The Covenant

God's Promises to Israel and the Church

God's Promise

What is God’s Promise?

In Genesis 12:1-3, around 2,500 BC, God called Abraham and made him a Promise that his offspring would become a great nation, with a great name who bless all nations. Genesis 13:15 says this Promise is forever and it is an unconditional covenant (ch15). Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars (15:5) and would be given a ‘Promised Land’ bounded by the Euphrates River and the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt (15:18-21); hence the origin of the chant 'From the River to the Sea’ as espoused today by both the ‘Free Palestine Movement' and the 'Greater Israel Project'. In chapter 17, God promises that Abraham will father many nations and the whole earth will be blessed through him.

Abraham had two sons, Ishmael (father of the Arabs 16:11-12) and Isaac (whose son Jacob would be re-named Israel). There was conflict between the two sons over who would inherit the birthright. This is the origin of the religious war that permeates today's world. So this topic is not just historic and theological; it is also modern and geopolitical. Throughout history, God has continued to honour His Promise, by creating the nation of Israel and bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land. Since then, Abraham’s offspring have indeed multiplied and gone to the ends of the earth. God created a further covenant with King David giving insight into the coming Son of David who would one day be the ultimate Promise. The Bible is the record of how this covenant is fulfilled and history is the human response to God's plan.

God's Promise

Who Inherits God’s Promise?

But the critical question is ‘which of Abraham’s sons are the legitimate heir to the Promise?’ Answering this question has deep implications for current events and humanity’s eternal destiny. People often use the term ‘God’s people’ when claiming the Promise, but unless there is a shared agreement as to who are ‘God’s people’, then there will be a high stakes conflict. Determining the rightful birthright heir is the key to understanding the claims of the world’s three great monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Conflict over the Promise continues today in the forms of Arab-Israeli violence and Jewish-Gentile practices. For Jews, inheriting the Promise is integral with living in the ‘Promised Land’. For Arab Muslims, that same land belongs to them. Having the Jews occupy it is an affront to Islam and the validity of Allah. For Christians, the Jews are God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, but the New Testament emphasises that both gentile and Jewish believers have now inherited as one the Promise of a greater eternal kingdom.

Christians do not believe God chose the Jews because they were special or righteous. Rather, being chosen means that the Jews are the theatre through which God engaged with humanity, firstly through Jewish Law and then through the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law when He offered salvation by grace through faith. The book of Hebrews screams that after Jesus, reverting to following Jewish law will lead to hell. There remains no salvation path for Jews outside of the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12) In the NT, Jesus established the church as His chosen bride. God invites all, Jews and gentiles, to find salvation and unity in Jesus. This is why believers continue to boldly proclaim that Christ is King alone to all people.

Christians can err by either favouring Jews to seize land (leading to uncritical support of Jews or Israeli policy) or despising them for their rejection of Christ (leading to blanket anti-semitism e.g Luther's On Jews and their Lies). 'Jew-hatred' has a sad and supernatural history as described in Revelation 12. As an ethnic group, Jews are neither inferior, nor superior to gentiles. Like gentiles, Jews are part of the human race and should be treated with human dignity, but not partiality. In order to have a productive discussion, it is imperative to define and distinguish the terms, Semites. Jews, Israel, ,Zionism and the Church.

Semites: Ethnic decedents of those who spoke Semitic languages. Semites populate many nations in the Middle East.
Jews: Those who historically identify with faith of Judaism or one of its strands. Jews can have any ethnicity or passport.
Israel: A state that existed in the OT and was geographically re-created in 1948. Unhelpfully the term Israel can conflate Jews and national Israel. Therefore, the prefix ‘spiritual Israel’ and 'national Israel' are used to provide nuance.
Zionism: A Jewish and Christian movement to set and expand national Israel’s boundaries guided by theological texts.
Church: The Bride of Jesus Christ, chosen from many nations, redeemed by His blood - including Jews and Gentiles.

In Romans 11, Paul warns the church against arrogance (v20), just because they inherited His Promise. God says Jews are not beyond recovery (v11). He can graft unbelieving Jews back into His Promise. Against all human odds, God has preserved the Jews and Jerusalem through history. Israel's geographic restoration Ezekiel 37-38 continues to confound many.

