Red Storm Rising- America Has Fallen!

When President Obama ran for office and even while in office, he proclaimed a hard stance on China for devaluing the American Dollar. The lies he told are no different than all the lies that American leadership has told forever. I must ask Americans, how did you expect the President and Congress to spend so much money without borrowing it? They couldnt of course, America is broke, it is a broken nation both morally and financially.. America right now is in debt to the Communist Chinese for the mere amount of 798,000,000,000,000 dollars! That is 798 BILLION DOLLARS...who you ask really owns this country, the people of the nation of America or the Communist Chinese? I wrote about the book written by Chinese military leadership, called "Unlimited Warfare", and told people last year, they were experts at it.
They have accomplished along with the help of the elitist leadership of this country, the sell out, with the help of corporations like Wal Mart and the silence of the American people they have won the war. They own us now! Financially we are forever in debt to the tune of almost a TRILLION DOLLARS to those who once were enemies of Free Enterprise and Freedom in general.. We have begun to take on more and more the look of our Chinese bed partners.. There is a scripture that says "Bad company corrupts good morals"!
We are there.

We have managed to murder since Rowe versus Wade, Forty Five MILLION, children with abortion, we have further managed to accept homosexuality as a way of life, and now most states will change their marriage laws to include this as NORMAL and LEGAL Marriage. Hard core conservative Vice President Cheney who loves torture, proclaimed in a recent TV interview, that all forms of relationship and marriage should be acceptable and legal! I can't wait until people start marrying their dogs!
What a nightmare has befallen a nation that has loved money, success, riches and material things before God. Of course, the greatest farce was that anyone could say America was a Christian nation. From it's founding it was based on greed, and avarice, and though certain words were used, like Providence, or God, in no way makes a country "Christian". The fact is most if not most of the founding fathers weren't Christian regardless of what history the evangelicals have tried to re-write. Most were Masons, or Dietist, owned slaves, practiced Masonic rights, and other paganism.
I am a full fledged Preterist in my eschatology, and watching the kingdoms of this world including America who so prided itself on it's self made moralism fall even convinces me more, that only the Kingdom of God is everlasting,I am glad I am in that city from above, the New Jerusalem and not a part of these kingdoms, I only live here, but to be in the world is not to be " of the world".

History proves that every great kingdom has fallen, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and even Israel have all fell and are now part of the dust of history. America will not outlast any one of them, as Rome only lasted a mere 500 years and we have gone beyond the moral decadence, the financial problems that Rome had when it fell. We have turned America into a hodgepodge of all religion, and races of men, Paganism is rampart in America, We have no sovereign language anymore, nor are any cities that exist now that aren't a melting pot of every race, creed, color and religion. There is nothing left that I remember as a child left of what it used to be, but this could only be expected, as I said there is "no such thing as a Christian nation". America as all nations has destroyed itself within, for a people that calls itself "Christian" by poll to the tune of 80%, to me it is the grandest joke ever told by anyone, superseding any great punch line that even the greatest of comedians could come up with. Yes, the Red Storm is Rising and America has fallen.
Recent news shows that there is much more sorrow for the death of a abortion doctor than all the children he murdered. I personally don't believe in any kind of violence, or that this is the answer to the aborton issue, but it goes to show, just like all the so called Christians who believe in war for the sake of country, are seriously misguided and deluded in error, to what TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS!
When 70 % of the population says they beleive in torturing other human beings for the sake of their own personal safety, that means less than 10% of those who claim to be Christian out of 80% truly understand scripture and the work of Christ, and the value of life- eternal life and that we are not to fear those who can kill only the body but to fear Him who can cast both body and all that a man is into eternal death with no chance of life!They who fear the imaginary enemies of man, could not stand alongside Christ at His crucifixion, Stephen at his stoning, nor a thousand martyrs who rather than resist, died in Christ knowing their hope was in Christ, and that to leave this world was only to be absolutely with the Lord. People say they believe in heaven, and that when they die they go there, but judging by the fear they live in, and have managed to allow the government to motivate their moral judgements, and everything else you can imagine says very loudly much differently..

Yes, there is a Red Storm Arising, and your enemy is not the Muslim, or even the Chinese, Americans enemy is herself,in her love for money, she has forgotten what the Lord said.....YOU CANNOT LOVE THE GOD OF RICHES ( MAMMON) AND LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD...the one true God... AMERICA has fallen, and their is no chance of rescue, it is all down hill from here...unless you come out of Babylon, and turn to Christ, there is no chance for you individually to overcome the death of this world.
Even now in American just like China, home churches are being shut down for the sake of the world sold out, institutional church who is founded on it's pride of ownership and grand buildings and it's servitude to the government as it is under it as corporation and for what the sake of money!
Saving Israel ( the false nation of Zealots, has done nothing to save America, has it? Of course not, we have supported a nation of people that are not Jews but who have manipulated the American evangelicals into monetary support for their apartheid cause, and their Anti- Christ beliefs...Sorry christians who believe in all that non-scriptural Dispensational Zionist Baloney, which is a mere lie...you have been manipulated and used for the advancement of death and torture to thousands if not millions of other people as well...

Unless American Christians get in their Bible and quit listening to the false prophets of the land, they too will disappear into the annals of history to be known no more... An Archaeologist of the futures dream to find what we left behind, and the Anthropoligist dream to interpret why it happened. I know why it has all happened. Do you know why it happened? Study and show thyself approved...I doubt it all we have time is for making more money and spending it...don't you just love your money,.....the answer....it is the love of money that is the root of ALL EVIL!

Where cometh the Red Storm, it cometh our way and soon, very soon, we will be a complete totalitarian government no less than China or Russia, where the government owns it all, dictates it all, and where it's desenters will be shipped off to some Siberia or other far away land to be tortured and murdered for making a stand for FREEDOM and the LOVE OF GOD above all things.. It's here already, when your own job tells you to keep political statements to yourself, yet they express theirs but since it isnt agreement with everyone else, your shunned for standing up and expressing TRUTH ABOVE ALL THINGS... Truth no longer matters in America, I don't know that it ever has, but at one time, it seemed to have a greater weight on the minds of Americans than the lies we beleive now, and the lies we live now...

Is American Communist...I have no doubt that we are now! No doubt that what was once known for it's ideals and strength at one time, have been whitewashed under the table for the BIG LIE! MONEY and POWER! If that's what it's all about Christian, then you better take another look at the WORD OF GOD and the JESUS WHO POWERED OVER NO ONE, yet powered under, so that HE IS THE POWER NOW... come into His Kingdom which is everlasting before you go under with the kingdom of America! It's gone, vanished to the annals of history for what it once was, which was ten times better than what it is NOW!


Dr. J.

The Church Is Israel Now

The Church Is Israel Now
The Transfer Of Conditional Privilege
Old and New Testament Scripture Texts Which Illustrate the Conditional Privileged Position and Titles of "Racial Israel" and Their Transfer to the Christian Church

Copyright © 1987 by Charles D. Provan

All Scripture quotes are from the Revised Standard Version, and are provided by the Bible Browser, created by Richard L. Goerwitz
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From the original forward:

This booklet is one of the end products of several years of research into the topic of Old Testament Prophecy and its relationship to the New Testament. When I first attempted to understand these things, I thought I would use the quotes of the Old Testament found in the New Testament and try to let the Apostles show me how to interpret the Old Testament. I was soon puzzled by the occurrences I found, for Old Testament passages which referred to Israel kept popping up in the New Testament referring to the Christians. How was this possible? How did the Apostles (over and over again) apply "Israel passages" to Christians?
Moving into related areas, such as the titles of the Church and titles of Israel, I found that the same terms used in the Old Testament to describe Israel are used in the New Testament to describe Christians. The only hypotheses which explains how this could be is that the Israel of the Old Testament (so-called "Racial Israel") had been replaced by the Israel of the New Testament, the Christian Church. The privileges and responsibilities of "Racial Israel" now belong to believers in Christ. A verse which demonstrates the trasition quite clearly is Mat 21:43, which reads, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." Here, Jesus states that "the kingdom of God", which Israel actually had in Old Testament times, was (shortly before crucifixion) transferred to anyone (regardless of race, etc.) who did the will of God.

From that time on, the Old Testament passages which had hitherto applied to the much-blessed but continually disobedient nation of Israel, now applied to the followers of Christ. In the process of transfer, however, the Old Testament was stripped of (formerly legitimate) ideas such as circumcision, geographical limits on worship, temples made of stone and wood, and racial nationalism.

