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Eschatology (study of end times) continues to be a popular area of study among Christians today. Some teachers spend a lot of time and energy teaching about the future of Israel, the need to support Israel, etc. while the identity of Israel seems to be assumed to be the continuation of Israel’s identity as the physical descendants of Abraham.

Below you will find a collection of Scripture texts on the subject. Please read them carefully and work through the questions that follow them. As you do so, remember the importance of basing your beliefs on the sure foundation of God’s Word rather than “what I’ve always heard” or “what pastor so-and-so says.”

Paul Identifies Israel

^ESV Galatians 3:24-29 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

^ESV Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

^ESV Romans 4:11-18 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. ¹³ For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. ¹⁶ That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring- not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, ¹⁷ as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. ¹⁸ In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

^ESV Romans 9:6-8 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷ and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

^ESV Romans 11:17-24 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. ²³ And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree .

^ESV Ephesians 2:11-22 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- ¹² remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

^ESV Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 

 

Descriptions of Israel and the Church

Israel

^ESV Exodus 19:6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

^ESV Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Church

^ESV 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

The Church is Called “the Israel of God”

^ESV Galatians 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. ¹⁶ And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Gal. 6:16 and upon. “And” (Gk.kai.) can also mean “even,” in which case Paul would be equating the church with “the Israel of God.” Which sense is best here must be decided with reference to the larger context of Paul’s thought both in Galatians and in his other epistles. Israel of God. That is, in contrast to the children of the “present Jerusalem” (4:25), the true people of God are the believing children of Abraham (3:7, 29), who belong to “Jerusalem above” (4:26–27). [ESV Study Bible, Crossway Publishing, emphasis added]

Israel is Called the Ekklesia (Church)

^ESV Acts 7:38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.

 

Questions:

• A pillar of dispensationalism (a popular view of end times) teaches “a clear separation of Israel and the Church.” Do you see such a separation in the texts above?

 

• Who isn’t Israel? (Rom 9:8) Is the identity of Israel based on the flesh (physical birth)?

 

• How many called out peoples does God have? (Eph 2:13-16;3:6) How many bodies? How many trees in Rom 11?

 

• If Scripture calls the Church the Israel of God and Israel God’s ekklesia, is that significant?

 

• If identical and peculiar language is used to describe Israel and the Church, is that significant?

 

• Even if you don’t agree with folks who believe that the Church is the fulfillment of Israel, can you at least respect and understand why people might hold to it on Biblical grounds?

 

• Do you think “replacement theology” is an appropriate term to use when no one who holds this view identifies themselves this way? Why not use more accurate and gracious terms like “fulfillment” or “grafted” theology? (Rom 11)

 

• If a person believes that ethnic Israel is the forerunner of the Church and that God loves and saves Jews the same way he does everyone else, does that make him or her anti-Semitic?

 

 

Appendix: Here is an email exchange with a dispensationalist friend where we talk about spiritualizing the text, prophetic promises to the nation Israel, etc.

Subject: Part 1-Hermeneutics

Jeff,

You said:

To build that kingdom, or rule of Messiah on earth, on the first coming of Christ seems to require a deliteralizing of the promises made by God to David and about Jesus Christ rule.

I’m glad you brought up the issue of “deliteralizing” of Scripture. It is a common misrepresentation of anyone who is not a dispensationalist to claim that they do not follow the “grammatical-historical literal approach” of hermeneutics. All conservative students of the Bible use this approach. Each millennial group-while it interprets most of the Bible in this literal manner also interprets parts of the Bible in a “spiritual” or figurative manner. Premillennarians (especially dispensationalists) freely use the same methods while maligning other groups for doing the same thing (more on this later). I’ll quote quite a bit from Dr. John Walvoord, a recognized champion of dispensationalism whose textbooks are used in seminary, etc.

When I was taking a graduate class from Liberty University (dispensational) “Ecclesiology and Eschatology.” In that class I read quotes like:

“Premillennarieans follow the so-called ‘grammatical-historical’ literal interpretation while amillennarians use a spiritualizing method” [John Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom, p. 59].

