WHAT KINGDOM ESCHATOLOGY IS NOT

Michael F. Blume

© 2004 Michael F. Blume

All Rights Reserved

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

—Ephesians 6:12

 

The basic tenet of Kingdom Eschatology is the proposition that the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus Christ and its Church Age is the greatest, and therefore the last, major work on planet earth, and will remain so for the ages to come. Ephesians chapters 2 and 3 explicitly state that the dispensation of the grace of God is intended to combine Jews and Gentiles into one body. This would therefore leave no further reasoning for the Dispensationalist’s teaching that says a specific nation of people—the Jews—will be given another gospel plan of salvation after the "Church Age" has “ended.” We stress in our burden of conviction for prophetic truth, the blessedness of salvation for the Jews and Gentiles, both! We have concern for seeing all Israel come to know the love of God through Christ. Though this is true, Kingdom Eschatologists have come under attack by many Dispensational teachers who have used various methods to try to discredit our teachings. In this article I will point out some of the more severe ones that have been used in an attempt to say that Kingdom Eschatology, and those who teach it, are racists and anti-Semitic.

The scripture I quoted above indicates that Christians are not to war against people of any flesh. Kingdom Eschatologists follow that rule by fighting demonic forces and doctrines that are contrary, but we would never think to attack a "race" of people regardless of their beliefs or their nationality. Racism is clearly an ungodly spirit of hatred of which we do not want a part.  Furthermore, the Jewish people are not a "race", anyway, as they, themselves, strongly proclaim.  But if they were a "race", we would certainly never wish to promote racism of any form.

Some teachers of Kingdom Eschatology expose the Cabala and its unholy book, the Zohar, as a wicked work of the enemy of our souls. And critics have used that to insist that we preach a message of racism against the Jews.  Taking a stance against Cabala, however, is not promoting a racist "Jewish" conspiracy, as some Dispensationalists have claimed, but, if anything, is instead a stance against a "cabalistic" conspiracy of which the world is falling prey.

It's a plain fact that some stars in Hollywood are playing with Cabala. One of these is pop singer Madonna. She is now the author of several children's books that feature her Cabalistic religious beliefs. At the trime of this writing there are other big-name, big-dollar people involved in this heresy as well, including Britney Spears, Naomi Campbell, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Roseanne Barr, Demi Moore, Nicolas Cage, Lisa Marie, and Mick Jagger and his wife Jerry Hall. These represent just a few of those who are now pumping Cabalistic teachings. Though this "religion" happens to carry a “Jewish” label, it is actually Babylonian mysticism that indoctrinated the captive Jews of Daniel's day. Orthodox Jews despise Cabala intensely.  Preaching against Cabala does not mean that Jews by virtue of their nationality are evil or wicked, but rather it means that we are coming against a system of mystical teachings that attacks the biblical foundation of truth and thereby attacks those to whom the Word of God can set free. This means that those who have taken verbal stand against the Cabala have taken a stand for both Gentiles and Jews!

I know of Jewish Christians who hate the Cabala and its teachings, showing us that it's not a Jewish issue, but a Cabalistic one. One of these Christians whom I personally know is a Jewish woman who started attending a local church I once pastored after seeing my teachings on Kingdom Eschatology. She knew, before attending, all about the Cabala and that it was evil. Let our critics please not confuse hating the Cabala with hating Jews because that is NOT what we teach, nor what we stand for.

This view has also been incorrectly labeled as teaching "REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY." This is a misnomer because Kingdom Eschatology does not teach that the Church replaced Israel, but rather that Natural Israel foreshadowed the Church, and the Church is the real and true "Israel" that God had in mind before the world was created. There is no thought of "replacement" in saying the Church is the TRUE ISRAEL of God, but only the thought of the Natural Israel being in the similar position of other foreshadowing elements of the Church during Old Testament times. An example of what I mean by this is the sacrifices of the Old Testament were foreshadows of the true sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. So we do not teach a “replacement,” but rather a completion of God’s plan.

Probably the most popular attack that has been waged against these teachings has come in Futurists' misrepresentation of our teachings of how the New Israel of God is the Church of Jesus Christ. Many Dispensationalists have vaguely followed our thoughts on the New Israel of God and misrepresented them by saying we promote racism through our conclusions. This is just NOT TRUE! Teaching that the Church is the True Israel is simply believing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY GOSPEL that will ever be given to bring salvation to man. This belief stings the face of those who are Judaizers since it smacks at their future return to Temples and animal sacrifices.  We are actually a group of believers who believe that the True Israel is comprised of both born-again Jews and Gentiles, and we teach that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be the only way that either of these can ever be saved. This shows that if there is any discrimination here, it is not between our teachings and the Jewish people, but rather is between the teachings of Dispensationalism and what the Bible says about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! (See Galatians 1:6-9)

While Futurists declare that Paul never said that we, as Gentiles, are part of the New Israel, I declare that the Bible says he definitely did!

