Israel and the New Covenant

The Book of Hebrews explains a great deal about the New Covenant. It takes snap shot of Old Testament references, then expounds on them in a New Testament setting. The scriptures quoted in Hebrews are prophecies given to Israel and Judah in the context of the end of the Tribulation and their national salvation. Hebrews isn’t alone when quoting from these magnificent prophetic scriptures, Romans too goes into great detail for us. The New Covenant didn’t begin in Matthew 1, or Luke 1, or Mark 1, or John 1. The New Covenant wasn’t inaugurated until the Holy Spirit was given as Jesus breathed on His disciples in John 20:22 and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling there is no salvation. (Romans 8:9) The Old Testament references mentioning the New Covenant also mention the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling we do not partake of the New Covenant. The two cannot be separated. Understanding this is necessary in understanding the scriptures we are going to look at in this blog. The scriptures will deal with the promise of God to Israel concerning the New Covenant. What is the make up of this New Covenant, when does Israel receive it (since God says ALL Israel will be saved), and finally what’s after their national salvation?

Recently I heard a message where the speaker used Ezekiel 36 when talking about the Christian receiving the Holy Spirit’s indwelling at salvation. It works, but there is far more going on in Ezekiel 36’s mention of New Covenant. Let’s take a deep dive into Romans 11, Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36 regarding Israel and the New Covenant, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the timing of Israel’s national salvation. But first we’ll take the scenic route passing through Daniel 9:24-27 on our way to Romans, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

In Daniel we find a most significant prophecy concerning God’s plan for the nation of Israel. Daniel 9:24-27 is the only Bible prophecy that presents Jesus’ first and second coming, His sacrificial death, the restoration of Jerusalem and its temple (536 BC), and also the temple in Jerusalem’s destruction (AD 70). It also describes the temple in the Great Tribulation with the Antichrist’s abomination resulting in desolations. It concludes with the final judgment on the Antichrist, the national salvation of the Jews, and “to anoint the Most Holy Place.” This prophecy begins in Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness…” This prophecy outlines with precision the major events of “your people and your holy city,” namely the Jews and Jerusalem. The 70-weeks prophecy’s clock begins with a decree from Artaxerxes (“So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks). Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission, safe passage, and supplies to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Jerusalem and its walls in 445 BC. (Nehemiah 2:1-8) From Artaxerxes’ decree to Jesus’ coming into Jerusalem was 7 weeks + 62 weeks totaling 69 weeks or 484 years EXACTLY. (Sir Robert Anderson: The Coming Prince) Artaxerxes’ decree was the only one that fits the requirement of this prophecy. This prophecy is so profoundly accurate that some “scholars” conclude it must have been written post factum.

When we juxtapose Daniel’s 70-week prophecy next to scriptures such as Romans 9-11; Deuteronomy 4:25-31, 12:10; Isaiah 4:3, 6:8-13, 10:20-21, 60:18-21, 63:17; Jeremiah 30-32, 50:19-20; Ezekiel 6:8, 20:33-40, 37-39; Daniel 12:1, 12:7; Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10; and Zephaniah 3:11-13 (only few of many) we see that God presents a beautifully detailed picture of the end-times and Israel’s part in it. I’m going to focus on Romans 11, Daniel 9:24-27, Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36. In other blogs I’ll pick up the others.

As we peruse these passages we’ll look for the following cohesive points:

• Israel receiving her Messiah leading to national salvation.
• Israel entering the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit, and the imputed comprehensive righteousness accompanying it.
• The clear timing of Israel entering the New Covenant and why it matters.
• The eschatological focus on the land of Israel.

In my next blog I’ll focus on:

• What world events surround this time? (Jacob’s Trouble)
• What leads Israel to finally receive her Messiah?