As you examine the passages contained in this booklet, hopefully you will come to realize some of the marvelous blessings to which Christians (of Jewish or Gentile descent) are entitled (with responsibilities, of course!). The Christian Church will be seen as the New Israel of God, not as some unplanned activities of God while he awaits the long-delayed return to him of "Racial Israel"!

This booklet will seek to prove, using Old and New Testament Scriptures, that:

"Racial Israelites" who disobey God are, by the teachings of the Old and New Testaments, deposed from whatever blessings they may formerly have been entitled to by racial descent. In other words, those who are Jews by race only are not Jews at all in the eyes of God.
The Christian Church (and we do not mean any particular denomination of Christians by this term) is now the Israel of God, according to the teachings of the New Testament. The Church is seen to be Israel by the following facts:
the Old Testament titles of Israel are the New Testament titles of the Christian Church, and;
Old Testament passages which clearly and indisputably refer to Israel are quoted by the Apostles of Christ as referring to the Christian Church.
As for "2a", we may here humorously remind our readers that if someone sees a bird that looks, quacks, waddles, and feels like a duck and in the New Testament is called a duck-- then the creature so described is, indeed, a duck! As for "2b", if the Apostles say that so-and-so Old Testament passage about Israel is about the Church, we may logically deduce that the Church of Christ is the real Israel now, and has taken "Racial Israel's" place-- or else the Apostles were wrong (quite often!). As the second option is repugnant to Christians, then the first remains: the Church is Israel now.
Charles D. Provan
Monongahela, Pa.
September 21, 1987
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SECTION 1
Old Testament Titles And Attributes of Israel Which Are, In The New Testament, Referred To The Christian Church
Titles and attributes are in bold type [in the original book - TI] so that the reader may notice them more easily. The surrounding (non-bold) verses are included so that the context may be examined.
These Scripture passages demonstrate that the Christian Church is Israel now because of the fact that the Old Testament titles and attributes of Israel are applied en masse to the Church in the New Testament.
Where available, we have also included various Old and New Testament scriptures which deny these same titles and attributes to disobedient Israel.

