ironic isn't it?
dispensationalism keeps "Israel & the Church separate"!
for all eternity (at it's roots...Darby et al...i wonder why that doesn't make dispies shiver)?
whereas:
Covenant Theology; NT Theology says jews are part of the family of nations.
the Gospel has gone out to all nations, beginning with Judea and Jerusalem.
it started with the devout Jews gathered for pentecost.
One Gospel; One Lord; One Faith; One Flock.
course if we keep playing the shell game with "who is Israel" i reckon we'll never figure it out.
That's one thing that I never got about dispensations?
If Israel and the Church are separate, it totally contradicts Acts and the earliest Christian's being Israelites. It also totally ignores that while Paul was going for the Gentiles, the other disciples were still trying to reach Judeans. It's just a whole lot of confusion with that, or I'm just not that good at "rightly dividing." (considering that there is no concrete time the "Church Age" started, I guess they aren't neither *shrugs*)
And that's not the half of it.
This notion of Christ-rejecting Jews being God's favored people, apart from the Church (exluded from
the Bride of the Lamb during the tribulation, followed by a restoration of Israel to eminent earthly
glory, etc.) removes Christ Jesus from the center of God's plan for all history, and replaces him with a
future restoration of Israel.
However, the Bible teaches that the Church age is the age of the Holy Spirit calling out the elect into
God's
new creation and Bride of Christ;
the age of
regeneration,
justification and
sanctification of the body of Christ by the power of His Spirit;
and the age of God building his living temple, which is the
showcase of his wisdom (Eph 3:10-11) and
the
crown jewel of his universe (Rev 21:1, 11, 18-21).
But a future restoration of Israel relegates the Church age to a mere "parenthesis" in history, rather
than the Church being the w
hole plan into which
everything fits and culminates
(Ro 10:4; Eph 1:9-10, 22-23).
The whole NT teaches the Church as God's
singular purpose in history (Jn 10:16; Eph 1:9-10, 22-23,
3:10-11; 1Co 10:11)
and as the continuation and
fulfillment of the OT Church/assembly (Ro 2:28-29, 4:11, 11:13-24;
2Co 1:20; Eph 2:11-22, 3:6; Php 3:3; 1Pe 2:9; Gal 3:7, 29, 6:16; Heb 12:22) under a new covenant
(Jer 31:31-34; Heb 10:15-18).
Note that in
Ro 11:23, the conversion of Israel
means grafting back into the
one tree, with Christians;
i.e., the Church of vv. 17-20.
Note that in
Heb 12:22-23, "the spirits of righteous men made perfect"
in the Church (cf 11:39-40)
are the OT saints.
Note that in
Rev 21:9-14,
Israel is included
in the Bride of the Lamb,
the Church.
Note that the NT uses the same Greek word, "
ecclesia" (called out assembly, the Church), for both
the
OT Church (Ac 7:38; Heb 2:12; cf Ezr 2:64--LXX)
and the NT Church (Mt 16:18; Ac 20:28;
Heb 12:23) because they
are the same entity (Ro 11:17-23; Eph 2:14-16, 3:6; Gal 3:7, 29),
God's
one people.
There is no Biblical warrant (authorization) for any future of Israel apart from and "
outside" the Bride,
except the future of damnation (
Rev 22:15).
This notion of Jews being God's favored people apart from the Church
diminishes the doctrine of Christ.
One need only check their thinking.
What is it that captures one's interest and attention--the working out of the execellency of God's plan
in his
new creation and Bride of Christ, or the (supposed) working out of God's plan for a restoration
of Israel?
Hands down, it's the (supposed) sensational future of Israel.
Already, this false doctrine of Isreal captivates minds to the diminishment of the doctrine of Christ.
In another generation, it won't even be realize that although, theologically, the centrality of the
doctrine of Christ is asserted, practically; i.e., in terms of focus, attention, interest, conversation,
anticipation, orientation, etc., the doctrine of Christ has becomed a stepsister to the false doctrine
of an earthly restoration of Israel.
But it is
the Church, the Bride of Christ and
the fulness of Christ (Eph 1:22-23), that is the center
of God's plan (Eph 3:10-11), and not a future restoration of Israel.
It is
the Church which
is the fulfillment of the ages (1Co 10:11; Eph 1:22-23),
and the goal
to which all history has moved (Eph 1:9-10), and not some future restoration of Israel apart from
the Church.
And it is
the Church that
is the end of the ages and time (Heb 9:26), and not some future age
of Israel after the Church.
A future of Israel apart from the Church is totally contrary to the NT, and dishonoring
to Christ.