Beginning in the New Testament with Romans 9-11, we’ll start to map out the parameters of Israel’s national salvation. As a preview, Paul goes into great detail discussing the predetermined purpose of God for Israel. She was supposed to reveal what God was like to the world. However, due to rampant sin (aka unbelief) Israel was temporarily broken off and Gentiles were grafted in. God, through Paul, magnifies faith in Jesus Christ as the only means through which both Jew and Gentile become righteous before God:

9… that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Christians quote these scriptures often not giving thought to their context. Yes, it is salvation for anyone who will call on Jesus, but the context is Israel’s rejection, leading to Gentiles’ grafting in, leading to Israel’s national salvation. Israel’s re-grafting begins to be emphasizes in Romans 11:23 wrapping up with some thoroughly radical statements in 11:25-27:

25For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery– so that you will not be wise in your own estimation– that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." 27"THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."

Here we see that Israel’s hardening (eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear (:8)) only lasts until the last Gentile receives Jesus. Most assuredly people are becoming Christians throughout the Tribulation, Jews and Gentiles alike. The last Gentile to receive Christ marks the fullness of the Gentiles. When the last person receives Jesus during the Tribulation, the rapture takes place. Directly subsequent to the rapture is the national salvation of Israel. (All remaining Jews who do not worship the Beast or take his mark receive Jesus Christ (ALL Israel will be saved) and enter the Millennial Age with natural bodies. We know this since they all receive Jesus after the rapture where we meet the Lord in the air and receive new bodies. (1 Corinthians 15)) If it was before the rapture they too would be raptured and receive new bodies. However, a vast number of eschatological prophecies concerning Israel reveal that they enter the Millennial Age with natural bodies. The last Gentile to receive Jesus Christ is the absolute prerequisite leading to Israel’s national salvation. Furthermore, Romans 11 quotes from Isaiah 59 – another eschatological chapter speaking of Israel’s national salvation at the end of the Tribulation, Israel’s blindness, their sin, the Day of God’s vengeance, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Romans 11 slides Israel’s national salvation right to the end of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. Furthermore, when juxtaposing this next to Daniel’s 70-week prophecy “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness…” we see this is the exact plan of God for Israel.

For years Jeremiah 31’s prophecy about the New Covenant confused me. Even though it is brought into the New Testament in Hebrews 8 and 10, I still saw that it was written to Hebrews. I’m a Gentile and so are most Christians I know. I didn’t understand this prophecy in the context in which it was written in the Old Testament. It is clearly eschatological. Plus I didn’t understand Israel’s part in the end-times or in the New Covenant. Over the centuries scriptures concerning Israel in the end-times have led many to adopt a replacement theology (the church replaces and fulfills the promises God previously made to Israel) and/or an Amillennial view of eschatology. During the years Israel was not on the map, theologians and commoners alike filled in for the absentees with theology that made sense to them. Circumstances led their theology. But God had His plan written long ago. All they/we have to do is believe what He has written. So let’s look at Jeremiah 31:31-34. In its context, it reads:

31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

God says at the time this prophecy is fulfilled, because of His forgiveness, ALL Israel will know Him: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah … for they will all know Me… for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” This means ALL Israel will enter the New Covenant at that time. Israel’s salvation is the culmination of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy: Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy [place] (literally, to anoint the Holy of Holies). This entering in of the New Covenant by Israel is the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy.

We will back-peddle a little by looking into what comes before Jeremiah 31, and then look to what comes after. There we see the context for Israel’s entrance into the New Covenant—that it deposited in the midst of strong eschatological scriptures.

Jeremiah 30 begins with a new word from the LORD. 30:3 “For behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The LORD says, I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.”The phrase “For behold, days are coming” is an alert that this is likely eschatological. Furthermore, “I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it” is not a promise about the strip of land presently called Israel. It is the future fulfillment of the land God promised to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 15:18: On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates…” People interpret the exact boundaries differently, but suffice it to say that the land God gave to Israel through Abram, which He says they will possess in Jeremiah 30:3, is much much larger than they have ever possessed. This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. Furthermore, many eschatological scriptures tie Israel finally inheriting their promised land with the end of the Tribulation.