Paul wrote to the Gentile Christians of Galatia and contrasted their heritage to that of the Jews'. Toward the end of Galatians chapter 3, Paul used the pronoun "WE," referring to the Jews, and said that they had a "schoolmaster" to lead them to Christ. This Schoolmaster, Paul said, was the Law. He went on to say that these Natural Israelites were "lords and heirs", but stood in the position as if they were children who were still in school awaiting their entry into this lordship. That was God's will for them before Law ended and Christ arrived.  Graduation day came when Christ came to take them out from beneath their Schoolmaster—the Law—and into the lordship He prepared for all Israel to enjoy!

The narrative continues in Galatians 4 by Paul using the pronoun, "You," referring to the Galatian Gentiles, who were servants before Christ came, and  performed "service" to false gods. They did this while the Jews, under the Law, were students under law's tutors and governors, or their schoolmasters. So, for all practical purposes, as far as lordship is concerned, the Jews were no different than the Gentile "servants," though they were lords while they were in the schooling of Mosaic Law.

The Galatians were Gentile Christians, and Paul spoke of them being the children of Abraham, because he said they came through "Promise," and were therefore counted for "the seed." He also said that those who came through natural fleshly lineage were not included in this, but had to come through the same promise—Jesus! (Galatians 4:22-31) Paul calls these believers in Jesus "brethren" and included them in the category of the true Children of Abraham, which is equivalent to saying, "The True Israel." The Jews after the flesh, Paul said, are Natural Israel.  Now let us look at what Paul wrote chapter 6 of Galatians. Notice what he says about those who are the “Israel of God!”

Galatians 6:16

(16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Consider that very carefully.  Paul clearly said in Chapter 4 that the true children of Abraham (True Israel) are the children of faith, which, of course, would be a reference to those who make up the Church of Jesus Christ! He included Galatian Gentiles, his brethren, in that description as well. Now in chapter 6 we read about the "Israel of God." Wouldn’t you think Paul’s reference in chapter 6 had his thoughts of 4:28 in mind? After all, these passages are both in the same book! Not only that, but Paul gives us a second witness of this same principle and thought in his writings found in Romans 9.

Romans 9:6-9

(6) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (9) For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

Not everyone who is a “natural Israelite” is a “true Israelite!” Some, of course, were. But these were naturally born Israelites who, like Paul, were born an Israelite through the flesh, but went on to be born-again Jewish believers in Jesus the Messiah!

We Kingdom Eschatologists love Paul! He blew Dispensational Futurism out of the water with his words and his writings…and he was also a Jew! Was Paul an "anti-Semite" just because he said the very things that Kingdom Eschatologists teach? Was he a racist because he included the believers in Christ in the True Israel, in the seed of Promise, or in the Seed of faith? We don’t think so, because this is exactly what Kingdom Eschatology teaches.  If we are wrong, then so was Paul! Now look in Romans 4 at what Paul said concerning the identity of the True Israel.

Romans 4:13-17

(13) For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (14) For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: (15) Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (16) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (17) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Paul said that anyone who walks in the steps of the faith that Abraham walked, are Abraham's children. Would one not think that this means that they are, therefore, the True Israel of God? The answer to this of course is a resounding “Yes!”  This is also the reason that Paul said Abraham had “many nations” spring from him! The Hebrew word "nations" actually means "non-Jewish gentile people"! The Church is made up of such people from all nations of the world! So "all nations" have come from Abraham!

No Kingdom Eschatologist teaches that the middle wall of partition was broken down to allow Gentiles into the Kingdom, and thereby to keep the Jews out. However, what we teach is that the exact faith that we have toward Christ is what most of the Jews of Christ's day rejected. But this did not have to be the case, because Paul also said, “And they also [Natural Jews], if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.” (Romans 11:23)

Kingdom Eschatology agrees with Paul.  But herein lies the racism that is found in the critics of our teachings! I will now explain what I mean by this.

Futurist teachers of Dispensationalism believe that God has blinded every single Jew since the days of the Early Church. They say this blinding will continue until the Gentiles are all in the Church and the rapture takes place. However, God never said He was going to blind an entire "race" or all of its descendants because of the sins of the first century generation who rejected the New Covenant and crucified the Lord Jesus! Futurism says differently! They say that God blinded an entire race. Talk about racist! This is not what the Bible says.  It actually says that blindness “in part” happened only to the First Century generation of Jews. (See Romans 11:25) This what Kingdom Eschatology teaches! Besides, if Kingdom Eschatology was racist against Jewish people, we would most certainly not want to call it "Apostolic," since all of the Apostles of the Bible were Jewish! But since we understand that the Church is comprised of both Jew and Gentile, and our teachings on prophecy propose that Jews and Gentiles both are granted access into the Church, we gladly label our teaching Kingdom Eschatology.”

Where the Futurist teachers of Dispensationalism err is in their lack of understanding who the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus Christ has been offered to in order to gain members in the true Church. They criticize us from their platform of misinterpretation, but that should not deter our message of biblical truth! We Kingdom Eschatologists must keep proclaiming these truths even in the face of adversity and accusation. We must remember to pray for those who oppose us, for our battle is not against any race of people, but is against those systems that oppose them!  We fight not against any people of any flesh or blood.  Praise God!

 

Michael F. Blume works with RDTW and is Assistant Pastor in Bible Truth Church, El Campo, TX. His website address is:

www.mikeblume.com                                          

RDTW