Category Archives: Covenant, new, old

New Heaven and New Earth

Posted on 05/02/2026 | Leave a comment

What does the Bible mean when it talks about a ‘new heaven and a new earth’?

This biblical concept is first seen by us in the prophet Isaiah. God promised to create “new heavens and a new earth,” We will look at several of many Isaiah text below.

This article will show that ‘new heaven and a new earth’ is fulfilled in the New Covenant! For Christians it is a present reality! Not something in the future. It is the passing of the old covenant system of the Mosaic era, the sacrificial system and the arrival of the new in AD 70.

Let’s turn first to the Old Testament where find many uses of the phrase in Isaiah.

First Isaiah 1:2-4  Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!  . . . . “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me. . . . .  but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” 4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are . . . . 

This is a dramatic call, not mere poetic flourish—it invokes cosmic witnesses, a legal convention in ancient Near Eastern treaties where creation itself testifies to covenant violations (cf.  Deut 32:1; Mic 6:2).

The use of parallelism—“heavens” and “earth”—frames the message as universal and irrevocable. The structure reflects a prophetic indictment: God presents His case before creation, emphasizing the gravity of Israel’s betrayal.

God’s lament draws on the intimate metaphor of divine parenthood.  This father-child relationship underscores the depth of betrayal: Israel, as a privileged son (Ex 4:22; Hos 11:1), responds not with loyalty but rebellion. Not with mere boredom but with utter rejection. A profound spiritual blindness—a failure to acknowledge divine care and authority.

Next Isaiah 13:13. For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.”

Next Isaiah 65:17. “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.  

(Note verse 8 in this context: For I still have true servants there. I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will inherit it, and my servants will live there.)

Lastly Isaiah 66:22 “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear,” says the Lord.  

It is God’s new heaven and a new earth and is unlike what will pass away. True Israel will forever be his people, under the Lordship of Jesus.

Now let’s turn to the instances of the phrase in the New Testament.

Revelation 21:1: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . . . . . “

Believers whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 20:15) dwell there eternally. They reign with Christ, enjoy God’s presence, and experience eternal joy—free from death, sorrow, crying, and pain (Rev 21:4). This happened 2000 years ago!

This is the culmination of God’s redemptive plan—reversing the Fall, fulfilling His promises to Abraham, and restoring creation to its original purpose of being filled, ruled, and cultivated by obedient image bearers. 

It is the ultimate hope of the Christian faith, not a temporary state, but an eternal dwelling place. The phrase ‘new heaven and a new earth’ cannot be taken literally. Heaven is God’s home, thus will never change. The Bible is not about the physical universe or cosmology.

Jesus said I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Mat 5:18

So even the smallest detail of God’s law has now disappeared because it’s purpose has been achieved and fulfilled by Jesus. We know that Jesus has brought to an end the entire Mosaic law, bringing the New Covenant. Why would any detail of the law still be in effect? We are in ‘the new heaven and a new earth’ now! 

He also said Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. Mat 24:35

Here, in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was not talking about a literal heaven or a literal earth. He was not talking about the end of the physical world. He was talking about a spiritual condition. Relationship with God. Jesus put the context of the passing of heaven and earth alongside his second coming and the judgment of Israel in the generation then alive.

With Peter we see talk about the imminent coming of the ‘new heaven and a new earth’:

. . . .   you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 2 Peter 3:11-13

This is apocalyptic language. Peter does not envisage a literal “melting of elements” or “heavens on fire”. But Peter and his readers eagerly look forward to what is soon to come. This is not about the future far away.

Many writers try to shoehorn these passages into a hyper-creedal “end of world history” philosophy and tradition. They are wrong. This ‘world’ may not look like a world filled with God’s righteousness. But there is an enormous contrast between the old and the new covenant for the genuine believer, then and today. The old has gone, obsolete. Now we enjoy the new heavens and a new earth. We must believe it and live it and rejoice in its benefits.

Have confidence in the Lord.

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Israel or Christ?

