The present church age is a "parenthesis" or intercalation during which God
has temporarily suspended His primary purpose with Israel.
If there were Old Testament prophecies of the church age as Acts 3:24clearly demonstrates, then it cannot legitimately be argued that this age is a "parenthesis". God has not "suspended" His purpose for national Israel. He
has fulfilled it and is fulfilling it in the true Israel, the church. The kingdom of God was taken from Israel, as a nation and given to the true Israel (Matt 21:43, Luke 12:32)The true Israel was, in Jesus time, the remnant of faithful believing Jews-- the disciples. True Israel now includes
believing Gentiles who are being grafted into this body along with faithful Jews (Rom.11) If the True Israel, consisting of the faithful Jewish remnant and engrafted
Gentiles, is now fulfilling the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament, then is God through with the Jewish people as a whole forever? That is precisely the question Paul addresses in Romans 9-11. There God teaches that
He has not permanently rejected the Jews as a whole (Rom 11:1).They were hardened in part to bring salvation to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:7-11). When the fullness of the Gentiles has been grafted into the olive tree(representing
God's people), all Israel will be saved. That does not mean they will be brought into Palestine. They will be grafted back into the ONE good olive tree, the Church. There is now no separate purpose for the Jews apart from
Jesus Christ. (Gal 3:28)
Here are some quotes from Dispensational Theologians
Lewis Sperry Chafer - "In fact, the new, hitherto unrevealed purpose of God in the out-calling of a heavenly people from the Jews and Gentiles is so divergent with respect to the divine purpose toward Israel, which purpose
preceded it and will follow it, that the term parentheical, commonly employed to describe the new age-purpose, is inaccurate. A parenthetical portion sustains some direct or indirect relation to that which goes before or that which follows; but the present age-purpose is not thus related and therefore is more properly termed an intercalation. (Systematic Theology 4:41)
John Fl Walvoord - "The evidence if interpreted literally leads inevitably to the parenthesis doctrine." (Millenial Kingdom, 230)
J. Dwight Pentecost - "The church is manifestly an interruption of God's program for Israel." (Things to come, 201)
Charles C. Ryrie - "The Church age is not seen in God's program for Israel. It is an intercalation." (Basis of the Premillenial Faith, 136)
For those of you maybe like me who didn't know what an intercalation is I have included the definition.
Intercalation means: 1 : to insert (as a day) in a calendar 2 : to insert between or among existing elements or layers
If the True Church and True Israel are together in the Olive Tree of the covenant then how can it be an intercalation?
God Bless
GLJCA
has temporarily suspended His primary purpose with Israel.
If there were Old Testament prophecies of the church age as Acts 3:24clearly demonstrates, then it cannot legitimately be argued that this age is a "parenthesis". God has not "suspended" His purpose for national Israel. He
has fulfilled it and is fulfilling it in the true Israel, the church. The kingdom of God was taken from Israel, as a nation and given to the true Israel (Matt 21:43, Luke 12:32)The true Israel was, in Jesus time, the remnant of faithful believing Jews-- the disciples. True Israel now includes
believing Gentiles who are being grafted into this body along with faithful Jews (Rom.11) If the True Israel, consisting of the faithful Jewish remnant and engrafted
Gentiles, is now fulfilling the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament, then is God through with the Jewish people as a whole forever? That is precisely the question Paul addresses in Romans 9-11. There God teaches that
He has not permanently rejected the Jews as a whole (Rom 11:1).They were hardened in part to bring salvation to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:7-11). When the fullness of the Gentiles has been grafted into the olive tree(representing
God's people), all Israel will be saved. That does not mean they will be brought into Palestine. They will be grafted back into the ONE good olive tree, the Church. There is now no separate purpose for the Jews apart from
Jesus Christ. (Gal 3:28)
Here are some quotes from Dispensational Theologians
Lewis Sperry Chafer - "In fact, the new, hitherto unrevealed purpose of God in the out-calling of a heavenly people from the Jews and Gentiles is so divergent with respect to the divine purpose toward Israel, which purpose
preceded it and will follow it, that the term parentheical, commonly employed to describe the new age-purpose, is inaccurate. A parenthetical portion sustains some direct or indirect relation to that which goes before or that which follows; but the present age-purpose is not thus related and therefore is more properly termed an intercalation. (Systematic Theology 4:41)
John Fl Walvoord - "The evidence if interpreted literally leads inevitably to the parenthesis doctrine." (Millenial Kingdom, 230)
J. Dwight Pentecost - "The church is manifestly an interruption of God's program for Israel." (Things to come, 201)
Charles C. Ryrie - "The Church age is not seen in God's program for Israel. It is an intercalation." (Basis of the Premillenial Faith, 136)
For those of you maybe like me who didn't know what an intercalation is I have included the definition.
Intercalation means: 1 : to insert (as a day) in a calendar 2 : to insert between or among existing elements or layers
If the True Church and True Israel are together in the Olive Tree of the covenant then how can it be an intercalation?
God Bless
GLJCA
