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TABLE OF CONTENTS
God's purpose for Israel is related to her covenants, promises, and the provision for fufillment of these on the earth.
These prophetic Scripture passages are communications from God's prophets directly to Israel and cannot be applied to any other group of people when they are stated in terms that only apply to Israel.
The promises for the church relate to heavenly realities and her heavenly citizenship.
The church is united to Jesus Chirst as His bride and His body, who will corule with Him from heaven on earth the New Jerusalem, a distinctly different destiny from Israel's earthly one:
And the eternal residence of the church age believer is a heavenly one:
ISRAEL IS DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHER RACES AND NATIONALITIES UNLIKE THE CHURCH WHICH COMPRISES ALL RACES AND NATIONALITIES
God's promises to Abraham are stated as being exclusively for Abraham and his descendants and only for those descendants of Isaac and Jacob:
So descendants of Abraham through Ishmael are not in the physical line of God's promises to Abraham which are stated as being made to Abraham through Isaac
FINALLY, THOSE PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB WHO ARE OF THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM ARE TRUE ISRAEL; JUST AS THOSE WHO ARE OF THE CONGREGATIONS OF THE LOCAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH WHO ARE OF THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM ARE TRUE BELIEVERS
Abraham is the spiritual father of all those who are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone
God promised eternal life to Abraham on the basis of faith alone
And this eternal life would be through God's promise of providing a physical heir to Abraham whose descendancy would lead to the Messiah/Savior through Whom all the promises would be fulfilled
Abraham was indeed looking forward to Jesus Christ as the Author and Perfecter of God's plan of salvation for him:
The nature of Abraham's faith was essentially the same as that of the NT believer despite the difference in time.
And notice that the seed through Whom the promise of eternal life was to be received was Jesus Christ
3) ISRAEL IS A NATION OF ONE KIND OF PEOPLE JEWS VS THE CHURCH WHICH IS COMPRISED OF PEOPLE FROM ALL NATIONS UNITED INTO ONE BODY -THE BODY OF CHRIST.
THE CHURCH IS COMPRISED OF PEOPLE FROM ALL NATIONS UNITED INTO ONE BODY - THE BODY OF CHRIST
4) ISRAEL WAS ESTABLISHED IN ABRAHAM'S TIME EXCLUSIVELY AND IRREVOCABLY THROUGH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB.
THE CHURCH WAS THEN A MYSTERY TO BE REVEALED THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER THROUGH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
POINT #2 PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED THIS POINT.
(ISRAEL IS DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHER RACES AND NATIONALITIES UNLIKE THE CHURCH WHICH COMPRISES ALL RACES AND NATIONALITIES)
THE CHURCH WAS THEN A MYSTERY TO BE REVEALED THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER THROUGH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
5) ISRAEL BEGAN WITH A MAN, ABRAHAM.
THE CHURCH BEGAN WITH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
POINT #2 PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED THIS POINT.
(ISRAEL IS COMPRISED EXCLUSIVELY OF PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB OR GENTILE PROSELYTES WHO CONVERT TO JUDAISM)
INCEPTION OF THE CHURCH
Even though a number of the basic elements of the church were there at the beginning of our Lord's 3 year ministry, especially the 12 disciples, these elements, however, could not constitute the church at that time.
B)THE KINGDOM WAS PROCLAIMED TO ISRAEL DURING OUR LORD'S EARTHLY MINISTRY - PRECEEDING THE INCEPTION OF THE CHURCH
Had the nation Israel accepted our Lord as Messiah and Savior, then the cross and the kingdom would have been imminent & without 2000 years of church age.
C) THE CHURCH WAS A YET FUTURE EVENT - TO BEGIN AFTER THE TIME OF OUR LORD'S EARTHLY MINISTRY
UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
D) OUR LORD'S DEATH HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
E) OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
F) OUR LORD'S ASCENSION HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
G) THE CHURCH BEGAN AT PENTECOST AT THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ADVENT
The Bible speaks of a unique group of people all united into one body the body of Christ, the Church ....this body did not become an entity until the Holy Spirit united Jewish and Gentile believers at that 'first' Pentecost.
6) ISRAEL'S RULE OF DAILY LIFE IS THE MOSAIC LAW SYSTEM THE CHURCH'S RULE OF LIFE IS BY GRACE THROUGH THE LEADING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
ISRAEL IS UNDER THE MOSAIC COMMANDMENTS AS A RULE OF LIFE
THEN WHAT FOLLOWED FROM GOD WAS A LIST OF HUNDREDS OF COMMANDMENTS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED FOR ISRAELITES, BEGINNING WITH THE FIRST TEN IN EXODUS 20 THROUGH LEVITICUS & DEUTERONOMY
THE CHURCH'S RULE OF LIFE IS BY GRACE THROUGH THE LEADING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
So Jesus Christ "condemned sin in sinful man" in order that the perfect standard of the Mosaic Law might be fulfilled on a moment to moment basis in the lives of those believers who for those moments are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
On the one hand church age believers are not under the hundreds of specifically stipulated commands of the Mosaic Law enumerated in Exodus, Leviticus & Deuteronomy, as the Israelites were. On the other hand, the standard of righteousness that obedience to all of the Mosaic Law provision established for the Israelite is also the standard of behavior for the Christian when he follows the leading of the Holy Spirit
Although church age doctrinal statements contain hundreds of commands for the believer, many of which have been carried over from the Mosaic Law period, there are no specifically stipulated blessings, disciplines or punishments enumerated for obedience or disobedience respectively. And those particular commandments are kept when one follows the leading of the Holy Spirit.
7) ALL CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS WERE BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO ONE BODY.