Posted on 14/12/2025 | 5 comments

Recently I read an article by Dr Tim Orr who rather than exult the Lord Jesus focuses on a relationship with Israel and the nation, modern Israel. He believes Israel is still God’s chosen people. See his article here: https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2025/11/21/reclaiming-israel/

This author is not true to the New Testament. I sent the following comments to this publication.

God’s promise to Abraham came true for us Christians down to this very day. For we who follow Jesus are the true people of God. We are Abraham’s descendants. Not fleshly Israel. Not earthly Jerusalem.


This author has cherry-picked the scriptures to claim that Israel is the chosen people of God. He has ignored much evidence in the NT for example:


Galatians 6:16. We are the Israel of God. The ὅσοι [‘as many as’] refers to the individual Christians, Jewish and Gentile; and ‘Israel of God’ to the same Christians, seen collectively and forming the true messianic community.” (Word Studies in the New Testament vol. 4, p. 180).

Paul cannot be pronouncing a benediction upon persons who are not included in the phrase “as many as shall walk by this rule” (i.e., the rule of boasting only in the cross). The entire argument of the epistle prevents any idea that here he would give a blessing to those who are not included in this group. And Paul also wrote: “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”. (Galatians 3:29). See also Galatians 3:6-9, 12.


Galatians 3:26-29: For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you (Gentiles).


1 Peter 2:4-10: . . . . . . for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

These terms, chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession, reflect Deuteronomy 7:6, 10:15, 14:2.

Under the New Covenant the same applies to all believers in Christ both Jew and gentile.


Matthew 8:11-12. Jesus said to unbelieving Jews: “I tell you this that many Gentiles will come from all over the world –from east and west–and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites–those for whom the Kingdom was prepared–will be thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


Replacement theology’?  Nonsense.

Israel has not been replaced. Israel was transformed at Pentecost, with the remnant, Jews from all nations of the Dispersion. From then on these Jewish believers were persecuted by the Jews who rejected their Messiah, as Jesus said would happen in the Olivet Discourse.


And see 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16. And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.


1 Thessalonians 1:3-4. We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.


Romans 11:30–36 does not teach about a kingdom with both Jews and Gentiles as distinct populations within the people of God. That would be a totally abhorrent idea for Paul (Galatians 3-6, Ephesians 2-3).

Many commentators have adopted Israel as their focus. It’s idolatry.

No matter how much New Testament scripture is quoted they don’t want the truth. So brainwashed. 

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No One Can See God

Posted on 17/10/2025 | Leave a comment

Jesus said: “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. . . . . .  because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer . . . “. (John 16:7-10).  

He said this surprising thing “where you can see me no longer”. He said that he would send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was better for them than his physical presence!

Can you grasp how incredible that is?

The truth that many people miss is that no one can see Christ in bodily form and live.

But instead, Jesus told them he would send what could not be seen: the Holy Spirit. That gift enables the multiplication of the works of Christ by his followers in the world. Those works will be seen.

Many people are obsessed with the idea that Jesus will come and they will physically see Jesus. They will be disappointed. We already have what is for our good that he went away!

He will not come back to rule physically from an earthly Jerusalem. If you believe that you have believed a lie.

The New Testament tells us that when the Son of Man comes he comes hidden in the clouds of God’s splendour and glory! (e.g., Mat 24:30, 26:64) 

His coming is often called a ‘Parousia’ (1 Thes 2:19,3:13, 4:15). In Jesus’ day parousia meant ‘visit’, typically of the visit of a king who leaves his palace and visits a city but then returns to his home.

His coming will not be physically ‘seen’ but understood. He could never be seen by human, physical eyes in His exalted, glorious, state, “whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Tim 6:16).

The NT says when he comes it will be in judgment and the fulfilment of all that is written (Luke 21:22), not to be gazed at. See also judgment passages in 1 Thes 1:10, 2:15-16.

The Holy Spirit is with them from the Day of Pentecost until He comes again and beyond to this our day—the experience we have now!

