An Antidote to Covenant Theology

THE PREMILLENNIAL FAITH

1 The Church is not Israel. Israel is not the Church

What builder, half way through construction, then proceeds to put in the foundations?

Paul said, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation 1 Cor.3:10. Foundation of what, if it is not the Church?

ye are . . . built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Eph.2:20. Who are the 'ye'? - V.8 tells us, those by grace saved through faith. They are built on something that did not exist prior to Christ. The building began subsequent to Christ saying upon this rock I will build my church. Mat.16:18 . It can be seen quite clearly that Christ used the future tense. Israel existed at that time. It was not the Church and it was not to have any extension built on to it. A new work began with the death and resurrection of Christ. the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost began that work.

2 Promises given to Israel cannot be misappropriated by the Church.

God deceived Abraham if His promise cannot be taken literally. The promise began in Gen.12:1-3, . . . I will make of thee a great nation. An unconditional covenant was then established In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Gen.15:18. The later history of Abraham shows that he did not for one minute think that this great promise was to be spiritualized. He saw nothing allegorical in it. If God intended it thus, then Abraham was duped and God let him go on in his deception.

That promise has yet to be fulfilled. the seed of Abraham has never possessed the land to the boundaries given, certainly not in Solomon's day.

A-millenialists take a woolly minded approach to Scripture. they tell us that 1 Ki.4:20-21 shows a fulfilment. But the border of Egypt is not the river of Egypt. The western limits of Solomon's empire reached to Gaza. If the A-millenialists think that the covenant was literally fulfilled, why are they still trying to spiritualise it? A careful reading shows the ABrahamic covenant to be unconditional so why did God not keep His word? Why do prophets coming after Solomon prophesy concerning the occupation of the land? See Jer.31, 32 chapters of restoration, spoken not long before Israel was taken into captivity. The days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord. . . . I will gather them out of all countries. . . . I will bring them again unto this place. . . I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

If OT promises are made to Israel, they pertain to Israel.

3 Israel has a future but not yet.

There is no green tree in Palestine yet. Jews are there in unbelief. Though a few may get saved they do not represent the nation. Those trusting Christ become members of the Church which is His body. The nation at large remains. They have been put to one side for the time being, for God is dealing with the Church at this time (1 Pet.4:17).

Paul spoke of Israel's future. . . . And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. Rom.11:26,27.

what strange flight of fancy can take this and apply it to the church? Every child of God is secure in that his sins were settled once and for all at Calvary. This covenant therefore does not relate to the Church at all. All, not part, of Israel shall be saved. That hasn't happened yet. It will happen when the Deliverer comes. I do not need a Deliverer for I have a Saviour, but it is the same Christ Who will then come to His own and be received of them.

4 The Church has a better covenant that was never given to Israel.

A new covenant was promised to Israel, Jer.31:31, to be fulfilled after those days. The writer to the Hebrews refers to this in order to show that the mention of a new covenant implies that the old must disappear. It has not been swallowed up in Christianity. It has not been modified and adapted to a Christian covenant. The old vanishes away. A better will take its place until the time of Israel's New Covenant comes.

Then we see in Hebrews 8:6-13 that neither has Jeremiah's new covenant come into operation. Christians do not have God's laws put into their minds and written in their hearts. If so then all believers would be at the same level of understanding and obedience.

Believers do need teaching, so that we come to know our Lord and Saviour better and better. That is the purpose of the ministry of the word. It will not be needed in that coming day.

We have a far superior, a better covenant than that given to the house of Israel. The writer to the Hebrews refers to it in this same passage He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 8:6.

5 The Lord’s coming to the air is not His coming to the earth

Old Testament prophecies speak of the second coming of Christ. They speak of His coming again to reign on the earth. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives. Zech. 14: 4. This is confirmed in the New Testament, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1: 11

He is coming to earth with His saints. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. Jude 14.

Rev. 19: 11-15 also speaks of His coming to earth with His saints, to execute judgment. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Because the subject of the New Testament Church is not found in Old Testament prophecies, references to the second coming in the O T all relate to an earthly fulfilment.

The Church is a mystery (secret) revealed in the New Testament.

In the New Testament, 1 Thess. 4: 16 tells us, The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Here, the Lord is coming for His saints. The meeting is in the air. The earth is not mentioned. Israel is not involved in this. It is the rapture of the New Testament saints. It precedes the Lord’s coming to earth by at least seven years. A-millennialists have no satisfactory explanation for this verse.

The Lord MUST come for His saints before He can come with them.

His coming to the air will be hidden from the eyes of all ungodly. There is nothing strange in this. Just remember that no ungodly eye gazed on the Lord in His resurrection.