ISRAEL in the New Testament Epistles pt. 2

Though God administered His system in the new and old covenant eras a bit differently, it is important to recognize that we certainly can see His grace all over the Old Testament. It is said there are some 613 commands in the Old Testament. But few realize there are some 1,050 commands in the New Testament.

So when we look at the Lord administering His divine system through the ages it is best to look at these dispensations as the progressive, methodical way God deals with man as He reveals Himself over time. As we view these distinctions, we cannot parse them too finely as God is eternal and multi-layered. Law and Grace? Certainly. Yet Mosaic Law and the Ten Commandments did not come onto the scene until well after Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham... And because Paul declares a dispensation of grace does not mean that the Law is no longer God's ideal, as they reflect His very nature, however unsuccessful may be our attempt to follow them.

Peter in his first epistle wrote of how the inheritance we all are to enjoy was established from the foundation of the world, and he was speaking with all believers, all the elect, not just Jews. Consider:

8 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1)

Thus all, whether Jew or Gentile are ransomed, as planned from the foundation of the world, and revealed in the last days. The Judaizers were continually brow-beating the new believers in the faith and were teaching that to be real followers, the Christians must be more like the Jews. Peter offers the assurance that, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (2 Peter 2:10)

Opinions vary concerning the actual number of dispensations from two to a dozen. There exist probably some who insist upon more, just as there are those who would deny any dispensations exist at all. Dispensational theology tells us there are two distinct peoples of God: Israel and the church. Dispensationalists teach salvation has always been by faith. Take a moment to refresh your memory by reading again Hebrews chapter 11. How many times can you count the phrase “by faith” in that chapter?

Throughout the Old Testament, the Elect, God's chosen people have been Israel, from Abraham on. Not exclusively so. As mentioned previously, Adam, Noah, Enoch, Methuselah, probably Job... the list of pre-Abrahamic faithful believers is greater than has been recorded in our Bibles. But how and why did this come to be? Why and for what purpose was Abraham's line chosen?

After the creation, Adam and Eve lived in a paradise on earth that we recognize as the Garden of Eden. We don't know how long it took for them to fall. Some think a very long time because of how long it must have taken Adam to name all the animals. Well. Anyone who can recall Biology 101 must remember Kinds does not mean Adam had the same variety as we have today. But Eve came later as Adam was naming the animals and noticing, quickly I suspect, that he had no counterpart as did the animals. So long story short, Eve shows up, is deceived by Satan. The reason why sin is imputed to Adam is because he had a choice to make when Eve sinned and he willfully chose to partake in the sin of which they were forbidden to partake. Eve may have been deceived, but Adam chose and was not tricked.

When they are kicked out to the garden we are told that Satan was told,

“...And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

From that moment Adam, Eve and Satan learn of the promise of a Deliverer. This is the first we read of God's plan of redemption in the Bible. From this point on, Satan is hard at work to prevent this Messiah from being born. Cain slew Able, fallen angels mingled with man to corrupt the Messianic line so that only Noah and his family were genetically pure (Genesis 6—more on this later) further corruption murder and mayhem after this, Abraham is promised he will father an entire nation and God promises his plan of redemption will be carried through this line.

Abraham and Sarah decide God needs help because Sarah is barren and so father's another entire nation through Hagar from Ishmael who, to this very day, are the source of most of Israel's troubles as well as other children of Hagar. Pharaohs and kings spend their days trying to wipe Israel out and though they do not realize it, they play a role in the vast conspiracy of Satan to prevent the birth of this promised Deliverer from Genesis 3:15, though Satan never forgets.

For example, in the 200 years between Genesis 12 and God's promise to Abraham, Satan is at it again populating Canaan, the promised land across the Jordan with enemies, vast armies to come against Israel. Satan learns quickly to attempt to destroy Israel from within. Some within Israel become cursed, the kingdom is also divided north against south. Satan continues to corrupt by tempting them with false religions and serving false gods, intermarrying with outsiders and enslavement.

In the fullness of time the Lord has been tipping His hand throughout the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament writers and we know Satan has ears, and he too can read. In Daniel we have the record of Gabriel's 70 Weeks (of years) prophecy that tells Daniel just exactly, down to the day (l73,880 days from the decree of Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. to the coming of Messiah the Prince) when to expect Messiah. Israel becomes so caught up in idol worship and sin that they neglect the words of the prophets, including Daniel. Satan does not. This prophecy plus Isaiah's prophecies and those of the Minor Prophets tell anyone with eyes to see and ears to here when and where the Messiah is to be born.

Satan either does not care he is playing in to God's hands or, more likely, in his pride and hubris he still thinks he can outsmart God and destroy His plan of redemption.

As with Moses, children are slaughtered in an attempt to kill the Deliverer. The religious leaders of the day take up stones on several occasions to stone Jesus before he can fulfill prophecy to be crucified. Peter tries to prevent Jesus' sacrifice when he takes a whack at Malchus with his sword and thus is told by Jesus, “Get behind me Satan.” Once crucified and dead, steps are taken to keep Jesus in the grave, to tempt the disciples and have them all wiped out before Christianity and the promise of redemption can mature. Christians are slain by the thousands. Rome tries to wipe Israel out entirely, which would void God's promises to them that they will see deliverance and dwell in the City of the Lord with Messiah on the throne of David, forever.

And in the intervening centuries since, the attempts to destroy utterly the people of Israel, prevent them from fulfilling prophecy and returning to the land, have continued. Beyond the slaughter in Europe, banning to pogroms and the Nazis murder of 6 million Jews, there are a string of such offenses end-to-end over the centuries. Now back in the land, the move to completely destroy them and make God a liar continues, with Satan behind this vast conspiracy. Compare the overlapping boundaries of the Promised Land of Israel with the territory of the Levant sought after by Islam.

True Christians were slaughtered into the millions by a false church that claims to speak for God. False versions of Christianity, cults, calling themselves by the name of Christ abound deceiving many. Christians today are being tortured and slaughtered in communist and Islamic countries.

And we are not through yet with Satan's attempts, Satan's conspiracy, against God's people and plan of redemption, as we shall see. He knows he lost the fight against Messiah, but now continues after His people.

Even as Satan was tempting Israel with idols and causing them to stray, as promised, the Lord preserved the line of the Messiah till Jesus arrived. Though it was somewhat a mystery to readers of the Old Testament prophets, it has always been known that the Messiah's own people would reject him for a season and that God would call another people to Himself.

"And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious." (Isaiah 11:10)

"Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles...He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction. (Is. 42:1, 4)

Indeed He says, `It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'" (Isaiah 49:6)

Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols. (Jeremiah 16:19)

Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you. (Zechariah 2:11)

But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Malachi 1:11)

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)

There are a few, though they themselves reject the moniker, who embrace various forms of Replacement Theology. This is the belief that because of Israel's rejection of Jesus, God has replaced them with the church and/or gentiles. As we can see, since God is all-knowing, it is not like the fact that the nations would come to Him was a surprise. Thus the church are now the chosen people, God's elect, to the exclusion of Israel, and that all the promises given to Israel now has been transferred to the church. This view was popularized within the catholic church. But as we saw from the outset, God knew and planned for Israel, the chosen people, to reject their Messiah initially.

Next time, Pt 3 (final installment)