THE BELOVED OF GOD
Israel Is Beloved Of God
Exod 15:13-16 / Deut 33:1-4 / Ezra 3:10-11
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Some may be confused by the use of the word "forever" in this passage, and may come to the conclusion that God's love for Israel is unconditional. However, this is clearly not the case, unless we say that Scripture contradicts itself, for, in the following section, we will examine Scripture which states that God hates Israel when Israel is in a state of disobedience. To further illustrate the Scripture's interpretation of the word "forever", please refer to 1Sam 2:30 (see below), where the same word is used.
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Disobedient Israel Is Not Beloved Of GodLev 26:28,30 / Jer 12:8 / Jer 16:5 / Hos 9:15 / Amos 9:7 / Mat 3:7 / Phil 3:2 / 1Thess 2:14-16 / Titus 1:10
The Christians Are Beloved Of God
Rom 9:25 / Eph 5:1 / Col 3:12 / 1John 3:1
THE CHILDREN OF GOD
Israelites Are The Children Of GodExod 4:22 / Deut 14:1 / Isa 1:2,4 / Isa 63:8 / Jer 31:9 / Hos 11:1
Disobedient Israelites Are Not The Children Of God
Deut 32:5 / John 8:39,42,44
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Moses states in Deut 32:5 that Israelites who "act courruptly toward" God are "no longer his [God's] children." And Jesus says that Israelites who do evil things are in reality children of the Devil, not of God.
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The Christians Are The Children Of GodJohn 1:12 / John 11:52 / Rom 8:14,16 / 2Cor 6:18 / Gal 3:26 / Gal 4:5-7 / Phil 2:15 / 1John 3:1
THE FIELD OF GOD
Israel Is The Field Of GodJer 12:10
The Christians Are The Field Of God1Cor 3:9
THE FLOCK OF GOD AND OF THE MESSIAHIsrael Is The Flock Of God And Of The Messiah
Pss 78:52 / Pss 80:1 / Isa 40:11 / Jer 23:1-3 / Jer 31:10 / Ezek 34:12,15-16 / Zech 10:3 / Mic 5:4
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This passage refers to the nation of Israel as the flock of the Messianic King, that is, the Christ. (Here it is worth pointing out that the term "Messiah" is Hebrew for "Anointed One". The common designation "Christ" is just the Greek equivalent of "Messiah", as both "Christ" and "Messiah" mean the same thing.)
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The Christians Are The Flock Of God And Of The Messiah
John 10:14,16 / Heb 13:20 / 1Pet 2:25 / 1Pet 5:2-3
THE HOUSE OF GOD
Israel Is The House Of GodNum 12:7
The Christians Are The House Of God
1Tim 3:15 / Heb 3:2,5-6 / Heb 10:21 / 1Pet 4:17
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Israel Is The Kingdom Of God
Exod 19:6 / 1Chr 17:14 / 1Chr 28:5
Disobedient Israel Is Not The Kingdom Of God
Mat 8:11-12 / Mat 21:43
The Christians Are The Kingdom Of God
Rom 14:17 / 1Cor 4:20 / Col 1:13 / Col 4:11 / Rev 1:6
THE PEOPLE OF GOD
The Israelites Are The People Of God
Exod 6:7 / Deut 27:9 / 2Sam 7:23 / Jer 11:4
Disobedient Israelites Are Not The People Of GodHos 1:9 / Jer 5:10
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Though many people have the impression that the Jews are the people of God, yet these verses from the Old Testament demonstrate that if a Jew does what is evil in the sight of the Lord, he is not a member of the people of God.
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The Christians Are The People Of God
Rom 9:25 / 2Cor 6:16 / Eph 4:12 / Eph 5:3 / 2Thess 1:10 / Titus 2:14
THE PRIESTS OF GOD
The Israelites Are The Priests Of God
Exod 19:6
Disobedient Israelites Are Not The Priests Of God
1Sam 2:28,30 / Lam 4:13,16 / Ezek 44:10,13 / Hos 4:6 /
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Some people think that if God says that someone is a priest, he is always a priest. This view is seen to be incorrect. Sin results in the person's disqualification from the priesthood (1Sam 2:30). When the priests of Ezekiel's time "went astray", they ceased to be priests (Ezek 44:13). When the nation of Israel rejected the knowledge of God, God rejected Israel as his priests (Hos 4:6). This would dispose of the view that Israel had, or has, an unconditional covenant with God for the priesthood.
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Mal 2:2,4,8-9
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Note that the message of Malachi to the priests of Israel is that they must repent, or God will discontinue his "covenant with Levi." Since the Levitical priesthood hasn't existed for the past 1900 years, which is longer than it existed (c. 1600 years), it evidently was cancelled by God due to the sins of the people and priests of Israel.
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The Christians Are The Priests Of God
1Pet 2:5,9 / Rev 1:6 / Rev 5:10
THE VINEYARD OF GOD
Israel Is The Vineyard Of God
Isa 5:3-5,7 / Jer 12:10
The Christians Are The Vineyard Of God
Luke 20:16
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Jesus here tells the people of Israel that when "the son of the vineyard owner" (Jesus) is killed by "the tenants" (the Jews), that "the owner of the vineyard" (God) will "give the vineyard to others" (that is, the righteous among the Gentiles). This does not prove that the Jews cannot be part of the vineyard. It means that the vineyard ("Israelite status") is now given without regard to racial descent.
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THE WIFE (OR BRIDE) OF GOD
Israel Is The Wife (Or Bride) Of God
Isa 54:5-6 / Jer 2:2 / Ezek 16:32 / Hos 1:2
Disobedient Israel Is Not The Wife (Or Bride) Of God
Jer 3:8 / Hos 2:2
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Much is made of the fact that Israel "is the bride of God himself." What is not referred to is the Biblical fact that if Israel is in a state of sin (such as rejecting the Christ) they are divorced from God. The Church is now the wife of Christ (who is, as we know from the Old and New Testaments, God).
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The Christians Are The Wife (Or Bride) Of God
2Cor 11:2 / Eph 5:31-32
THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM
The Israelites Are The Children Of Abraham
2Chr 20:7 / Pss 105:6 / Isa 41:8
Disobedient Israelites Are Not The Children Of God
John 8:39 /
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Jesus in this passage agrees that the people he is talking with were physically descendants of Abraham. Yet in the eyes of God this counted for nothing if they desired to kill Jesus, "a man who told the truth he heard from God." On the contrary, to be regarded as the true sons of Abraham, one must "do the things Abraham did."
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Rom 9:6-7 /
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Most people think of the Jews as the children of Abraham. Yet Scripture records that Abraham had many other children besides Isaac, through whom the Jews trace their lineage (a fact which is greatly open to dispute). In Gen 16:16, Abraham had a son by Hagar, and in Gen 25:1-2, Abraham is said to have had six more sons by Keturah, another wife of his. Yet God stated to Abraham that the descendants of Abraham would be reckoned through Isaac, the child born to Abraham through faith in God. Paul says that this fact demonstrates that the true children of Abraham are reckoned as those who have the faith of Abraham, not those who can trace mere physical descent from Abraham.
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Gal 4:25,30
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Paul, quoting God in Genesis, says that those who are merely Jews by racial descent have no share in the inheritance of the true sons of Abraham, that is, the Christians.
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The Christians Are The Children Of Abraham
Rom 4:11,16 / Gal 3:7,29 / Gal 4:23,28,31
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We can see from these verses that the true sons of Abraham are those who have the faith of Abraham, those who belong to Christ.
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THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
The Israelites Are The Chosen People
Deut 7:7 / Deut 10:15 / Deut 14:2 / Isa 43:20-21
Disobedient Israelites Are Not The Chosen People
Deut 31:17 / 2Kgs 17:20 / 2Chr 25:7 / Pss 78:59 / Jer 6:30 / Jer 7:29 / Jer 14:10
The Christians Are The Chosen People
Col 3:12 / 1Pet 2:9
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Sadly, if people today would be asked, "According to the Bible, who are the chosen people?", we suspect that most would answer: "The Jews, of course!" By this, they would mean those persons who are racially Jews, or those who are followers of Judaism. This shows the sorry state of affairs which exists when the Bible is not studied, because the Bible states that the Christians are the chosen people, chosen not because of racial descent or following the traditions of the Rabbis, but because of faith in and obedience to God.
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THE CIRCUMCISED
The Israelites Are The Circumcised
Gen 17:10,13 / Judg 15:18
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Samson calls the Philistines by the name of "the uncircumcised", by which it may be deduced that the Israelites regarded themselves as "the circumcised."
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Disobedient Israelites Are Not The Circumcised
Jer 9:25-26 / Rom 2:25,28 / Phil 3:2
The Christians Are The Circumcised
Rom 2:29 / Phil 3:3 / Col 2:11
ISRAEL
Israel Is Israel
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As it is obvious that in the Old Testament Israel is Israel, we have not included any Scripture in this first section.
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Disobedient Israelites Are Not Israelites
Num 15:30-31 /
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God here declares that any Israelite who sins defiantly against the word of the Lord must be "cut off from his people." That is, if an Israelite deliberately disobeys the word of God, he is no longer to be regarded as an Israelite, in spite of the fact that some believe in an "unconditional" covenant of God with Israel.
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Deut 18:19 /
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God says in this passage that he is going to send a mighty prophet to Israel, who will arise from among the people of Israel, and will be just like Moses. God himself will tell this prophet what to say to Israel, and when he comes to Israel, the Israelites must obey him or "be called to account," that is, be cut off from membership in Israel. (This is the penalty for disobeying the word of the Lord: Num 15:31, above.)
Some people say that this passage does not refer to an individual prophet to come, but rather to any prophet at all. This is seen to be incorrect by the fact that right after Moses, Joshua (who was a prophet, Josh 6:26; 1Kgs 16:34) led Israel, yet Deuteronomy says "Since [Moses' death], no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses..." Therefore, the Deuteronomy passage must refer to an individual great prophet who would arise and lead Israel.
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Acts 3:23 /
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Peter the Apostle declares to Israel that the prophet who was to come according to Deut 18:18-19 is none other than Jesus. Further, Peter informs the Jews that any Jew who does not listen to Jesus "will be completely cut off from among his people." This passage explicitly proves that any Jewish person who rejects the words of Jesus is not to be regarded as a member of the nation of Israel.
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Rom 9:6
The Christians Are Israel
John 11:50-52 /
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Caiaphas the High Priest prophesied that Jesus would die "for the people [of Israel]". John, interpreting the prophecy, says that this was a prophecy of Christ dying for "the scattered [Gentile] children of God". Therefore since the crucifixion, both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ are members of "the people of Israel".
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1Cor 10:1 /
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Paul, talking to Gentile Christians at Corinth, speaks of the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea as "our forefathers"! How is this possible unless the Corinthian Gentile believers in Christ were regarded by Paul as part of the nation of Israel?
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Gal 6:15-16 /
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The real "Israel of God" are those who come to Christ, not those who are merely circumcised.
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Eph 2:12,19
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Paul says that before the Gentile believers came to Christ, they were "excluded from citizenship in Israel". But, through submitting themselves to Christ, these same Gentiles have become "fellow citizens with God's people". Therefore, all people, whether of Jewish or Gentile descent, who come to Christ, are now members of the true nation of Israel.
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JERUSALEM
Jerusalem Is The City And Mother Of Israel
Pss 149:2 / Isa 12:6 / Isa 49:18,20,22 / Isa 51:18 / Lam 4:2
Jerusalem Is The City And Mother Of Christians
Gal 4:26 /
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Paul says that Jerusalem is the Mother of the Christians. Therefore, the Christians are the true sons of Zion, as opposed to the sons of Judaistic Zion, who are slaves, according to Paul.
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Heb 12:22
THE JEWS
Israelites Are Jews
Ezra 5:1 / Jer 34:8-9 / Zech 8:22-23
Disobedient Israelites Are Not JewsRom 2:28 / Rev 2:9 / Rev 3:9
Christians Are JewsRom 2:29
THE NEW COVENANT
The New Covenant Is With Israel
Jer 31:31,33
The New Covenant Is With The ChristiansLuke 22:20 / 1Cor 11:25 / 2Cor 3:6 / Heb 8:6,8,10
AN OLIVE TREE
Israel Is An Olive Tree
Jer 11:16 / Hos 14:6
The Christians Are An Olive TreeRom 11:24
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The Olive Tree under discussion in Rom 11 is clearly Israel, for it is called "their [Israel's] own olive tree"! Note that Christians of Gentile descent are now part of the tree (Israel), while Jews who have no faith in the Christ have been broken off, as Rom 11:20 says. So, it may be observed that being a true Israelite in the eyes of God depends upon whether one has faith, and is entirely disconnected with a racial background.
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SECTION 2
Old Testament Verses Referring To Israel Which Are Quoted In The New Testment As Referring To The Christians
The quotes themselves are in bold type [in the original book - TI] to call the reader's attention to them. The surrounding (non-bold) verses are included so that the context may be examined.
These verses demonstrate that the New Testament regards the Church as Israel, because of the fact that Old Testament "Israelite" verses are repeatedly quoted as referring to Christians.
QUOTE #1: Lev 26:11-12 / Ezek 37:27 / 2Cor 6:16