See Acts 1:9. “And after He had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received him out of their sight.” He was hidden from their eyes by a cloud (Grk. nephelē). Just as he was hidden from their eyes as he went into heaven, so when he comes He will be hidden to human eyes by the clouds of glory (Mat 24:30).

Since then, Jesus has never been physically seen by human eyes. nor will he ever.

Do you see? Do you understand? Many stumble over this, thinking that because he would not be seen by human eyes, then he has not yet come.

Paul wrote: we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour. (Titus 2:11f.) The blessed hope of Paul was the appearing of his glory, not his physical presence.

That appearance of his glory has already come and been seen by the first generation of believers according to Mathew 10:23, 16:27-28, 24:30-34, as I have written in my many posts on my blog.

Let’s rejoice that he has come to dwell by his Spirit among his people, His ekklesia, and to empower us to be his witnesses as he did with the first apostles!

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The Age to Come

Posted on 16/07/2025 | Leave a comment

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings. 2 But he told them, “All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!” 3 “When will this happen?” the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. “What events will signal your return and the end of the age?” 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. 6 When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. Matthew 24:1-6

The Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition referred to a future era of divine fulfilment, the Messianic Age. This period was envisioned as an age of universal peace, harmony, and the reign of the Messiah, where evil will be eradicated, and the knowledge of the Creator will be widespread.

That’s why Jesus and the disciples along with the Jews expected a future era which was referred to as ‘the age to come’, contrasting with their current age.

In Christian tradition, the “age to come” is similarly associated with the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  

For Jews, the idea of the Messianic Age is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the books of the prophets. Isaiah speaks of a time when “nation will not lift sword against nation” and “they will no longer study warfare. Isaiah 2 speaks of a time when the Mount of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains, and all nations will stream to it, seeking peace and learning the ways of the Lord.

Isaiah 11 describes the Messianic Age as a time when a shoot will come forth from the stump of Jesse (David’s father), and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

This figure, the Messiah, will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord, bringing wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.

The Messianic Age is also described in Isaiah 32, where the Spirit of the Lord will be poured out on the people, leading to a time of peace, security, and prosperity. The passage emphasizes that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

In addition, Isaiah 42 highlights the Messiah’s role in bringing justice to the nations. He will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on earth, and the nations will look to him for guidance and hope.

Isaiah 65:17-19. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

These Old Testament passages collectively paint a picture of the Messianic Age as a time of peace, justice, and the presence of God’s Spirit, where the Messiah will reign and bring about a new era of harmony and righteousness.

Now consider these passages from the New Testament:

Now consider these passages from the New Testament:

Matthew 12:32. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Luke 18:30. . . . . . receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

 

1 Corinthians 2:6.  we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away

 

Ephesians 1:21. Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

 

Hebrews 6:5.  . . .tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come

 

Revelation 21:4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, . . . . .  nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away

Jesus would have expounded to the disciples many Old Testament scriptures that pointed to end times. Also He would have given them His own direct teachings. Matthew recorded many of these He gave them before the Olivet discourse. See Matthew 4:17, 5:17, 10:23, 16:17-18,  9:36-43, 13:47-50, 22:2-14.

It is a huge mistake to think that the End in the Bible means the end of everything. But that’s what a surprising number of Christian people believe.

              That’s an error which the famed scholar C S Lewis made. Lewis blatantly said Jesus was mistaken! He said Jesus failed to come back in the End time as he said he would. (See Lewis’ book “The World’s Last Night”).

That is also the mistaken view of many liberal scholars, atheists and Islamic writers.

So, please do not make this mistake.

Jesus was not mistaken and he cannot lie. But true to his promise, he returned as he said he would before many of his followers passed away (Matthew 10:23, 16:17-18 and 24:34.

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The Disciples’ Two Big Questions

Posted on 08/06/2025 | 2 comments

When Jesus’ disciples pointed out the temple buildings, He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”  Matthew 24:1-2.

