THE NEW EXODUS: PART 5
THEOLOGICAL VIEWS AND THE NEW EXODUS
Some ideas and information for this article were taken
from a post by Peter Goodgame entitled: A “New Exodus” Synthesis of
Covenant Views
The New Exodus is the final gathering of Israel (new
Israel or spiritual Israel) out of the wilderness called Mystery, Babylon. New Israel will be settled into the Promised
Land or the Millennium Kingdom of Christ.
This New Exodus is the framework of so-called second Isaiah where the
leader of this new exodus movement is called the “Servant of the Lord” who is
Jesus Christ. All the New Testament
gospels quote from Isaiah testifying that Jesus is that leader or Servant of
the Lord. The early church believed that
they were the faithful remnant of Israel, re-constituted by Jesus who was the
"Prophet like Moses" sent to lead the New Exodus.
The end-times events can be viewed two ways. One is the last seven years or the 70th
week of Daniel and the second is the time period from the Pentecost of Acts
chapter 2 and the beginning of the Millennial reign of Christ. Next will be a discussion of two theological
viewpoints that guide most people in their end-times Biblical studies and
thoughts, dispensational and covenantal.
Many factors for each view can be found online. Only the views pertaining to the Church,
Israel, and eschatology are presented at this time. This is not an argument of right and wrong between
viewpoints.
THE
DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY VIEW
Dispensational theology teaches that the Church and
literal Israel are two separate entities, with two separate theologies, and
anytime the word “Israel” appears in scripture, it is to mean a literal
Israel. The Church is viewed as a
parenthesis in Biblical scripture and history:
the Bible, particularly prophecy, is all about literal Israel both
nationally and ethnically. Many modern writers
and commentators claim little or no firsthand knowledge of the dispensational
framework. Actually, it is not necessary
to have actual knowledge of the basic theology to follow its tenets. The study and influence of dispensational
writers may be all the stimulus needed to affect one’s thinking and
attitudes: including, but not limited to
– the Dallas Theological Seminary, both professors and graduates; John
Walvoord; David Jeremiah; Grant Jeffrey; Hal Lindsey; Lewis Schafer; Tim
LaHaye; Charles Ryrie; and many others.
The pre-tribulation rapture is extremely important to
dispensationalism. Without it, the
framework becomes shaky. For this view
to extend its basic work as predicted, the Church must be taken out of the way
before the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel so that the entire
book of the Revelation, and related Old Testament prophecy, can be played out
by literal Israel and the pagans of the world.
In connection with this rapture view, they also insist the Holy Spirit
is the “he” that will “be taken out of the way” as stated in 2
Thessalonians 2:7. In their structure,
it there is no Church present, there is no Holy Spirit.
For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7 KJV)
This view is highly prone to use current events as circumstantial
or near proof to bolster their theology.
I was guilty of this error until I realized the backing proof scriptures
must be twisted; with words, sentences, and even paragraphs omitted to arrive
at somewhat viable evidence that modern events were fulfilling prophecies. Events such as: the establishment of the nation of Israel in
1948; the 1967 Israel war; the return of Jews to Israel; and the preparations
for the building of a temple. This also
creates a tendency for Church groups and various religious people to support
Israel and Jews as special people protected by God (more than others are
protected) regardless of their actions or beliefs. The following verse, or some
rendition, has been repeated by: people
in the news, either television or newspaper; or a blog post along the lines
that the USA is being punished (hurricane, fire, earthquakes, many others)
because the country did not support Israel in some particular situation.
And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed. (Gen 12:3)
According to the Guzik
Commentary, the Talmud specifies seven blessings of Abraham’s call.
1. Abram would be the father of a great nation.
2. He would be blessed in his lifetime.
3. His name would be renowned.
4. He would be a blessing to others.
5. Those who honor him would be blessed
6. Those who rejected him would be cursed.
7. His influence would be universal.
As you will notice, only Abraham is involved in the
curses and blessings, and all families of the earth were blessed, and continue
being blessed, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a
descendant of Abraham’s linage.
THE COVENANT
THEOLOGY VIEW
Unlike dispensationalism the beginning statements of
covenant theology does not teach the principle of the Church and Israel as two
separate entities. Both groups are
considered the same group throughout the life and ministry of the apostles. The New Covenant was established by Jesus
with a righteous remnant of Israel and quickly became mostly Gentile or
non-Israelite, through the ministry of the apostles, with no distinction
between the two groups. This assembly
known as the Church is viewed as the New Israel or the true Israel of God. In other words, the New Israel consisted of
any Church members (followers of Jesus) whether Jew or Gentile. So far, this theology agrees with the New
Exodus and the Kingdom of God frameworks.
The second phase (or articles of faith) of this view
teaches that because the Church is now the New Israel of God and the vast
majority of its members are Gentiles (nations/non-Israelite), then physical or
ethnic Israel no longer has a future Biblical role. A Jew may become a Christian when they individually
repent and join. An argument of Covenant
theology is the Church has replaced physical and/or ethnic Israel and this
transformation is now termed “Replacement Theology.”