Chapter 30 continues to prophesy about “Jacob’s Trouble,” a term widely considered a synonym for the Great Tribulation. Also here in Jeremiah God says there is not another day like it, but Jacob (Israel) will be saved from it: 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress (NKJV: trouble), But he will be saved from it. Men are seen grasping their loins as though they are in labor, depicting great pain and terror; the breaking of “his” yoke in verse 8 is a reference to the Antichrist. The term is masculine singular – referring to the Antichrist: aka the Assyrian, the cruel one (:14). Then Israel is set freed from slavery and they will serve the LORD. Verse 10 weighs in on their rescue from the nations and their fearless condition. At present Israel is surrounded by hostiles. God continues to say that He will COMPLETELY destroy the nations where Israel had been held captive. Babylon was not completely destroyed during Israel’s Babylonian captivity, the time at which this was written. In fact God, in Daniel 7:12, says that the four beasts (Babylon being one of them) were allowed to live for a time, meaning these four beasts didn’t cease to exist even when they became conquered nations. All this reveals Jeremiah 30 cannot be referring to the Babylonian captivity under Nebuchadnezzar, but is pointing to the end of this age—the time of the Great Tribulation. Keep all this in mind as we continue to look at the meaning of Jeremiah 31 and the New Covenant.

Jeremiah 30:11-17 contains an eschatological reoccurring theme. Israel is “deathly sick” – incurable, God disciplines her by means of other nations more wicked than she is (During the Tribulation this will be the Beast nations.), God judges the wicked nations, and brings salvation to the few survivors (the remnant) of Israel. (Zechariah 12:9-10, 13:8) Jeremiah 30:18-22 peers into the Millennial Age where we see the survivors of Israel, who entered into the New Covenant, entering the Millennial Age with natural bodies. Another reoccurring theme. This prophecy continues on to speak about the Day of Vengeance (the Tribulation) and ends with: The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; In the latter days you will understand this. Again undeniably eschatological. Keep in mind we are looking for the timing of the New Covenant to Israel when: “they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Beyond any doubt Jeremiah 30 is all eschatological; it speaks of the end of this age and even glances into the Millennial Age¹. Jeremiah 31 continues in the same thought, it begins: “At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” “At that time” flows from the eschatological context of Jeremiah 30. God again reiterates that at that time He will be God of ALL Israel and they will be His people. Jeremiah 31 begins by dancing though Millennial days; verse 6 walks hand-in-hand with Zechariah 14:16. In Zechariah 14:16 millennial-natural-bodied-people are going to worship King Jesus in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14 largely runs parallel with Jeremiah 30-31, as do many parts of Isaiah; Isaiah 24-27 for example.) Jeremiah 31:11 is regarding the deliverance of Israel from the Antichrist by God: For the LORD has ransomed Jacob And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. Preceding verse 11 are scriptures of joy and rejoicing, then a transition at verse 15. Verse 15 was quoted concerning the slaughter of the boys near Jesus’ birth by Herod (Matthew 2:18) and may have a yet-to-be futuristic fulfillment. (Many prophetic scriptures bunch together Jesus’ first coming and His return, spanning over 2000 years. For example Isaiah 61:2: The favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God are 2000 years apart.) Verses 31:16-22 speak both near and far fulfillment. This means the prophecy had meaning for they days of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, and yet they also reach forward for a greater fulfillment at the end of this age. Beginning in 31:23 full eschatological acceleration begins. God again speaks directly to Judah about the restoration of her fortunes and her new reputation as: ‘O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!' Judah is not known for righteousness; quite the opposite. Their complete rejection of their Messiah controls them. Righteousness comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. If she is going to be known as the abode of righteousness, O holy hill, then a major transformation must take place—the salvation of Israel.

With this as our backdrop let’s move on to Jeremiah 31’s prophecy concerning the New Covenant.

31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

Jeremiah 31:31-32 is pretty straightforward. God and Israel made a covenant after they came out of Egypt. Moses said this is what the LORD commands, will you obey Him? Israel responded with a “We will.” (Exodus 24:7-8)

Jeremiah 31:33-34 is undoubtedly the national salvation of Israel. These scriptures contain:

• God’s New Covenant with Israel (after those days),
• God will write His law within Israel and on their hearts,
• God will be their God,
• They shall be His people,
• They will ALL know Him,
• Forgiveness of iniquity, and
• Their sin will be remembered no more.