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Both the Leviticus and the Ezekiel passages prophesy a time when the Israelites will obey God. God will, in return, bless Israel by making them his people, and by putting his dwelling place among them. In Moses' and Ezekiel's times, this meant that God was going to put a literal temple inside the territory of Israel, and live there. But we see Paul in 2 Corinthians (writing to Gentile Christians who lived in Greece!) applying the prophecies to the Church of Christ. How can this be, unless Paul regards the Christians as the real Israel of God, now under a covenant which has no need for stone and wood temples, or for genealogical restrictions? God does not live in stone buildings any longer, but lives in believers. His blessings are not restricted to the geographical boundaries of a little country in the Middle East, but spread to the whole world! So God fulfills the prophecies of Moses and Ezekiel, but in a non-racial, non-geographical, non-material-building sort of way!
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QUOTE #2: Deut 30:12-14 / Rom 10:6-8****************************************************************
Paul in Romans takes a passage of Scripture in Deuteronomy which is addressed to Israel and applies it to the Christians. (Some may wonder at the interpretation Paul puts upon the Deuteronomy passage, but upon closer study it may be cleared up. In context, when Paul uses the term "Christ" in Rom 10:6-7, he means "the system of doctrine taught by Christ." Paul uses the same type of terminology when he talks of "preaching Christ" in Phil 1:15.) Paul is in the Romans passage demonstrating that it is not beyond the reach of Gentiles to be saved from sin. He proves this by referring to the passage in Deuteronomy where Moses assures the Israelites that it is not beyond their reach to be saved from sin and death. This passage only makes sense if the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) are regarded by Paul as true members of Israel. Otherwise, Paul seems to be guilty of gross distortion of Scripture.
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QUOTE #3: Deut 31:6 / Heb 13:5
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The author of Hebrews tells the Christians to avoid discontent by realizing that God will never leave or forsake them. But where does he get this comforting statement? From the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses tells the Israelites that God will never leave or forsake the Israelites! Therefore, for the New Testament to make sense, we must suppose that to the author of Hebrews, the Christians were true Israelites. By the way, someone might say, "But the Deuteronomy verses state that God would never leave or forsake the Israelites, so how do you explain your idea that God actually did forsake 'Racial Israel' and replace it with the Church?" To which we would reply with a Scripture passage from the same chapter as our comforting Deuteronomy verse, namely, Deut 31:16-17: "And the Lord said to Moses: 'You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I make with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed.'" So, unless we say that God contradicts himself, we must come to the conclusion that the promise of God to "never forsake" Israel was (from the very beginning) conditional upon Israel's obedience to God. And so it is with Christians. As long as we obey God, we may be assured that God is always with us.
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QUOTE #4: Deut 32:36 / Pss 135:14 / Heb 10:30
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Deuteronomy and Psalms both assure the Israelites that God will judge "his people" the Israelites. Hebrews warns the Christians that God will judge "his people" the Christians!
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QUOTE #5: Pss 22:22 / Heb 2:12
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In Pss 22, the Christ is prophesied to "declare God's name to his brothers" who are Israelites. Yet the author of Hebrews says that the Christ's brothers are "those who are made holy" (Heb 2:11), that is, Christians! Once again, unless we concede that the quote in Hebrews is woefully out of context, we must conclude that the Church is Israel according to the New Testament.
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QUOTE #6: Pss 44:22 / Rom 8:36
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Paul quotes a verse which talks about the persecution of Israelites and refers it to Christians undergoing tribulations.
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QUOTE #7: Pss 95:7-11 / Heb 3:7-11
QUOTE #8: Pss 130:8 / Titus 2:14
QUOTE #9: Isa 28:16 /
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Note that this verse says that the "stone", the "tested stone", the "chief cornerstone" (that is, the Messiah) will be a sure foundation IN ZION. The New Testament is quite fond of this verse, using it at least three times in the following passages. However, instead of locating the fulfillment of the passage in Palestine, the fulfillment is seen to be in the entire world among Christians of Jewish and Gentile origin. How is this possible unless Zion is now devoid of all geographical connotations, and refers to the Church?
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Rom 10:11 / Eph 2:20 / 1Pet 2:6 QUOTE #10: Isa 49:8 / 2Cor 6:2
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In 2 Corinthians, Paul quotes Isa 49:8 to tell the Corinthians that right now is the proper time to be concerned about salvation. The interesting thing about this quote is that Isa 49 is about the coming of the Christ, and in Isa 49:8, God promises to answer the requests of the Christ and help him in the "day of salvation." In the same verse, God also promises to "restore the land" of Israel and "reassign its desolate inheritances." Verse after 49:8 talk about the regathering of the Israelites to the desolation of Israel, which then prospers and is comforted by God. Now, is this what happened in the times of Christ and the Apostles? No, it was not. The literal land of Israel was devastated during two massive wars, and finally the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem altogether. How is it possible, then, for Paul to say that Isa 49 referred to the times in which he lived? Because when the passage is taken away from 'Racial Israel' and given to the Israel of God, it is talking about the building up of Spiritual Zion, the Church. It is talking about repairing the desolate spots of the world by conversion to Christ. Wherever a conversion to Christ takes place, there a "captive" is set free, as Isa 49:9 says.
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QUOTE #11: Isa 52:7 / Rom 10:15
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Isaiah the prophet prophesies a time when the "good news" (the gospel) will be proclaimed to Jerusalem (Isa 52:7). But let us look at this "good news" more closely. In Isa 52:1, we are told that the uncircumsized will not enter into Zion. In Isa 52:2, we see that the enslaved Israelites will be freed. The Lord will return to Zion (Isa 52:8), and the ruins of Jerusalem will be rebuilt. All this may be seen by reading our Old Testament selection. But Paul quotes Isa 52:7 and refers it to those who spread the "good news" about Jesus the Christ. In Isaiah, the messengers go to desolate Jerusalem, and in the New Testament, the messengers go into the world of sinners, resulting in conversion! Once again, Paul has stripped the Isaiah passage of its geography and its race-consciousness, and referred it to the New Israel, the Christian Church. Further, it is the spiritually uncircumcised who are not allowed into the Church of God, and the physical member no longer has anything to do with entering into Jerusalem.
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QUOTE #12: Isa 54:1 / Gal 4:27
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Isaiah prophesies a time when Zion will greatly expand, and will conquer foreign nations (Isa 54:2). Paul says that the passage refers to the Heavenly Zion (the Christian Church) which is having many children. Once again, a passage in the Old Testament has been taken from "Racial Israel" (because of sin, as we learn from other passages) and applied to Christians.
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QUOTE #13: Jer 31:31-34 / Heb 8:8-12
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Jeremiah the prophet says that the Mosaic Covenant will be discarded in his future because of continued Israelite disobedience to God (Jer 31:32). In place of this covenant God will make a "new covenant" (Jer 31:31). And with whom does God make this covenant? With "the house of Israel and the house of Judah"! Even the New Testament quotes that part of the prophecy, and yet refers the prophecy to the Christians! Again, how is this possible, unless the author of Hebrews viewed the Christians as the true Israel?
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QUOTE #14: Hos 1:10 & Hos 2:23 / Rom 9:25-26 / 1Pet 2:10
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In Hoseah, God announces that the people of Israel, due to sin, are not the people of God any longer. However, God hasn't finished with Israel yet, and prophesies a time in the future in which the Israelites will again be called people of God (Hos 1:10, 2:23). Paul and Peter both quote the Hosea passages as referring to Gentiles who became converts to Christ, a position which is impossible to hold unless the privileges of Israel now apply to anyone, regardless of physical descent, so long as he or she is willing to repent and obey God's word. So, the Church is the real Israel now.
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QUOTE #15: Hos 13:14 / 1Cor 15:55
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Many people quote Paul's passage on the resurrection, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?", without realizing where this saying comes from. Its origin is in Hos 13:14, where it refers to God resurrecting Israelites from the grave, the land of the dead. However, in 1 Corinthians, Paul uses it to prove the resurrection of those who inherit the kingdom of God, that is, the believers in Christ. It is not possible to get this proof out of Hos 13:14, unless we presuppose that the Christian Church is now the Israel of God.
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QUOTE #16: Joel 2:32 / Rom 10:13
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Joel the prophet says that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." A lot of people know this phrase, but know it only from Rom 10:13. Notably, Joel gives the location of where people will call upon the Lord: "on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem," places which are quite remote from Rome, where the people Paul was writing to lived. Paul makes no sense applying this passage to Christians, unless (once again!) this passage has been taken from "Racial Israel" and now belongs to true Israel, that is, the Church.
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SECTION 3
Old Testament Ethical Commands To Israel Which Are Quoted In The New Testment As Applying To The Church
The quotes themselves are in bold type [in the original book - TI] to call the reader's attention to them. The surrounding (non-bold) verses are included so that the context may be examined.
These verses demonstrate that the New Testament regards the Church as Israel, because of the fact that Old Testament ethical commands to Israel are repeatedly quoted as referring to Christian rules of conduct.
QUOTE #1: Exod 16:18 / 2Cor 8:15
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What is stated as a fact regarding the gathering of manna by Israel is regarded as a standard for Christian charity by the apostle Paul (!), and with not one word of explanation as to how this can be. How can Paul figure on the Corinthians accepting his exegesis, unless both he and they suppose the Christian Church to be the Israel of the New Testament?
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QUOTE #2: Lev 11:45 & Lev 19:2 / 1Pet 1:16
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Peter instructs Christians to be holy in all actions, because of God stating to Israelites in Leviticus: "Be holy, because I am holy." Look at the sources for this declaration by God, and you will notice a surprising (or, perhaps, not so surprising!) circumstance. Namely, this declaration by God was used in order to instruct the Israelites about the seriousness of abstaining from unclean foods. In our second Leviticus passage, God says: "Be holy..." at least partially in regard to sabbath keeping, a command of God which is now abrogated (Col 2:16, at least in regard to the day of the week). We can see that, although the particular ceremonial rules of conduct have changed, the idea that Israel must be holy, because God is holy, is constant, Old or New Testament.
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QUOTE #3: Deut 5:16 / Eph 6:2-3
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Paul quotes the commandment on honoring father and mother, and then the blessing of the commandment, from Deuteronomy. In Ephesians, however, the blessing is somewhat changed from the original. While in Deuteronomy God promises a long life in "the land the Lord your God is giving you," that is, in the land of Israel, Paul says that God promises a long life to anyone anywhere "on the earth," an interesting fact in that the Church is non-geographical, as John 4:19-24 states. So the moral command of Deuteronomy is retained, but without the geographical qualifications!
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QUOTE #4: Deut 17:7, 19:19, 22:24 & Deut 24:7 / 1Cor 5:13
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Paul quotes from an oft-repeated verse in Deuteronomy: "Expel the wicked man from among you," and, without a word of explanation, says to the Christians of the city of Corinth (a Gentile city) that this principle of Israel applies to them.
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QUOTE #5: Deut 19:15 / 2Cor 13:1 / 1Tim 5:19
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Paul says that all offenses tried in a church court must be validated by two or three witnesses, which coincidentally is the same rule which was in effect in the courts of Old Testament Israel.
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QUOTE #6: Isa 35:3 / Heb 12:12
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The author of Hebrews takes a passage which in Isaiah is referring to Israelites on the way to Zion, and refers it to Christians.
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QUOTE #7: Isa 48:20 & Isa 52:11 / 2Cor 6:17
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The Prophet Isaiah tells the Israelites in Babylon to leave Babylon, touching no unclean thing and taking with them the temple vessels, to restart the worship of God in Jerusalem's temple. Paul says that the passage proves that Gentile converts to Chrisianity should leave the fellowship and institutions of paganism. Once again, Paul has quoted a verse greatly out of context, unless the Christians are Israel now.
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This is a reprint, I take no credit for this writing nor is the writing being produced to sell or distribute with the intent of making any profit from the work of the author. It is reprinted here for the purpose of education use only.

