Post by Mark on Apr 9, 2009 7:05:07 GMT -8
In a discussion last night with a fellow who is actively involved in a local Church and fairly well versed in Scripture, we were discussing the tremendous imagery pointing to the Messiah found in the Passover Seder. We talked about how folks who have determined what must not be true as a foundational position, will never see it as truth, no matter what supporting evidence we might present.
He mentioned that the Jewish people could have never anticipated "the Church age". The Churge is, according to the doctrinal theory of "Dispensationalism", a period of time when Adonai reaches directly to the gentile people as His covenant people so as to incite His chosen people Israel to jealousy.
But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
(Romans 10:19 KJV)
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
(Romans 11:7-12 KJV)
These texts, unfortuately ignore the manner in which the gentiles are added to the faith (the Church) in this context. In verse 17 of chapter 11, the gentiles (the wild olive branches) are grafted in AMONG the natural. The gentiles are never to replace Israel's role or covenant people; but are (as they have always been) invited to participate among the natural born.
Several texts are conveniently manipulated to suggest that there is a special time when Adonai will work among the gentiles a separate work from His covenant people:
Luke 21:24 will be referred to as the "time of the gentiles" which must be fulfilled. The accurate rendering is "times of the gentiles". If this passage were to be used for the dispensationalist perspective of "Chuch Age" there must be several of them. In context, it is referring to the multiple ocassions that foreign armies have overrun Jerusalem.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
(Luke 21:24 KJV)
Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:10 bear the phrase, "to the Jew first but also to the Greek..." The Dispensationalist interpretation of this defines the word "first" as "initially", and the the promises of faith have now transferred to the gentile. However, if that were the case, the word "also" should be "now" ("to the Jew first but now to the Greek...") Since the word "also" is what is in the text, the word "first" means "primarily": "to the Jew Primarily but also to the Greek...."
This is consistent with what Paul will continue to say in Romans 3:1. "What advantage hath the Jew?" What advantage HAS the Jew currently? It is often mis-rendered, "What advantage did the Jew once have?" sloppily reading over the text without seeing what the words are really saying. Paul is telling the Roman Church, that it is currently advantageous to embrace the Jewishness of the context of opur faith, not just a little bit; but in every way.
Acts 13:46 is used as a pivotal moment in Paul's ministry, turning his full attention to the gentile populous as the people whom God has chosen him to apostle. This is a
attempt of desperation that can only be justified with a word search concordance. If you read the SCripture in any context at all, you must see that Paul's mission is to invite the gentiles into the Jewish house of worship as brothers. That's what Acts 15 is all about, not creating a new branch of theology tailored to the Greek thinking mind, not bound by the Jewish traditional positions of theology. He was offering to the gentile people access to the Jewish faith in the Messiah sent to redeem all man through His chosen people Israel.
The middle wall of partition that was broken down in Paul's letter to the Epheisian Church was not the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (as is often taught in Churches today). This wall did not divide Jew from gentile. The wall to which he was referring was a stone column wall in the Herodian Temple which divided the Court of the gentilse from the Court of the Jews. This wall prevented gentile believers (in Judaism) from entering into the intimate chambers of worship where the sacrifices could be observed and the deepest teachings could be participated in. The gentile is invited into what Paul describes as the "commonwealth of Israel". The Dispensationalist ignores the term "Israel" as having any value at all- declaring we are simply a "new people in Christ". By this, the Church abandons the rich heritage, teaching and hope that has been promised to us through the Jewish State, creating a new religion of their own making, not founded upon the Word of God, but upon their own pperceptions, loosely attached so as to maintain some thread of credibility.
He mentioned that the Jewish people could have never anticipated "the Church age". The Churge is, according to the doctrinal theory of "Dispensationalism", a period of time when Adonai reaches directly to the gentile people as His covenant people so as to incite His chosen people Israel to jealousy.
But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
(Romans 10:19 KJV)
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
(Romans 11:7-12 KJV)
These texts, unfortuately ignore the manner in which the gentiles are added to the faith (the Church) in this context. In verse 17 of chapter 11, the gentiles (the wild olive branches) are grafted in AMONG the natural. The gentiles are never to replace Israel's role or covenant people; but are (as they have always been) invited to participate among the natural born.
Several texts are conveniently manipulated to suggest that there is a special time when Adonai will work among the gentiles a separate work from His covenant people:
Luke 21:24 will be referred to as the "time of the gentiles" which must be fulfilled. The accurate rendering is "times of the gentiles". If this passage were to be used for the dispensationalist perspective of "Chuch Age" there must be several of them. In context, it is referring to the multiple ocassions that foreign armies have overrun Jerusalem.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
(Luke 21:24 KJV)
Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:10 bear the phrase, "to the Jew first but also to the Greek..." The Dispensationalist interpretation of this defines the word "first" as "initially", and the the promises of faith have now transferred to the gentile. However, if that were the case, the word "also" should be "now" ("to the Jew first but now to the Greek...") Since the word "also" is what is in the text, the word "first" means "primarily": "to the Jew Primarily but also to the Greek...."
This is consistent with what Paul will continue to say in Romans 3:1. "What advantage hath the Jew?" What advantage HAS the Jew currently? It is often mis-rendered, "What advantage did the Jew once have?" sloppily reading over the text without seeing what the words are really saying. Paul is telling the Roman Church, that it is currently advantageous to embrace the Jewishness of the context of opur faith, not just a little bit; but in every way.
Acts 13:46 is used as a pivotal moment in Paul's ministry, turning his full attention to the gentile populous as the people whom God has chosen him to apostle. This is a
attempt of desperation that can only be justified with a word search concordance. If you read the SCripture in any context at all, you must see that Paul's mission is to invite the gentiles into the Jewish house of worship as brothers. That's what Acts 15 is all about, not creating a new branch of theology tailored to the Greek thinking mind, not bound by the Jewish traditional positions of theology. He was offering to the gentile people access to the Jewish faith in the Messiah sent to redeem all man through His chosen people Israel.The middle wall of partition that was broken down in Paul's letter to the Epheisian Church was not the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (as is often taught in Churches today). This wall did not divide Jew from gentile. The wall to which he was referring was a stone column wall in the Herodian Temple which divided the Court of the gentilse from the Court of the Jews. This wall prevented gentile believers (in Judaism) from entering into the intimate chambers of worship where the sacrifices could be observed and the deepest teachings could be participated in. The gentile is invited into what Paul describes as the "commonwealth of Israel". The Dispensationalist ignores the term "Israel" as having any value at all- declaring we are simply a "new people in Christ". By this, the Church abandons the rich heritage, teaching and hope that has been promised to us through the Jewish State, creating a new religion of their own making, not founded upon the Word of God, but upon their own pperceptions, loosely attached so as to maintain some thread of credibility.
