I don’t intend for this post to be long. Famous last words of a Baptist preacher.
This morning I was scrolling through Facebook. I had started back on the Grant Horner Bible Reading System after trying another reading plan (which made me feel like I was starving Biblically) and was going to post a link to his info and encourage others to jump on the program too. I love it and recommend it to everyone who asks. While perusing the posts of the morning I ran across a video of the daily prophesy update with a somewhat local evangelistic personality. I am trying to intentionally be vague. I clicked to see what I was missing. As I have chronicled over the past several months, I am wrestling through my understanding of what the Bible says about the end. I can definitively say that I no longer agree with the dispensational interpretation of eschatology. Knowing this preacher thrives on the dispensational position, I clicked for research purposes***. I listened to all 5 minutes. My mouth was agape. I watched again and took notes.
Basically what was said is this. The orthodox Jews are praying for 3 things: 1. That the Messiah would come; 2. That the 3rd Temple will be built; 3. The peace of Jerusalem. We are to be excited for these things and pray for these things to happen.
Those are noble things for an orthodox Jew to pray for. They do not recognize Jesus or the New Testament of Scripture, so of course this is what they are still looking for. However, as someone who does recognize Jesus and the NT, I am not sure why I was to be excited about this as was suggested in the video. Apparently Rabbi Yehuda Glick is rounding up Jews to begin rebuilding the temple so they can worship again as the OT prescribes. The vessels, clothes, ornaments, and such are already being remade according to Biblical standards in preparation for this. I was reminded that this is leading us even closer to the 2nd coming of Christ and these are very exciting times. Therefore, be much in prayer for them.
Why was I about to flip my lid? Well, there was a man (also fully and equally God) named Jesus who died, rose again, and is alive forevermore. There is also a book in our Bibles titled Hebrews that uses the word better a lot.
I understand the dispensational thought process and how the rebuilding of the temple means you are about to check out in the blink of an eye. I was raised in that system and held to it until only recently, so I get it. However, with the coming of Jesus, everything changed. Regardless of whether orthodox Jews recognize it or not, Jesus truly was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the World. He has already lived, been crucified and taken the wrath of God in our place, shed His blood to cleanse our sins, died, buried, and was resurrected to the glory of the Father and the assurance of our eternal hope. So their number 1, that the Messiah would come, has already happened. Prayer answered. Repent and believe the Gospel and be saved.
Now we come to number 2, that the temple would be rebuilt. As you go further in the right side of your Bible, you come to the letter to the Hebrews. Within its pages we find the author telling us that Jesus is better than the angels, the OT law, the OT priesthood, and the OT sacrifices. Jesus is better!!!! Jesus is the fulfillment of all the things the OT temple and its programs pointed to. Again, their failure to recognize that has no bearing on its truth. The temple doesn’t need to be rebuilt, the old temple was torn down never to be used again (Matt 24, 70 AD), because in three days the true Temple was built and now sits at the right hand of the Father. And I am supposed to be excited about the Jews praying for this rebuilding? Why would I be excited about a whole nation of lost people continually rejecting Christ and trying to merit salvation by works? Salvation has never and will never be by works of the law. Sola Gratia. Grace alone. Read Hebrews. Jesus is better.
That paragraph could have turned into a whole series of blog posts on its own, but now we come to number 3, that there would be peace in Jerusalem. If I wasn’t in danger of being stoned and excommunicated before, I probably will be now. Basically, I believe Paul when he said not all Israel is Israel. Jewish nationality does not equal Godly inheritance. Again, Jesus changes everything. According to Paul in Romans 11, we Gentiles have been grafted into the promises of God and are now partakers of the promise. He repeats that truth in Ephesians 2:11-16. We who were once outside of the commonwealth of Israel and its promises, have now been brought nigh through Christ. He has broken the wall of partition and in Himself of two made one. Both are reconciled unto God by the cross into one body. Simply put there is no more Jew/Gentile distinction. We are one Church. Ephesians 4:4-6. No more distinction between the “two programs of God”. We are one. Galatians 3:16, 28. So what does that have to do with peace of Jerusalem. Simply, the power of the gospel to transform hearts and bring all nations to obedience in Christ, as it is promised to do in Matthew 28, brings peace to more than Jerusalem. It brings peace to the whole world. The ultimate solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is not bombs or a rebuilt temple. The solution is the gospel. (This also pertains to the persecution of Christians across the globe as well.) I am not anti-Israel and believe that we should help them by military might or any other means necessary. Sometimes evil is best subdued temporarily with an AR and heavy machines. That sentence also pertains to persecuted Christians and nations across the globe as well. You want peace? Share the Gospel, and the regeneration and indwelling of the Spirit of God will bring forth the fruit of salvation, and part of it just happens to be peace.
It seems as though several things are muddled when we are excited about these things. We are excited about the coming of Christ, but encourage the those who do not know Christ (Israel) to continue without Him. We’re saved and leaving, good luck with that whole tribulation thing. We encourage and promote people returning to justification of self, a.k.a, salvation by works. In being excited that the temple will be rebuilt, we deny the sufficiency and efficacy of the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus changes everything, including how we think about the end.
I agree that we as Christians should be excited about the second coming of Christ, this, however, shouldn’t be the basis for our excitement. How can we be excited when Christ is overlooked?
And here is the link for Mr. Horner’s reading system.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,
Wesley
*** CAPS ARE NEEDED. I HAVE NOT MENTIONED THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO POSTED THE VIDEO. THIS POST IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO SLAM OR DISCREDIT THAT PREACHER OR HIS MINISTRY. MY ISSUE IS WITH HIS UNDERSTANDING OF ESCHATOLOGY AND HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND TO IT. I BELIEVE THAT ESCHATOLOGY IS A SECONDARY ISSUE AND NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD BREAK FELLOWSHIP OR CAUSE DIVISION OVER. I DO BELIEVE THAT DISPENSATIONALISM ITSELF CAUSES UNNECESSARY DIVISION WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST BY INSERTING 2 PROGRAMS AND PEOPLES OF GOD AND THEREBY DIVIDING THE BODY OF CHRIST. JUST TO BE CLEAR I AM NOT DEMEANING THIS PREACHER OR HIS MINISTRY. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN SPIRITED OR DISCREDIT ANYONE. I JUST RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE WITH HIM ON THIS ISSUE JUST AS I KNOW MANY RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE WITH ME AT TIMES. I PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS HIS MINISTRY FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
The View From My Study 