Christ The Lord and The New Israel

This blog entry will be a friendly and brief response to a dear friend of mine who currently holds to the view that the promises made to Abraham (Genesis 12: 2-3, 15:5, and 17) and to Israel (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy, and the Prophets) have yet to be fulfilled by Christ.

Here is her entry:

I absolutely believe the land, and Israel as a people, are still relevant. God’s covenantal promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 promised land, descendants becoming a great nation and the blessing of the nations through the people who would become known as Israel. We have not seen the fulfillment of these three promises simultaneously, if at all. I can’t suspend my belief in God’s faithfulness to His promises here and believe that He is done with Israel, as a land or a people, before the fullness of all three of these promises of the Abrahamic covenant are fulfilled.

Beyond that, there are too many prophetic promises pointing to a literal and physical New Jerusalem descending on Mount Zion. I don’t believe there is biblical support for a “new Israel”, with the notion that we as the Church have replaced her. Why would Jesus have told the Pharisees in Matthew 23, “You won’t see me again until you say, ‘blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’,” unless they/Israel would one day proclaim Him as Messiah? This suggests to me that Israel as a people are still important.

Similarly, in Acts 1 - after spending 40 days with a resurrected Jesus - the disciples’ burning question is, “are you going to restore the Kingdom now?” This is a Jewish King, with Jewish followers, and an Old Testament understanding of the Kingdom. I just have a hard time rectifying that Israel is finished and the Church has replaced her, or Jesus would have explained that to them. Whatever He did talk to them about in those 40 days fueled their understanding that Israel would be restored, which fueled their writings in the later epistles. Romans 9-11 shows Paul’s anguish over his Jewish brothers and sisters, and his understanding of Jesus being central to both the destiny of the Gentile nations and to Israel.

It’s neat and easy to believe we, as the Church, have fulfilled the Abrahamic covenantal promises. But I just don’t see support for that biblically.

JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL PROMISES MADE TO ABRAHAM, ISRAEL, AND DAVID

First, the promises made to Abraham included that he would become the father of a great nation (Genesis 12:2), that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5), and that through him all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The Promises made to Israel included that they would be God’s chosen people (Exodus 19:5), that they would possess the land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8), and additionally, that a descendent of David would rule on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

In Galatians 3:16-17, Paul explains that the promise that “through Abraham, all nations would be blessed” is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true Israel, the faithful son who perfectly fulfilled Israel’s mission to be a light to the nations (Matthew 2:15, Isaiah 49:6). Additionally, Jesus is the true King from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:16), as affirmed by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:32-33. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, would go on to open the way for the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him, as the Gospel was preached to people of all nations (Galatians 3:8, Matthew 28:19-20). We are also told that all nations are represented at Pentecost, and the Gospel is immediately shared (Acts 3:5-11). Jesus also promised to return and establish His kingdom on earth, in which the promises made to Israel will be fully realized (Acts 1:11, Revelation 21:1-4). Jesus certainly fulfills this with the inbreaking of his kingdom (the Church age) and the destroying of the old world (old heavens and earth) from Genesis 1 through the end of the Judaic Aeon with the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70.

JESUS IS THE NEW ISRAEL

1. Jesus fulfills the role of Israel: In the Old Testament, Israel as a nation was chosen by God to be a light to the nations and to bear witness to His saving power. Jesus, as the Messiah, fulfills this role perfectly by bringing salvation to Israel and all nations.

2. Jesus embodies the story of Israel: The history of Israel is marked by a series of exiles and returns. Jesus, too, experienced exile (in Egypt as a child) and return (to Nazareth), but His ultimate exile was His death, and His ultimate return was His resurrection.

3. Jesus' ministry mirrors Israel's journey: Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry. Israel was tested in the wilderness and failed, but Jesus was tested and triumphed over temptation.

4. Jesus is the true vine: In John 15, Jesus declares He is the true vine and His followers are the branches. This image recalls Israel as a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7) and suggests that Jesus fulfills Israel's calling.