In verse 33 there is a little phrase “after those days” We should consider what days He is talking about. I believe it is the days of the Tribulation we just talked about in Jeremiah 30-31, but it isn’t clear. The two major points are 1. God makes a New Covenant with ALL Israel. 2. The Covenant takes away ALL Israel’s sin and iniquity. Only the Blood of Jesus Christ can do that.

God goes on through the end of the chapter to affirm that He can be taken at His word and He will not go back on His promises to Israel. Think about it – if God would break His promises to Israel, what confidence would we have that He wouldn’t break His promises to us? God doesn’t break His promises. Israel will enter into the New Covenant by receiving their Messiah, Jesus, most certainly at the end of the Tribulation.

On into Ezekiel 36. As we read through the Bible, especially the obvious prophetic scriptures, we should pay attention to anchor words. What I means is there are numerous verses where God uses words such as “all” or “never again.” As Bible students we must understand these scriptures as God gave them to us—His “all” means all; His “never again” means never again, and so forth. With this in mind let’s skip ahead to the end of this chapter where we read: 38“Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the city will be rebuilt for the LORD… 40“And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes (see Ezekiel 39:11-16), and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever." Jerusalem will be rebuilt for King Jesus. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah will sit on the Throne of David and rule from Jerusalem throughout the Millennial Age. Zechariah 14 also discusses much of Jeremiah 31:38-40 bringing in further details on the tribulation, the Antichrist and his army, the holiness of Jerusalem, the reign of King Jesus, and the Millennium.

Furthermore, in numerous eschatological passages mountains and hill are repeatedly mentioned (Zechariah 14 for example). Often the enemies of God and of Israel are trying to possess them. This is the case in Ezekiel 36:1-12. Further in Ezekiel 38-39 the Antichrist and his armies are drawn by God to the mountains of Israel, where Israel is dwelling safely. It is here it appears the Antichrist decides to invade Jerusalem. Ultimately, on these mountains God rains down judgment on the Antichrist’s kingdom (38:21-23) saying, “I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.” In the end Israel possesses these mountains fulfilling God’s promise He gave them in Genesis 15.

God explains in 36:16-21 the reason why He “poured out My wrath on them [Israel].” Yes, God pours out His wrath on Israel so that they would turn to Messiah Jesus. A few of many scriptures about this are: Deuteronomy 4:26-31, 30:1-10, 31:29, 32 (:35-36 is intense!), and Isaiah 24-27.

Ezekiel 36:23 also rolls out the timing of the New Covenant given to Israel:

23"I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24"For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 25“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28"You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29"Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. 30"I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31"Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. 32"I am not doing [this] for your sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!" Ezekiel 36:23-32

Ezekiel 36 ends full throttle in the Millennial Age.

To conclude we’ll circle back around to Daniel. Daniel 11 describes the thoughts of the Antichrist and his invasion of Israel and Jerusalem. It ends with his demise. Daniel 12 picks up:

1"Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands [guard] over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued… 5Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long [will it be] until the end of [these] wonders?" 7I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half [a [time]; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these [events] will be completed. Daniel 12:1-7

Daniel 12 mentions the Antichrist and his army shattering the power of holy people as the end of a time, times, and a half of a time or 3-1/2 years or 1260-days. This is the exact length of the last half of the Tribulation known as the Great Tribulation. The Antichrist sets up the Abomination of Desolation at the mid-point of the Tribulation leading to “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:15-24) Because of Jesus’ statement many have named the last half of the Tribulation “the Great Tribulation.”

As we perused through Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel we found that the timing of Israel entering the New Covenant is the end of the Tribulation. Because of the Antichrist’s destructive pursuit of Israel, Israel will come to the end of her strength, look upon the One they pierced, and mourn. This leads them to receive Jesus their Messiah and enter into the New Covenant. This is right after the rapture of the Church. Israel enters the Millennium with natural bodies, they serve their King Jesus, as He creates an Eden-like Earth flowing out from Jerusalem.

