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Apologetics, bible, Christian, Christianity, Church, Covenant, Debunked, Dispensationalism, Galatians, Israel, John, New, Old Testament, Paul, Premillennialism, Testament, theology
Do you want to know why the church of Jesus Christ is the true Israel, since it has its roots in Old Testament religion? Here’s a brief historical and biblical analysis:
Historically, to name a point, the Romans always believed “the Way” (or Christians) to be a “sect” (Acts 15:5, Greek word is αἵρεσις ,airesis, 24:5, 24:14 KJV) of the Jewish religion, before the destruction of the temple (70 AD). For everything was the same as even the many kings and rulers in the books of Acts would pass judgement thus: “since it is a matter of your own law, see to it yourself” with all its variations (Acts 18:15 etc) assuming of-course their was a difference of interpretation.
Biblically and theologically, we see that this assessment of the Gentile, pagan world was obviously due to
1. The object of the Christian’s worship Jesus Christ, a Jew
2. The city of origin (Judea, Jerusalem)
3. The leadership (12 (+/-) Jewish apostles)
4. The majority of its members (predominantly Jewish)
5. It’s very own self- designation of “Israel of God”, Galatians 6:15-16), “seed of Abraham”, Galatians 3:29, “the true circumcision”, Philippians 3:3, etc. Note, we can also add to this list Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 where John writes “who claim to be Jews but are not” kind of echoing the words of Paul in Galatians 6:16 and Romans 2:29, 9:6, to mean that there is a true Jew that is one inwardly and has a circumcision of the heart our baptism (Col. 2)…there’s so much more we can add to this!
As a brief excursus (if I can even use that word) I want to look at a point by point application of qualities that defined true Israel in the Old Testament and true Israel in the New Testament:
1. OT called “saints” (Num. 16:3, Deut. 33:3)
1. NT called “saints” (Eph. 1:1, Rom. 1:7)
2. OT called “elect” (Deut. 7:6, 14:2)
2. NT called “elect” (Col. 3:12, Titus 1:1)
3. OT called “beloved” (Deut 7:7)
3. NT called “beloved” (1 Thess. 1:4)
4. OT called “called” (Isa. 41:9, 43: 1)
4. NT called “called” (Rom. 1:6,7, 1 Cor. 1:2)
5. OT called “flock” (Ezek. 34, Ps. 77:20)
5. NT called “flock” (Luke 12:32, 1 Pet. 5:2)
6. OT called “Holy Nation” (Ex. 19:5)
6. NT called “Holy Nation (1 Pet. 2:9)
7. OT called “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:5-6)
7. NT called “kingdom of priests” (1 Pet. 2:9)
8. OT called “special treasure” (Ex. 19:6)
8. NT called “special treasure” (1 Pet. 2:9)
9. OT called “Lo ammi” or God’s people” (Hos. 1:9) (I was corrected on this Hebrew word, thank you)
9. NT called “God’s people” (1 Pet. 2:10)
10. OT called “holy people” (Deut. 7:6)
10. NT called “holy people” (Col. 3:12)
11. OT called “people of inheritance” (Deut. 4:20)
11. NT called “people of inheritance” (Eph. 1:18)
12. Israel was God’s tabernacle (Lev. 26:11, Ezek. 37:27)
12. Church is God’s tabernacle (John 1:14, Rev. 21:3)
13. God walks among Israel (Lev. 26: 12, Ex. 29:45)
13. God walks among the Church (2 Cor. 6:16-18)
14. Twelve Patriarchs (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Isaaschar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin)
14. Twelve Disciples (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (Levi), Thomas, James bar Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas bar James, Judas Iscariot)
15. Christ married unto Israel (Isa. 54:5, Hos. 2:19, etc)
15. Christ married unto Church (Eph. 5:22, 2 Cor. 11:2)
So we see the thematic scheme of the New Testament Scripture and how it has a heavy Jewish background, which evidently leads one to assume: “Do we have a progressive role to play in the “covenants of promise” (Ephesians 2:12) or an entirely new role (or even a digressing one) emerging out of thin air?” Maybe this explains why the dispensationalists who take on the latter view have such an acute (if at all) understanding of the covenants and a pessimillennial-istic eschatology, that takes them back rather than forward. Further, I submit to you that the former has the inescapable witness of the Scripture while the latter is a fabrication of our minds!
Why Devote Our Lives To Halfway Measures?
AG
