Future Israel
Future By Barry E. Horner
Readability 4
Spiritual challenge 6
Doctrinal Agreeability 9
This topic (and book) was brought to
me by an unbelieving Jewish man who started studying the New Testament (NT) because
he has observed anti-Semitism historically in Christianity and wanted to see
for himself if the source was the NT, or an improper interpretation
of the New Testament. So, up front, I want to challenge my friend that Jesus
and the majority of the NT writers are Jewish, and their writings are not anti-Semitic. And Horner does great job showing that through appealing to OT and NT sources. Another reason this topic is of considerable
interest to me is the number of my friends that are becoming more Reformed in
areas beyond Soteriology to a Reformed Eschatology and Ecclesiology.
In Future Israel Israel
It is significant that Horner is reformed in his education, and other areas
of theology. His subject of expertise is Puritan literature (Bunyan in
particular). Also, John MacArthur wrote
a positive review of the book and recommends
Future Israel as "required reading for every pastor, seminarian, and
student of Bible prophecy."
Beyond demonstrating a correlation
between replacement theology and anti-Jewish thought, Horner develops the NT's
claims of a continuing Jewish National/existence today and into God's plans yet
future.
Before I survey the chapters, I'll
make a couple of general observations.
First, although his documentation is
sound and convincing, some of the language can be over-emotional, almost
volatile. His link between quotes of
replacement theologians concerning Israel
On the
subject of readability: wow this book was difficult to get through, and I
enjoyed the topic! There are lengthy
quotes on nearly every page. It would have been great if Horner would have
summarized half of them in a sentence quoting the individual. The book would have been 1/3 the length and
much more enjoyable. That being said, Horner is not writing for popular reading
so perhaps I just need to grow up.
Below is a
brief overview of the chapters:
Chapter 1 - Israel
In this
chapter Horner offers a contrast between Augustine/Calvin and
Bonar/Spurgeon. From these men Horner
contrasts two positions - the view that National Israel has no distinctive
eschatological hope with the view that National Israel does have a distinctive
national hope.
Chapter 2 - Israel
Horner
documents centuries of "anti-Judaism" in Christian thinking by
surveying positions and quotes from Christians in 13 different sections of
Christian history. In most of these
sections there are examples of alarming anti-Jewish thought in Christian literature. Let me offer to my Jewish friends another
apology for these positions that are antithetical to the Love Jesus has for all
Jewish people and is also antithetical to the love of early believers like Paul
who would gladly go to Hell if only Jewish people would come to believe in
Jesus. But let me also offer a few notes
of explanation - not excuses but explanation.
1. Many of these periods of history are dark (hence
the term Dark Ages). In many of these seasons
of church history true believers are in the extreme minority - especially in the
realm of church leadership. Be careful
not to quote as Christian someone who's heart and soul has not been transformed
by the love of Christ.
That being
said there are quotes from men whom we regard as champions in other areas of
doctrine whose' position on the Jewish nation is horrible. I would get up and walk out of the room were
I to hear Ambrose say Jewish people are a "house of impiety, a receptacle
of folly, which God himself has condemned"... or Chrysostom "I hate
the Jews for they have the law and they insult it." So let me offer a couple other thoughts that
are extremely important in this regard.
I wish Horner would bring these out as well.
2. The age of the separation of church and state
and religious freedom is a relatively new idea.
We read our culture back into many of these previous times. The view that Islam has towards the nations
it conquers is the only view of past history.
"Covert or die." Even
at the founding of the American states, you would have to be of a certain faith
or denomination in order to be accepted in that state. There were exceptions, but unbelief was a State
offence - a crime. I think that freedom of faith is a wonderful
thing! But we have to acknowledge that
this is not the norm in most cultures in history. So don't read today's freedom of religion
back into a past context.
Jewish
people were spoken against and persecuted not because they were Jewish per se, but because they were
unbelieving. If I were alive back then and
I believed in a marshmallow god who showered starbursts and rainbow wings on
everyone who offered praise and homage to her I would be persecuted with all
the hatred and vitriol of those who persecuted Muslims and Jewish
unbelievers. Of course this was wrong
back then, just as it is today. True
Christianity dies for it's belief's suffering gladly for the cause of
Christ. This is the testimony of the
first two hundred years of Christianity.
One more
thought to consider.
3. Many Christians persecuted and spoke against
others who were Christians that did not hold to their particular denominational
belief. The same anti-Jewish language
that Horner cites could be cited as spoken from "good Christians" to
other "good Christians." This
was an age where spiritual matters were much more weighty than material
matters. If someone taught in error they
were called to the carpet (or sadly, execution). Souls were at stake - eternal existence hung
in the balance and there was no room for mincing words or taking matters
lightly. There is some good we can learn
from this in our culture. Today we are
so slow to call out false teachers that they spread much more quickly. Of course, they took this to a fault
(especially considering the first point above).
In fact, in
the reformation times I would be persecuted because of my view of baptism. Even though I call myself a Christian I am
not the type of Christian that the State is so I would be persecuted till I got
in line. And if I didn't change or leave
I would be killed!
One quick
illustration of this. Luther and Zwingli
met with several other reformers to see if they could iron out their differences
and combine forces to help link the Reformation movement in Switzerland (Zwingli) with Germany
Do I excuse
their actions? No. But it helps me see the culture in which some
of these quotes against Jewish people fall.