5. Jesus embodies the Law and the Prophets: Jesus himself said in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. This suggests that Jesus embodies the Law and the Prophets, which were central to Israel's identity.

JESUS’ DEPARTURE (MATTHEW 23)

I believe there is a possible chiastic structure to Jesus’ departure:

(a)23:39 For I say to you, in no way will you see Me again until you say, “Blessed is the one coming in the Lord’s name.”

(b)24:1 And going forth, Jesus went away from the temple.

(c)And His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple.

(c)24:2 And/but Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things?

(b)Amen I say to you, not at all shall be left here stone upon stone that shall not be thrown down.”

(a)24:3 And/but as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives (which is higher than Zion, which the city was built on, and Moriah which the Temple was built on), the disciples came to Him apart saying, “tell us when these things will be, and what is the sign of Your manifestation, and of the consummation of the age.

You’ll note the connection between a & a (the seeing of Jesus and of His appearing), b & b (Jesus leaving the temple and stating it will be torn down- desolation), and c & c (disciples ask Jesus to look at the temple, then Jesus asking them to look at it.)

*Below is commentary from James B. Jordan regarding Matthew 23*

“When Jesus entered Jerusalem in Matthew 21:9, the people shouted, “Blessed is the One coming in the Lord’s name,” and they saw Jesus daily in the temple until they had rejected Him. Now, leaving the temple and the city, Jesus states that they will not see Him again until they reaffirm what they said when He first arrived.

It is clear that “The One Coming in Yahweh’s Name” is the Messiah. The quotation is from Psalm 118:26. This same Person has been identified as “Yahweh’s Right Hand” (vv. 15-16) and as the ‘Chief Cornerstone” (vv. 22). Jerusalem will not see Jesus again until they again affirm that he is the promised Messiah. Their temple will not stand unless Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone.

This “seeing” will not, however, be a seeing with the eye. As in English, “seeing” mean “discerning.” It can mean also mean “take care,” as in Matthew 24:4, “See that no one misleads you.” There can also be the idea of presence. To see someone is to be present with him, even if you don’t see him visually. As we shall see below, when the disciples ask Jesus about His “appearing,” the same kind of mental and relational sight is meant.

Jesus’ departure from the temple fulfills the numerous departures of Yahweh from the sanctuary in the preceding history. In Exodus 32-34, after the golden calf incident, Yahweh pitched His tent away from the people and did not return to their midst until the tabernacle had been set up. In 1 Samuel 1-4, Yahweh departed from the sanctuary, went into Philistia, and allowed the sanctuary to be taken apart; the Ark and the Altar were not put back together until the building of Solomon’s temple. In Ezekiel 8-11, Yahweh is seen leaving the temple in Jerusalem and going with the exiles to Babylon; shortly thereafter the temple is destroyed.

In a parallel way, Jesus’ departure from the temple is the departure of the righteous from the wicked city. In Matthew 10:14-15, Jesus had told the disciples to kick the dust off their feet as they leave a city that rejects the gospel. He compared such a city to Sodom. Only after Lot and his family left Sodom was Sodom destroyed. After the Israelites left Egypt, we find the Amalekites moving in to destroy it, and Egypt does not figure in Biblical history for several centuries thereafter. Jesus and His disciples are God’s faithful, who are leaving behind the city of destruction. In Matthew 24:15-20, Jesus informs the disciples that this sequence of events will be repeated and that they are to leave Sodom-Jerusalem when they see the “abomination of desolation.” (*On Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt, see Revelation 11:8) The Lord is with His people. When they leave, He leaves, whether in the days of Ezekiel or in the days of the Great Tribulation.

The disciples followed Jesus and caught up with Him. They knew that He had pronounced doom upon the temple, but Herod’s temple was so massive and magnificent that they had a hard time believing it could really happen. Jesus assures them that it will.”

Jordan, JB. (2022). Matthew 23-25 A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary (p. 77-78). American Vision.

