The
Distinction Between Israel and the Church or separation between Israel and
Church and the bases for Pre trib rapture
Chris from
Rapturforums gives us the perfect example of Dispensationalism at work.
http://www.raptureforums.com/forum/prophecy-end-times-chat/85917-tribulation%92s-purpose-vs-church%92s-nature.html
Points to remember :
- The Church and Israel are not interchangeable, they will always be two distinct people
- The Church is a new creation that began at the out pouring of the holy spirit during Pentecost and will continue until the rapture
- The promises made to Israel are fillfulled to Israel and not the Church
- The word Israel always means Israel in scriptures, the church always means church.
- Israel always refers to Jewish people
- Nature of Israel and the Nature of the Church
Lets first address the nature of Israel and the Church
and How Raptureforum gets to his amazing “point” Therefore,
no purpose is served by having the Church endure the Great Tribulation.
A People
Called By My Name (Israel): God says that Israel is a “people called by My
Name” (2nd Chronicles 7:14, 6:5-6, 1st
Kings 8:16, Nehemiah 1:9, Isaiah 43:7, Jeremiah 7:12, 7:30, Acts 9:15).
Firstly
what is God’s name? Jehovah or Yahweh?
Israel
was never called by that name. They wouldn’t even say that name. Israel was called by the name Israel. Those who are God’s people are Israel.
Genesis 32:22-32
tells us the story how Jacob received his new name Israel. Jacob wrestled with
a man who is God. In fact all scholars agree and scriptural fact Jacob was
wrestling with Jesus Christ.
The name Israel
means “he struggles with God.” Who else
do you know struggles with God? Jesus Also struggled with God and with man to
overcome our sin.
Israel can
mean several things. First, it often denotes national Israel--the nation whose
citizens are physical descendants of Jacob/Israel. Second, it can mean those
physical descendants of Jacob who have not responded to the call of God (Romans
9:31, 11:7). Third, it can mean those Jews (the remnant) who have trusted
in the promises of God.
It is not as though God's word had failed. For
not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are
his descendants are they all Abraham's children. (Romans 9:6-7; italics added)
Being a
physical descendant of Abraham, while it does bring an advantage (Romans
3:1-2), does not mean one is automatically a spiritual descendant of Abraham
(Romans 2:28-29; John 8:39; Matthew 3:9). "Not all who are descended from
Israel are Israel." A person can be part of national Israel, and yet not
be part of remnant Israel. There is an Israel within Israel, a subset of
physical-and-spiritual Jewish people (remnant Israel) among the group of
physically Jewish people (national Israel).
A People
Called By My Name (Church): Historically
understood the ekklesia mentioned in the NT was founded by a Torah observant
Jew and began with the Jewish people (Gal 4:4; Rom 15:8). The first followers
of Jesus were all Jews. The 12 Apostles were Jews and the very writers of the
NT.
The
Church, please pay attention was born amongst the Jewish people, how can it
possible be separated from the Jews?
The bible
throws the entire NT book at Dispensationalism. Jesus who was born a Jew died
on the cross destroyed any distinctions between Jews and Church.
Why the
Seperation, what happend?
In the
early years of the ekklesia of Jesus was a tolerated subset within larger
Israel. Until the distruction of the Jewish Temple in 70AD which Jesus prophesied
would happen. We historically can see formal Jewish persecution of the
followers of Jesus. Evidence
of this can be found in the infamous Birkat HaMinim which invoked a curse on
the followers of Jesus. Further a
rift between the followers of Jesus and Rabbinic Judaism was intensified in the
Bar Kokhba Revolt.
With the
rejection of the ekklesia of Jesus by ethnic Jewish Leaders more and more
Gentiles came to faith and slowly the Jewish roots of Jesus began to be
forgotten.
Various
Gentile Christian Teachers of the first few centuries advocated severing the ekklesia
from its historic jewish roots. We then start to see a Gentile Church becoming
distinct entity from Israel with its own mission and purpose, the ekklesia of
Jesus became Gentilized.
Example:
Marcion
of Sinope (110-160 AD) wanted to separate Chrsitianity from any connection with
Judaism
Justin
Martyr (100-165 AD) Israel was no longer valid and was replaced by the Gentiles
Tertullian
(160 -220 AD) blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ
And the
list goes on; the point is early Church leaders rejected the Jewish roots of Christianity
very much what we still see today by Dispensationalism and Replacement theology
There has
been times when the Reformers tried to return the Church to its early Jewish
roots but sadly they missed the mark completely and did not return it to the ekklesia
of Jesus.
This is
why Dispensationalism is so popular as its the state which man has created the
Church to be from the early Christian leaders. We are divorced from each other.
Jews and Gentiles are divorced. We separated.
The holy
spirit did not create the church we see now, man did. The separation of Church
and Israel is caused by man.
The holy
spirit created the ekklesia of Jesus.