Copyright © 1987 by Charles D. Provan
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Please see my articles I have written on a similar subject on my web blog http://athensindependentnews.blogspot.com

Dr. J.

Israel, Dispensationalism, Truth and the News

It seems the news always contains something about Israel and the Middle East. As an independent news writer and editor, sometimes, it becomes necesssary to let your readers know where you stand on issues, and what you believe. It is especially important because my viewpoint of History and what Christ means to me, as a believer and my bias in reporting or commenting on news will often be subjective and opinionated, then one needs to understand my theology and more. I believe absolutely that Christ died for my sins, was raised from the grave and ascended to the Father to give us, the Holy Spirit, who trust in Him, and to live His resurrected life within the believer by grace through faith, and that it is His work alone that saves, sanctifiies and glorifies the believer. We are to trust him and in this trust comes obedience by His Spirit.

A little history of the Hebrews from 597 until today on their belief structure and more.

The Chaldeans, following standard Mesopotamian practice, deported the Jews after they had conquered Jerusalem in 597 BC. The deportations were large, but certainly didn't involve the entire nation. Somewhere around 10,000 people were forced to relocate to the city of Babylon, the capital of the Chaldean empire. In 586 BC, Judah itself ceased to be an independent kingdom (which they were), and the earlier deportees found themselves without a homeland, without a state, and without a nation. This period, which actually begins in 597 but is traditionally dated at 586, is called the Exile in Jewish history; it ends with an accident in 538 when the Persians overthrow the Chaldeans.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Chaldeans, only deported the most prominent citizens of Judah: professionals, priests, craftsmen, and the wealthy. The "people of the land" (am-hares ) were allowed to stay. So Jewish history, then, has two poles during the exile: the Jew in Babylon and the Jews who remain in Judah. We know almost nothing of the Jews in Judah after 586. Judah seems to have been wracked by famine, according to the biblical book, Lamentations , which was written in Jerusalem during the exile. The entire situation seemed to be one of infinite despair. Some people were better off; when Nebuchadnezzar deported the wealthy citizens, he redistributed the land among the poor. So some people were better off. In addition, there were rivalries between the two groups of Jews. It is clear that the wealthy and professional Jews in Babylon regarded themselves as the true Jewish people.These are the same people today who call themselves - Jews

The salient feature of the exile, however, was that the Jews were settled in a single place by Nebuchadnezzar. While the Assyrian deportation of Israelites in 722 BC resulted in the complete disappearance of the Israelites, the deported Jews formed their own community in Babylon and retained their religion, practices, and philosophies. Some, it would seem, adopted the Chaldean religion (for they name their offspring after Chaldean gods), but for the most part, the community remained united in its common faith in Yahweh.

They called themselves the "gola," ("exiles"), or the "bene gola" ("the children
of the exiles"), and within the crucible of despair and hopelessness, they forged a new national identity and a new religion. The exile was unexplainable; Hebrew history was built on the promise of Yahweh to protect the Hebrews and use them for his purposes in human history. Their defeat and the loss of the land promised to them by Yahweh seemed to imply that their faith in this promise was misplaced. This crisis, a form of cognitive dissonance (when your view of reality and reality itself do not match one another), can precipitate the most profound despair or the most profound reworking of a world view. For the Jews in Babylon, it did both.

From texts such as Lamentations , which was probably written in Jerusalem, and Job , written after the exile, as well as many of the Psalms , Hebrew literature takes on a despairing quality. The subject of Job is human suffering itself. Undeserving of suffering, Job, an upright man, is made to suffer the worst series of calamities possible because of an arbitrary test. When he finally despairs that there is no cosmic justice, the only answer he receives is that humans shouldn't question God's will. That God is sovereign. Many of the psalms written in this period betray an equal hopelessness.
But the Jews in Babylon also creatively remade themselves and their world view. In particular, they blamed the disaster of the Exile on their own impurity, their forgetting of the Law and breaking the Torah and it's 613 commandments. They were sure they had betrayed Yahweh and allowed the Mosaic laws and cultic practices to become corrupt; the Babylonian Exile was proof of Yahweh's displeasure.

During this period, Jewish leaders no longer spoke about a theology of judgement, but a theology of salvation. In texts such as Ezekiel and Isaiah ,there is talk that the Israelites would be gathered together once more, their society and religion purified, and the unified Davidic kingdom be re-established. However, what they missed was God was going to establish a "spiritual" kingdom and not a physical kingdom and not the nation of Israel.

These scriptures misunderstood then, and when they crucified Christ because he didnt fulfill these things physically, are still misinterpreted and misunderstood even more today, but now not only by those who call themselves Israel but the true Jew or (Israel, the church) today.
It wasn't until the 1800's with the advent of the Scofield Bible and it's pro Zionist (separating Jews from Christians)commentary and premillenial doctrines did the church believe that Israel was to re-establish a physical nation in the "promised land, once again to usher the coming of Christ"
The prophets, that Israel misundersood then, when they crucified Christ and even today with the re-establishment of an aparthied government known as the State of Israel still persist due to poor interpretation and pro-Zionistic leading by pro Zionism even within the Christian Church.

Yes, it was to the Jews he gave the promises and the law, but they rejected it and as a result only a remnant was saved when the church began and even unto today only a remnant is being saved. Paul and the earliest Christians, the Apostles and the beleivers at Jerusalem- who were all Jewish were and are part of this remnant even until today.Along with those who claim to be Hebrew or believe in the Torah alone come to know Christ since then. What most Christians don't realize is the Torah is not the Jewish authority today nor was it when Christ was here. The Talmud and the rabbincal teachings have replaced the Torah (the first five books of the Bible which includes the 613 commandments of God).
So this period is marked by a resurgence in Jewish tradition, as the exiles looked back to their Mosaic origins in an effort to revive their original religion. It is during this time that the Jews began to develop the Mishnah, the Gemara and what is finally known as the Talmud which is what the Jews beleive in and practice today. The Torah by the time Christ came was lost to thousands of interpretations and new (fence) laws made by the Sophraim and the Tannah and thus Christ told them- "You nullify the Commandments of God for the traditions of men".

