America has been the richest nation on earth in all of world history—so it is our unique responsibility to obey our Lord’s Words regarding the use of money. The first two radical commands to do that I previously outlined in Parts I and II: stop storing up excess assets, and give to the world’s truly poor. This should be done in two steps: (1) Sell all our excess possessions and give the cash raised to the world's poor; and (2) live frugally enough (buying only necessities), so that income exceeds expenses—then give the difference regularly to the truly poor.
Let’s clarify one thing: When Jesus was quoted in Luke 12:33, it was not directed to the "rich young ruler," as some assume; it was to all of us:
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor”
Did He mean, sell all our possessions, thus making ourselves poor? No; read Luke 3:11:
He(John the Baptist) answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
Thus, we are to keep one necessary item for use, and liquidate the extra item and beyond--the “excess beyond need.” We should do this prayerfully, not thinking about “only having one of these means I don’t have a backup if something goes wrong.” So, you need to sell your past accumulation of everything that isn’t truly necessary. Men, do you really need two complete sets of tools, if you're not in that profession? Sell one. And keep the rest organized. Ladies, is it essential that you have even one set of chinaware—if you only use it once or twice a year, why not sell even the one? Are you worried about the impression you'll make on relatives at Thanksgiving? Make your impression by your character, not by possession of luxury items. Men, do you need that boat—after all, don't you take it out many Sundays so your family doesn’t even attend church regularly during the summer? Do you need six sweaters, five heavy coats, fifteen shirts, ten pairs of pants? Does God really care if you show up in church wearing the same outfit twice? Do people care that much? Should we care that much for these people if their measure of us is how classy we look? Shouldn't we care more if God is more offended by our extravagance? And who is more important here—your friends of influence, or Him—your eternal Judge? Here’s a big one for married couples: Do you need two cars? Can’t one spouse drive the other to work, or can’t one use public transit? Or pool to work? Is your evening schedule, or the kids' schedule so hectic, that you need both cars to meet demands? Well, maybe you should slow it down--are you the type who can't say "no?"
And for those whose expenses always manage to exceed income: Have you set financial budgets, or goals in life--other than thinking about your next worldly purchase? Have you searched eagerly for ways to be more frugal? There are plenty of helps online for you. Another argument we raise against our Lord is telling Him if we give away our kids' frills to charity, we will deprive our children of some enjoyment. But what if you obey His will, give your frills away first, and tell your kids why they need to give things away--then what do your children see? Sacrifice. Then the lesson they learn is Love. Instead of Materialism. They learn that true love includes sacrifice. And we Christians are nothing without Love (I Cor. 13: 1-3). The problem with America is, many families have enough money to satisfy each person in the family to do their own thing, without anyone sacrificing for another. The problem with that is, with no sacrificing, there is no real love being learned. And with everyone doing their own thing, there is no bonding, no teamwork, and the children learn nothing about the importance of another’s feelings—which makes them far less prepared for marriage, and close relationships, among other things. So yes, discard that second car. That second house, too—that one in upstate Michigan or down in Florida. And stop the cruises. How can we go to God on judgment day, when I can imagine He will show a split screen video—us on one side, living it up, and on the other side, people in impoverished nations that we ignored, scratching for subsistence? How then are we different than the rich man ignoring the poor Lazarus in Luke 16 (see my Radical II blog)? Will our final destination be any different than his? Are you absolutely sure that your salvation won’t be affected by ignoring this whole subject of the importance of radical giving, despite many Scriptures indicating beneficence to the poor is essential to show that you will be saved? Just by not having a second car, your family can save over $6,000 a year, even if your second car is an older one (this dollar figure also realistically considers depreciation’s hidden cost as well as gas and maintenance and insurance). Do you realize the difference you could make by giving that kind of money to the worldwide poor instead of making your life a little more indulgent, or a little less convenient?
Let’s talk about America’s appetites to buy more, our continual grasping to raise our standard of living. Did you know that this is covetousness? Most people define that word as “wanting what belongs to another.” But as Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words points out, the Greek word, “pleonexia,” simply means a desire to have more… always in a bad sense (e.g., wanting more possessions or power). Well, now I'd like to bring up an unfortunate byproduct of the American economy: In truth, the growth of our economy is founded upon advertising and consumption. That means our government blesses covetousness and even makes it our patriotic duty to be bathed in materialism. We talk about the latest trinkets constantly, so these things are on our mind. There are many apps for our "smartphones" telling us how to spend more money "wisely." But "getting a good deal" on something we don't need is still covetous. We live in materialism, we breathe it.
But covetousness is a serious sin. Let’s look at Ephesians 5:5:
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Read that definition of covetousness again: It is idolatry, loving something more than our God. Is that you? And where is the eternal destination for this idolatry? NOT in the kingdom of God. Um, that leaves only one other option. That radical idea is confirmed in Colossians 3:5-6:
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
As the superb commentary Precept Austin puts it, “covetousness is synonymous with idolatry because it places selfish desire above obedience to God…it is basically people doing what they desire, rather than what God desires. This in turn amounts to worship of self rather than worship of God, and this is the very essence of idolatry.” Note the verses above; it invites the wrath of God. Because America is so deeply ingrained in this sin, I would like to suggest that many (perhaps most) Americans are idolaters, as defined, and bound for hell, without sincere repentance. There are a LOT of people in this country who think they’re saved because they “believe in Jesus”—but they don’t obey Jesus, because they accumulate superficial assets, spend frivolously, and ignore their poor brothers and sisters who are dying unnecessarily in the world. Remember, the fact that the rich man was blissfully unaware in Luke 16 (Radical Part II) was no excuse. It is still covetousness, and leads to hell.
Here's another thought: What else does Jesus say on this subject?
“Woe unto you that are rich!” (Luke 6:24).
(“Woe” is a word of denunciation, used for the unsaved, such as Luke 11:43-47). In Matthew 19:23ff, Jesus says, in part:
“it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven….It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
I remind you, we cannot argue that “I’m not rich.” God isn’t comparing you to Americans—He’s looking at the entire train of world history, in which most Americans would have to qualify as “rich.” (I have another blog that discusses that subject). Let’s forget about excuses like that. Look at those threatening words again: “It is hard.” What does that really mean? Do you have enough fear of God to soberly think about it? It means we Americans, to overcome the disadvantages our wealth has given us, have to be more passionately determined to be holy, we have to really discipline ourselves to bully the desires of the flesh out of the way, to persevere in seeking God’s heart, to fight against the natural tendency in wealth to be complacent, or not depend on Him. We need to fight against the FALSE assumption that “I’m doing well, so God loves me.” We have to fight against placing all our trust on this world, depending on our savings--and not thinking about the next world--which is a lot longer in duration! We too easily fall into the trap of Revelation 3:17:
“You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
This severe denunciation of the Laodicean church went right along with a denunciation of their lukewarm complacency (well-off people who do not need God every day, and complacency, go hand-in-hand). But what does Jesus do to these lukewarm? Vomits them out of His mouth. They don't belong in His Body.
May God help us to see us as He sees us.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Radical Truth #2: Jesus Commands That We Give Our Excess Away to the Truly Needy
As I indicated in the "Radical Truth 1" blog, there are two commands by Jesus that form this radical doctrine, and I’ve only covered one--Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….