Anything concerning modern Israel is dismissed by this
view: Israel established as a nation in
1948; Jews returning to Israel; the idea of a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. All these concepts are rejected as having any
role in last-days prophecy. The strict
adherents of this view only allow individual Jewish participation in the New
Israel or Church, and foresee no future national Israeli role in last-days
prophecy.
A THEOLOGICAL
SYNTHESIS
It appears that a new or revised theological framework
must be mentally adopted to accommodate the New Testament doctrine of a
spiritual Israel and the Kingdom of God.
It may be necessary to view Old and New Testament aspects of the word
“Israel” as symbolic rather than literal in many instances. I consider words such as Judah, Jacob, David,
house of David, and Ephraim to refer to ethnic Israelites, although I could be
wrong. Other aspects may perhaps be viewed as last-days or millennial rather
than having a 1948 beginning or afterwards.
Here is a quote from Peter Goodgame concerning this issue:
In reading Isaiah it becomes
clear to me that dispensationalists are taking a lot of prophecies about the
New Exodus and erroneously interpreting them literally. Yes, Isaiah does
predict a "last days" gathering of "Israel" back to the
promised land, but when these passages are read in light of the New Testament
we find that ALL OF THESE PROPHECIES are fulfilled in Christ and the Church,
with Jesus inaugurating the New Exodus at His death (or rather at Pentecost),
to be consummated at the Second Coming when "true Israel" enters into
the heavenly Jerusalem.
I no longer believe that Scripture
predicts a Spirit-led or God-led Exodus of modern day ethnic Jews back to their
ancient home in the Middle East. The only Exodus that God is directing is the
spiritual New Exodus that includes all nations, out from "Babylon"
with the ultimate destination of the New Earth and New Jerusalem.
Jeremiah very clearly predicted
that the New Covenant would originate with “Israel” in 31:31-34. All of the Apostles, including Paul,
recognized that their movement was a continuation and fulfillment of what the
OT prophets had predicted for “Israel.” (Peter Goodgame)
The Covenant Theology is correct with their initial frameworks
(in my opinion). The kingdom of God,
initiated by Jesus, began with a handful of Judean people. At Pentecost, from the beginning of Acts, the
group added over three thousand members.
At this stage all members of the Church (assembly, the Way) are
Israelites. Peter is later given a
vision of unclean animals and is told to eat.
He refuses and God says to him, “"What God has made clean, you must
not consider ritually unclean!" Gentiles (non-Israelites) received the Holy
Spirit and became members of the Church.
However, there is still a place for Israel in the
prophetic eschatological plan of God.
The literal nation of Israel has a purpose, not that of the
dispensationalist theology, but it will figure in the last-days scheme of
events. The temple will be rebuilt in
Jerusalem; the beast (antichrist) will establish his headquarters there; the
daily sacrifices will be restarted; and Jerusalem will be the capitol of the
world empire. Many of the Old Testament
prophecies will be semi-fulfilled but in a negative manner as opposed to their
complete positive fulfillment in the Millennium.
Jesus, Himself, validated this prophecy when He made the
statement below as written in Matthew 25:15:
"So when you see the abomination
of desolation -- spoken about by Daniel the prophet -- standing in the holy
place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the
mountains. (Matthew 24:15-16 NET)
This is not referring to Gentile Church members – it is
proclaiming to ethnic Jews who have come to understand the truth concerning the
false beast messiah as opposed to the true Messiah, Jesus, of two thousand
years ago.
IS ISRAEL CUT
OFF?
Are Jews cut off from spiritual Israel and prophetic
scripture as viewed in the Replacement Theology of the Covenant
theologians? According to Romans chapter
11 they are not cut off, but exactly how this unfolds is uncertain. In verse 1 Paul asserts, “God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not”.
When Elijah believed he was the only one left, God
replied, “I have kept for myself seven
thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal." Later, Paul adds they can be grafted in if
they do not continue in their unbelief.
Covenant Theology claims that individual belief is the only way in the
Kingdom of God, and I completely agree. No
one is above or beyond the saving grace of Christ if they believe. However, what about the end of the 70th
week of Daniel?
And even they -if they do not
continue in their unbelief- will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them
in again. (Romans 11:23 NET)
It is scripturally certain two groups will be
delivered: the 144,000 from the 12
tribes (and no, they are not Jehovah Witnesses); and the remnant who escapes
Jerusalem when the abomination of desolation is presented, as Jesus warned in
Matthew 24. Will there be any remaining Jews
after the destruction of Mystery Babylon and the conflict of Armageddon? Although not certain, there most likely will
be. If so, this will be the group of
ethnic Jews who will view the return of the pierced Jesus and be filled with
the spirit of grace.
And I will pour upon the house
of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness
for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
(Zechariah 12:10 KJV)
Below is the statement from Paul that all ethnic Israel
will be saved and the Isaiah passage which his quote originated.
And so all Israel will be saved,
as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove
ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away
their sins." (Romans 11:26-27 NET)
"A protector comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds," says the LORD.