 

¹ An explanation about the Millennial Age, aka Millennium. The Millennium is a 1000-year period of time after the Tribulation. Revelation 20 explains this time best, though many other scriptures discuss it. During the Millennial Age all tears and pain have not yet been wiped away. Natural-bodied people are born, die, and receive or reject King Jesus’ rule. Death is the final enemy to be destroyed at the end of the Millennium. This is after Satan’s final rebellion. Satan is then thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:3, 20:7-10, 20:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:26) Most Christians believe that Heaven is all there is after we take our last breath, but this isn’t so. Many dynamics are still on the Earth. In the Millennium there are those who:

• live in New Jerusalem—the City of the Great King (an interesting study),
• have glorified bodies, who were either raptured or part of the first resurrection,
• are Gentiles who enter the Millennium with natural bodies not having received the mark of the Beast nor Jesus (all who receive the mark will be killed by Jesus when He returns), and
• Jews who enter the Millennium as Christians who serve the Lord Jesus in the Millennial Temple and/or live in their inherited land.

 

Tackling Pre-Tribulation Dispensational Eschatology

Tackling Pre-Tribulation Dispensational Eschatology

The problem with Pre-Tribulation Dispensationalism (PTD) is that what most believe is only the tip of the iceberg.

Undergirding the “God will rapture us before the tribulation starts, because He has not appointed us to wrath,” is built on a web of conjectures constructed to defend an eschatological doctrine. Instead, eschatology, as with any doctrine, must simply come thorough plain understanding of what the Bible clearly says through careful exegesis. It is easy to make the Bible say things it doesn’t say. Eschatology begins in Genesis and continues through Revelation.

Even though I have studied eschatology for decades the PTD iceberg capsized in my last church. As I mentioned in my last blog, the founding pastor said one night while rummaging around in Titus 2 that the pre-trib rapture isn’t just our hope—it is our ONLY hope. Profoundly mistaken! The church focused so heavily on the pre-trib rapture eschatology (PTRE) that they suffered from Macular Degeneration. It blinded them from the central norms of Christian doctrine. Jesus Christ Himself is our Hope.

If the PTRE is our hope, then what about all the people who have died without being a part of the rapture? They have died without hope if this pastor was correct. Some may say that even they will receive their rapture when the dead are raised. The Bible doesn’t call that a rapture, it calls it the first resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15) The first resurrection is certainly distinct from the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air… 1 Thessalonians 4

It wasn’t because of their overemphasis on PTRE that we knew we couldn’t continue to walk with the leaders, rather it was due to the web of exegetical maneuvers performed to get to that doctrine. Before we left I engaged via email with the senior pastor (not the founding pastor).

In the initial email I said that I had a few problems regarding the PTRE. I told him that I had studied all major views and had mulled over the following points for years without finding good answers. I asked if he could help me understand them from a pre-trib perspective, as I saw them as major problems with a PTRE.

The first point was that a major hinge of the PTRE hangs on 1 Thessalonians 5:9. And that although this section begins with eschatology – the Day of the Lord – it transitions to salvation: For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Verse 9 is an equation, which looks like this:

Not appointed to wrath = Salvation through Jesus Christ.

It is not about escaping the wrath of God poured out in the bowl judgments. Rather, it is clearly about salvation through Jesus delivering us from God’s eternal wrath in the Lake of Fire. It is all encompassing whether we are alive or die we live together with Him. This fits with the whole of Scripture.

My second point in question flowed from my first point. PTRE teaches that since we – the church – will not suffer God’s wrath (during the tribulation), we must not be on the earth when His judgments are poured out. I understand that this doctrine flows from 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains [will do so] until he is taken out of the way. 8Then that lawless one will be revealed. Most positions agrees that the “him” being restrained and the “him” revealed is the Antichrist. According to a PTRE the “what” and the “he” restraining the Antichrist is the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit is restraining the revealing of the Antichrist until He (the Holy Spirit) is no longer in the midst [of the earth] to restrain. To say it another way: the Holy Spirit leaves, so the Church leaves with Him, and then the Antichrist steps onto the world stage. (It is an interesting word study on Strong’s 1096 ginomai “he is taken” from 2 Thessalonians 2:7.) It could also be stated that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit working through the Church. When the Church is raptured, the restrainer is “taken” with the Church.