This temple complex had taken 46 years to build (John 2:20). It was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was built of stones weighing up to 400 tons. The entire complex, with its multiple courts, was capable of accommodating up to one million people. 

The temple was the epicentre of the entire Jewish religion.

Think about that. Jesus declared it would be totally destroyed! Torn down.  

For the disciples to hear such words from their Master would have shocked them to their care.

Jesus often used the phrase truly I say unto you when about to say something extremely surprising and unbelievable. He used this phrase as if to warn them they were about to be shocked. He used this expression again in verse 34.

This event was the most shocking and tumultuous thing any Jew could imagine would happen. This struck at the very heart of Judaism, their religion, God’s house. This was unimaginable, incredible, beyond belief.

The Jerusalem temple was everything to them.

The destruction of the temple will happen because it was now no longer God’s house, but ‘desolate’ (Matthew 23:38). In a few days, Jesus would make the sacrifice once for all (Hebrews 10:9, 12, 14, 18). See also Jesus’ words recorded in Luke 21:24. We know today that the Roman army under Titus destroyed the temple in 70 AD along with the city of Jerusalem.

In this shocking announcement, Jesus provoked the disciples to ask questions. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? (v3).

The first: ‘Tell us, when will this happen?’ The ‘when’ question.

The second: ‘What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?’ The ‘what sign’ question.

Some people say there were three questions. But there are only two questions. The disciples understood his return would coincide with the end of their current age. The Jews believed there were two ages. First the age of the whole sacrificial and temple system. And second, the age to come when their Messiah would come and reign.

Verses 14-26 and 32-44 deal with the ‘when’ question and 27-31 deal with the ‘what sign’ question.

Jesus said (v14) And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations [peoples] will hear it; and then the end will come.

Please note that the word ‘whole world’ translates the Greek oikemene, i.e., the Greco-Roman world, the inhabited world, not the whole planet.

History shows us how this actually happened in the 1st century. Paul wrote that the Good News had been proclaimed throughout the Greco-Roman world—see Romans 1:8, 15:19; Colossians 1:6.

Does this not show that “the End” has already come? The age to come has arrived along with Jesus’ return long ago.

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Dispensationalism and John Nelson Darby

Posted on 06/06/2025 | 2 comments

People who follow dispensational and ‘rapture’ teaching invariably believe the teachings of Darby.

John Nelson Darby was born in 1800 to a prominent family in London. First, he became a lawyer, then he became a priest in the Church of Ireland. However, he became concerned over the prevailing condition of the church, which he saw as deadened by formality. The style of work,” he wrote, “was not in agreement with what I read in the Bible concerning the church and Christianity; nor did it correspond with the effects of the action of the Spirit of God” (Letters of J. N. Darby, Oak Park, IL: Bible Truth Publishers, 1971, III, 297–298).

The Darby family owned the most haunted castle in the country, Leap Castle. There 150 dead bodies were found in the cellars, and where satanic masses were held. Darby used all kinds of occult terms in his religious writings. He was involved in many secret societies and occult groups.

During the time of his predecessor Jonathan Charles Darby there, séances were held in the castle by the latter’s wife Mildred Darby. She was a writer of Gothic novels, leading to publicity about the castle and its ghosts. The claims of paranormal activity include the putative existence of a Red Lady ghost, the ghosts of two girls, and an “elemental spirit” associated with Mildred Darby. The castle describes itself as “the world’s most haunted castle.” 

You can read about this at https://www.thestandingstone.ie/2009/08/leap-castle-co-offaly.html

And at https://www.ciaranmchugh.com/gallery/the-bloody-chapel-at-leap-castle/ 

Darby marked his doctrinal works with Masonic and Theosophical terms. See here

https://libertytothecaptives.net/darby_writings_occult.html.