Yet, Christian believers are under no obligation to write a 'blank check' for national Israel's policies. Just like 2,000 years ago, many Jews are vehemently anti-Christ. Jesus reserved his harshest Words for the Jewish Pharisees and that has not changed. Yet, when Paul says All of Israel will be Saved, he is not saying that anyone who holds an Israeli passport will receive eternal life. Rather, Paul is saying that God will preserve His chosen people till the end of time. That work may incorporate using surrounding nations to judge unbelieving Jews. Because the Bible indicates that in the ‘last days’ many Jews will accept Jesus as their Messiah and become spiritual Israel. Until the Time of the Gentiles is complete - Luke 21:24, God's cosmic work will be accomplished in spite of man’s advocacy for or opposition to Israel.

The two main Christian understandings of the fulfilment of the Promise made to Abraham can be separated into Dispensational Theology or Covenant Theological systems. Both theological systems are orthodox Christianity, but they differ in how they frame who God is speaking to, and this affects how Bible passages are understood. In some cases, interpretative differences are minor and in some cases they underpin modern church practises such as the Lord's Supper and infant baptism.

Covenant Theology emphasises that God has fulfilled his promises to national Israel and now continues His covenantal promises belong to the church (spiritual Israel). Many of God's prophecies are allegorised. The benefit of this view is that it is simple, and simple answers are often but not always correct.

Pre-millenial Theology emphasises that God engaged with humanity through national Israel in the OT, the church in the NT, and may return His attention will return to geographical Israel in a future millennium. The benefit of this view is that it anticipates a literal fulfilment of all of God’s prophetic promises.

Within between both systems, there are blended view that are less rigid (sometimes called progressive dispensation or progressive covenant theology). These say that God can work through both national Israel and spiritual Israel, and that work can overlap. God can manifest His work through the church while restoring ethnic Israel. The benefit of this view is that it leaves room for God to reveal His plan and believers can read all of the Bible as an ethic that is applicable for them. But in all these eschatological frameworks, it is imperative that a spirit of humility reigns. God is sovereign and He will choose to unfold the future in whatever way He determines.

"Just because God expands His Promise to the gentiles [the church],

it doesn’t mean God revokes His Promise to the Jews [national Israel]"

Darrell Bock

Ishmael The Forgotten Son of Abraham

Ishmael the forgotten son This video explores the biblical story of Ishmael, the firstborn but forgotten son of Abraham. According to the book of Genesis, Ishmael was born to Abraham and Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar. But after Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, Ishmael was cast out from the family. As God had promised Abraham that Isaac would carry on his lineage and inheritance, Isaac became Abraham's focus. Ishmael was sent away into the wilderness with his mother Hagar, seemingly forgotten. Yet God did not forget Ishmael. He blessed Ishmael as well, promising to make him into a great nation. The Bible records that Ishmael settled in Paran and married an Egyptian woman. His descendants, the Ishmaelites, became a powerful people. Though Isaac was the son of promise through whom God built his covenant with Abraham, Ishmael also received blessings from the Lord. This video examines the biblical narrative of God's care for the overlooked firstborn son and how both Isaac and Ishmael were part of God's plan to bless the nations.

03:24

There is no such thing as “Judeo-Christian.”

What on earth is a Judeo-Christian value? Who first started watering down Christian values with a prefix? When did that become a thing? When you can no longer say “Christian values” from your chest, are you really preaching the full Gospel?

37:34

Historic Premillennialism by Michael Shultz "Why Eschatology Matters" Conference

Reformed in Christ 2022 "Why Eschatology Matters " Conference presents four eschatological views commonly held by Calvinists

58:59

God's Plan for Israel - Dispensationalism Explained: Interview With Dr. Darrell Bock

God's Plan for Israel - Dispensationalism Explained: Interview With Dr. Darrell Bock What the heck is dispensationalism? Dispensationalism, if you didn’t already know, is a theological system of interpretation that is wildly popular in evangelical churches. The doctrine of Christ’s eminent return, Israel being a prophetic time clock, and even Christian books and films such as Left Behind, are all inspired by dispensational theology. Since dispensationalism is hermeneutic, it impacts nearly every area of our Christian theology. It particularly affects the way that we view the nation of Israel, the land of Israel, and the nation of Israel's role in the end times. Dispensationalism is such a broad topic! Fortunately for us, we have an expert coming on today to discuss the tenets of dispensationalism. Dr. Darrell Boch is the Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, He is the author of over 40 books, and was one of the former presidents of the Evangelical Theological Society. We are excited to have Dr. Bock back on the show today, and we can't wait to dive Into some dispensational eschatology. See you all at 4PM CST! https://youtu.be/gXRupVVw6TU 🌐📧 Visit our Website & Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.theremnantradio.com

