Repentance

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The first recorded words of Jesus, as he began his public ministry, were:

Mark 1:15 — “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

But what does the word ‘repentance’ mean?

Jerome, in the Vulgate, translated μετανοεῖτε as poenitentiam agite (‘do acts of penance’).  As Ian Paul notes, this does several things to Jesus’ command:

it shifts it from being focused on attitude and outlook to being concerned with ritual acts;

it moves it from being a response to God to being set in the context of the institution of the Church (whose priests alone could dispense forgiveness through the rite of penance and confession);

and it became a habitual ritual rather than an urgent response to the ‘end times’ coming of God.

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Israel’s future in dispensational teaching

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I take, as a representative of moderate dispensational teaching, C.C. Ryrie, in his book The Final Countdown.

Here is a precis of chapter 5 – ‘Israel and her future’.

1. They will return

Isaiah 11:11f speaks of a ‘second’ return from exile:

‘The first captivity was known as the Babylonian captivity, and it lasted 70 years. From it, some Jews returned to Palestine to restore Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. But under the Roman rule, the Jews were dispersed (A.D.

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Whose Promised Land? – The land after Christ

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Whose Promised Land? (5th edition), by Colin Chapman.

 Synopsis of chapter 5 – The Land After Christ

5.1 The birth of Jesus the Messiah

The annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:31-33), the song of Mary (Lk 1:46-55), the song of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79, the song of Simeon (Lk 2:25-32), and the words of Anna (Lk 2:36-38) all testify that the promises to Abraham and David have been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus the Messiah.

These individuals, and others like them, had been looking forward to restoration of Israel and the liberation of Jerusalem, now understood to have begun through the coming of Jesus.…

Jn 7:38 – “From within him will flow rivers of living water”

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John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 7:39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)…

God’s covenant with Abraham – from Genesis to Revelation

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Genesis 12:1–3 — Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you. 2 Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name.”…

Whose Promised Land? – The land before Christ

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Whose Promised Land? (5th edition), by Colin Chapman.

Synopsis of chapter 4 – The Land Before Christ

4.1 The Promise of the Land

God’s promise to Abraham is recorded in Gen 12:1-3 and is repeated many times, both to him and to Isaac and Jacob.

The were four components:

  • ‘I will give you the land as an everlasting possession.’
  • ‘I will greatly increase your numbers… and I will make you into a great nation.’
  • ‘I will make an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your descendants.’
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Whose Promised Land? – Crucial Issues Today

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Whose Promised Land? (5th edition), by Colin Chapman.

Synopsis of chapter 3 – Crucial Issues Today

3.1 What about the occupation?

‘The central issue in the conflict since 1967 has remained Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.’

‘Israel has effectively created a kind of apartheid state.’

3.2 What have been the main subjects of dispute?

‘Refugees and the right of return: what is to be done with all those who became refugees in 1948?’…

Dispensationalisms

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Although it is quite usual to treat dispensationalism as a single ‘ism’ (I tend to do this myself), there are, in fact, several types that overlap in part, but which have significant differences too.

Here’s an attempt to distinguish between them.

1. Dispensationalism before Darby (??).

Dispensationalism is usually traced back to J.N. Darby (1800-1882).  However, William C. Watson has attempted to make out a case that dispensationalism pre-dates Darby and could be found in the 17th and 18th centuries.…

Israel and church in dispensational teaching

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Foundational to dispensationalist teaching is the idea that Israel and the church are two distinct entities.

L.S. Chafer wrote:

‘God is pursuing two distinct purposes: one related to the earth with earthly people and earthly objectives involved which is Judaism; while the other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly objectives involved, which is Christianity.’

Ryrie concurs:

‘A dispensationalist keeps Israel and the church distinct…This is probably the most basic theological test of whether or not a person is a dispensationalist.

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John 1:18 – The invisible God revealed (sermon notes)

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Jn 1:18  ‘No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.’

The Prologue – a unique part of Scripture.  Here we are introduced to one who is called ‘the Word’, and whose true character is gradually unfolded.  We are taught that this Word is eternal, personal, divine, creative, life-giving, revealing, and (wonder of wonders!) incarnate.

This verse forms the conclusion and climax of the whole prologue. …