Posted on 06/16/2014 8:44:24 PM PDT by Graybeard58
BALTIMORE (BP) -- Misunderstandings of God's plan for Israel abound among evangelicals, and correcting them is a key aspect of teaching biblical doctrine, Bruce Stokes said during the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship meeting in Baltimore.
"You have to keep Israel central to everything you do, or you're going to wander away from the text," Stokes, SBMF vice president and pastor of the DiscipleCenter in Anaheim Hills, Calif., said.
Joining Stokes as a speaker at the gathering was Michael Herts, SBMF missions development manager and founding leader of B'nai Avraham Messianic Fellowship in Hampton, Va. In a business session, the current officers were re-elected: Ric Worshill, president; Stokes, vice president and director of missions; and Herts, missions development manager.
The meeting theme of "Kingdom Purpose" encouraged Messianic Jews (Jews who follow Jesus as Messiah) to share the Gospel with Jewish people and others.
A common misconception in Christian theology is that the church replaces Israel as the people of God under the new covenant, Stokes said, a doctrine known as replacement theology. Instead, a series of covenants unfold in Scripture like a "blooming flower," he said, and ethnic Israel plays a role in all of the covenants -- from God's covenant with Noah to His covenants with Abraham, Moses and David and the new covenant.
Neither the theological system known as dispensationalism nor the system known as covenant theology accurately describes the unfolding covenants, Stokes said.
The covenants are "like a flower that's blooming, and the roots are that Noahic covenant," Stokes said June 7 at the Hilton Baltimore. "Then the Abrahamic gives expression, and then the Mosaic gives expression, then the Davidic. It just grows until they all bloom into fullness in the culmination of the age and then are superseded by the new covenant that brought them all together."
Another common misconception is that God saved His people by works under the old covenant but saves them by grace under the new covenant, Stokes said. He explained that both covenants involve salvation by grace followed by obedience as an expression of worship by grateful people.
"I don't understand where the idea of salvation through obedience to the law of Moses ever came from," Stokes said. "I can't find it in the text, but it's shot through Christianity big-time. It would be different if in Exodus, Moses walked in and said, 'Here are the commandments of God. If you'll obey them, I'll get you out of Egypt.' But he didn't. [God] got them out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb based on a promise He made to Abraham.... Then after delivering them, He said, 'Here's how I want you to live.'"
Yet another misconception among Christians is that there are 10 "lost tribes" of Israel -- the 10 northern tribes that were taken into captivity by the Assyrians, Stokes said.
The 10 northern tribes never made it home from Assyria and were dispersed among the nations. But biblical prophecy says all Israel will be part of God's Kingdom at the end of history, leading some to speculate that the "lost" tribes ended up in England, the U.S. and other locations.
Stokes said the tribes aren't really "lost" and members of each are among Jews today. He compared the Assyrian exile to a hypothetical scenario in which everyone in the states of California, Arizona and Nevada is carried off to captivity. Such a captivity would not eliminate Californians, Arizonans and Nevadans from America because "there are Californians, Arizonans and Nevadans all in the other states," Stokes said. He explained that similarly, there were members of the 10 northern tribes living in Judah.
"There are no 10 lost tribes," Stokes said.
From beginning to end, the Bible is the story of the holy God gathering His holy people in a holy land, Stokes said. Knowing that story line helps believers understand every book of the Bible and how Israel fits into it, he said
partially agree with the sentiment
I know what Paul says to the Romans... I know and read both the Old and New Testaments.
Do you not understand that ‘romans’ refers to the church headed by a pope in Rome?
sorry, I should have read more closely.
that’s okay....I do that all too often myself. Something in this old brain of mine gets a hold of one thought and that’s all I can focus on....Someone usually takes the time to point it out to me (sometimes gently sometimes not so much). I hope I wasn’t too hard on you
An addition to the information on Dispensationalism ... which forms the BASIS for most Evangelical Christians in SUPPORT OF ISRAEL as STILL SIGNIFICANT in God’s prophetic timetable. The nation of ISRAEL is not only significant, but is ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE in God’s timetable for the immediate future - and the setting up the Kingdom and One-World Government on this earth, over all the nations we see here now - with Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, ruling and reigning from the city of Jerusalem!
— — — — —
Dr. Mark Hitchcock discusses Dispensationalism as the main topic, but in doing so, also discusses Covenant Theology. Those are the two main “theologies” for how different Evangelical Christians view (i.e., “interpret”) what the Bible says about Israel, the Church, Prophecy, and other such related matters.
It’s a very good “educational” series of sermons given by Dr. Mark Hitchcock, who is the pastor of Edmond Bible Church (in Oklahoma). You’ll get a very good overview and understanding of this from Pastor Hitchcock.
You may have even seen him, yourself, on national TV - various news interview programs - as he is invited to many of them from time to time.
On the series of sermons below, you’ll see that one of them is by Dr. Charles Ryrie of Dallas Theological Seminary. It’s a name you should have heard of. It’s quite an honor for Faith Bible Church to have Dr. Ryrie speak at the church.
In addition, Dr. Hitchcock co-authored a book by Dr. John Walvoord of Dallas Theological Seminary - called Armageddon, Oil and Terror! If you don’t know Dr. John Walvoord, you should get to know him, as he’s considered the “godfather” (so to speak) of Prophecy in our modern Church age.
See below for a brief “bio” of Dr. Mark Hitchcock.