01:09:48

Progressive Covenantalism Explained: Interview with Steve Wellum

In this enlightening episode of Remnant Radio, Dr. Stephen Wellum from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary joins Josh Lewis and Michael Roundtree to explore the complex relationship between the Old and New Testaments through the lens of Progressive Covenantalism. Dr. Wellum breaks down the differences between traditional Dispensationalism, Covenant Theology, and Progressive Covenantalism, explaining how biblical covenants serve as the backbone for understanding Scripture’s unity. The discussion delves into how each covenant from Adam to Christ progressively reveals God’s redemptive plan, challenging oversimplified interpretations of biblical law and offering a fresh perspective on how Christians should understand their relationship to Old Testament commands. Whether you’re a theology student or simply interested in better understanding how the Bible fits together, this episode provides valuable insights into how all of Scripture points to and finds its fulfillment in Christ. Key topics include: The progression of biblical covenants Differences between Old and New Covenants How to interpret Old Testament law today The relationship between Israel and the Church Christ as the fulfillment of all covenants Kairos Classroom: Use Promo Code Remnant for 10% off https://kairosclassroom.com/classes 🌐📧 Visit our Website & Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.theremnantradio.com 0:00 - Intro and welcome 2:07 - Introduction of Dr. Stephen Wellum 4:23 - Explaining different theological approaches (Dispensationalism, Covenant Theology) 13:41 - Discussion of Progressive Covenantalism 21:41 - Breakdown of biblical covenants from Adam to Christ 34:23 - Discussion of the Mosaic Covenant and its relationship to Christ 42:55 - Analysis of moral, civil, and ceremonial law distinctions 51:24 - Understanding Old Testament law in light of Christ 56:54 - Key differences between Old and New Covenants 1:03:03 - Final thoughts and practical applications 1:08:36 - Closing remarks

God's Promise

When will God’s Promise finally be complete?

No one knows when Jesus will return - not even the Son. Yet, the Bible spends a lot of time describing Jesus future reign over all nations from Jerusalem Is 19:23-24. God's rule is recorded so that we may have a solid hope as we watch, pray and endure.

Covenant Theology: Because Covenant theology emphasises that church has superseded national Israel as the sole inheritor of the Promise, they interpret the final millennium as a spiritual time when the church will fill the earth. The 1,000 years are a metaphorical representation along with other numeric Bible passages. Covenant theology often involves a preterist interpretation of eschatology - which sees most prophecy as being fulfilled in the 1st century. This view is known as either a-millennial or post-millennial, depending on how literal the millennium will be before Jesus return. The a-millennial view largely eschews politics with the emphasis that the Kingdom is not of this world, while the post-millennial view strongly advocates for Christians to get involved in politics in order to be part of ushering in a millennium.

Pre-millennial Theology: Because Pre-millennial theology emphasises that Israel is yet to fully inherit the Promise, they expect Christ to return before politically reigning for 1,000 years from Jerusalem. All those people who acknowledged Christ as their King will rule with him during this time. This view involves a future and literal interpretation of eschatology with parts of Biblical prophecy as yet to be fulfilled. Pre-millennial eschatology has two arms; dispensational and historic. The dispensational arm is largely Zionist - seeing support for a re-created Israel as a sign of Scriptural fulfilment, while the historic arm does not. Dispensationalism also sees Jesus rapturing the church to heaven as the pivot point at which God’s final offer of salvation through Jesus will be presented to the Jews before His final return.

When considering how and when God’s end times plans unfold, the interpretation of the land of Israel is a focal point for the three Abrahamic religions - Jews, Christians and Muslims. Consequently, many ‘Zionists' seek to settle the Holy Land and to rebuild a 3rd temple to 'summon' the coming of the Messiah. Meanwhile many Muslims struggle for the Holy Land as a means to subdue non-believers and validate Allah Akbar (Our God is Greatest). In contrast, Christian believers reject both of these fixations. A rebuilt Jewish temple would be an abomination that rejects Jesus as the Once for All sacrifice for the whole world. Meanwhile ethnic or religious cleansing is anathema to God's desire to save people from all tribes and nations. Ultimately, Jesus' return and rule will be God's miraculous doing and not the result of a zionist crusade or global holy war.