The other command is in Luke 12:33. In the NIV it is very plain:
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
These verses are paired in giving us God's will: note the "thief" and “moth” illustration. So here is our combined doctrine: In Matthew 6, we were told not to accumulate wealth assets. If we have been accumulating assets, the Luke verse tells us to what to do with them; we are to sell them—and give the money to the poor. This doctrine will radically change how you handle your finances—if you’re interested in obeying every command of Jesus, and really WANT to have treasure in heaven.
But when I mention this doctrine to church folks, they get quiet and mildly uncomfortable, evidently not excited about building treasure in heaven. Overall, based on dollars given, it seems the plain fact about America is this: There are a lot of middle class people who call themselves Christian who really don’t care a bit about giving serious money to the poor. (They may be thinking domestic poor, but I’m referring to the worldwide poor, those who die tragically early, without enough to eat or suffering from easily preventable disease). Most of their giving will go to their church, so lots of it gets spent boosting the facility and the programs and salaries. But little tithing goes for the worldwide poor, per se. Does anybody say, “The Holy Spirit is definitely beating me up about something in my daily prayers—how many of these poor people worldwide dying every day from malnutrition or sickness could have been, or could be, my brothers or sisters? It just blows my mind that I could actually save their lives but I’m wasting my money instead. Let’s get together and discuss fasting on occasion and living frugally and pool the savings and give it to them. We could save lives!” Music to our Lord’s ears! But rare. Very rare.
American “Christians,” wake up! Consider again Luke 12:16-21, covered in Part 1 of this study, about what happens to a man whose sin was "he lays up treasure for himself:"
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Are we that rich fool? Could God be angry at us--maybe even eternally angry--because we consume and stock up, and are not thinking much about helping the poor? Read Luke 16:19-25:
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell[a] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
The rich man is in hades, flames and excruciating pain and all, and don’t you think Jesus wants us to know what his sin was that got him there? Of course! Are you going to say, “We don’t know because He doesn’t say”? On such an important issue, paradise vs hades, is God going to be silent? That seems to be an insupportable argument. No, the ONLY conclusion is, the rich man is in hades because he had no compassion for the suffering poor man, the only other object of the story. The problem is, he knew the man was there, “at his gate.” But he walked right by him whenever he left home, and whenever he returned. But he didn’t help. Well, are we churchgoers in America a step above this today? Maybe you’ll say, “None of them are at my door.” But they’re on your TV, they’re on the internet, or your phone; you may even get calls from charities on the phone. Those are your "gate." Do you walk by too? Will you end up, surprised as this man was, at the same horrible final destination?
Jesus makes another related radical statement in Matthew 19:23:
Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
He even stresses the point by saying it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples were shocked at hearing that; they assumed (as we tend to do) that wealth is proof that God loves you. Jesus says completely the opposite. Jesus is really saying wealth will almost certainly distract you, obsess you, and tear you away from God so more likely you won’t make it to heaven. Think about that. That really makes gathering riches a curse. (I’m not saying a high income is a curse. I’m saying plowing it into personal assets is a curse). Would you grasp at something if you knew it would almost wipe out your chance at heaven? You’d think, “Nooo way.” But we do that very thing in desiring wealth. Now of course you might say, throughout this paper, “No problem; I’m not rich, in fact I have credit card debt, so I don't have a problem with this verse.” Well, in the Big Picture, almost all Americans are rich. We are the richest society, by far, in all of world history—in fact, our poorest 5% are richer than India’s richest 5% even now, to just give one perspective. So, you who are reading this—even if you’re middle class, even lower middle class, in America—you’re rich. If you have credit card debt, it simply means you overspent or have not saved for short term emergencies. (There is no problem with saving a reasonable amount for short term emergencies). The big problem with relative wealth is, we forget the horrible lives that many people live. Most of the truly poor are not that way because of poor genes or they're lazy. Their government may be exposing them to this--but is that their fault? It's a proven fact, too, that desperately needed supplies the government will allow safe transport to the proper destination--unless there is genocide. That doesn't happen often. It may have been a bad farm year, it may be that water is compromised for some reason. But aside from the excuses to not giving, here is your danger: All the frivolities in America deceive you into thinking a deadly thought--you assume you’re fine with God. But in reality you’ve drifted away from dependence on Him, you become complacent, no longer a branch feeding off the Vine (per John 15). And what happens to non-abiding branches? What happens to lukewarm people? They go to the fire or are vomited out of the body. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 7:14:
“...narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”
When you really meditate on these verses, you get the radical idea that the odds are stacked against Americans going to heaven, because our relative wealth falls under the severe warning of Matthew 19:23 above. Could a large number of us be self-deceived into thinking we’re going to heaven when we aren’t? Consider His warning in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
And what is "the will of My Father?" Love, mercy, justice, and--When you consider America, the richest society on earth, a big part of the Father’s will, His burden, for most of us must be: Give more to the truly worldwide poor! They’re your sisters, your brothers! They need it more than you do!
It takes a lot of faith to give away cash and liquidate excess assets and give away the intake. But that's what He wants. May God help us to do His will.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….
The other command is in Luke 12:33. In the NIV it is very plain:
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
These verses are paired in giving us God's will: note the "thief" and “moth” illustration. So here is our combined doctrine: In Matthew 6, we were told not to accumulate wealth assets. If we have been accumulating assets, the Luke verse tells us to what to do with them; we are to sell them—and give the money to the poor. This doctrine will radically change how you handle your finances—if you’re interested in obeying every command of Jesus, and really WANT to have treasure in heaven.
But when I mention this doctrine to church folks, they get quiet and mildly uncomfortable, evidently not excited about building treasure in heaven. Overall, based on dollars given, it seems the plain fact about America is this: There are a lot of middle class people who call themselves Christian who really don’t care a bit about giving serious money to the poor. (They may be thinking domestic poor, but I’m referring to the worldwide poor, those who die tragically early, without enough to eat or suffering from easily preventable disease). Most of their giving will go to their church, so lots of it gets spent boosting the facility and the programs and salaries. But little tithing goes for the worldwide poor, per se. Does anybody say, “The Holy Spirit is definitely beating me up about something in my daily prayers—how many of these poor people worldwide dying every day from malnutrition or sickness could have been, or could be, my brothers or sisters? It just blows my mind that I could actually save their lives but I’m wasting my money instead. Let’s get together and discuss fasting on occasion and living frugally and pool the savings and give it to them. We could save lives!” Music to our Lord’s ears! But rare. Very rare.
American “Christians,” wake up! Consider again Luke 12:16-21, covered in Part 1 of this study, about what happens to a man whose sin was "he lays up treasure for himself:"
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Are we that rich fool? Could God be angry at us--maybe even eternally angry--because we consume and stock up, and are not thinking much about helping the poor? Read Luke 16:19-25:
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell[a] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
The rich man is in hades, flames and excruciating pain and all, and don’t you think Jesus wants us to know what his sin was that got him there? Of course! Are you going to say, “We don’t know because He doesn’t say”? On such an important issue, paradise vs hades, is God going to be silent? That seems to be an insupportable argument. No, the ONLY conclusion is, the rich man is in hades because he had no compassion for the suffering poor man, the only other object of the story. The problem is, he knew the man was there, “at his gate.” But he walked right by him whenever he left home, and whenever he returned. But he didn’t help. Well, are we churchgoers in America a step above this today? Maybe you’ll say, “None of them are at my door.” But they’re on your TV, they’re on the internet, or your phone; you may even get calls from charities on the phone. Those are your "gate." Do you walk by too? Will you end up, surprised as this man was, at the same horrible final destination?