The Talmud has become the central text of the Jewish faith. The one thing that allowed Israel to rediscover itself at this time was the fervent revival of religious tradition it was aided by another incident in history: when Cyrus the Persian conquered Mesopotamia, he allowed the Jews to return home. This was no ordinary event, though. Cyrus sent them home specifically to worship Yahweh—what was once only a kingdom would become a nation of Yahweh.
The so called nation of Israel if based that they are to return to their homeland has been fulfilled many times before 1949. It may be that never before was a particular area called Israel since the Babylonian captivity but it is not the land that God promises those of Hebrew origin but Himself, if but they would return to him.
One of the main reasons the Law has not made the Hebrew or those claiming to be Jewish, lead them as "the school master to Christ" as it did us, who claim to be Christian, is the purity of the original 613 commandments made by God to Israel has been turned into ridiculous and long discourse of the law which in themselve have become the law for Jews.
Judaism, regardless of what you may mistakenly beleive has nothing to do with the honor of the Torah as the Supreme law of God as the pre-Babylonian Jews trusted in and broke it's laws but the traditions of these men who wrote the Misnah, the Gemara, now known as the Talmud and all the rabbinic discussions since. The Talmud and it's writings are anti-Christ in nature and anti-Christian. One must study to discover these things as I have, and read the Talmud and the Jewish writings of today to discover this truth. Israel- the nation of Israel is made up of Zionist and those who hold to the supremacy of themselves over all races, including American Gentiles ( Gentile, here, having the meaning - all of us who do not accept the Talmud and their Jewish supremacy over all other races in the world). Most Americans and even most preachers in America have simply accepted what has been handed down to them as interpretation of the majority of Paul's writings in Romans on this subject, and the most predominant teaching since the 1800's has been Darby's and Scofield's popularizing this DISPENSATIONAL interpretation of Biblical prophecy, all of scripture, and the book of Revelation.

However, they weren't alone in this non-biblical interpretation of scripture. Here is the story behind DISPENSATIONALISM, from whence most of the premillenial doctrine is taken. It will surprise you, it may even anger you at me for telling you, but what I hope is it will anger you that you have been so mislead to believe in DISPENSATIONALISM. It will anger you to find that the foreign policies and the War against Terrorism and much of the Police State, that is already in effect in Israel is driven by Pro-Zionist and those in the church who proscribe to these cultic theories of DISPENSATIONALISM.

The Origins of Dispensationalism

Most people assume that Dispensationalism started with J N Darby, one of the originators of the Brethren movement. Certainly Darby popularised this doctrine and, with the spread Scofield’s reference Bible, the teaching went world wide. However, Darby was not the first to develop these ideas. In fact, there is now conclusive evidence that there was a plan by William Kelly (another key Brethren leader, and follower of Darby) to discredit the real origins, because of their dubious pedigree, and inflate the place of Darby.

I should be very clear that Dispensationalism finds no place in the entire history of the church before 1830. No one has yet found any credible evidence that anybody believed or taught such a thing. This alone should cause alarm bells to ring in our spiritual ears. When we learn the true origin of the error, we can see even more reason to steer clear.

Key Distinctives of Dispensationalism

Before we proceed, we need to clarify exactly what this teaching is in connection with other eschatological theories.
Dispensationalism is a variant of
Historic Premillennialism,that is the teaching that Christ will return after the Great Tribulation and establish a 1000 year reign on the earth (millennium) before the final battle with Satan (Armageddon), which issues in final judgment and a new earth.
Postmillennialism
teaches that Christ returns after a golden age of 1000 years where the church rules the earth in righteousness;
Amillennialism
believes that there is no Biblical teaching about a literal millennium and that the only passage which mentions is (Rev 20) is symbolically speaking of the age of grace in which we now live.

Dispensationalism is very different and has become the predominant belief in America and versions of it are growing rapidly in Britain. One problem is that it has very many variations, so to simplify our approach we will keep to essential distinctives. These are:
• Two comings of Christ. One an appearing for the saints in the air, the other a return with the saints. A period of 7 years separates these comings. In this time of tribulation, the Gospel is preached by a remnant of believing Jews and Christians not spiritual enough to be raptured.

• A secret rapture of some saints before the period of tribulation when the
antichrist will arise. This is the key distinctive called the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, (henceforth: pretribulation). This is imminent and could happen at any time.

• A dichotomy between the church and Israel. Jews are God’s true covenant people who will inherit the literal covenant promises, the church is God’s stop-gap
operation which benefits from Jewish promises. This distinction is seen as the most important Dispensational tenet by Dispensationalists Charles Ryrie and John Walvoord.

• A rigid literal approach to interpretation, especially of prophetic books.
This divides the Bible into that which refers to the Kingdom (Israel) and that which speaks of the Church.

• History is divided into specific dispensations where God deals with men in a
certain way. Each of these time periods ends in failure and judgment.

The most important aspects in evaluating the origin are: the pretribulation rapture and the dichotomy of Israel/Church.


The Origins
Pre 19th century

Some isolated superficial ‘dispensational’ statements have appeared throughout history. Some 18th century writers began to systematise some of these ideas e.g: Pierre Poiret and Isaac Watts. No one, however, taught a pretribulation rapture.
Everyone believed that the church would go through the Great Tribulation. Claims, of
some, to find it in the early church fathers are false. There is some amillennialism
there, but none of the key distinctives of Dispensationalism:there is no separation of the church and Israel and no idea of Christians escaping the tribulation or antichrist by a rapture.

The earliest form of a ‘secret’ rapture was the idea of a partial rapture which
separated some saints from others after the tribulation. This really was about
prioritisation at the second coming, spiritual believers being given priority over less worthy ones. No one saw a place for Jews until the very end and there was no form of Church/Israel dichotomy.

19th century prophetic conferences

During the 18th century there was very little teaching on the Lord’s return. As a result, a reaction began in the 1820’s and 30’s. Prophetic periodicals and references abounded. Most important were the Albury conferences established by Henry Drummond in 1826-30, but the Powerscourt Conferences, instituted by Lady Powerscourt, were also significant. Anglican S.R Maitland began to teach a future rise of Antichrist and a 3½ year great tribulation in 1826. His follower,James Todd, also wrote extensively on the subject. William Burgh converted to this ‘futurist’ view of Revelation and wrote systematically upon it in 1835.

Edward Irving

Before we continue, we must explain the person of Edward Irving. Originally a Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) minister, he moved to London in 1822 and became a very famous preacher. He was such a powerful and stimulating speaker, who attracted great
crowds, that in 1827 the large Regent Square church was erected for him. This was the first to adopt modern charismatic practices (including tongues) following Irving’s belief that the gifts of the Spirit were about to be given again. Tongues first appeared in the west of Scotland in Spring 1830 but were soon present in Irving’s church. Being expelled by the Church of Scotland in 1833 he established
the Catholic Apostolic Church which was fully charismatic, including a belief in the vital role of prophets and apostles. Events soon took a turn for the worse with the gifts being abused and overruling common sense. Irving himself was ousted by men with gifts of supposed greater (apostolic) authority, and many serious doctrinal and ethical aberrations resulted. Irving himself taught a false Christology. As a result, Irving died a demoralised man and the whole movement was vilified.

In 1830, however, Irving was at the height of his fame, and spoke at the Albury
conferences. His journal "The Morning Watch", which had a high eschatological content, was widely distributed. We should note that this journal was susceptible to many weird teachings in its desire to undergird a new wave of spiritual gifts.
Some examples follow.

• Human pre-existence, author: ‘WL’. March 1830.

• The church will give birth to generations of new people in heaven to inhabit
other worlds, author: ‘C’. Sept 1830.

• The Jewish occult Cabbala rested on a ‘stable’ foundation, author not named. Sept 1830.

• Christ will multiply human beings, from the church in heaven, not by creation, but by mysterious generation in the same way that Christ was generated, author: Irving, March 1833.

• The Zodiac will bring out from secular science a conclusive demonstration of
scripture chronology, author not named. March 1833.

