Segment #7 Learning Objectives
After studying this segment, students should be able to:
- Better understand the major theme and high point in the Hebrew prophets as to the place of
Israel within the period of the Messianic kingdom/
- Summarize the first facet of Israel’s final restoration, the national regeneration of Israel which
is based upon the New Covenant.
- Trace the prophetic development including Jer. 31:31-34; 50:19-20; Isa. 29:22-24; 30:18-22;
44:1-5, 21-23; Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:25-27; Hosea 1:10-2:10 and many other Scriptures.
- Explain the second facet of the final restoration of Israel, the regathering of the Jewish people from all over the world.
- Relate this to the Land Covenant of Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20 as well as the prophetic development of this.
- Gain a great deal of knowedge from the Pentecost readings pertaining to four of the five covenants that God made with the nation of Israel and the relationship of this to Eschatology.
- List and support the seven great features which are determinative: (1) a nation forever, (2) a land forever, (3) a King forever, (4) a throne forever, (5) a kingdom forever, (6) a new covenant, and (7) abiding blessings.
- Appreciate the great importance of these covenants as it pertains to the Theocratic Kingdom.
Required Reading For Segment #7
Fruchtenbaum, FOTM – Read Chapter 19, Israel in the Messianic Kingdom, Part A. 1. “The Regeneration of Israel” and Part A. 2. “The Regathering of Israel”
Pentecost, TTC – Chapter V “The Abrahamic Covenant,” Chapter VI “The Palestinian Covenant,” Chapter VII “The Davidic Covenant,”and Chapter VIII “The New Covenant.”
Segment #7 Optional Reading
Ryrie, Charles C. The Basis of the Premillennial Faith. Dubuque, IA: ECS Ministries, 2005.
Peters, George N. H. The Theocratic Kingdom. 3 vols. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1884.
Reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1952.
Walvoord, John, F. “Millennial Series,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 110:197, July, 1953.
Segment #7 Study Questions from Fruchtenbaum, FOTM and Lecture
- Israel within the period of the Messianic Kingdom is a major theme of the Hebrew prophets. Which prophets wrote about it and which did not?
- What is the basis of Israel’s final regeneration, and where do we find it in Scripture?
- According to Isaiah 30:18-22 what will the regeneration result from?
- Which passage in Isaiah does Dr. Fruchtenbaum note that it was God who chose Israel from the very beginning?
- At the time of Israel’s regeneration, what will the Jewish people receive that enables them to walk in and to keep God’s righteous standards?
- Which Minor Prophet includes the theme of Israel’s regeneration in both the beginning and end chapters?
- Which Minor Prophet highlights that this regeneration of Israel will be a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
- Which Pauline passage emphasizes that all Jewish people living at the time of the regeneration will be saved?
- The regathering of Israel that follows the regeneration is another high point of prophetic revelation to be found in many of the prophets. Which passage in Isaiah describes it as the second worldwide regathering of Israel?
- Who will be included in the final regathering of Israel and what will accompany the event?
- Prior to the regathering of Israel, something else is considered the high point of Jewish history. What event is that?
- Which prophet, whose whole theme was one of judgment, closed his book with a promise of the final regathering?
- As Zechariah portrayed the final regathering, he saw it in terms of a shepherd calling for his sheep. How does the Bible refer to that call?
- According to Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27 who will be involved in the final regathering of Israel?
Segment #7 Study Questions from Pentecost, TTC – Chapter V “The Abrahamic Covenant,” Chapter VI “The Palestinian Covenant,” Chapter VII “The Davidic Covenant,”and Chapter VIII “The New Covenant.”
- Why are the covenants contained in the Scriptures of primary importance to the interpreter of the Word and to the student of Eschatology?
- What are the basic (or core) covenants in Reformed (Covenant) Theology?
- How many times do the theological terms, Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace, occur in Scripture?
- Which of Israel’s covenants are called eternal?
- Since God had revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 3:15), with whom He had entered into covenant relationships, and since these men had died without receiving the fulfillment of the promises, inasmuch as the covenants could not be broken, it was necessary for God to raise these men from the dead in order to fulfill His word.
What passage did Pentecost use to support this claim?
- The language of the Abrahamic Covenant is plain and to the point. The original covenant is given in Genesis 12:1-3. How many confirmations and amplifications of it are in Genesis?
- In the development of the Abrahamic Covenant it is of utmost importance to keep the different areas in which promise was made clearly in mind. Why?
- Whether God would institute a covenant program with Abraham or not, depended upon Abraham’s act of obedience in leaving the land. Why?
- In order to reaffirm the covenant to Abraham concerning the seed and the land (Gen. 15:18) Abraham is told by God to prepare animals of sacrifice that together they might enter into a blood covenant. What insights did Keil and Delitzsch provide about this ritual?
- Ryrie outlines the implications of the Abrahamic Covenant. He says: “All agree that the Abrahamic covenant is one of the outstanding covenants in the Word of God. Its crucial issues in relation to premillennialism are two. List them.
- How did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob understand the term “seed” in this promise made by God?
- In Romans 11 it is shown that God has taken the nation Israel out of the place of blessing temporarily, but will restore them to that place of blessing when His program with the Church is terminated. What does this consideration show as regarding the Church?
- Ryrie well answers the argument that Israel has been set aside. He writes:
“…Since some insist that the nation has been completely rejected of God, two passages of Scripture must be carefully examined. The first one is Matthew 21:43: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”…an accurate interpretation of this verse must answer these questions: what will be taken away, from whom is it taken, and to whom is it given? How does Ryrie answer these two questions?