Jesus makes another related radical statement in Matthew 19:23:
Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
He even stresses the point by saying it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples were shocked at hearing that; they assumed (as we tend to do) that wealth is proof that God loves you. Jesus says completely the opposite. Jesus is really saying wealth will almost certainly distract you, obsess you, and tear you away from God so more likely you won’t make it to heaven. Think about that. That really makes gathering riches a curse. (I’m not saying a high income is a curse. I’m saying plowing it into personal assets is a curse). Would you grasp at something if you knew it would almost wipe out your chance at heaven? You’d think, “Nooo way.” But we do that very thing in desiring wealth. Now of course you might say, throughout this paper, “No problem; I’m not rich, in fact I have credit card debt, so I don't have a problem with this verse.” Well, in the Big Picture, almost all Americans are rich. We are the richest society, by far, in all of world history—in fact, our poorest 5% are richer than India’s richest 5% even now, to just give one perspective. So, you who are reading this—even if you’re middle class, even lower middle class, in America—you’re rich. If you have credit card debt, it simply means you overspent or have not saved for short term emergencies. (There is no problem with saving a reasonable amount for short term emergencies). The big problem with relative wealth is, we forget the horrible lives that many people live. Most of the truly poor are not that way because of poor genes or they're lazy. Their government may be exposing them to this--but is that their fault? It's a proven fact, too, that desperately needed supplies the government will allow safe transport to the proper destination--unless there is genocide. That doesn't happen often. It may have been a bad farm year, it may be that water is compromised for some reason. But aside from the excuses to not giving, here is your danger: All the frivolities in America deceive you into thinking a deadly thought--you assume you’re fine with God. But in reality you’ve drifted away from dependence on Him, you become complacent, no longer a branch feeding off the Vine (per John 15). And what happens to non-abiding branches? What happens to lukewarm people? They go to the fire or are vomited out of the body. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 7:14:
“...narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”
When you really meditate on these verses, you get the radical idea that the odds are stacked against Americans going to heaven, because our relative wealth falls under the severe warning of Matthew 19:23 above. Could a large number of us be self-deceived into thinking we’re going to heaven when we aren’t? Consider His warning in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
And what is "the will of My Father?" Love, mercy, justice, and--When you consider America, the richest society on earth, a big part of the Father’s will, His burden, for most of us must be: Give more to the truly worldwide poor! They’re your sisters, your brothers! They need it more than you do!
It takes a lot of faith to give away cash and liquidate excess assets and give away the intake. But that's what He wants. May God help us to do His will.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
A Radical Truth: Jesus Taught That We Are Not to Accumulate Wealth (Part 1)
Jesus taught us a strange and radical doctrine: that we are not to accumulate wealth. He made two commands that together form this doctrine. The doctrine is further supported in Acts and in the Pauline epistles. The first command I will cover here in Part I. It is found in Matthew 6:19-20:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Since the Greek for “treasures” means “concentration of wealth,” Jesus is clearly commanding us not to accumulate wealth assets on earth. This command is radical—and seldom preached. Dr. William MacDonald, late president of Emmaus Bible College, author of 84 published books, had this to say in his Believers Bible Commentary about these two verses:
“…contains some of the most revolutionary teachings of our Lord—and some of the most neglected. In verses 19-21 Jesus contravenes all human advice to provide for a financially secure future … This teaching forces us to decide whether Jesus meant what He said. If He did, then we face the question, “What are we going to do with our earthly treasures?” If He didn‘t (mean what He said), then we face the question, “What are we going to do with our Bible?””
Most Christians don’t even think about the real meaning of the Matthew verses; they are either reading their Bibles without asking the Holy Spirit for interpretation; or their pastors, when covering this Scripture, have distorted the teaching to make it more palatable--such as emphasizing our “attitude” about our possessions. The pastor simply only cares that we don't get obsessed with accumulating more wealth, or obsessed with protecting what we have. So they often tell us that our sin here is to “treasure in our heart” our possessions. Unfortunately, that severely changes the verse, detracting from its clear meaning of not accumulating assets to “not coveting,” a much more vague concept--and one easily dismissible by many nominal Christians--so, people conclude, "I'm not sinning if I'm not coveting." We thus can forget the radical demand of the verse if we’re in a complacent mood (which we usually are). But the verse should be taken literally; it is simply a command not to lay up, or “store.” To preach that we need to look first at our heart to determine whether our possessions are our “treasure” is the exact opposite of what the verse says: as Jesus says in verse 21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Jesus knows (better than we do) that if our treasures are on earth, then the heart’s desire is earthly as well.
For further proof, let’s go to Luke 12:16-20. Here is a man who simply wants to be a saver, an investor, then retire—normal godly traits, we assume. If we didn’t read verse 20 and following, we would assert that he is a model of wise behavior:
"The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
This man DIES, seemingly, for being a wise planner! No other motivation is given for God's reaction. Hmmm. God evidently does not see the virtue of “saving” as we see it (not a surprise, actually; see Isaiah 55:8). What was the sin of the rich man, that he was called a “fool?” Was it that he forgot to ask God’s advice on what to do with his riches? Was it his intent on laziness? His pride? Well, Jesus answers that question in the next verse. Did Jesus say, “So is he who forgets to seek counsel from God?” Or, “ so is he who is proud?” No; Jesus says in verse 21:
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
This is so clear as to be unassailable. Yet preachers everywhere twist the clear meaning into something smoother, more palatable--less radical. Let me emphasize this: His sin that made him a fool and paid with his life--was laying up treasure, accumulating wealth assets--the same sin as quoted in Matthew 6 above. The verses point out a radical and definite command from Jesus to us. Will we obey that command, on faith? This is a serious sin, as well; the investor/retiree above died from disobeying it. Meditate on what you're reading here. Let’s call this concept Jesus’ command to Non-Accumulate. Yes, this is a financial life-changing doctrine. I suspect that pastors generally don’t believe that non-accumulation is a genuine command. They say, “Jesus cannot be teaching us to be so imprudent. What if I lose my job? If I haven’t saved some wealth, what could happen to me and my family? Jesus must be using allegory here; or, He doesn’t mean this for everyone at all times. So, since it is not a real command, I can ignore it.” Well, there are two answers to this train of thought. The first answer is: If it’s a command, it’s a command to obey, no questions asked. Our job is to obey it, not explain it away because it might leave us feeling insecure. God knows better than us. We can’t always know why. We should have faith in a loving God as His children that He will sort out the repercussions to our best spiritual interest. The second answer is: Where is your faith in God’s power? Jesus knows our concern here and answers it only a few verses later—in Matthew 6:26 and 31-32:
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?…So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
In other words, trust in God, not in yourself (your savings). Look, we all need to see God at work more, to know that He is real. What better way to experience this than seeing God rescue us from a financial tough spot? If He doesn’t rescue in a tight spot, maybe He is telling us: Hey, how did you get in that spot?