Only three pages later:

“The amillennial method of interpreting Scripture is correctly defined as the spiritualizing method. It is clear, however, that conservative amillennialists limit the use of this method, and in fact adopt the literal method of interpreting most of the Scripture.” [Ibid. p.62]

I’m not aware of who the non-conservatives are, but liberals of all stripes just take what they want from Scripture. This is a whole other topic. It’s important we limit our discussion to those of us who take Scripture VERY seriously and are trying to interpret it correctly.

Walvoord is still trying to make up his mind on the next page:

“Amillennarians use two methods of interpretation, the spiritualizing method for prophecy and the literal method for other Scriptures” [Ibid. p.63].

Now that he’s contrasted the amillennarians as the “spiritualizers” with the dispensationalists as the “literalists”, he begins to address the truth of the matter:

“Most premillennarians would agree with Hamilton that obvious figurative language or instances where the New Testament gives authority for interpreting the Old Testament in other than a literal sense would be just grounds for use of the spiritualizing method. Obviously, some Scriptures of the Old Testament and a few passages of the New Testament have a figurative meaning” [Ibid. p.65].

… so when I do it (spiritualize–and dispensationalists do it a lot), it’s all right?

He similarly characterizes amillennial objectivity:

“It was shown that the only rule which could be followed by the amillenarian was hopelessly subjective–the figurative method was used whenever the amillenarian found it necessary to change the literal meaning of the Scripture to conform to his ideas” [Ibid. p.71].

In a following email I’ll address the specifics of the prophetic promises. At the same time we’ll have plenty of opportunity to see who’s interpretation of Scripture is “hopelessly subjective.” I just thought it was important to address the issue of hermeneutics directly. Bottom line? When discussing interpretation of Scripture with an amillennialist, you are not discussing it with a liberal (who doesn’t care what it really means) or a “subjective spiritualizer.” What has come to be known as “amillennialism” was held by the great majority of the church fathers and the Protestant Reformers. I’ll wrap up part one with a final quote from Dr. Walvoord:

“Reformed eschatology has been predominantly amillennial. Most if not all of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation were amillennial in their eschatology, following the teachings of Augustine” [Walvoord, Bibliotheca Sacra magazine, Jan-Mar, 1951 issue].

 

Subject: Part 2-Israel’s Promises (I’ve replaced the typed Scriptures with BibleWorks cut/pastes)

Jeff,

In response to the Gen 15 land promise, this promise was fulfilled some 600 years after the promise was made to Abraham.

^ESV Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

Cross reference with:

^ESV Deuteronomy 1:8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

The Story Continues:

^ESV Joshua 21:41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands. ⁴² These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities. ⁴³ Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. ⁴⁴ And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Rebuilding of the temple has also been fulfilled:

^ESV Ezra 3:8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD.

^ESV Ezra 5:1-2 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. ² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

^ESV Ezra 6:14-15 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; ¹⁵ and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

Many other promises were conditional:

Promise		Condition
Gen 12:2	……………………….	Gen 12:1
Gen 14:2-8	……………………….	Gen 17:9
Gen 15:5	……………………….	Gen 15:6
Gen 17:4	……………………….	Gen 17:9
Gen 17:10-11	……………………….	Gen 17:14, Ex 13:4,5
Duet 28:1-14	……………………….	Deut 28:15
Duet 30:15-16	……………………….	Duet 30:17-19, Josh 8:34, 24:20
2 Sam 7	……………………….	2 Kings 2:3-4, 9:4-9, 11:11
2 Chron 7:17-18	……………………….	2 Chron 7:19-23

[William E. Cox, Amillenialism Today p. 42]

I’ll address Revelation and the literal thousand years later.

I never got around to the discussion of the thousand years with Jeff.  The conversation just kind of died.  It was understandable, he was in the middle of moving his family across the country, getting settled, etc.