Regardless of when the millennium occurs, all Christians look forward to the new heaven and new earth as their Promised Land. God could rapture the church before the millennium, but there are scant Scriptural references for a 7 year early mark. God could also preserve His remnant through to the end. God can do anything and His ways are beyond our finite minds. All believers recognise that our eternal inheritance is both spiritual and physical. We will inherit new resurrection bodies and a tangible dwelling place for believers from every tribe and nation (Jew and gentile).

Modern Israel

How can Christians digest the current middle east conflict?

Since Hamas's horrendous attack on Israel on October 7th 2023, the world has focused on the Middle East. This conflict is more than a geopolitical skirmish, it is fundamentally a religious war dating back to Genesis. Hamas refers to Jewish Red Heifer sacrifices as a prelude to replacing the Al-Aqsa mosque with a Third Jewish Temple. The Israeli PM has invoked the original Palestinians - the Amalekites - in justifying Israel's unrelenting response. Nations around the world are being forced to make statements and adjust policies depending on how their citizens interpret these events. While God chose the Jews as a people group through whom Jesus came, the modern state of Israel now behaves the opposite of how God calls His people to live.

Christians don't need to take sides. Instead, we should recognise that all human life has value when created in the image of God. We should condemn murder - whether it is done by a terrorist group or sanctioned by a state. Unless both Jews and Muslims repent toward Jesus, they share the same fate. Christians can simultaneously recognise that Abraham's birthright passed to the Jews through Isaac, while also recognising that God can use surrounding nations (Ishmael's descendants) to bring His judgement upon them. Jesus Christ tasted death for every man, which means that His blood was shed for Palestinians as much as it was shed for the Jews. This beautiful truth brings a healthy balance to how Christians value life in the Middle East.

On National Israel’s Side

As a nation, Israel is yet to repent towards Jesus and understand forgiveness. Just like in the OT, the Jews are far away from God. Tel Aviv is today the LGBTQI capital of the Middle East. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Jews operate in a spirit of vengeance (i.e. the O.T. principle of an 'eye for an eye’). Examples from Israel’s own media include:

The IDF rules of engagement allow AI to kill 20 civilians for each low level target.
Tel Aviv Maccabee soccer fans chant, ‘School is out in Gaza because there are no children left’.
Publishing maps of a resettled Israeli controlling Gaza and use Palestinians as human shields.
‘Settlers’ riot, block aid trucks, and chant 'Death to Arabs’ as they take land beyond the 1948 boundaries.
The IDF torture and rape Palestinian prisoners and release the perpetrators.
Israel seeks to curtail free speech under ‘Antisemitism Awareness Laws’ - including banning parts of the NT.
Israeli meddles in foreign elections, bomb embassies, assets and assassinates people around the world.

We can and should continue to condemn both the 1940's Holocaust and the Oct 7 massacre. However, follows of Jesus should never equate God's love for Israel with justifying anti-human policies, or writing a blank check for killing children or terrorist attacks. Supporting bad actions out of a desire to see a new Jewish dispensation is disturbing; and may be working against God's purposes. If God wants to restore national Israel, He will do it His way so He gets the glory, not a Zionist project.

On the Palestinian Side

The Hamas charter is an abomination. It calls for the eradication of the Jews as an ethnic and religious people group. They chant 'Death to Jews’ while aligning with LGBTQI forces in the West for strategic reasons. e.g ‘Queers for Palestine'.
The continued indiscriminate firing of rockets into residential areas is a major contributing factor to the hostilities.
Unlike IDF policy, Hamas' October 7th attack did not even attempt to distinguish between militants and civilians as their fighters murdered, raped non-combatants and they took around 200 civilians as hostages.
The ‘wild’ nature of Palestinians means that other Arab nations are reluctant to provide them sanctuary. This seems to be a fulfilment of Genesis 16:12 which speaks of internal Arab hostility to between Ishmael’s decedents.

While maintaining compassion for civilians, we should be careful to not support terrorists organisations in response to heavy handed state actors. Christians need wisdom and to recognise that true peace will not come until the Prince of Peace returns.