- Has the Abrahamic covenant been fulfilled? There are those who contend that this covenant will not be fulfilled in the future because it has been fulfilled already in the past. What is the argument they make regarding this?
- How did the following quote by George Peters impact you? “Whatever may be said respecting the temporary possession of Canaan…or whatever may be asserted respecting the descendants being meant “as yet in his loins,” etc., one thing is most positively stated in the Bible, viz.: that this promise was not fulfilled in the Patriarchs, in any of the forms alleged by unbelief. The Spirit, foreseeing this very objection, provided against it, lest our faith should stumble. Thus Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, tells us (Acts 7:5) that “He (God) gave him (Abraham) none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on, yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him.”
- How did the following quote by George Peters impact you? Peters continues, “This…should be decisive, especially when confirmed by Paul (Heb. 9:8, 9, and 11:13-40), who expressly informs us that the Patriarchs sojourned in “the land of promise,” which they were to receive as “an inheritance,” “pilgrims and strangers,” and that “they died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were pilgrims and strangers on the earth.” How, with such evidence before us, can we attribute to only their posterity what is directly asserted of themselves personally?”
- The Land Covenant (a.k.a. the Palestinian Covenant) is stated in Deuteronomy 30:1-10.
An analysis of this passage will show that there are seven main features in the program there unfolded. List the seven.
- The Land Covenant has the guarantee of God that He will effect the necessary conversion which is essential to its fulfillment. What Scriptures does Pentecost cite to support this?
- The eschatological implications of the Abrahamic covenant lie in what key words?
- What verses does Pentecost list that confirm and amplify the seed promises of the Covenant?
- List the provisions of the Davidic covenant.
- The essential features, eschatologically, of the Davidic Covenant are implicit in three words found in 2 Samuel 7:16. List them.
- In what Psalm did David foretell of the overthrow of his kingdom before the realization of that which had been promised?
- George Peters gave a list of some twenty-one reasons for believing that the whole concept of the Davidic throne and kingdom is to be understood literally. Which ones did you find most compelling?
- “The New Testament is totally lacking in positive teaching that the throne of the Father in heaven is to be identified with the Davidic throne. The inference is plain that Christ is seated on the Father’s throne, but that this is not at all the same as being seated on the throne of David.” Be able to identify the author of this quote:
- “It is interesting to observe that the angel, who did not originate his own message, but announced that which was delivered to him by God, says to Mary:
“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:31-33). The angelic message centers around the three key words of the original Davidic covenant, the throne, the house, and the kingdom, all of which are here promised a fulfillment.” Discuss why this is so important as it pertains to the topic of Eschatology.
- In Acts 15:14-17, what is meant by the “tabernacle of David” and what passage in the Hebrew Bible is the source of the phrase?
- Has the Davidic Covenant been fulfilled historically? Discuss the argument as presented by the amillennialist and how it would be countered by a dispensational millennialist.
- List the promises contained in the New Covenant. Is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is also included in this promise?
- The blood of the Lord Yeshua Messiah is the foundation of all the blessings of the new covenant. What verse or verses support this?
- Do amillenarians use the New Testament references to the New Covenant to prove that the Church is fulfilling the Old Testament promises to Israel? For them, is there a need for a future earthly millennium? Why or why not? What has this to do with Hebrews 8:8-12?
- There are three premillennial views as to the relation of the Church to the New Covenant made with Israel. Which one, if any, does Pentecost think is correct (or has the most merit)? Summarize Pentecost’s position on this.
Segment #7 Spiritual Growth: Implications and Applications Assignment
Most believers do not study the covenants that God made with Israel in sufficient detail or with objective, sound, and consistent hermeneutics. These chapters you studied in Pentecost and Fruchtenbaum have exposed you to the way these covenants should be approached, analyzed, and understood. You can now better appreciate their central importance in the study of the Word of God and His program for the future in particular.
The number of quotations from George Peters’ book that Pentecost incorporated into this part of his book is astounding. It reflects the high regard Pentecost had for Peters’ work. Peters’ spent a good deal of his life studying about this one topic, the Kingdom of God. Read the following quotes from Peters again and then proceed to the corresponding assignment.
How did David himself understand this covenant? This is best stated in his own language. Read e.g. Ps. 72, which describes a Son infinitely superior to Solomon; reflect over Ps. 132, and after noticing that “the Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, He will not turn from it; of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne” (which Peter, Acts 2:30, 31, expressly refers to Jesus); consider the numerous Messianic allusions in this and other Psalms (89th, 110th, 72nd, 48th, 45th, 21st, 2d, etc.), so regarded and explicitly quoted in the New Test. by inspired men; ponder the fact that David calls Him “my Lord,” “higher than the kings of the earth,” and gives Him a position, power, dominion, immortality, and perpetuity, that no mortal King can possibly attain to, and most certainly we are not wrong in believing that David himself, according to the tenor of the covenant “thy Kingdom shall be established forever before thee,” expected to be in this Kingdom of His Son and Lord both to witness and experience its blessedness…” (Vol. 1, p. 314).
Assignment:
Do as George Peters recommends in this quote, read Ps. 2, 45, 48, 72, 89, and 132.
As you read note the number of references to the Davidic Covenant and/or Messianic allusions
and record these by either (a) highlighting them in your Bible, or (b) writing notes in your Bible
next to these passages, or (c) record insights on a separate notebook on these themes in these
psalms Peters listed.