The Israel
of God
Premillennialists have a tremendous interest in literal Israel. News
from the Middle East is of great concern to
them. To them I must say, “It is time to say goodbye to the Old Testament
covenant, folks.” Israel as a favoured people,
Jerusalem as a holy city, the Old Testament temple with all the ordinances and
sacrifices that pertained to it...were abolished at
the cross and are done away forever! All these types were fulfilled in Christ
and apply spiritually to His New Testament church. Please stop reading end-time
fiction books so popular today and study the Bible, particularly the books of
Hebrews and Galatians for true understanding of this.
Consider these words of Charles E. Brown: “If the earthly Jews are not of the
house of Israel,
who is? Let Paul answer. Writing to the converted heathen of Philippi,
he says: ‘We are the circumcision, which
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence
in the flesh’ (Phil. 3:3). Would that our premillennialist
brethren had less confidence in the glory of fleshly Israel.
To the
former heathen of Colosse he points out the only
valid circumcision today: ‘In whom also ye are circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands...by the circumcision of Christ’ (Col.
2:11). If the Jewish circumcision is no longer valid and if the heathen people
of Philippi and Colosse were circumcised with the
circumcision of Christ–which must be valid–does it not follow that the converts
to Christianity become the true Israel of God?
Into what
abysmal depths of error can a good man fall! Could anything less seductive than premillennialism
induce a Christian man to offer to Jews
or anyone else any other alternative than to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour now? Not one word can one find in the New Testament
offering Jews the choice of accepting Christ or ‘holding fast to the ancient
hopes of the fathers.’ Instead, the apostles taught, ‘Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men [not even the famous name of Zion], whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12.
Such teaching makes us shudder lest good men whom we
love and honor should make themselves obnoxious to the solemn words of Paul
addressed to those who were preaching Judaism in the first century: ‘Though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed.’ Gal. 1:8.”
False prophets have severely fogged the
minds of dear souls, else they would not have been led
astray on this millennial bypath. The Bible is exceedingly clear–Christians are
the “Israel
of God” (Gal. 6:15-16), the seed
of Abraham (Gal. 3:28-29).
Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is
not of men, but of God.”
Jesus told the Jews, “Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God [their reign as God’s special
people] shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof.” Matt. 21:43. Peter declares the “nation” to be henceforth so
blessed, is God’s “holy nation,” the church (1 Pet. 2:7-10).
One premillennialist wrote, “Key to this entire prophetic plan
is the refounding of Israel
as a nation state in Palestine.
Without Israel,
the whole plan falls apart.” And fall apart it does, when tested by the
scriptures. The only hope of literal Israel is the same hope offered to
all–salvation through Jesus Christ in this present gospel day. There will be no
age to come, for when Jesus returns in the air, all the world will be called
into final Judgment and the earth will be destroyed.
- Susan Mutch