If we got there by overspending: Maybe we need to get less worldly in the use of our money and time. A second possibility may be that He wants to teach us not to buy an item yet—that would teach us patience, or maybe we would use such item to indulge in some sin, or idolize it, pulling us farther away from Him. In any of these, we get away from getting closer to Him and His will if we just snap out some savings to pay. We should leave ourselves open to God speaking to us—which He can only do if we don’t just fall back on our savings or credit card, our own security, for rescue. Families with kids living with them should get their children involved too. If you and your kids actually plead with God and then see God rescuing you, or if God refines worldly desires from your family, you—and the kids—are more likely, from that personal touch from Him, to grow to being “sold out” for the Lord. Isn’t that where you want your family to be? What would really sell the kids—and do good for humanity—would be to use your extra cash to give to the needy (to be discussed in second blog) rather than add to savings. By initially giving away your savings or extra cash above necessities, you test Him (Malachi 3:10). He will be happy to show that He is your security, not your reserve savings. We need to make sure that we are not insecure in Him. According to Psalm 37:25, you are not vulnerable to poverty if you are in the center of God’s will. You can’t be in that wonderful place by trusting in yourself rather than God.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Since the Greek for “treasures” means “concentration of wealth,” Jesus is clearly commanding us not to accumulate wealth assets on earth. This command is radical—and seldom preached. Dr. William MacDonald, late president of Emmaus Bible College, author of 84 published books, had this to say in his Believers Bible Commentary about these two verses:
“…contains some of the most revolutionary teachings of our Lord—and some of the most neglected. In verses 19-21 Jesus contravenes all human advice to provide for a financially secure future … This teaching forces us to decide whether Jesus meant what He said. If He did, then we face the question, “What are we going to do with our earthly treasures?” If He didn‘t (mean what He said), then we face the question, “What are we going to do with our Bible?””
Most Christians don’t even think about the real meaning of the Matthew verses; they are either reading their Bibles without asking the Holy Spirit for interpretation; or their pastors, when covering this Scripture, have distorted the teaching to make it more palatable--such as emphasizing our “attitude” about our possessions. The pastor simply only cares that we don't get obsessed with accumulating more wealth, or obsessed with protecting what we have. So they often tell us that our sin here is to “treasure in our heart” our possessions. Unfortunately, that severely changes the verse, detracting from its clear meaning of not accumulating assets to “not coveting,” a much more vague concept--and one easily dismissible by many nominal Christians--so, people conclude, "I'm not sinning if I'm not coveting." We thus can forget the radical demand of the verse if we’re in a complacent mood (which we usually are). But the verse should be taken literally; it is simply a command not to lay up, or “store.” To preach that we need to look first at our heart to determine whether our possessions are our “treasure” is the exact opposite of what the verse says: as Jesus says in verse 21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Jesus knows (better than we do) that if our treasures are on earth, then the heart’s desire is earthly as well.
For further proof, let’s go to Luke 12:16-20. Here is a man who simply wants to be a saver, an investor, then retire—normal godly traits, we assume. If we didn’t read verse 20 and following, we would assert that he is a model of wise behavior:
"The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
This man DIES, seemingly, for being a wise planner! No other motivation is given for God's reaction. Hmmm. God evidently does not see the virtue of “saving” as we see it (not a surprise, actually; see Isaiah 55:8). What was the sin of the rich man, that he was called a “fool?” Was it that he forgot to ask God’s advice on what to do with his riches? Was it his intent on laziness? His pride? Well, Jesus answers that question in the next verse. Did Jesus say, “So is he who forgets to seek counsel from God?” Or, “ so is he who is proud?” No; Jesus says in verse 21:
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
This is so clear as to be unassailable. Yet preachers everywhere twist the clear meaning into something smoother, more palatable--less radical. Let me emphasize this: His sin that made him a fool and paid with his life--was laying up treasure, accumulating wealth assets--the same sin as quoted in Matthew 6 above. The verses point out a radical and definite command from Jesus to us. Will we obey that command, on faith? This is a serious sin, as well; the investor/retiree above died from disobeying it. Meditate on what you're reading here. Let’s call this concept Jesus’ command to Non-Accumulate. Yes, this is a financial life-changing doctrine. I suspect that pastors generally don’t believe that non-accumulation is a genuine command. They say, “Jesus cannot be teaching us to be so imprudent. What if I lose my job? If I haven’t saved some wealth, what could happen to me and my family? Jesus must be using allegory here; or, He doesn’t mean this for everyone at all times. So, since it is not a real command, I can ignore it.” Well, there are two answers to this train of thought. The first answer is: If it’s a command, it’s a command to obey, no questions asked. Our job is to obey it, not explain it away because it might leave us feeling insecure. God knows better than us. We can’t always know why. We should have faith in a loving God as His children that He will sort out the repercussions to our best spiritual interest. The second answer is: Where is your faith in God’s power? Jesus knows our concern here and answers it only a few verses later—in Matthew 6:26 and 31-32:
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?…So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
In other words, trust in God, not in yourself (your savings). Look, we all need to see God at work more, to know that He is real. What better way to experience this than seeing God rescue us from a financial tough spot? If He doesn’t rescue in a tight spot, maybe He is telling us: Hey, how did you get in that spot?
If we got there by overspending: Maybe we need to get less worldly in the use of our money and time. A second possibility may be that He wants to teach us not to buy an item yet—that would teach us patience, or maybe we would use such item to indulge in some sin, or idolize it, pulling us farther away from Him. In any of these, we get away from getting closer to Him and His will if we just snap out some savings to pay. We should leave ourselves open to God speaking to us—which He can only do if we don’t just fall back on our savings or credit card, our own security, for rescue. Families with kids living with them should get their children involved too. If you and your kids actually plead with God and then see God rescuing you, or if God refines worldly desires from your family, you—and the kids—are more likely, from that personal touch from Him, to grow to being “sold out” for the Lord. Isn’t that where you want your family to be? What would really sell the kids—and do good for humanity—would be to use your extra cash to give to the needy (to be discussed in second blog) rather than add to savings. By initially giving away your savings or extra cash above necessities, you test Him (Malachi 3:10). He will be happy to show that He is your security, not your reserve savings. We need to make sure that we are not insecure in Him. According to Psalm 37:25, you are not vulnerable to poverty if you are in the center of God’s will. You can’t be in that wonderful place by trusting in yourself rather than God.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
The Nation Israel was Rejected By God
Have you ever walked into a Christian bookstore looking for End Times material, and were puzzled about the number of books on Israel? That’s probably because, either the bookstore is owned by dispensationalists —or because the bookstore simply buys what they know sells—and dispensational books sell. But there are problems with this doctrine.
The purpose of this paper is to give you a thumbnail sketch of dispensational doctrine, so that you can see the one tenet by which everything else in this doctrine hangs. If we blow that tenet up, through Scripture, then the whole doctrine collapses.
Per Wikipedia, dispensationalism is defined as “an evangelical, futurist, Biblical interpretation that understands God to have related to human beings in…“dispensations,” or periods in history…expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement, and propagated through…Scofield Reference Bibles…they hold to a pretribulation rapture…they believe that the nation of Israel is distinct from the Christian Church, and that God has yet to fulfill His promises to national Israel. These promises include…a millennial kingdom and a Third Temple where Christ, upon His return, will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years…. Dispensationalists also believe that toward the end of the Tribulation, Israel as a nation will turn and embrace Jesus as their messiah right before his second coming during the Great Tribulation…the Church, though, is a "parenthesis" or temporary interlude in the progress of Israel's prophesied history.”