These sorts of doctrinal aberrations were felt to be: ‘mysteries heretofore unknown’ (Morning Watch June 1833). The same issue derided great theologians of the past, denigrated Christians that studied their writings as ‘idolaters’ and called the Evangelical World: ‘modern Moabites’.

Like many other cults, it was deemed necessary that one must join them and be
initiated to be safe. Irvingite historian Edward Miller explains that it was necessary to be sealed by the apostles of the Catholic Apostolic Church in order to escape the Imminent Great Tribulation. Each of the Irvingite apostles had to seal 12,000 before he died, but failed to do so in time (and insufficient volunteers). A helpful prophet declared that the sealing would thus be carried on in Paradise.

Roman Catholic influence

The Irvingite church journal (The Morning Watch) carried an article in September 1830 that posited a two phased coming of Christ. This critical idea is originated from a Roman Catholic Jesuit Spanish writer, called Manuel Lacunza. His book, The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty, was translated by Irving in 1827 and studied at the Albury conference, and especially at the later Powerscourt meetings. This is important - one of the key spurs to the foundations of Dispensationalism was the study of the imaginations of a Roman Jesuit, the ideas of another Jesuit, Ribera, were also considered.

So, by about 1830 we have a high degree of eschatological speculation in conferences, books and journals; a futurist view of Revelation; a growing acceptance of extreme ideas including charismania; a Jesuit view of two second comings of Christ; ideas about the separation of the church and Israel; a parenthesis of the Jewish kingdom (see later); and the expected rise of antichrist and the Great tribulation. It is also interesting to note that Joseph Smith published the Book of
Mormon, teaching a regathering of Israel, in 1830. In 1831 William Miller (the founder of Adventism) began teaching his ‘findings’. Jehovah’s Witnesses also started soon afterwards. Chiliasm (millennialism) was in the air in the mid 19th century. The missing ingredient, however, is a secret rapture.

Margaret Macdonald

The first person to speak about a pretribulation rapture was a young girl named
Margaret Macdonald from Port Glasgow (15 miles from Glasgow) who was familiar with The Morning Watch and Edward Irving. The vehicle of this idea was a vision which was written down and read by Irving. In the early 1800’s, some people were beginning to think of a future tribulation and Antichrist. Earlier, most had been historicists who saw the 1260 days of Revelation as years, viewing tribulation as present or past and seeing the Antichrist in the pope, or Napoleon, and the beast as Jews, pagans, Arians, Saracens etc.

In 1829 The Morning Watch represented the most advanced prophetical ideas, including:
• a future tribulation and Antichrist.
• a literal rapture
• a partial rapture (only those filled with the Spirit)
• however, the man-child of Rev 12 was not seen as a church symbol
• an emphasis upon the witnesses of Zecharia tied in to the witnesses of Revelations 11.

[Historically, these witnesses had been seen as the Old and New Testaments, or alternatively as Enoch and Elijah (who had been raptured)].

Margaret saw these witnesses as a symbol of the church which introduced a completely new eschatological idea. Irving (as a historicist) had come close to this in seeing the Rev 11 witnesses as a succession of chosen men faithful to God. This is found in his introduction to the translation of Lacunza’s: The Coming of the Messiah’. (Although he later in the same work states that they are a symbol of the scriptures.) Lacunza also saw them as 78utwo congregations of faithful ministers, but neither saw them as being secretly raptured before the Tribulation. Irving, like many others, believed he was already in the 1260 year Tribulation.

Young Margaret Macdonald, who had such a critical influence in the formation of
pretribulation was a poor foundation on which to rest. Her insight came in a lengthy vision after prolonged sickness which required bed-rest for 18 months. This was written down and passed to ministers, including Irving at a time when he was very susceptible to such charismatic revelation. Margaret had also only been a Christian for a year and was uneducated. It was probably these facts which led to the origin being obscured and publicised by more educated men.

Margaret was also particularly open to the occult. Robert Norton wrote of her and a friend, ‘I have seen both her and Miss Margaret Macdonald stand like statues scarcely touching the ground, evidently supernaturally’. Andrew Drummond tells us that Margaret’s close friend Mary Campbell practised automatic writing and had intense psychical power and was a medium. Margaret also predicted that socialist Robert Owen was the Antichrist at the time she had her pretribulation vision. Margaret herself began to speak in tongues about four months after her vision in August 1830.

"The Morning Watch"

The Morning Watch did not credit Margaret Macdonald as its inspiration, although it does mention ‘several young women’ having given deep revelation in a few broken sentences.

Robert Baxter, a lawyer who became disillusioned with the Irvingites and left
them wrote about Margaret in his Narrative of Facts. He states that: ‘the delusion first appeared in Scotland’ but ‘it was not until adopted and upheld by Mr Irving, that it began to challenge much attention.’ Margaret’s (uncredited) vision appeared in 1840 in the Memoirs of James & George Macdonald of Port Glasgow written by Robert Norton. In 1861 he told her vision and named her specifically, identifying her as the source of the new doctrine. The fact that the Irvingites initiated the teaching of pretribulation is also asserted by several contemporaries,including eminent Brethren writers, such as: S. P. Tregelles, J. P. Lange, Thomas Croskery,
Edward Miller (Irvingite historian), William Reid, George Stokes and J. S. Teulon.

Subsequent to receiving a copy of Margaret’s vision, The Morning Watch went into overdrive in explaining their modification of eschatology. The caught up of 1 Thess 4 is now separated from the gathering of Matt 24. An article by ‘Fidus’ in June 1830 clearly states that ‘Philadelphia’ (spiritual believers) will be raptured and ‘Laodicea’ (non-spiritual Christians, and Jews who follow Antichrist) will be left on earth to endure the Great tribulation. Margaret had rested on the ‘two
witnesses’ symbol, Fidus on the 7 churches.

Later, others (especially Darby) would rest upon the ‘man-child’ symbol. Pretribulation must lean upon these symbols from Revelation because there is absolutely no clear, non-symbolic statement in the Bible to defend it.

The pretribulation rapture became known as ‘the secret rapture’. This has tendencies of developing an elitist, arcane society of adherents, those who are privileged to know about the secret or are especially spiritual in order to take part in it. In June 1832, it was stated that the Lord’s coming was only a joy for those prepared and looking for it. Only they would see the Lord, the rest of the church would only see this first appearance as a meteor or cloud.

Other ideas began to emerge. In June 1832 an article on the feast of Tabernacles saw the seven days of the feast as seven years, the thirteen bullocks slain indicated a confederacy of thirteen hostile powers, during the rise of Antichrist, Gog and Magog etc. This appears to be the first mention of a seven year tribulation period. Out of interest, Darby was teaching a tribulation of three and a half years as late as 1868.

Because the symbolism of types can be interpreted according to other influences, once sound Biblical hermeneutics are ignored,the interpretation of the feasts varied significantly from year to year. Irvingites shifted the rapture from feast 6 (of Lev 23’s 7 feasts) to feast 5, then feast 4 and even feast 3 within the first few years. Modern Dispensationalists have the same problems.

Scofield based his pretribulation rapture on feast 3 (firstfruits). Hal Lindsey has a rapture somewhere between feast 3 and 7. Edgar Whisenant based it upon feast 5, stating that it would occur in 1988. Another recent author stated that it would occur in May 1997.

Irving’s man-child ideas began to emerge in June 1831; repeated by Darby in 1839. He took Paul’s teaching on the union of believers with Christ and transferred it to the the interpretation of OT prophecy and Revelation symbolism. References to ‘Christ’ became corporate, especially the veiled reference of the man-child in Rev 12. With appalling exegesis he sees a first company gathered (rapture of the singular child) before the others of the church who suffer in the Great Tribulation (a remnant of the woman’s seed).

Questions raised by this nonsense include:

• Part of the symbol is literal (‘caught up’),and part is taken spiritually (‘man-child’).

• If the man-child literally referred to Christ as claimed, why did the disciples not accompany Christ into heaven at his ascension?

• If the man-child symbolises a pretribulation rapture at Rev 12:5, the head
needs to be on earth for the whole body and members to be caught up together.

• If the church is already mysteriously (spiritually) joined to the head, why does the church need to be with him in person at Rev 12:5?