Faith Bible Church
http://edmondfaithbible.com
SERMONS
DISPENSATIONALISM- HELP OR HERESY?, PART 1
Preached by Dr Mark Hitchcock on November 7, 2007 (Wednesday Night).
http://edmondfaithbible.com/?page_id=502&sermon_id=249
DISPENSATIONALISM, PART 2
Preached by Dr Mark Hitchcock on November 14, 2007 (Wednesday Night).
http://edmondfaithbible.com/?page_id=502&sermon_id=251
DISPENSATIONALISM, PART 3
Preached by Dr Mark Hitchcock on November 28, 2007 (Wednesday Night).
http://edmondfaithbible.com/?page_id=502&sermon_id=262
DISPENSATIONALISM, PART 4
Preached by Dr. C. Ryrie on December 5, 2007 (Wednesday Night).
http://edmondfaithbible.com/?page_id=502&sermon_id=264
—— -—— -—— -—— -——
DISPENSATIONALISM
Preached by Dr Mark Hitchcock on April 28, 2010 (Wednesday Night).
(Part of the Dispensationalism series).
http://edmondfaithbible.com/?page_id=502&sermon_id=515
-—— -—— -—— -—— -——
This is a dated bio, but it does give the background, nonetheless:
Mark Hitchcock is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary. He has appeared on hundreds of radio programs and in print as well as The History Channel, MSNBC, Fox, The Glenn Beck Show, and CNN. A leading Christian voice on Mayan 2012 prophecy, he is scheduled to appear on an NBC sci-fi special related to 2012 airing fall, 2009.
A former attorney, Mark initially worked for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Following a call to full-time ministry, today he serves as senior pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, just outside of Oklahoma City. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1991, where he subsequently earned his doctorate in 2006 and more recently has served as an adjunct faculty member.
Hitchcock has been a contributing editor for the Left Behind Prophecy Club for many years. His new book 2012, the Bible, and the End of the World (Harvest House Publishers) will be released September 15, 2009. He has also recently released Cashless (July 1, 2009, also published by Harvest House), showing how today’s headlines foreshadow a new and vastly different economic future—a one-world economy that is consistent with Bible prophecy in Revelation 13.
Some of his other titles include: The Late Great United States: What Bible Prophecy Reveals about America’s Last Days; Armageddon, Oil, and Terror; Iran the Coming Crisis: Radical Islam, Oil and the Nuclear Threat; The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; What On Earth is Going On?; Is America in Bible Prophecy?; The Coming Islamic Invasion of Israel; Is the Antichrist Alive Today?; Seven Signs of the End Times; and What Jesus Says About Earth’s Final Days.
Hitchcock maintains an active speaking schedule, appearing frequently at prophecy conferences, seminaries, and churches. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Edmond, Oklahoma with their two sons Justin and Samuel.
Date of Birth: July 17, 1959
Place of Birth: Oklahoma City
Salvation: June 10, 1965 while watching Billy Graham on TV
Education: BS 1981 (Okla. State Univ.); JD 1984 (Okla. City Univ. School of Law); ThM 1991 (DTS); PhD 2005 (DTS) Dissertation topic: A Defense of the Domitianic Date of the Book of Revelation
Work: 1984–88 Attorney, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
Ministry: 1991–Present Senior Pastor, Faith Bible Church (Edmond, OK) Prophecy editor of an internet ministry The Left Behind Prophecy Club
Family: Married to Cheryl, Two sons, Justin and Samuel
A little bit more from Dr. Mark Hitchcock ...
Mark Hitchcock - The Rapture of the Church - Aloha Bible Prophecy (Full Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYECFZC3-U
You say you believe ‘in’ Jesus?
If you believe what he preached, then you must hold Torah as foundational to his doctrine, because that is what he preached each and every day of his life. (and what he promised to do in Matthew 5)
.
Here’s one of the mainstream churches and an example of how “Replacement Theology” works out in everyday practice!
Presbyterian Leader to Jews: Abandon Israel For America
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3169054/posts
In a posting on Facebook, Reverend Grimm addressed the Jewish people by writing, “America is the Promised Land. We all know this. Come to the land of opportunity. Quit feeling guilt about what you are doing in Palestine, Jewish friends. Stop it. Come home to America!”
While many Presbyterian divestment supporters have claimed that they are not against Israel’s existence, only its “occupation” of “Palestinian territory,” this latest incident appears to prove otherwise. In fact, many within the Presbyterian Church have begun to express alarm at the anti-Israel stance of much of their leadership. One group of prominent Presbyterian leaders recently noted that “Zionism Unsettled,” the pamphlet produced by Church members to make the case for divestment, had been endorsed by notorious white supremacist David Duke, who praised its utilization of racist terminology he originally popularized.
The promised land is what God gave to Abraham and his descendants, Israel... forever, not the Palestinians....so the Presbyterians should mind their own business...
I went to a Presbyterian church for several years, and I do not go there anymore.
America is a promised land for those called to be here, but the Jews of Israel should remain where God said he would protect them.
Pressed Bitterians.
.
Very bad analogy...Illegals who come to America do not become Christians...Illegals who come to Christ do not become Americans...
Jesus does not look upon people as American Christians, Mexican Christians or Israeli Christians...We are all one 'new' man...We are Christians...
For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.
This sentence is one of the proofs that the church is not Israel...One new person in place of the two...No more Jew...No more Gentile...Both combined into Jesus Christ as Christians...We do not become Israel, we become Christians...The saved Jews do not stay Israel, they become Christians...
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13 ESV)
Who is the "true circumcision" that Paul speaks of?
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— (Philippians 3:3 ESV)
Paul doesn't mention a 'true circumcision'...He speaks of those of the physical circumcision and those of the spiritual circumcision...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.