The Church's Neglect of Israel After the Millennium
The question of the Church's neglect of Israel after the millennium is a contested topic among Christian traditions. The disagreement centers on the interpretation of biblical prophecies regarding Israel's future and the Church's relationship to it.
Diverse Eschatological Views
The debate revolves around the millennium, a period described in Revelation 20:1-6, and its implications for Israel. One position, associated with Reformed theologians like Charles Hodge, holds that the millennium will be characterized by the conversion of the nations and the restoration of Israel to its rightful place in the Church [1]. According to this view, Christ's second coming will be personal and glorious, and He will establish a visible, external kingdom with Jerusalem as its center.
In contrast, some early Church Fathers, such as Lactantius, interpreted the biblical prophecies as indicating that Israel was rejected by God due to its wickedness [3]. This perspective is not necessarily eschatological but rather focuses on the historical relationship between the Church and Israel.
Scriptural Interpretations
Different interpretations of key biblical passages drive the divergence in views. For instance, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, in their commentary on Micah 5:3, understand the passage as referring to Israel's deliverance from its long "travail-pains of sorrow" synchronizing with the appearance of Messiah as her Redeemer in the last days [2]. This interpretation is linked to the idea of Israel's restoration.
On the other hand, the Apostle Paul's writings, particularly in Romans 11:26, are seen by some as indicating that Israel's salvation is tied to the coming of the Redeemer out of Zion [2]. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, distinguishes between "Israel after the flesh" and the "Israel of God," emphasizing the spiritual nature of the latter [5].
Hermeneutical Commitments
The divergence in views is rooted in different hermeneutical commitments. Reformed theologians tend to interpret biblical prophecies literally, expecting a future restoration of Israel. In contrast, some Patristic interpretations, such as those of Augustine, focus on the spiritual significance of Israel's history and its relation to the Church [4].
The historical context of the early Church and its relationship with the Jewish people also influences the interpretation of biblical prophecies. The early Church Fathers often saw the Church as the new spiritual entity that had superseded the old Israel, while some Reformed theologians maintain a more literal understanding of Israel's future.
Shared Ground
Despite the differences, all positions agree on the significance of Israel in biblical prophecy and the importance of understanding God's plan for His people. The various traditions also concur that the Church has a complex and multifaceted relationship with Israel, rooted in shared scripture and history.
The differing views on the Church's neglect of Israel after the millennium reflect fundamental hermeneutical and theological commitments. Understanding these differences is crucial for appreciating the rich diversity within Christian eschatology. The Church's relationship with Israel remains a vital aspect of Christian theology, with ongoing debates and discussions reflecting the complexity of biblical prophecy and interpretation [1, 3, 4].
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 95: in the standards of any of the Churches of the Reformation; by several it is expressly repudiated. It is a modern novelty, suggested but one hundred and fifty years ago by Whitby, and avowedly as ‘a new hypothesis.’” According to this view, (1.) The nations are not to be converted, nor are the Jews to be restored to their standing in the Church, until the second coming of Christ. (2.) His advent is to be personal and glorious. (3.) He will establish Himself in Jerusalem as the head of a visible, external kingdom. (4.) When He comes, the m”
- Micah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Micah 5:3: "Therefore (because of His settled plan) will God give up to their foes His people Israel, until," &c. she which travaileth hath brought forth--namely, "the virgin" mother, mentioned by Micah's contemporary, Isa 7:14. Zion "in travail" (Mic 4:9-10) answers to the virgin in travail of Messiah. Israel's deliverance from her long travail-pains of sorrow will synchronize with the appearance oÅ“ Messiah as her Redeemer (Rom 11:26) in the last days, as the Church's spiritual deliverance synchronized with the virgin's giving birth to Him at His first advent. ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 7: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius — UPON WHAT ACCOUNT ISRAEL, FALSELY SO NAMED, IS REJECTED BY GOD, DEMONSTRATED FROM THE PROPHETIC PREDICTIONS. (part 1): V. For those are most certainly to be avoided who blaspheme God. The greatest part of the ungodly, indeed, are ignorant of God; but these men, as fighters against God, are possessed with a wilful evil disposition, as with a disease. For from the wickedness of these heretics "pollution is gone out upon all the earth,"(15) as says the prophet Jeremiah. For the wicked synagogue is now cast off by the Lord God, an”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — CHAP. XVII.--IN OPPOSITION TO THE ROMANS WHO REJECTED THE GOD OF ISRAEL ALONE.: 25. However, here is a matter which should meet with more careful consideration at their hands,--namely, what they take the God of Israel to be, and why they have not admitted Him to the honours of worship among them, in the way that they have done with the gods of other nations that have been made subject to the imperial power of Rome? This question demands an answer all the more, when we see that they are of the mind that all the gods ought to be worshipped by t”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 10:18: Behold Israel after the flesh,.... So the apostle calls them, to distinguish them from the Israel of God, the spiritual Israel, whether Jews or Gentiles; who are born again, believe in the true Messiah, worship God in a spiritual manner, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in fleshly things; but these were the descendants of Jacob or Israel by carnal generation, were carnal men, in the flesh, in a state of unregeneracy, and were employed in a carnal worship, in the observance of carnal commandments and ordinances; these the apostle directs to, to s”