Here’s the problem: According to a PTRE, the Church leaves with the Holy Spirit before the revealing of the Antichrist, so that she will not suffer God’s wrath. BUT, as soon as one person receives Christ during the tribulation the Church is again on the earth subject to God’s tribulation wrath. That person along with all others who receive Christ after the rapture are part of the Church and they are on the earth during the tribulation. Furthermore, without the Holy Spirit’s presence on the earth NO ONE can get saved. Salvation requires regeneration by/through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, no one can come to the Father unless the Holy Spirit draws them! Therefore, The Holy Spirit MUST still be on the earth during the tribulation.

I told my pastor that in view of the above points I don’t see how the PTRE can hold up under this scrutiny.

His response was that Jesus opens all the seal judgments and that those who become believers during the tribulation are not categorized as “the church,” since the dispensation of the church age ends with the Rapture. They are categorized as “tribulation saints and are treated [by God] differently than those who die in Christ before the Rapture. (Total conjecture.)

My pastor further explained that yes, the Holy Spirit is still present. His presence within Spirit-filled believers is “taken out of the way,” hence the “restraining force of the church” is taken out of the way. The Holy Spirit therefore will no longer restrain evil, opening the door for the Antichrist to implement his one-world-government.

While thanking him for his response I explained that it didn’t solve my problems with the pre-trib rapture. I explained that the Bible does not mention dispensations—ever, rather Scripture reveals God is covenant based. The New Covenant continues through the tribulation, as seen in both Ezekiel 36:25-27 and Jeremiah 31:31-34. Note that both are eschatological in their context and that Jeremiah 31:31-34 is flowing from Jeremiah 30:24-31:1, placing this most definitely at the end-times salvation of Israel. Thus, the New Covenant continues and is the means through which Israel gets saved at the end of the tribulation (Romans 11:25-26). All who come to Christ must come through the New Covenant in His Blood. There is no other way. (Hebrews goes into great detail on this.)

I continued to say I was surprised he believed that those who receive Christ during the Tribulation aren’t part of the Church. The church doesn’t need to be gone in order for the last week of Daniel to be fulfilled. PTD teaches that the Church must be raptured in order for the last week of Daniel to be fulfilled. This is intermixed with circular reasoning that the dispensation of the church is over. When the dispensation of the church is over God can again deal with Israel as a nation fulfilling all the unfulfilled promises to her. There is one week left unfilled of the Daniel 9:24-27 70-week prophesy given to Daniel. The last week of the 70 is fulfilled during the tribulation. The Bible doesn’t teach that the Church must be gone in order for God to deal with Israel. During the tribulation many things come to a head: the fullness of the Gentiles coming into the Kingdom, the fullness of sin reaches it’s height, Israel finally receives her Messiah Jesus, the earth staggers under the weight of sin, and is polluted by its inhabitants (Isaiah 24 is intense), just to name a few. I’ll write more about his in another blog.

Concerning the dispensation of the Church being over, Ephesians 2 is clear that those who are of Israel and we Gentiles are one new man in Christ. Jews and Gentiles together become one new man. (This in no way invalidates the promises made to Israel.) PTRD teaches the word “saints” in Revelation are a different breed—which one must exegete without Biblical support. If someone receives Christ, they are born-again and have the Spirit. If they are born-again and have the Spirit they are part of the Church. To say otherwise is extra-biblical at best. They says these saints are treated differently than believers who die in Christ during the age of the Church. The Bible doesn’t say that they are treated differently. This doctrine is built to benefit a PTRD theology. It cannot be found in Scripture without a thorough manipulation of basic Bible exegesis.