Sorry about the long definition of dispensationalism. Now here is their timeline of relevant events of the last days: With no prior specific warning, the Rapture comes—when Christ comes, and all alive at the time who have had faith in Jesus will be called up by Christ to meet Him in the clouds, and onward to heaven. That means, they say, that those who are left on earth will all be unsaved, and will immediately endure seven years of tribulation and persecution by the antichrist. Then somehow (despite no saved people to start this period with), a huge evangelism effort (presumably led by 144,000 newly-saved Jews) will lead a huge number of additional Jews and newly-saved Gentiles to Christ, who will face off against the antichrist at Armageddon, when Christ comes to strike down the enemy. That ushers in the Millennium, ruled by mostly Jews; and then after a short rebellion, there is final judgment—when the unsaved of all ages are tried and sent to the lake of fire.
You can see how their idea of a rapture, followed by the tribulation, came to be called “pre-tribulation rapture.” What you may not know is that this John Darby idea was unheard of through the first 1800 years of the Church. Great, godly men, including men who were disciples of the apostles, had never come up with that idea, and suddenly it appeared in the early 1830s. From the beginning of the Christian church until 1830, those who held a futurist view almost universally felt that the end times means a great tribulation, after which the saved are raptured, followed immediately by a great judgment for saved and unsaved. Supposedly we've had it backwards for those 1800 ignorant years.
As you can see, Darby’s “pre-trib rapture” idea switches those two events—the tribulation-then-rapture becomes a rapture-then-tribulation for him. Mr. Darby, despite the fact that his idea was the new one, called all other Christian churches “apostates.” He knew better.
But I’m not here to discuss the timing of the rapture and tribulation. I have written three blogs on the subject, very carefully laying it all out by clear Scripture (hint: It doesn’t agree with Mr. Darby). What I want to analyze is indicated in my italicized statements in the definition above. I’m speaking of their claims that (1) God has promises to fulfill to the Jews; and (2) the Church is a “parenthesis,” or temporary interlude, in the progress of Israel’s prophesied history. You can see how that second tenet, in particular, is crucial to their whole doctrine—they believe that with the Christians raptured to heaven, the church is out of the way (it was only a parenthesis, anyhow), and God can resume His promises to the Jews from the Old Testament. So, he concludes, all subsequent events on earth after the rapture feature the Jews. The 144,000 Jews are massively successful evangelists, even more than Billy Graham, and the Jews rule the Millennium.
My problem with his theory is this: Scripture indicates, instead, that God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Further, in the present church age, the Church—saved Gentiles and Jews--is defined in Scripture as God’s “Israel” today. All Christians are sons of Abraham. Saved people are all one people—God doesn’t have two programs for two peoples, as dispensationalists allege. The “saints” mentioned several times in Revelation are saved Gentiles and Jews, together. The Millennium will be ruled by the saints—Jews and Gentiles. The Church is not a “parenthesis” to God; we carry the Holy Spirit, we are Jesus’ body—we represent Jesus in exercising compassion and rescue in the tribulation—we have a vital part to play in that time of great suffering and spiritual battle. I will easily prove these facts by Scripture. Scripture is so clear on this, frankly, that the only reason someone could believe dispensationalist doctrine is because either (1) the idea of God rejecting people that He once blessed is an unacceptable thought to them; (2) rejecting the Jews sounds anti-Semitic; or (3) dispensationalist thought is attractive-- it asserts that Christians “get outta town” (via Rapture) before the bad days of the tribulation comes. Getting to watch the tribulation from heaven sure sounds better than being in the thick of it.
Of the three reasons listed for liking dispensationalism, I can challenge two of them right away (the third will be covered in my main points below): (1) Whom God rejects depends simply on his or her reaction to His clearly-worded Scripture about redemption through Christ, and the required righteous life. Unfortunately, most people don’t truly love God—their lives ignore God. So God, in turn, has to reject them—the truth is, most people want to run their own lives, and make themselves the god of their lives. So He has to consign most people to hell for their disobedience. Matthew 7:13-14 speaks clearly about life (heaven) and destruction (hell). Note that heaven is attained for a small minority of people:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
(2) As to marking me as anti-Semite: I’m just following Scripture in my analysis. The Jews had a part in killing Our Lord, as you know. Consider Mark 15:12-14:
Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” 14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
We’re not just talking about the Pharisees crying out here—there weren’t enough of them to make a loud enough turmoil. Pilate felt Jesus was innocent, but was afraid that the noise and hate meant he would have a riot on his hands if he didn’t shed blood that they wanted; so that means the majority of Jews present were screaming—thus, the majority of them rejected Him. So the majority of Jews were guilty. And Pilate (a Gentile) could have had a spine, too, but believed Jesus was disposable. So that makes Gentiles guilty too (heavy discussion of this in the first several chapter of the book of Romans). Everyone’s sins doom us before a holy God who cannot stand sin. Without Christ, our Advocate, we are lost. Salvation is available—but only one way to attain it, through faith in Christ. No anti-Semitism here, folks.
Now let’s get to our main point: God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Scripture below will make that point forcefully. God’s Old Testament prophecy of the Jews’ unfaithfulness was in the mouths of all His prophets, as far back as Moses. Read Deuteronomy 31:16-17a:
And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured.
Note that God said He would forsake them. The Jews could have repented of their unfaithfulness, and God would take them back, with His forgiving heart; but instead they kept on killing the prophets. As the prophets predicted, the Jews were, in time, captured and made slaves, but later a small ragged group returned to the land. If you felt that that little return meant God forgave the Jews—that is not the case. The few who returned were not a free people for long after the return, being taken over by Rome.
God then begins the New Testament with the same theme of rejection of Jews, starting with John the Baptist in Matthew 3:9:
…and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(I have blogs on the subject of good fruit being crucial to salvation). John was bluntly telling the Jews that they won’t get to heaven on their genes—just being a Jew doesn’t get you there. Thus, the Jews were still failing heaven by relying on the wrong source.
Jesus is even more violent with words than John, in John 8: 22-47:
So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”…33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants 34 Jesus answered them,…37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, 39 They said to Him…we have one Father—God.”…42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; …44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.…47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Note the beginning words, "the Jews said"...and note His reply: "you will die in your sins..." Calling the majority of Jews sons of the devil couldn’t be printed in America without getting into trouble today, but it’s Scriptural. Jesus even called the Pharisees “serpents, brood of vipers” in Matthew 23:33—and asked them, “How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”
It’s true, of course, that nowadays some Jews are saved—but few. Under 1% of Christians are former Jews!
The actual rejection of the Jews is more plainly laid out elsewhere. Look at Matthew 8:8-12:
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy…But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed… 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“Many will come from east and west” are the Gentiles; the “sons of the kingdom” are the Jews. There it is, plain as day: The mostly unsaved Jews would be cast out into outer darkness (hell). When Jesus said things like this, it was God’s miracle that He even lived for three years of ministry, they would so want to kill Him—rather than repent. More confirmation is in Matthew 21:33-43, a parable where everyone figured out the meaning:
There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard… And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers…38 But when the vinedressers saw the son (Jesus), they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard (God the Father) comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”42 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing… 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
As plain as day about the kingdom of God: Taken from the Jews, given to another. Don’t misinterpret the word “nation” in verse 43. It simply means “people.” God isn’t going to make a country like Israel or the U.S., the apple of His eye now. The word "nation" is, in Greek, “ethnos.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary says: “in the plural (which this is) it means all the nations, as distinct from Israel.” God is giving the kingdom to people, from all countries, who bear the Holy Spirit’s fruit (Gal 5:22-23).
Paul also deals specifically with this rejection of the Jews, in Romans 9:30-32. Remember, the only Gentiles written to here are the ones saved by attaching their faith to the righteousness of Christ:
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue (the Law's) righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the Law..., has not attained... righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the Law.
