Dispensationalism Has a History of False Teachers

Don't get confused by eschatology. Out of all there is in eschatology, my foundational understanding of the whole context of scripture is that it is a story about God love for His chosen people, and their ultimate salvation. Along the way, others get dragged into the drama, and God saves them as well. (I was trying to decide a less bland way of describing it.) However, God wrote the book, and wrote it in that way. All will be saved, but it is due to all scripture has for us, with the drama between God and Israel and all. 

Consider this in light of Jesus parable of the wedding party. The Master (father of the groom) gives out invitations to the rich, and the people He knows. When the day approaches, He calls them all to the feast, and they all reject. This is Israel rejecting the Messiah. The people of God. What is the response of the Master? He had his servants go out and gather all the undesireables and the poor and gather them to His feast. This would be, in essence, the Gentiles. Due to the rejection of the original guest list, a new list was created, and the Gentiles brought in. When you look at Romans in light of this, God will circle back to the Jews and gather in His elect from amongst the Jews once He has gathered up the Gentile elect. Some say that this is two programs, or a division, however, Paul brings it all together and says that God has locked up all in disobedience that He may show mercy to all. The Gentiles were disobedient first, then the Jews, through which mercy came to the Gentiles. In the end, due to the mercy shown to the Gentiles, God will show mercy to the Jews. Hence, both the Jews and Gentiles were disobedient, and God showed mercy to both the Jews and the Gentiles. God required the Jews to be disobedient.

If I talk about exactly what I see in Romans 11, Israel remains Israel, however the Gentiles are brought into Israel. The foreign branch to the tree, which could represent Israel. The tree never changes, and the foreign branches are always shown as foreign branches. However, they are grafted in, so they get nourishment from the tree just as much as the natural branches do. The church does not replace Israel. The church is separate from the nation of Israel (secular), but will not always be. Secular Israel are those who were removed from the tree, however, Paul speaks immediately of the path of their return. (possible return.) There is no such path for Gentiles. If it were possible to find themselves removed from the tree, there is no going back. 

The rapture may or may not be seen. (It depends on how close to hell the handbasket is...) Also, there is a great deception going on, which is so great that it could possibly deceive even the elect. 

The effect on my eschatology is that the end times found in prophecy and Revelation, are not longer about the judgment of Israel, but of the whole world. Israel has a part to play, but the stage is the whole world. God's final dealings with His creation, before He destroys it and presents a new heavens and new earth. My belief on that is that God will release His power that has held together every atom in the universe, and we will get to see one awesome nuclear blast when every atom splits at the same time... The elements truly will melt in a fervent heat.

I will just say this. God dealt with Israel many times in the OT. The way I see it, He dealt with them in judgement as a nation in 70 a.d. as I stated in my post and for the reasons I stated. Remember the Sinai covenant was a land grant covenant having to do with possession of the land and God as their King. When they rejected the Messiah who was prophesied and put Him to death, that was it. He destroyed their entire system of worship, of meeting with Him.

He did not destroy all ethnic Jews and to this day and all days in the future prior to the second coming, a remnant is being saved.

As to national Israel and particularly Jerusalem, God put His special love and presence there, making it holy, before He planted the natural descendents of Abraham there. So what He has for that land I cannot begin to say. But I know that He does say that even now there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in any ethnic or national way, in Christ. National Israel was designated as God's people. Spiritual Israel, the true Israel is designated God's people, also known as the church for the specific purpose of removing the distinction and difference.

Well almost everyone states their eschatological views as though they were indisputable fact. And they find scriptural reasons for their view though usually they involve presuppositions laid over the scripture and therefore in my opinion cannot be considered facts. No matter what view is being taken. The one absolute fact that we know is Jesus will return putting His last enemy, death, under His feet. Meaning the complete destruction of all evil and complete restoration of creation.

But here is something to consider. Scripture always refers to Christ in reference to Zion. Not Sinai. The second is Law and the earthly. The first represents the spiritual.

The Temple was built on Mt. Zion near Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself is referred to as Zion. The Temple was designed by God and was a representation of, made according to the pattern of what was in heaven. The heavenly Jerusalem.

It was where God met with His people---national Israel---where they came to worship Him and offer sacrifices for their sins.

It is interesting to note that in 70 a.d. this temple was destroyed and along with it the priesthood of national Israel, therefore the sacrifices, and the line of the priesthood can no longer be traced. The entire Sinai system was destroyed. I personally find it unfathomable that the earthly system would be rebuilt and the system of worship reinstated since Jesus was crowned King of Zion at His ascension. We now worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:19-24.

And for those who say that the Temple will be rebuilt; it cannot be rebuilt where it once stood as in its place is the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world. Something to ponder the significance of as I present what I am presenting in terms of the earthly vs. the spiritual Jerusalem. The natural Israel vs. the spiritual Israel.

We see natural Israel and the purpose it was serving and the arrival of spiritual Israel in Gal 3:23-29.Natural Israel is the Law, Sinai,(the natural descendents of Abraham) and spiritual Israel is those in Christ through faith, the true offspring of Abraham. Two promises given to Abraham, both active simultaneously. One fulfilled in the Sinai covenant, the other advancing towards fulfillment in Christ and the new covenant. When the new arrives, the first is done away with.

We also have Rom 9:1-13,23-24,30-33.

So my position is that it is not nations,natural Israel and Gentile nations, that are each receiving the same salvation through faith in Christ but at different times and through different means as is posited in dispensationalism; but the promises given to natural Israel as to the throne of David, and all others, are fulfilled in Christ. I do not believe that God is going to have natural Israel also become spiritual Israel through a literal thousand years in which Jesus sits on the throne of natural Israel, and as some say, reinstate the animal sacrifices. that if that were true, would be sacrificing bulls an lambs to the the One who made the final sacrifice.

There are one people of God. He has but one body. Those who are in Him. And therefore, I believe the last days are these days, a thousand represents an ungiven long period of time, and Jesus has defeated the power of sin and death for the believer, and as such is already crowned as King (His ascension was His crowning), in this period of time the gospel continues to spread and people are added to the kingdom. He has only one second coming, not two, one secret in that it isn't seen by the world (fat chance they wouldn't notice it) and another that all the world sees.

@civic