospel.

Believers will be saved, and then the end shall come.

Objection:

> "Time to wake up and get biblical."


Answer:

It's not that any of us are not trying to be Biblical. Most of us are trying to be, no matter what our current understanding is. 

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