“Attaining to righteousness” is heaven; and “not attaining” is hell. Again, the Jews hung their belief system on the wrong hook, only trying to follow the Law—so the majority of them will be in hell for eternity.
In Galatians 3:28-29, Paul deals with two subjects at once: (1) In the New Testament, all saints are one. God doesn’t have separate programs for two groups of saints: one group who get parenthetically shunted aside, and then dealing with another group to fill an Old Testament plan. (God is no longer interested in Old Testament covenant, now—just the New covenant). (2) Saved people, the Church, in the New covenant, are God’s Israel, and sons of Abraham. Thus, Israel, as a nation, has been rejected and the majority of Jews are not spiritually sons of Abraham, a man of faith, who believed in God's promises.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Plain as day: In the New Testament (the only one to consider, since it replaces the Old covenant), saved people are sons of Abraham—saved people are now the Israel of God, not a fleshly nation which has been rejected.
Part of the Old covenant given to the Jews was the rite of circumcision; but the problem is, they felt that that guaranteed their salvation. We can see in this paper that they were quite wrong in thinking a fleshly sign or their genes is all you need. There were big arguments in the New Testament where the saved Jews felt that if Gentiles wanted to be saved, they would have to get circumcised too. Paul was against any part of the old Law as a prerequisite for salvation. It all begins in Christ. See what he has to say in Galatians 6:15-16:
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Who is the “Israel of God?” You can see it: “New creations,” or saved people. Born again people, all saints, all one. What is the current rule, called “this rule?” It’s “the world has been crucified to me.” That means I have prayed away the love of the world so my body’s members don’t respond to it, as if they’re dead. What is the meaning of “and I to the world?” That means I am ready to give my life to Christ’s mission for me, rather than chasing after the world.
I Peter 2:8-9 has a secret message: They (unsaved Jews) stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.9 But you (saved Gentiles) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him..
The secret message? The three phrases that Peter uses for saved people, the Gentiles, were once given by God to the Jews. But you see, they have been rejected, and the phrases are now given to the saved. By the way,the phrase "to which they...were appointed" is not a fatalistic Calvinistic phrase, that God appointed them to hell, and there's nothing they could do. They were appointed to hell after their behavior and thoughts revealed them as unsaved.
Now we come to the most difficult verses of our study, Romans 11:21-26. Here's a helpful prelude: God wants a cultivated olive tree, the “Israel of God,” which is currently made up of Gentiles and a few Jews. The saved Jews are (based on their longer history) “natural” branches, and the Gentiles are “wild” branches--they got spliced in later. But based on their unfaithfulness, Jewish branches were mostly rejected, and have been cut off the tree. If they repent, they can be “grafted” back onto the tree again. We Gentiles shouldn’t brag about God grafting us onto the cultivated tree over them. Pride goes before a fall, you know, and we could be cut off too (this verse doesn’t help the “eternal security” believers, by the way). These verses are a word of caution being spoken to the saved Gentiles.
For if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews who ended up unfaithful), He may not spare you (Gentiles) either.22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell (the Jews), severity; but toward you (Gentiles), goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they (Jews) also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you (Gentiles) were cut out of (another) olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree (i.e., saved), how much more will these, who are natural branches, (the Jews), be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved…
As you can see, the Jews’ rejection gave them spiritual blindness—so they were set aside and the Gentiles allowed into the ranks of salvation--IF they don’t get prideful and fall back into sin; they must “continue in His goodness.”
What about that phrase, “the fullness of the Gentiles?” As Luke 21:24ff and Revelation 11:2 will explain, that’s talking about End Times, when the last of the Gentiles gets saved and the Rapture can come. (As I proved by Scripture in another blog, that will happen toward the end of the tribulation). But don’t get the idea that it means “the Gentile number for heaven is full, so let’s rapture them and start working on building up the Jewish number during the tribulation.”
And what about that last phrase, “all Israel will be saved?” This has been debated heatedly. Well, that could have two possible meanings: (1) In the End Times, when the antichrist has slaughtered millions of Jews, the remaining remnant sees the light—and loses the “blindness” which has pervaded them for centuries. Many of the remnant get saved. That would be a wonderful thing. Or it could mean (2) “All Israel” could simply mean “all saved people.” Obviously all of them are saved, by definition.
Two more thoughts: (1) Just because of the possibility that Israel gets evangelized in the End Times and a remnant gets saved does NOT justify the dispensationalists’ wild curriculum. I would hope you would agree that we have proven that the Jewish nation has been rejected, and does not have a separate, premier program in the Last Days. This Scriptural fact does a lot to destroy many of the distinctive facets of dispensationalism. And (2) I don’t care which of the two meanings above apply to “saving all Israel.” If hundreds of thousands of Jews get saved at the end, high fives for them—lots more interesting stories to share while we’re all in heaven forever. Remember, I don’t have an ax to grind against the Jews. I'm just figuring out doctrine from Scripture about being saved. God help us to study Scripture and not be rejected on that Day.
Also keep in mind, that according to dispensational thought, Christ has a second advent to do the rapture, and a third advent to rescue the tribulation saints at Armageddon. (First advent was His birth on earth). Three advents! It has never been taught that Christ has three advents. Scripture clearly indicates two.
But there are a couple other things going on with this “pre-trib” doctrine that I don’t like to see. First, what’s with this AWOL mentality among the dispensationalists? Are you saying you want to be raptured and leave your unsaved family or friends behind to suffer the tribulation alone? What’s with that? But your life is a sacrifice to God—it’s not yours. If He wants you on earth in the heat of battle against the antichrist and the devil, well, we’ll have to all just tough it out. Get used to the idea. Don’t be afraid. Fear is not of God (II Timothy 1:7).
Secondly, on the subject of rejection: I keep seeing this mentality: “God is grandpa and doesn’t reject anybody (even those who have rejected Him for almost three thousand years). He’s mellow and forgiving; once you accept Him, He’s yours forever no matter what you do.” I’ve got several blogs on this flawed mentality showing up in other subjects as well. Let me repeat: Remember Matthew 7:13-14: Only a minority get saved. The majority are rejected and sent to hell. As I said in another blog, some people need to read more of the Old Testament and God's anger against sin, or people need to read everything Jesus said, which included some mighty tough words about heaven and hell. God is holy and can be tough. On a side note: Don’t expect to hear all aspects of God from preachers. You'll hear only about His love and help from most of them. Pastors everywhere are dropping the ball on this. I don’t know why. Maybe corrupt doctrine has crept into seminary schools, or maybe they’re afraid if they make people feel down or anxious, they’ll go to another church. READ YOUR BIBLE YOURSELF. Ask the Holy Spirit—not “common taters”—for wisdom.
The purpose of this paper is to give you a thumbnail sketch of dispensational doctrine, so that you can see the one tenet by which everything else in this doctrine hangs. If we blow that tenet up, through Scripture, then the whole doctrine collapses.
Per Wikipedia, dispensationalism is defined as “an evangelical, futurist, Biblical interpretation that understands God to have related to human beings in…“dispensations,” or periods in history…expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement, and propagated through…Scofield Reference Bibles…they hold to a pretribulation rapture…they believe that the nation of Israel is distinct from the Christian Church, and that God has yet to fulfill His promises to national Israel. These promises include…a millennial kingdom and a Third Temple where Christ, upon His return, will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years…. Dispensationalists also believe that toward the end of the Tribulation, Israel as a nation will turn and embrace Jesus as their messiah right before his second coming during the Great Tribulation…the Church, though, is a "parenthesis" or temporary interlude in the progress of Israel's prophesied history.”