Development by Darby

Dave MacPherson has catalogued Darby’s main eschatological beliefs in 21 tenets. He then demonstrates that all of these are present, using the same wording, in Edward Irving’s preliminary discourse to Lacunza’s work published in 1827. In 1829, Darby himself was only voicing 6 of the 21 items. For instance, in 1829 Darby had a Post-tribulation outlook and only saw a distinction, not a dichotomy (separation) between Israel and the church. Darby also quoted Irving, Lacunza and
The Morning Watch in 1830.

Furthermore, Darby’s idea of the parenthesis (where the Jewish kingdom is put
on hold while the Gentile church is developed) appeared in 1830; but the same thought in very similar wording appeared in The Millennium by W C Davis of South Carolina in 1811. Lacunza also frequently mentioned this word in explaining prophetic scripture. It was only in 1870 that Darby’s development led to the position now held by modern dispensationalists. He ceased to emphasise the man-child symbol in favour of the Philadelphia symbol, or even the apostle John who heard ‘Come up hither’. All these had been previously stated by Irvingites, even
using John as a church symbol.

Darby’s later reminiscences show signs of misrepresentation and plagiarism. For example, his observations of an 1830’s Scottish prayer meeting conducted by the Macdonalds, and which included tongue speaking,is almost identical to the report given by John B. Cardale printed in The Morning Watch, Dec 1830, except for one item. Darby omits Margaret’s utterances regarding a pretribulation deliverance. Other writers noted this. F. Roy Coad called it, ‘disingenuous tactics’ and ‘descended to the disreputable’. Benjamin Newton wrote that Darby was most subtle (i.e. sly). Darby can be claimed as a populariser of other’s thoughts on pretribulation predispensationalism, but not the originator - as is everywhere claimed.

Earlier historians and theologians were not in the dark on this. George Stokes wrote: ‘Darby ... imbibed the Irvingite theories about prophecy, which coincided with his natural turn of mind.' Samuel Tregelles, one of the ablest 19th century scholars and a Brethren leader, said that the Secret Rapture doctrine was developed by Irvingites, that Darbyites wrote heterodox tracts, misrepresented historic writings to suit their ideas, and added unsound thoughts to quotes of existing writers, all excused as being done for the honour of God. In editing Darby’s
works, William Kelly deliberately revised them to give the impression that Darby originated the key doctrines and used editing techniques to misrepresent the Irvingite position. Modern Dispensationalists have continued this error, by accident or design.
After being taken on board by the Brethren leader, John Darby, some Brethren
leaders (like B. W. Newton, George Muller) rejected it. S. P. Tregelles added that the idea came from a false spirit prompting a vision in Irving’s church. Other contemporary leaders, like Charles Spurgeon and William Booth also condemned the teaching.
The ideas were exported by several visits of Darby to the USA (between 1859-74) and a series of prophetic conferences (1878-1901) presenting Dispensationalism to Americans. Delegates included Hudson Taylor, A.T. Pierson. A.J. Gordon, S.H. Kellog and W.J. Erdman.

The Scofield Bible and other writings

Dispensationalism was Internationally popularised by the Scofield Reference Bible (arising out of these conferences and published in 1909 with over 3 million sold by 1960), J.N. Darby’s writings, William Kelly’s books, E.W. Bullinger’s The Companion Bible, W.E. Blackstone’s Jesus is Coming (hundreds of thousands sent free to Christian workers in USA) and many other Brethren writings. Many of these works denigrated existing commentaries, and even the church Fathers and the Reformers, and boasted a special revelation, only their works truly understood God’s mysteries.

This gave these ideas an attractive and popular ‘novelty’ to the Christian public. It should also be noted that there was widespread corruption in the church at large in this period with a poor level of teaching (despite some notable exceptions). As a result, many people jumped on to Darby’s bandwagon which
promoted a return to exegetical teaching of the Bible. ‘He (Darby) was able to do what he did because there was a great need ... the church was corrupt, the clergy unlearned.

Liberalism had all but taken over. Prophetic teachings ... were almost unheard of.
Multitudes were spiritually starved’.

The current situation

Today, the most popular systematic defenders are Americans (live & dead) like:
Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Arno Gaebelein, J. Dwight Pentecost and Ernest Pickering. At a popular level, there are numerous melodramatic paperbacks (like Hal Lindsey’s: The Late Great Planet Earth and Bruce Larson, Armaggedon) or like films.

We can identify the following varieties:
· Classical Dispensationalism -
(Scofield, Chafer), Israel is on the earth, the church is in heaven and the two never meeting the new world. There are two ways of salvation: works in the OT and faith in the NT. Chafer holds to two covenants. This view dominated 1900-1950’s.
· Hyper Dispensationalism - Instead of finding the usual Dispensationalist origin of the church in Acts 2, these see it in Acts 13 (as Charles Baker, author of A Disp. Theology and associated with Grand Rapids Grace Bible College!).
· Ultra Dispensationalism - The church begins in Acts 28 (as E.W. Bullinger, hence sometimes called Bullingerism). Therefore, only a few of Paul’s letters apply to the church, the rest of the NT is Jewish.
· Neo Dispensationalism - (Ryrie, Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost). Israel and the
church will be together after the millennium; there is only one way to salvation in both testaments (faith); there is only one new covenant. Dallas seminary promotes this view.
· Progressive Dispensationalism - In recent years some have realised that even some of the Neo Dispensational views are untenable and have sought to further ameliorate its teaching (e.g: Robert Saucy, Craig Blaising, Darrell Bock).
They state that:
o The church is not a parenthesis but the first step towards establishing the kingdom of God.
o God does not have two purposes (i.e. Israel and the church), there is only one purpose, but both of them share in it.
o There is no distinction between Israel and the church in the future state.
o The church will reign (with Jews) in glorified bodies on earth during the
millennium.
o But - they still insist that OT prophecies regarding Israel will be fulfilled
in the millennium by ethnic Jews. They do not see the church as the new Israel or believe that OT prophecies are fulfilled in the church.

One can begin to see how complex and varied this scheme is. There is, also,
hopeless disagreement among its teachers. Is it really conceivable that the greatest saints in the history of the church could have not known of this ‘vital’ truth for 1900 years?

Also consider that the foundation was laid by: a Roman Catholic Jesuit, a discredited, charismatic heretic and a young girl influenced by hallucinations and connected with occult practices.

Go figure how this belief system has so influenced American politics and the preaching of this in America, to create Christian Nationalism, the greatest lie told to the church, so that is has become proactive in this idolatry to the point we have become a nation of war mongering and blood shedding of any others that would disagree with us, all except the present nation of Israel, who not only is
allowed to have WMD's but continue it's persecution of all those that in anyway would oppose their authority over all of the Middle East. We have somehow come to beleive that as long as we support this Zionist nation, we too are some how the nation, with the promised land and the physical promises that can never be removed.
Wrong, as history and time will tell. If we continue, on the same path as Israel, to put ourselves, above God and others, and not promote the Kingdom of God over the earthly kingdoms of men, we will soon find the destruction of America just as Israel found itself under the destruction by Rome in 70 AD. It is our call to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone, to bring forth the true Jew, as Paul so elogantly put it - those not circumcised in the flesh but in the heart. The true Israel, the organized church is unable to realize is the unseen "universal church" (EKKLESIA) "the called out one's" of Christ who no longer look for an earthly kingdom, but live by the Lord's prayer. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Remember it is Paul who said that "there is neither, Jew nor Greek, nor male or female, all are one in Christ".
How easy it is to be decieved, even with the very first letter Paul wrote sometime in 51 AD, to the church of Galatia, the Judaizers were then trying to destroy Christianity with a return to the Old Covenant and circumcision of believers as they have so subtley done so today to convince us that God has any kingdom on this earth.

"The Kingdom of God is within you", Christ said. This is the rulership of our Father in our lives over all things and all purposes, all desires of this world (Cosmos) which the Bible says very clearly, "they are blinded by the god of this world"- Satan. I am not anti-Semitic nor do I hate the people in Israel or any race called the Hebrews, but the truth is they are blind and as long as any Hebrew continues to reject Christ he as all others including Americans, Chinese or whoever, they are under the power of Satan and blinded by him.

I refer you to a scripture now, 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that "all" will be condemned "who have not believed" the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

It is time the church rejects these ideas of dichtomy (seperation) of the Jews and the Church and realize, there is only one true Israel it will all be saved, as it is made up of men and women, of all races, creeds and color, who given their lives to Christ and recognize him as King now, and the Promised Land as the dwelling place we have with him now in the Spirit.