On another note, when would these “tribulation saints” receive their changed bodies? According to 1 Corinthians 15 we are changed at the first resurrection when Christ also meets those who are still alive in the air. If this is when, as PTRD teaches, at the partial coming of Jesus before the tribulation starts, are there two first resurrections, one at the beginning of the tribulation and one at the end? The Bible doesn’t teach there are two First Resurrections/raptures? If the rapture, Israel’s salvation, the First Resurrection, and the coming of Christ were slid to the end of the 1260 day tribulation, it all fits very easily without any hermeneutical gymnastics.

I believe in the promises of God still belonging to Israel, though at the present they are His enemies (Romans 11:28). They killed Messiah Jesus and are presently cut off (Romans 9-11). They will however, at the end of the Tribulation (Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 31, and Romans 11:25-27) receive Jesus, thus fulfilling “and so all Israel will be saved.”

Concerning the Church being the restraining force: She is NEVER referred to as masculine in the Bible. Therefore, the “what restrains” (2 Thessalonians 2:6) and the “he who now restrains” (2:7) cannot be the church restraining, since 2:7 is masculine. And if the “he” is the Holy Spirit it forces a further impasse. I don’t have a perfect conclusion on the who/what the restrainer is. I understand the reasons why some believe who the restrainer is are:

1. The Holy Spirit: Can’t be for some of the reasons stated above.

2. Michael: Some believe it is Michael since he prevailed in a Heavenly war in Daniel.

3. The three kings who the Antichrist “pulls out by the roots” in Daniel 7:8: They are taken out of the way, since they opposed him.

4. The Church: Since she restrains evil on the earth. 

5. Satan: Since the Greek word ginomai can mean “transitioning from one point (realm, condition) to another,” and could refer to Satan’s being casting out of Heaven. Revelation 12.

6. Governments: Since they will come under the power of the Antichrist.

This was the end of my correspondence with my pastor. I gave him an out and he took it.

There is still much of the iceberg’s underbelly to explore. For example, to make the PTRD work Jesus must have a partial return before the beginning of the tribulation and then a completed return at the Tribulation's end. For now I’ll leave you with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

My following blog will deal with Israel’s salvation through the New Covenant at the end of this age, as it is tied to the timing of the rapture, the first resurrection, and the return of Jesus.

Non-Negotiables

NON-NEGOTIABLES

Over the years George and I have moved many times leading us to search for a new home church in our new town. Since we are nondenominational, know the Bible, and believe in the gifts of the Spirit finding a place we fit was difficult. Our journey has been educational, painful at times, and beautiful.

Early in the 2000s the Holy Spirit spoke to me in prayer. He showed me a video where I was walking up a dusty dirt road. It was hot and hard. I glanced down as I strode up that hill and saw my friends enjoying each other’s company in a shady area next to a cool stream. I told the Lord that I wanted to go down there with them instead. He calmly but deliberately told me that it would be hard and painful, but when I got to the top of the hill I’d see His Kingdom more clearly.

I’ve learned a great deal journeying up that dusty road.

Over the next few months I hope to blog about some of what I’ve learned. My writings will range from personal lessons the Lord has taught me to doctrinal issues, and a great deal about the end-times, Israel in the end-times, and the millennial age. I’ve studied Daniel extensively during these years and have to admit that I have become extremely fond of Daniel 9:24-27.

My kick-off is my Non-negotiables. Non-negotiables when choosing a fellowship of believers to run with.

I’m a theology based person who loves the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I love His gifts, I love it when He moves and manifests His presence – I love everything about the Holy Spirit. I love the Bible. I love to study it. I love theology. Theology reveals God. Theology makes me happy. I love eschatology. I love to study it and listen to and read others who know more than I do – even those who are wrong about their conclusion. Yes, I said that. Pre-trib rapture/dispensationalism is wrong. I will have a lot to say about eschatology in further blogs.

Non-negotiables. Apart from the Nicene Creed, which is the foundational aggregate for Christian belief, these are my non-negotiables when looking for a church home:

1. Salvation must be clear. It must be clearly stated as only through faith in the finished work of Jesus. We are completely forgiven and declared righteous through Jesus Christ. He completely fulfilled and satisfied the righteous requirements of the Law. Any works we perform as Christians are due to the inner working of the Holy Spirit within us and through us. They do not improve our standing before the Father.