"As for me, this is my promise to them," says the LORD. "My
spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will
not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants
from this time forward," says the LORD.
(Isaiah 59:20-21 NET)
Peter Goodgame
quote: One of the best descriptions
in the New Testament of the New Exodus, comparing the journey of salvation
led by Jesus to the Exodus journey led by Moses.
For I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed
through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.
For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the
rock was Christ. But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut
down in the wilderness. These things happened as examples for us, so that we
will not crave evil things as they did. So do not be idolaters, as some of them
were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up
to play." And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and
twenty-three thousand died in a single day. And let us not put Christ to the
test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. And do not complain,
as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. These things
happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the
ends of the ages have come. (1
Corinthians 10:1-11 NET)
A quote from bible scholar Richard Hayes concerning 1
Corinthians 10:1-11, as found in his book, The Conversion of the
Imagination: Paul as Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture, 2005, Kindle version,
location 227-236:
RICHARD HAYES QUOTE
In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul sets forth an extended
typological correspondence between Israel in the wilderness and the situation
of the Corinthian church as it confronts the issue of eating meat sacrificed to
idols. Even though Paul quotes just one biblical verse (Exod 32:6, in 1 Cor
10:7), his argument alludes to several episodes narrated in Exodus and Numbers
and presupposes that his Corinthian readers are familiar with the story… …Paul
is arguing from the story, not narrating it
as something new to his audience. The thing that is new here is the way he
brings the narrative of Israel into metaphorical conjunction with the issues
the Corinthians face.
Paul’s first important hermeneutical move is to
introduce the Israel of the wilderness generation as “our fathers” (hoi pateres
hemon, 10:1). For the predominantly Gentile Corinthian church, this is already
an important gesture. Israel’s story is not somebody else’s history; rather,
Paul addresses the Gentile Corinthians as though they have become part of
Israel. They are invited to understand themselves now as descendants of the
characters who appear in the pages of Scripture.
This interpretation is confirmed by Paul’s
passing reference to the Cornithians’ past life as idol worshipers in 1 Cor
12:2, “You know,” he writes, “that when you used to be Gentiles (hote ethne
ete), you were carried away to dumb idols.” This formulation implies that he
considers them ethne [Gentiles] no longer. Within Paul’s symbolic world, they
are no longer among the goyim, because they have been
taken up into the story of Israel. It should be noted that Paul is not trying
to convince his Gentile readers to accept this identity description as a novel
claim; rather, he assumes their identification with Israel as a given and tries
to reshape their behavior in light of this identification. (END QUOTE)
THE TEMPLE WILL
BE REBUILT
According to several sources, the glory of God was never
present in the rebuilt temple of Herod and the Ark of the Covenant was not
present either. It had been lost,
stolen, or hidden during the Babylonian invasion (some claim it was hidden by
Jeremiah). From the time of the return
of the Babylonian refugees, through the life of Jesus, and ending at the
destruction of the Herod temple by the Romans in 70 AD, temple sacrifices were
practiced with no Ark of God and no Shekinah Glory of God. At the death of Christ the temple curtain
separating God from man was torn in half signifying that a priest was no longer
needed between God and man, although the Glory of God was not present in the
temple. Each believer in Christ becomes
his or her own priest with direct access to God. Jesus was the ultimate sacrificial lamb
showing that sacrifices were no longer needed or wanted, whether in a temple or
a pile of rocks.
Some have objected to the concept of a rebuilt temple in
Jerusalem. They claim that God does not
desire a temple and His glory will not be there, and they are correct. They claim the death and resurrection of Jesus
nullifies the need for sacrifices, and they are again correct. However, there are several scriptures that
mention or hint of another temple in the future.
Who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God. (2
Thessalonians 2:4 KJV)
In Matthew 24 Jesus personally stated the abomination of
desolation, described by Daniel the prophet, would be placed in the HOLY PLACE,
which is the temple or a reasonable facsimile in my opinion. There was no abomination of desolation
standing in the holy place prior to the temple’s destruction in 70 AD.
When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:)
(Matthew 24:15 KJV)
The temple will be rebuilt as a fulfillment of the
prophetic and planned will of God for the last days. There are rumors the Ark of God has been found
and will be placed in the new temple, but it will not be honored by the Glory
of God. God is currently being Glorified
by and through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
God has no use for the Mosaic Law – every law and ritual
was fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
God has no use for sacrifices – they were all fulfilled
in Jesus Christ.
God has no use for priests – every believer is a priest
before God.
God has no use for temples – every believer is the temple
of the Holy Spirit.
What will be the purpose of a rebuilt temple?
·
It will be necessary for the 70th
week of Daniel to be enacted.
·
It will be required so that the beast can sit
inside it as self-declared “god”
·
The abomination of desolation will be placed
there.
·
It may be part of the “great deception” and the
falling away.
Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
(2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV)
And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:4 KJV)
This could also be the source of strong delusion, where
many will believe a lie. A functioning
temple and a false Jewish messiah will be the final acts of idolatry.
And for this cause God shall
send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (2 Thessalonians 2:11 KJV)
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