REGARDING ACTS 1

The confusion here lies with understanding when the Kingdom will be inaugurated, which doesn’t happen until Pentecost. Christ in Acts 1 will ascend to get the Kingdom from the Father which isn’t complete until the fall of Jerusalem AD 70 (AD 30 to AD 70 marks 40 years, keeping with the Exodus typology). We are mistaken to think that the Day of the Lord is only marked by redemption (at the cross), but as it is throughout the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord is always marked by redemption and vengeance, as indicated by Revelation. The events of AD 30-AD 70 are not the Parousia (the second coming) of Jesus. Matthew Henry, in his commentary, illuminates Acts 1:6-11

“(1.) Their expectation of the thing itself. They thought Christ would restore the kingdom to Israel, that is, that he would make the nation of the Jews as great and considerable among the nations as it was in the days of David and Solomon, of Asa and Jehoshaphat; that, as Shiloh, he would restore the scepter to Judah, and the lawgiver; whereas Christ came to set up his own kingdom, and that a kingdom of heaven, not to restore the kingdom to Israel, an earthly kingdom. See here, [1.] How apt even good men are to place the happiness of the church too much in external pomp and power; as if Israel could not be glorious unless the kingdom were restored to it, nor Christ’s disciples honored unless they were peers of the realm; whereas we are told to expect the cross in this world, and to wait for the kingdom in the other world. [2.] How apt we are to retain what we have imbibed, and how hard it is to get over the prejudices of education. The disciples, having sucked in this notion with their milk that the Messiah was to be a temporal prince, were long before they could be brought to have any idea of his kingdom as spiritual. [3.] How naturally we are biased in favor of our own people. They thought God would have no kingdom in the world unless it were restored to Israel; whereas the kingdoms of this world were to become his, in whom he would be glorified, whether Israel should sink or swim. [4.] How apt we are to misunderstand scripture—to understand that literally which is spoken figuratively, and to expound scripture by our schemes, whereas we ought to form our schemes by the scriptures. But, when the Spirit shall be poured out from on high, our mistakes will be rectified, as the apostles’ soon after were.[1]’

[1] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2063). Peabody: Hendrickson.

OTHER SOURCES

A few examples from the many expositors who, although there may be differences in emphasis and interpretation, there is an overall agreement among Christian thinkers that Jesus is the true and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises to his people.

• John Calvin wrote in his Institutes of Christian Religion that Jesus is the true and ultimate fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, as He is the seed through whom all nations are blessed and the mediator of the new covenant.

• Charles Spurgeon preached many sermons on Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel. He believed that Jesus is the true Israel who perfectly fulfilled God’s plan for His chosen people and that God’s promises to Israel were fulfilled through Him.

• John Piper, whom I’m not the biggest fan of, has written extensively on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. Piper argues that Jesus is the true and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and Israel and that through Him, all of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

• N.T. Wright has also written extensively on this topic. Wright argues that Jesus is the true Israel who perfectly embodies Israel’s calling to be a light to the nations and that God’s promises to Israel were fulfilled through His death and resurrection.

In summary, I agree with the many orthodox commentators and expositors regarding the kingdom of God that Jesus fulfills the promises made to Abraham and Israel and that through Christ, the new Israel, all nations can receive the blessing of salvation. That salvation is no longer restricted to a specific geography. We who are in Christ are the New Priesthood.

It's All Smoke. Ecclesiastes 2

Okay, so everything is vanity! Well, really, the better translation is everything is smoke. Vanity and meaningless don't quite grasp what the Qohelet (the gatherer) or the preacher is saying here.

He is saying everything is smoke. And if everything is smoke, we're in the thick fog. That means we can't see very well, or we're blinded, in a sense. We see things, of course; we can touch them, we can taste them, we can see them, we can define them, we can identify them. But that which is of the world and under the sun is smoke, and we're blinded by it. And so, following God is truly by faith alone; we can't see God with all the smoke around us. So, the Qohelet here is experimenting to test himself and his heart. But you'll see that a great deal of delusion comes with trying to master folly.