See Darby’s Pre-Trib Rapture ‘Christ’ compared to Alice Bailey’s Theosophical/Luciferian Christ here: https:libertytothecaptives.net/darbychrist_newage.html 

His teachings

Darby taught the separate economies in God’s redemptive purpose. He separated Israel and the Church. There were two distinct groups, two distinct identities, and two distinct futures. He viewed Acts 2 in the New Testament as a pivotal moment in God’s dealings with Israel. He claimed that began a new dispensation, the ‘church’. This period would last until what he understood as the ‘rapture’.

He taught seven dispensations: Paradise, Noah, Abraham, Israel, Gentiles, the Spirit and the Millennium. He held a hermeneutic of “literal interpretation” to all areas of scripture including Old Testament prophecies.

Darby toured many times through the United States and Canada from 1859 to 1874, widely spreading his theological perspectives. His dispensational teachings were further made popular by C. I. Scofield in his notes for the highly influential Scofield Reference Bible.

The Logos.com website ‘Got Questions?’ claims that “today premillennialism and a modified form of Darby’s dispensationalism are held by the majority of evangelicals”. Some estimate half a billion evangelicals, chiefly in America. Logos appears to support this theory.

But is this teaching true? Is it Biblical?

The Bible holds to its unity, both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Bible always stresses the unity of the people of God. The one covenant, the covenant of grace, is the overarching structure. But the dispensationalist structure cuts up the Bible into 7 parts. This is mere presupposition.

Darby proposed the ‘church age’. But as things would get worse, Christ would come back to ‘rapture his church’. Then he says we have seven years of tribulation (misquoting Revelation 16-19). Then Christ comes back as the second coming. Then finally, the thousand-year reign, the millennium.

Dispensationalists think several scriptures show the distinct roles of Israel and the Church and the progressive revelation of God’s plan. They cite Genesis 12:1-3, God’s covenant with Abraham, promising descendants, land, and blessings for all nations through his seed. Dispensationalists interpret this as a literal promise that will be fulfilled within the people of Israel. Again mere presupposition.

The New Testament absolutely explodes this theory.

Paul wrote that gentiles are “no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Ephesians 3

Dispensationalists hold that the seed of Abraham is just the physical offspring of Abraham. But in Galatians 3:16, Paul explains that “the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring.” He then explicitly identifies the offspring (seed) as Jesus Christ. Then in verse 29: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Christ is a literal physical descendant of Abraham. But because believers, both Jew or gentile, are united to Christ. Thus we too are Abraham’s offspring if we belong to Christ. This is the true gospel.

Dispensationalists cite Ephesians 3:2-5 and 3 other scriptures. They claim that Paul’s term “dispensation” is used to describe God’s progressive revelation of the mystery of the Church.

But Paul says that the church is part of God’s eternal purpose. It will endure forever into the future: “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, “ (Ephesians 3:10-11)

God will be glorified in the church for all future eternity: “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. ” (Ephesians 3:21)

Dispensationalists believe the church is a temporary stop gap measure. They fail to comprehend that the church is the bride of Christ and that the wedding day is the second coming. “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. ” (Ephesians 5:27)

Dispensationalists teach that the church ends at the second coming, when in fact the church continues forever as the bride of Christ. They believe the church was thought up at the last minute when the Jews rejected Jesus as their king! I kid you not! They fail to realise that our salvation is within the Body of Christ and will continue forever.  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Dispensationalism, the rapture and premillennialism? All heresy invented by John Darby in 1830 AD.

Conclusion

I challenge all dispensationalists: Show me what I write here is incorrect OR admit your own errors. We cannot both be right. One of us is wrong—seriously wrong. Okay?

If you hold Dispensationalism you are preaching a false gospel, according to the scriptures.

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What is Dispensationalism?

Posted on 04/06/2025 | 2 comments

Dispensationalism originated in the nineteenth century in the teaching of John Nelson Darby. It is that recent. It was popularized in the United States through Its growth was spurred on through the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible. <Scofield’s Bible (published in 1909) contributed further to the spread of dispensationalism. This ‘bible’ included study notes written from a distinctively dispensationalist perspective. 