Sorry about the long definition of dispensationalism. Now here is their timeline of relevant events of the last days: With no prior specific warning, the Rapture comes—when Christ comes, and all alive at the time who have had faith in Jesus will be called up by Christ to meet Him in the clouds, and onward to heaven. That means, they say, that those who are left on earth will all be unsaved, and will immediately endure seven years of tribulation and persecution by the antichrist. Then somehow (despite no saved people to start this period with), a huge evangelism effort (presumably led by 144,000 newly-saved Jews) will lead a huge number of additional Jews and newly-saved Gentiles to Christ, who will face off against the antichrist at Armageddon, when Christ comes to strike down the enemy. That ushers in the Millennium, ruled by mostly Jews; and then after a short rebellion, there is final judgment—when the unsaved of all ages are tried and sent to the lake of fire.
You can see how their idea of a rapture, followed by the tribulation, came to be called “pre-tribulation rapture.” What you may not know is that this John Darby idea was unheard of through the first 1800 years of the Church. Great, godly men, including men who were disciples of the apostles, had never come up with that idea, and suddenly it appeared in the early 1830s. From the beginning of the Christian church until 1830, those who held a futurist view almost universally felt that the end times means a great tribulation, after which the saved are raptured, followed immediately by a great judgment for saved and unsaved. Supposedly we've had it backwards for those 1800 ignorant years.
As you can see, Darby’s “pre-trib rapture” idea switches those two events—the tribulation-then-rapture becomes a rapture-then-tribulation for him. Mr. Darby, despite the fact that his idea was the new one, called all other Christian churches “apostates.” He knew better.
But I’m not here to discuss the timing of the rapture and tribulation. I have written three blogs on the subject, very carefully laying it all out by clear Scripture (hint: It doesn’t agree with Mr. Darby). What I want to analyze is indicated in my italicized statements in the definition above. I’m speaking of their claims that (1) God has promises to fulfill to the Jews; and (2) the Church is a “parenthesis,” or temporary interlude, in the progress of Israel’s prophesied history. You can see how that second tenet, in particular, is crucial to their whole doctrine—they believe that with the Christians raptured to heaven, the church is out of the way (it was only a parenthesis, anyhow), and God can resume His promises to the Jews from the Old Testament. So, he concludes, all subsequent events on earth after the rapture feature the Jews. The 144,000 Jews are massively successful evangelists, even more than Billy Graham, and the Jews rule the Millennium.
My problem with his theory is this: Scripture indicates, instead, that God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Further, in the present church age, the Church—saved Gentiles and Jews--is defined in Scripture as God’s “Israel” today. All Christians are sons of Abraham. Saved people are all one people—God doesn’t have two programs for two peoples, as dispensationalists allege. The “saints” mentioned several times in Revelation are saved Gentiles and Jews, together. The Millennium will be ruled by the saints—Jews and Gentiles. The Church is not a “parenthesis” to God; we carry the Holy Spirit, we are Jesus’ body—we represent Jesus in exercising compassion and rescue in the tribulation—we have a vital part to play in that time of great suffering and spiritual battle. I will easily prove these facts by Scripture. Scripture is so clear on this, frankly, that the only reason someone could believe dispensationalist doctrine is because either (1) the idea of God rejecting people that He once blessed is an unacceptable thought to them; (2) rejecting the Jews sounds anti-Semitic; or (3) dispensationalist thought is attractive-- it asserts that Christians “get outta town” (via Rapture) before the bad days of the tribulation comes. Getting to watch the tribulation from heaven sure sounds better than being in the thick of it.
Of the three reasons listed for liking dispensationalism, I can challenge two of them right away (the third will be covered in my main points below): (1) Whom God rejects depends simply on his or her reaction to His clearly-worded Scripture about redemption through Christ, and the required righteous life. Unfortunately, most people don’t truly love God—their lives ignore God. So God, in turn, has to reject them—the truth is, most people want to run their own lives, and make themselves the god of their lives. So He has to consign most people to hell for their disobedience. Matthew 7:13-14 speaks clearly about life (heaven) and destruction (hell). Note that heaven is attained for a small minority of people:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
(2) As to marking me as anti-Semite: I’m just following Scripture in my analysis. The Jews had a part in killing Our Lord, as you know. Consider Mark 15:12-14:
Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” 14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
We’re not just talking about the Pharisees crying out here—there weren’t enough of them to make a loud enough turmoil. Pilate felt Jesus was innocent, but was afraid that the noise and hate meant he would have a riot on his hands if he didn’t shed blood that they wanted; so that means the majority of Jews present were screaming—thus, the majority of them rejected Him. So the majority of Jews were guilty. And Pilate (a Gentile) could have had a spine, too, but believed Jesus was disposable. So that makes Gentiles guilty too (heavy discussion of this in the first several chapter of the book of Romans). Everyone’s sins doom us before a holy God who cannot stand sin. Without Christ, our Advocate, we are lost. Salvation is available—but only one way to attain it, through faith in Christ. No anti-Semitism here, folks.
Now let’s get to our main point: God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Scripture below will make that point forcefully. God’s Old Testament prophecy of the Jews’ unfaithfulness was in the mouths of all His prophets, as far back as Moses. Read Deuteronomy 31:16-17a:
And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured.
Note that God said He would forsake them. The Jews could have repented of their unfaithfulness, and God would take them back, with His forgiving heart; but instead they kept on killing the prophets. As the prophets predicted, the Jews were, in time, captured and made slaves, but later a small ragged group returned to the land. If you felt that that little return meant God forgave the Jews—that is not the case. The few who returned were not a free people for long after the return, being taken over by Rome.
God then begins the New Testament with the same theme of rejection of Jews, starting with John the Baptist in Matthew 3:9:
…and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(I have blogs on the subject of good fruit being crucial to salvation). John was bluntly telling the Jews that they won’t get to heaven on their genes—just being a Jew doesn’t get you there. Thus, the Jews were still failing heaven by relying on the wrong source.
Jesus is even more violent with words than John, in John 8: 22-47:
So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”…33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants 34 Jesus answered them,…37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, 39 They said to Him…we have one Father—God.”…42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; …44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.…47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Note the beginning words, "the Jews said"...and note His reply: "you will die in your sins..." Calling the majority of Jews sons of the devil couldn’t be printed in America without getting into trouble today, but it’s Scriptural. Jesus even called the Pharisees “serpents, brood of vipers” in Matthew 23:33—and asked them, “How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”
It’s true, of course, that nowadays some Jews are saved—but few. Under 1% of Christians are former Jews!
The actual rejection of the Jews is more plainly laid out elsewhere. Look at Matthew 8:8-12:
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy…But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed… 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“Many will come from east and west” are the Gentiles; the “sons of the kingdom” are the Jews. There it is, plain as day: The mostly unsaved Jews would be cast out into outer darkness (hell). When Jesus said things like this, it was God’s miracle that He even lived for three years of ministry, they would so want to kill Him—rather than repent. More confirmation is in Matthew 21:33-43, a parable where everyone figured out the meaning:
There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard… And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers…38 But when the vinedressers saw the son (Jesus), they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard (God the Father) comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”42 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing… 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
As plain as day about the kingdom of God: Taken from the Jews, given to another. Don’t misinterpret the word “nation” in verse 43. It simply means “people.” God isn’t going to make a country like Israel or the U.S., the apple of His eye now. The word "nation" is, in Greek, “ethnos.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary says: “in the plural (which this is) it means all the nations, as distinct from Israel.” God is giving the kingdom to people, from all countries, who bear the Holy Spirit’s fruit (Gal 5:22-23).