They are still horrible - but as you put them among similar quotes from Christians
to Christians they are more understandable.
They are not excusable but understandable... I believe Luther (and other reformers) would
have said the same things about their own wives had they known they were guilty
of the same unbelief. Sad but true.
Chapter 3/4 - Israel
The next
two chapters are given to expose Anti-Judaism in current thought (US/UK). If you have read my three reasons for
understanding Anti-Judaism quotes in Church History past, you know that those
reasons go out the window in current theology.
Horner links the Anti-Jewish thought today with a reformed
eschatology/ecclesiology.
Horner quotes
from Albertus Pieters (Western Theological Seminary in MI), Loraine Boettner (Princeton),
Gary Burge (Wheaton ), O Palmer Robertson (African Bible College Land of Israel
Although
the quotes in these two chapters are more subtle than the ones from the
previous (anti-Judaism in History).
Horner examines how replacement theology lends itself to being
Anti-Jewish - especially with regard to the current Israeli/Palestinian debate. The Knox letter was good reading through a
big chunk but sickening in how it spoke of Israel
and Palestine
The
Anti-Jewish described in these chapters is more in tone than content and has
more to do with the modern state of Israel
This is a
great chapter to get an overview of the history of the Israel
Chapter 6 - Israel
The chapter
surveys replacement theology throughout the ages of the church. Horner also quotes many disagreed with the
replacement theology of the day. The
largest portion of the chapter deals with eschatology (doctrine of end times)
and especially Fairbairn, Bavinck and Vos.
Chapter 7 - Israel
Horner
shows how often in Reformed circles, the OT is miss-read through the lenses of
the NT, reinterpreting clear OT passages in light of NT theology.
"An anti-Judaic eschatology is most often grounded on a
NT re-interpretation of the OT. By this
means the 'Christianizing' of the OT results in it being evacuated of its
distinctive Jewish roots and substance" (pg. 186).
Although we
see the OT in light of the NT and it gives greater OT understanding, the
greater understanding should not change the essence of the language. Often the normal language of the OT text
points to Jesus - but where it does not we don't stretch to fit it in. We shouldn't see the church in the honey of
the carcass of the lion that Sampson enjoyed.
Nor do we reinterpret clear promises to Israel
Especially
helpful in this chapter is a section that walks through three popular passages which
are used to demonstrate a new New-Covenant Hermeneutic (Hosea 1:1/Matthew 2:15;
Amos 9:11-12/Acts 15:16-18; Zech 12:10-14/John 19:37, Rev 1:7).
Chapter 8 - Israel
Often pre-millennialism
is criticized for being too physical, too earth-centered. Here Horner gives scriptural support for a
continuing understanding of the physical in our spiritual future. Also he highlights a resurgence of this
concept in recent Post-millennial writers.
In the pre-millennial system, "materiality is not ultimately to be
transcended, but rather transformed" (pg. 214).
Chapter 9 - Israel
For Horner
this is the crux of the issue. If God's
promises are based on unconditional promises to Abraham then we cannot assume
that the NT church supersedes these promises thus abrogating them for Abraham's
children. After all, we would not think
that as possible to the promises of blessing to "all the nations of the
earth." He shows how God's land-possession
promises and nation promises to Israel are not just based on the Mosaic
covenant and therefore conditioned upon obedience, but are based on the
unconditional, eternal Abrahamic Covenant.
He quotes
Bavnick, Cranfield, Lloyd Jones, and Waltke against this position, especially
in their understanding of Romans 11. However,
he walks through Luke 21:2-24, John 1:11, Romans 9:26, Romans 11:1, 26, 29, Galatians
3:16, 21 in support.
Chapter 10 - Israel
This is a
valuable chapter in the book as Horner goes step by step through Romans 11
developing the Biblical understanding of Israel Israel
Especially significant
is Romans 11:28, "from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved
for the sake of the fathers."
Chapter 12 - Israel
Horner enjoins Gentiles to rise up in evangelizing and bringing Jewish
people to a saving understanding of Messiah, Jesus. If you interpret the parable of the prodigal
son as the Jewish older brother looking down on the salvation of the Gentile
younger brother who came to the Father fresh with the smell of swine spit. How degrading! Then we now see the relationship completely
switched. Horner applies this same story
to those who now look down on evangelistic outreach to Jewish people.
"Certainly the Jews of Jesus' time
were contemptuous in their regard for the Gentiles. But how strange it is that today so many Gentile
Christians, and hardly any Jewish Christians, are of the opinion that now it is
the Jews that are beyond redemption and forever cast aside by the Father in
heaven. On the part of some Gentile Christian,
their attitude toward ethnic Jews and national Israel
I'll end with Horner's conclusion as well as a beautiful poem.
"As was stated in the introduction
of this volume, in the field of eschatology there are matters of lesser
significance that concern the antichrist, the great tribulation, the rapture,
etc. But the issue of the place of Israel Israel
Wake, harp of Zion
Upon thine ancient hill,
On By Kedron's lowly rill.
The hymn shall yet in
That sounds Messiah's praise,
And Thy loved name, Immanuel!
As once in ancient days.
For
For her salvation waits,
And hill and dale shall sweetly sing
With praise in all her gates.
Hasten, O Lord, these promised days,
When
And Jew and Gentile join in praise,
With one united voice.
James Edmeston, 1846
Comments
Post a Comment