I'll give you Ambrose's commentary here. There are a couple of commentaries in front of me, but one from Ambrose says, commenting specifically on Ecclesiastes 2:12-26, "To speak now of this life. The person who has taken his soul in vain, who is constructing the things of the world and building the things of the body. We arrive each day to eat and drink, yet no one is filled so that he does not hunger and thirst after a short time. Daily we seek prophets, and to greed, there is set no limit. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. He that loves silver will not be satisfied with silver. There is no limit to toil, and there is no profit in abundance."

This is a good insight from Ambrose. Solomon is the preeminent example of the full range of the human experience; who in the world is more abundant than Solomon? And that is his claim here. Who in the world is wiser than me? Who in the world has had more experiences than me? I have experienced the full range of human experiences and everything the world has to offer in its fullness which is under the sun. I've had the wealth. I've blown it away, and I've gained it back again. I've had the women. I've had the slaves. I've had the instruments. I've had the wine, the best of wines. I've had the rivers that flowed out of my gardens. I've had everything, yet there wasn't any true lasting abundance in this. And to come out of that kind of experiment unscathed; indeed, there are some consequences to what he's doing here, but most men could not have survived, that is, maintained their soul with this giving into vice and giving into sin and giving into the things of the world.

He, Solomon, immerses himself fully in the smoke and in the things of the world, and he comes out of the other end, probably with a limp; with a lot of humility, and as we'll find at the end of the book, is that there was no abundance to be had. No true lasting abundance; it was mist. And therefore, this teacher, this gatherer, gathering the people is telling us; look and see, I've done it all. But, let me warn you, Solomon says, there is no abundance in these things- it's all chasing after the wind. There is no abundance in too much wine, and there is no abundance in too much worldly wisdom. Lasting abundance comes from the Lord, who alone can fully fill us. And true abundance is not just being fully filled, but it's going to the source that can't be emptied or exhausted, right! So, in one sense, we can be full in this world for a time, but we notice that in our eating, drinking, and sexual pleasures, we're never really satisfied. And those things start to empty themselves; they begin to lose their ability to fill us, right! This is a problem with divorce; men overly consume their wives; they never give to their wives; they never sacrifice themselves for their wives. They overconsume their wives, and before you know it, their wives are empty. And maybe they're not actually empty, but the man's perspective is that she no longer has anything to offer him; there's nothing she can give him anymore. She's dry and can no longer quench his appetite. And so, he must leave her and go to someone else who can fill him. Smoke!

The idea here in Ecclesiastes is that the Lord never empties, and the Lord never runs out. He is truly the source of abundance. So even though we are filled then emptied, filled then drained, the source of our filling, the fount that quenches our thirst is never empty; it is never dried. But everything else in this world dries up; everything else is smoke and vapor. So, Christians will find true abundance: joy and peace in the Lord. And if you want to truly experience and enjoy the things in this life, and for them to have ultimate meaning, those things must be found in the Lord and given unto the Lord daily.

A Roe V. Wade Red Herring

With the Scotus leak and the subsequent ruling to strike down Roe V. Wade, I’ve seen many Christians and pro-lifers advise that we need to be ready to take in all these babies who are going to be born. Likewise, now, I'm seeing the angry pro-choicers instruct pro-lifers to be ready to take their kids. They also point out that there are 400,000+ children in foster care in the U.S., and of the over 400,000 children, 114,556 cannot be returned to their families and are waiting to be adopted.  “If you’re happy about today’s decision (pro-life, Christian, Republican, etc.), please reach out to CPS to foster a child.” they wag their fingers as if the foster care situation is the fault of the pro-life movement. And, because of our position, we need to carry the burden of their carelessness and recklessness by default.

Sure, Christians should be involved, and I would strongly argue that Christians are already doing these things and are the chief component of those fostering and adopting already- far greater than our secular counter-parts. Christians don't magically have a new burden, because we've already taken up the burden, and now with it being heavier, we will need greater reinvestments in expanding the efforts wider to incorporate the new arrivals. But, let us not be deceived here; the culture of death may not be able to kill their babies as easily, but they are still willing to abandon them. The abortionists would be quick to lay guilt and shame on the pro-lifer and say this is your mess; now clean it up. Well, NO! We will not argue or conduct ourselves on your terms, and we will not enable your bad behavior or entertain your poor and false arguments.