Paul also deals specifically with this rejection of the Jews, in Romans 9:30-32. Remember, the only Gentiles written to here are the ones saved by attaching their faith to the righteousness of Christ:
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue (the Law's) righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the Law..., has not attained... righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the Law.
“Attaining to righteousness” is heaven; and “not attaining” is hell. Again, the Jews hung their belief system on the wrong hook, only trying to follow the Law—so the majority of them will be in hell for eternity.
In Galatians 3:28-29, Paul deals with two subjects at once: (1) In the New Testament, all saints are one. God doesn’t have separate programs for two groups of saints: one group who get parenthetically shunted aside, and then dealing with another group to fill an Old Testament plan. (God is no longer interested in Old Testament covenant, now—just the New covenant). (2) Saved people, the Church, in the New covenant, are God’s Israel, and sons of Abraham. Thus, Israel, as a nation, has been rejected and the majority of Jews are not spiritually sons of Abraham, a man of faith, who believed in God's promises.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Plain as day: In the New Testament (the only one to consider, since it replaces the Old covenant), saved people are sons of Abraham—saved people are now the Israel of God, not a fleshly nation which has been rejected.
Part of the Old covenant given to the Jews was the rite of circumcision; but the problem is, they felt that that guaranteed their salvation. We can see in this paper that they were quite wrong in thinking a fleshly sign or their genes is all you need. There were big arguments in the New Testament where the saved Jews felt that if Gentiles wanted to be saved, they would have to get circumcised too. Paul was against any part of the old Law as a prerequisite for salvation. It all begins in Christ. See what he has to say in Galatians 6:15-16:
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Who is the “Israel of God?” You can see it: “New creations,” or saved people. Born again people, all saints, all one. What is the current rule, called “this rule?” It’s “the world has been crucified to me.” That means I have prayed away the love of the world so my body’s members don’t respond to it, as if they’re dead. What is the meaning of “and I to the world?” That means I am ready to give my life to Christ’s mission for me, rather than chasing after the world.
I Peter 2:8-9 has a secret message: They (unsaved Jews) stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.9 But you (saved Gentiles) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him..
The secret message? The three phrases that Peter uses for saved people, the Gentiles, were once given by God to the Jews. But you see, they have been rejected, and the phrases are now given to the saved. By the way,the phrase "to which they...were appointed" is not a fatalistic Calvinistic phrase, that God appointed them to hell, and there's nothing they could do. They were appointed to hell after their behavior and thoughts revealed them as unsaved.
Now we come to the most difficult verses of our study, Romans 11:21-26. Here's a helpful prelude: God wants a cultivated olive tree, the “Israel of God,” which is currently made up of Gentiles and a few Jews. The saved Jews are (based on their longer history) “natural” branches, and the Gentiles are “wild” branches--they got spliced in later. But based on their unfaithfulness, Jewish branches were mostly rejected, and have been cut off the tree. If they repent, they can be “grafted” back onto the tree again. We Gentiles shouldn’t brag about God grafting us onto the cultivated tree over them. Pride goes before a fall, you know, and we could be cut off too (this verse doesn’t help the “eternal security” believers, by the way). These verses are a word of caution being spoken to the saved Gentiles.
For if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews who ended up unfaithful), He may not spare you (Gentiles) either.22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell (the Jews), severity; but toward you (Gentiles), goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they (Jews) also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you (Gentiles) were cut out of (another) olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree (i.e., saved), how much more will these, who are natural branches, (the Jews), be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved…
As you can see, the Jews’ rejection gave them spiritual blindness—so they were set aside and the Gentiles allowed into the ranks of salvation--IF they don’t get prideful and fall back into sin; they must “continue in His goodness.”
What about that phrase, “the fullness of the Gentiles?” As Luke 21:24ff and Revelation 11:2 will explain, that’s talking about End Times, when the last of the Gentiles gets saved and the Rapture can come. (As I proved by Scripture in another blog, that will happen toward the end of the tribulation). But don’t get the idea that it means “the Gentile number for heaven is full, so let’s rapture them and start working on building up the Jewish number during the tribulation.”
And what about that last phrase, “all Israel will be saved?” This has been debated heatedly. Well, that could have two possible meanings: (1) In the End Times, when the antichrist has slaughtered millions of Jews, the remaining remnant sees the light—and loses the “blindness” which has pervaded them for centuries. Many of the remnant get saved. That would be a wonderful thing. Or it could mean (2) “All Israel” could simply mean “all saved people.” Obviously all of them are saved, by definition.
Two more thoughts: (1) Just because of the possibility that Israel gets evangelized in the End Times and a remnant gets saved does NOT justify the dispensationalists’ wild curriculum. I would hope you would agree that we have proven that the Jewish nation has been rejected, and does not have a separate, premier program in the Last Days. This Scriptural fact does a lot to destroy many of the distinctive facets of dispensationalism. And (2) I don’t care which of the two meanings above apply to “saving all Israel.” If hundreds of thousands of Jews get saved at the end, high fives for them—lots more interesting stories to share while we’re all in heaven forever. Remember, I don’t have an ax to grind against the Jews. I'm just figuring out doctrine from Scripture about being saved. God help us to study Scripture and not be rejected on that Day.
Also keep in mind, that according to dispensational thought, Christ has a second advent to do the rapture, and a third advent to rescue the tribulation saints at Armageddon. (First advent was His birth on earth). Three advents! It has never been taught that Christ has three advents. Scripture clearly indicates two.
But there are a couple other things going on with this “pre-trib” doctrine that I don’t like to see. First, what’s with this AWOL mentality among the dispensationalists? Are you saying you want to be raptured and leave your unsaved family or friends behind to suffer the tribulation alone? What’s with that? But your life is a sacrifice to God—it’s not yours. If He wants you on earth in the heat of battle against the antichrist and the devil, well, we’ll have to all just tough it out. Get used to the idea. Don’t be afraid. Fear is not of God (II Timothy 1:7).
Secondly, on the subject of rejection: I keep seeing this mentality: “God is grandpa and doesn’t reject anybody (even those who have rejected Him for almost three thousand years). He’s mellow and forgiving; once you accept Him, He’s yours forever no matter what you do.” I’ve got several blogs on this flawed mentality showing up in other subjects as well. Let me repeat: Remember Matthew 7:13-14: Only a minority get saved. The majority are rejected and sent to hell. As I said in another blog, some people need to read more of the Old Testament and God's anger against sin, or people need to read everything Jesus said, which included some mighty tough words about heaven and hell. God is holy and can be tough. On a side note: Don’t expect to hear all aspects of God from preachers. You'll hear only about His love and help from most of them. Pastors everywhere are dropping the ball on this. I don’t know why. Maybe corrupt doctrine has crept into seminary schools, or maybe they’re afraid if they make people feel down or anxious, they’ll go to another church. READ YOUR BIBLE YOURSELF. Ask the Holy Spirit—not “common taters”—for wisdom.
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