ISRAEL HAS NO SUCH BAPTISM
ONLY AT CERTAIN TIMES DID THE HOLY SPIRIT TEMPORARILY FILL CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, BUT NOT PERMANENTLY INDWELL EACH INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER AT THE POINT OF SALVATION
CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WERE TEMPORARILY FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT TO DO SPECIAL WORK IN BUILDING THE TEMPLE
THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL HAD THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MOSES
CERTAIN ELDERS OF ISRAEL HAD THE HOLY SPIRIT PUT UPON THEM IN ORDER TO LEAD THE ISRAELITES WITH GOD'S WISDOM AND SHARE IN MOSES' BURDEN OF LEADERSHIP
AT SPECIAL TIMES FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, MEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT TO ACCOMPLISH GOD'S PURPOSE
AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD FILLED GOD'S PROPHETS SO THAT THEY COULD PROPHESY
ALL CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS WERE PERMANENTLY BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO ONE BODY
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S INDWELLING AND BAPTISM IS PERMANENT IN THE CHURCH AGE BELIEVER
8) PROPHECY TELLS OF ISRAEL, NOT THE CHURCH, AS FINALLY ACCEPTING HER MESSIAH AS A NATION AT ONE MOMENT IN TIME AT WHICH TIME BEGINS THE KINGDOM RULE AND THE FINAL FULFILLMENT OF ALL OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT.
ON THE OTHER HAND INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN TRUSTING ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE AS SAVIOR ONE BY ONE AND THUS BECOMING PART OF THE CHURCH FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS.
Furthermore, hundreds of years later, the Apostle Paul made it clear that God would fulfill His promises to Israel
ON THE OTHER HAND INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN TRUSTING ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE AS SAVIOR ONE BY ONE AND THUS BECOMING PART OF THE CHURCH FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS.
9) ISRAEL IS PORTRAYED AS THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE OF THE LORD GOD TO BE RESTORED TO FAITHFULNESS
THE CHURCH IS VIEWED AS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST TO CORULE WITH HIM IN THE MILLENNIUM AND ETERNITY FUTURE
ON THE OTHER HAND THE CHURCH IS VIEWED AS THE BRIDE OF JESUS CHRIST AS OPPOSED TO ISRAEL AS THE WIFE OF GOD
10) IN ISRAEL ONLY LEVITES BECAME PRIESTS BUT ALL CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS ARE PRIESTS UNTO THEMSELVES
[C. I. Scofield]
"(1) Until the law was given, the head of each family was the family priest (Gen. 8 20; 26 25; 31 54),
(2) When the law was proposed, the promise to perfect obedience was that Israel should be unto God 'a kingdom of priests' (Ex 19 6); but Israel violated the law, and God shut up the priestly office to the Aaronic family, appointing the tribe of Levi to minister to Israel, thus constituting the typical priesthood (Ex 28 1).
(3) In the Church Age, all Christians are unconditionally constituted a 'kingdom and priests' (1 Pet 2 9; Rev. 1 6), the distinction which Israel failed to achieve by works. The priesthood of the Christian is, therefore, a birthright, just as every descendant of Aaron was born to the priesthood (Heb 5 1).
(4) The chief privilege of a priest is access to God. Under law the high priest only could enter 'the Most Holy Place,' and that but once a year but when Christ died, the curtain, a type of Christ's human body was torn, so that now the believer-priests, equally with Christ the High Priest, have access to God in the holiest . The High Priest is corporeally there.
(5) And in the exercise of his office the N.T. believer-priest is
(1) a sacrificer who offers a fourfold sacrifice
(b) praise to God, 'the fruit of lips that confess His name,' to be offered continually , 'There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you')'
(d) his service, i.e., 'to do good'.
(2) The N.T. priest is also an intercessor
IN ISRAEL ONLY LEVITES BECAME PRIESTS
AFTER ISRAEL'S REPEATED FAILURES, GOD RESTRICTED THE PRIESTHOOD OF ISRAEL TO LEVITES ALONE
ALL CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS ARE PRIESTS UNTO THEMSELVES
11) OBJECTORS TO SEPARATION OF THE CHURCH FROM ISRAEL OFTEN CLAIM THE BLESSINGS BUT IGNORE THE DUTIES AND THE PENALTIES FOR DISOBEDIENCE.
EYE FOR AN EYE AND THE DEATH PENALTY FOR CURSING GOD OR ONE'S PARENTS, NEGLIGENCE, SORCERY, SEX WITH ANIMALS, SACRIFICES TO IDOLS, BLASPHEMY, VIOLATING THE SABBATH IN WHICH ALL MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION ARE TO CARRY OUT THE SENTENCE
PENALTY, CONFESSION AND ANIMAL SACRIFICE FOR ONE'S SINS PERFORMED BY EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION FOR HIMSELF
THERE WERE THREE TITHES FOR ISRAELITES TO PAY WHICH AMOUNTED TO 23 1/3% PER YEAR, NOT JUST 10%:
FIRST: THE LEVITES' TITHE - THE TITHE FOR THE PRIESTHOOD WHO SERVED THE CONGREGATIONS
THEN THE SECOND TITHE: THE FESTIVAL TITHE, ALSO AN ANNUAL COLLECTION
So this now adds up to 20% not just 10%!
FINALLY, THE TITHE TAKEN EVERY THREE YEARS FOR THE POOR
So this now averages out to 23 1/3% per year:
12) THE TERM CHURCH WHEN APPLIED TO THE ENTITY OF CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS IS A SPECIAL/TECHNICAL TERM NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH OTHER GROUPS USING THE SAME TERM
13) ISRAEL WAS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AT CERTAIN TIMES FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCH AGE ARE ALWAYS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, BEING PERMANENTLY INDWELT BY THE SPIRIT
BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCH AGE ARE ALWAYS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, BEING PERMANENTLY INDWELT BY GOD THROUGH THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT