Ligonier ping!
The future restoration of the nation of Israel will involve their re-grafting into the olive tree, the one people of God. The restoration of Israel will mean their becoming part of the “true Israel” by faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah.
I believe this is seen prophetically in the sealing ("sealing" =salvation, sealed by the Holy Spirit) of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation Chapt 7, during the sixth of the seven seals at the "beginning of sorrows" of the tribulation. Israel will finally fulfill the destiny long given to them by God to evangelize the world. This leads to a great harvest of souls and also to "Jacob's trouble" (Jer 30:7) (much worse than the holocaust) from which a remnant will be saved and physically hidden and protected by God from the "beast" during the last 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation.
The relationship between God and Israel (old covenant) was based upon obedience. However, Israel demonstrated over centuries that obedience was impossible. Thus, Jesus came - fully obedient - in fulfillment of the Law.
The relationship between God and the Church (new covenant) is based upon faithfulness - faithfulness to the obedience of Jesus and his offer of Grace the the faithful.
The difference really is important - and makes all the difference in the world.
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT HARLEY, I disagree with this statement...It is the branches that represent the covenant people of God...
Paul compares unbelieving Israel to branches that have been broken off from the olive tree (v. 17a).
That is true...But believing Israel is the branches that were not broken off...Only some of the branches were broken off...
Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
What is receiving the believing branches??? It's the root and the trunk...
Rom 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Just as the cake is the first fruit of the dough, and the grapes are the firstfruit of the vine, the believing branches are the first fruit of the root...
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
These are speaking of part of the firstfruits of the ROOT...
Rev_22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Israel is not the root...Jesus is the root...
Neither does God plant a second new tree alongside the old tree and then graft branches from the old tree into the new tree (traditional dispensationalism).
The dispensationalism that I believe in does not teach that...
Instead, the same tree exists across the divide between Old and New Testaments. That which remains after the dead branches are removed is the true Israel.
Gentile believers are now grafted into this already existing old tree (true Israel/the true church). There is only one good olive tree, and the same olive tree exists across the covenantal divide.
Rom_9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Rom_10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
As we can see, unsaved Israel is still Israel...
The church doesn't become Israel...Israel has not attained righteousness...Saved Israel has become the church...Large difference...Gentiles were added to the church, the root, Jesus Christ...
Thus, there is continuity between true Israel and the church. This is why the Reformed confessions can speak of the church as existing from the beginning of the world (for example, Belgic Confession, Art. 27).
I don't agree with that one either...Had natural Israel not crucified Jesus but accepted him as their Messia, there would be no need of a church...There certainly was no spiritual Body of Christ...
I do agree with the rest of the article except for the last sentence...
The restoration of Israel will mean their becoming part of the “true Israel” by faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah.
I do not believe the 'saved' Israel will become part of the church...Saved Israel along with the saved Gentiles (the church) will be saved during the Great Tribulation AFTER tahe Rapture of the church...
This saved Israel will survive the Tribulation and move on into the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ while he sits on the Throne of David...
ut anyway, I am convinced by reading the same scriptures that you read that the church is NOT Israel...Saved Israel and saved Gentiles are the church...
>>>"The future restoration of the nation of Israel will involve their re-grafting into the olive tree, the one people of God. The restoration of Israel will mean their becoming part of the “true Israel” by faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah."<<<
Recall that Christ rejected the claims of some who touted Abrahamic ancestry, as follows:
"They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." (John 8:39 KJV)
John the Baptist mocked their claims of descendancy:
"Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." (Luke 3:8 KJV)
How can one be "Israel" and not be a descendant of Abraham? In reality, he can't. But Dr. Mathison got around this by identifying two Israel's: 1) national Israel; and 2) the true Israel. National Israel is the same Israel we know today, consisting primarily of those who reject Christianity. The "true Israel" were the elect, chosen from the foundation of the world, and called by Christ to serve him.
Mathison also "identified" a third Israel, which are non-elect, national Israelites who call upon the name of the Lord; that is, unbelieving Israelites who learn of the Lord and are saved.
In the early Church, none were saved except they met one of two criteria that Joel mentioned for deliverance:
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." (Joel 2:32 KJV)
The faithful remnant (the true Israel) were called to be the elect, and serve as the foundation of the Church, with Christ the chief cornerstone. True Israel is not the entire Church; but it was in the beginning. Today, Israel is in the Church, but the Church is not Israel. That is an important distinction.
Back to the elect: this is Paul speaking about the elect, which included himself:
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, . . . In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ." (Eph 1:4-5, 11-12 KJV)
"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." (Rom 11:5-7 KJV)
"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified . . . Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." (Rom 8:30, 33 KJV)
So, the elect were saved by grace, from the beginning, and became the branches of the tree that were not cut off. They were glorified in the Church.
I am not implying that Christ does not call upon others for his purpose, even today (though I have no scripture supporting that notion.) But in the beginning, the elect were those who were of the remnant (even all the remnant;) and were delivered by being called, exactly as Joel stated.
Daniel also wrote of the deliverance in his statement about the first resurrection; but he did not separate the remnant from the non-remnant:
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan 12:1-2 KJV)
The non-remnant were saved by faith: that is, rather than being called by the Lord, they themselves called upon the name of the Lord after learning of Him:
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Rom 10:13-15 KJV)
Those included both Jews and Gentiles: the ones who were grafted into the tree. This is the primary way (maybe the only way) Christians are added to the fold, even today.
Philip
The Preterists are at it again, I see. Sneaky as always. Ligonier Ministries is a Preterist website. Preterists, you’ll notice, don’t want you knowing that is what they are, they post articles like this about the Church and Israel, which is truth, while hiding the fact that that they are Preterists. This is how they suck people into Preterism.
The Church is the Israel of God - true.
Prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD - utterly false.
Yes, we’ve all heard the quibble, “But I’m a Partial Preterist not a Full Preterist,” as if that gets them off the hook. There is very little difference between the two. A Preterist is a Preterist is a Preterist, period.
Preterism is not historic Christianity. There is no evidence that Papias, Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement of Rome, Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, etc., believed this doctrine or had ever heard of it. They wrote volumes “against heresies,” they weren’t shy at all about attacking false doctrines. None of the aforementioned believed Christ had came in 70 AD, partially or fully, they were Chiliasts, they saw the first resurrection of Rev. 20 and the rapture as future events, they were post-tribulationists and pre-millennialists.
If there were such an eschatology that taught as its central precept, prophecy had been fulfilled in 70 AD - including Revelation - they assuredly would have dealt with it like they did other heresies - to them, THIS would have been a major heresy. They didn’t attack it, because it hadn’t been invented yet. It’s a modern theory, like Postmillennialism.
Does anyone else see a problem here? Either the "old covenant" is still valid or the Catholic Church is (chas veshalom!) the "new Israel." Both can't be true simultaneously.
I note also that this snarky "the Catholic Church is Israel" attitude doesn't keep the professional Jewish ecumenicists from fan-girling all over the Vatican while treating pro-Israel Fundamentalist Protestants like lepers. But then, the Catholic Church doesn't accept the historicity of Genesis 1-11. I guess the embarrassment of being associated with such people cancels out every other consideration.