2. Calvinism. I will not belong to a group of people who adhere to Calvinism. A Calvinist believes in a different God than I do. Their God is not the God of the Bible. Scripture says that Jesus, motivated by love, died for the sins of the WHOLE world, for all sinners, and is not willing that any should perish. We get to choose whether or not to receive Him; His salvation is available, if we want Him. God created humans with a freewill. True love chooses to love. Calvinism doesn’t believe that very basic of all basics.

3. Cessationism: Gifts of the Spirit must be welcomed and pursued. God’s miraculous power is displayed through people from Genesis through Revelation. 1 Corinthians 14 says that believers are to earnestly desire and seek to abound in spiritual gifts. Forbidding speaking tongues is anti-biblical. Acts is full of God demonstrating His power through people. How gifts operate within the church is elder directed.

4. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father, which Jesus talked about (Acts 1:4) The  Baptism in the Holy Spirit began in Acts 2— it is the fulfillment of Pentecost, as Jesus’ sacrifice is the fulfillment of Passover. (The church began when Jesus first breathed into His disciples after His resurrection and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” They were at that moment born-again; the church began – the New Covenant was available to all following His resurrection.)

5. Demons INSIDE Christians. I do not tolerate the belief that Christians are or can be indwelt by a demon or demons. This belief directs the whole mindset and paradigm of body ministry. Yes, were are harassed by demons, pursued by demons, deceived by demons, hindered by demons, etc. They want to destroy us. But when we become inhabited by the Holy Spirit – quite literally possessed by the Holy Spirit – there is no longer room for a demon to inhabit the place the Holy Spirit inhabits. God doesn’t have roommates. Many Christians build from erroneous exegesis teaching that demons can inhabit a Christian. They then build deliverance ministries on their foundation of their experience with demons. Demons are liars – they want us to believe their doctrines. 1 (Timothy 4:1) Most of what I hear is based on scriptures like Luke 13:16 (A daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for 18 years) and Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30 – both are about a Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed. Jesus said that casting out demons was “the children’s bread” and that He was sent ONLY TO the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Hence, the children’s bread means Israel’s bread, in this context. It doesn’t mean, as some erroneously state, that it is the Christian’s bread, since we are now the children of God. When reading the Gospels it is essential to acknowledge that they (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are all still under the Old Covenant even though they are included under the New Testament heading—Jesus had not yet been crucified, buried, and resurrected. The New Covenant is in His Blood. The New Covenant was not enacted until His resurrection. The first New Covenant believers were in John 20:22 when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Demons cannot live in a Christian.

6. A Pursuit of God. A community of believers who are intentional about pursuing the Lord through worship, prayer, and true knowledge of the scriptures is a must. I want people around me who will spur me on to go deeper and know Him better. I want to worship with people who want God and want to experience Him.

7. I will NOT be a part of a church whose eschatology is Preterism, Amillennialism, Partial-Preterism, or one that has an overemphasized and misplaced focus on the Pre-trib Rapture/Dispensationalism. I have been a part of three Calvary Chapels. Although all three believed in and taught a pre-trib rapture eschatology, one of them brought it up almost every service. The other two taught it, but it wasn't their main focus. Those two churches as a whole are very sound biblical wonderful churches and I miss them. However, the third one was intolerable for many reasons. One night the founding pastor taught on the pre-trib rapture. When he passed through Titus 2 he said that the pre-trib rapture isn’t just our hope—it is our ONLY hope. One of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard a pastor say. That’s what I mean by an an overemphasized and misplaced focus on Pre-trib/Dispensationalism. I plan to devote an entire blog to that subjest, so I’ll end with that for now.

8. Blanket Morality: God says that His leaders are to be above reproach. This too is non-negotiable. 1 Timothy and Titus both list characteristics leaders are to have. Along with those clearly defined in 1 Timothy and Titus I won’t follow someone who is mean, condescending, biblically illiterate, feminine, or who thinks women should be a wall flower. Leaders are to be honest in morality, doctrinal integrity, and character. They must promote life.

Pretty simple really.