In short, we (pro-life Christians) may not be perpetuating this mess, but make no mistake, we will happily take your kids and raise them to be soldiers of Christ advancing His kingdom until He comes again to glorify everything.

Truth Supressors

In Romans 1:18, the apostle Paul speaks of those who, by their wickedness and sinfulness, “suppress the truth.” Here we see that truth can be held down and stifled. Yet, what they in their time and folks in our time fail to recognize is that truth cannot be manipulated or changed- not really.

The pride community knows in their heart of hearts they can’t alter the truth, so they instead change themselves, both their physical appearance and their desires; they even go so far as to manipulate God’s word to justify their positions. They’re turning from God’s created order (Genesis 1:27) and against God himself to move from light to darkness and self-imposed blindness.

The truth, as it will continue to unfold in the latter verses, is that God has revealed to all humans something of his eternal power and nature. Yet, a chief problem in our time is that people refuse to believe. Indeed, they love their superior gods more, and thus, “24 God [gives] them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.”

Verse 24 is a judgment that is both eschatological and at the same time a present reality. We would do well not to celebrate nor support that which God detests and places judgment on.

You might think me insensitive here, but it isn't me you have to engage with; it's with God whom you must contend with. I earnestly pray for the contending, humbling, and repenting.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,” Romans 1:18

The month of June is read Romans 1 everyday of the month, month.

Rainbow Rebellion

When God calls sodomy (homosexuality) or the female counterpart (women living in unnatural relations) forbidden, it is so, not because God was random and capricious in his judgments (Romans 1:17-32) He was no whimsical tyrant who ebbed and flowed with the weather and tide. Adultery is sex out of it's proper context (marriage between a man and a women). Homosexuality is both adulterous and out of God's natural order, for He created the World to flourish and humans (image bearers) to take dominion, for which he gave both the context (marriage/family) and order (male and female whom complement each other in marriage).

This, in God's order, is where humanity prospers, it is simple and God declares it good (Genesis 1:31). Sin and rebellion is both complex and chaotic. It is a living judgment. It. does. not. work. period. It is not good. It is unnatural. Will engaging in sin bring temporal happiness?... sure, but these same actions will lead only to long-term judgments, both earthly and eternal.

Don't believe the happy-clappy, virtue signaling lies during "Pride" month. All Sexual identities and actions outside of marriage are both sinful and destructive. This is stated, in Scripture, with both deadly somberness (for the sinner) and real, eternal hope (for the repentant). Change and return to God's created order will happen to those, each individual, who comes to their senses and repents unto God for their rebellion, accept that Christ paid the price for their sin and transfer their allegiance from their almighty feelings to the One, true and almighty God. This is the way to live. IT is the way to be truly free, learning to be male and female, as God created us to be, in the relationships which make orderly sense.

For God created the real Rainbow as a real and permanent sign that there is real judgment for real rebellion. (Genesis 9) There is also real mercy (and change) for the one who believes God and trusts in Him who took on the flood of God's Judgement in our place, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God's promise.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good

Malachi 3:7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

Written by Eric Anderson, Pastor, Pastor of Lifespring Church, Crosby MN

Check out Eric’s Common Slaves site here.

Not So Convenient “gods”

By every materialistic standard set by modern western civilization (once Christendom) that reveals human flourishing, you would think that our time is the best time to bring children into this world. It is not so as indicated by the abortion rates and the demand for more sacrifices to the great god of convenience- the self.

Ask anyone what’s wrong with the world and they’ll never say we have spiritual issues, but rather that we don’t have enough equity, peace, comfort, security, healthcare, or earth-care. Always material never spiritual. It’s always answered with not enough human control over nature and the self.

But, the self is un-selfed when we pursue material wealth while neglecting our spiritual health. When we long after the self we get only ourselves in the end-- for however long that will last. We are un-selfing ourselves by not having children and by neglecting our spiritual health.

I’m reminded of one of the greatest questions ever uttered in history: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

What’s wrong with the world? We are losing our souls and taking other souls with us.