This is a religious system which claims to be Christian while actually emptying Christianity of that which is essential to it. If dispensationalism does this, then it is a cult. It cannot be considered a section of Christianity.

It is as serious as that. It is impossible to exaggerate the gravity of the situation.

Dispensationalism can lead to a misunderstanding of key biblical teachings, such as the Sermon on the Mount, which is binding on Christians today. 

Critics of dispensationalism argue that the system misinterprets the Bible. This leads to a fragmented understanding of God’s plan for humanity.

The doctrine of salvation is indisputably and uncompromisingly essential to Christianity.

Dispensationalism has departed from the only way of salvation which is faith in Jesus. If so, then it has departed from Christianity.  It empties Christianity of its essential message.

According to the Scofield Study Bible “A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to some specific revelation of the will of God” (Scofield note on Genesis 1:28).

2. With this definition Christians are introduced to the concept there are “seven such dispensations which are distinguished in the Scripture” (Scofield’s note on Genesis 1:28).

3. The seven dispensations are declared by Scofield to be as follows:

1. Dispensation of Innocence
2. Dispensation of Conscience
3. Dispensation of Human Government
4. Dispensation of Promise
5. Dispensation of Law
6. Dispensation of Grace
7. Dispensation of the Millennial

According to the Scofield Study Bible each dispensation has “a character exclusively its own,” being “wholly complete and sufficient in itself,” that it “is in no wise exchangeable for the others, and cannot be commingled.”

There are four passages in the Bible where the word “dispensation” occurs. Time is not a factor in these. The word means “administration” or “stewardship” and in context has reference to the Gospel being dispersed. Paul was entrusted with the Gospel in order to dispense it to the Gentiles.

Here are the four passages:1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10,Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25. 

Next, the Bible never distinguishes between the seven dispensations suggested. The very names of the dispensations are also man-made.

In Scripture, the distinctions suggested by the system among these dispensations are not there. For example, in scripture grace is found under the Law and the Law is also found under grace.

The practical implication of Dispensational thinking also becomes alarming. The System teaches the Sermon on the Mount is not binding on Christians today.

Their System says the age of the Law lasted until the Day of Pentecost. The Bible says:

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it. Luke 16:16

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:26). The King has come to His kingdom to tell His subjects of free grace and mercy. The spiritual nature of the Kingdom confused the Jews many long ago. It continues to confound those today who walk by sight and not by faith. Among these are today’s Zionists and their adulation of the state of Israel. Many have been deceived. Lied to.

They accuse us of “replacement theology”. We gladly accept!  The truth in the New Testament is that there is total replacement theology!

There is no such thing as the nation of Israel today. That nation was totally replaced as God’s wife by Jesus Christ. In Him, the true Vine, is the true assembly of believers, His New Bride. The only way, truth and life.

The people of God in the Old Covenant, the Jews, was replaced by the Body of Christ in a New Covenant! There is only one people of God, not two.

The Jerusalem temple and the entire Mosaic religion were replaced by the Body of Christ in AD 70!

The parables of Matthew 13 show that Jesus’ emphatically taught that there is no other kingdom but His kingdom and its spiritual nature. For example Matthew 13:47-50:

“the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.  When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Under the New Covenant everyone can come by faith to Mt. Zion, the city of the living God (The letter to the Hebrews. 12:22). Let the Dispensationalist and the Jewish Zionist be incensed. The sacred precinct of their literalism is invalided.

We can find rest in His city. There “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: but the Lord shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God your glory” (Isaiah 60:19).

Conclusion

Look, this is my charge to all you who are dispensationalists—either show me the errors in what I write here or admit your own errors. We cannot both be right. One of us is wrong—seriously wrong. Okay?

If you are wrong, you are preaching a false gospel.

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The Replacement of the Jerusalem Temple– Part 2

Posted on 28/05/2025 | Leave a comment

In our last post we looked at John’s Gospel, chapter 1 and discussed Jesus’ extraordinary statement about the Jerusalem temple would be replaced and its meaning. In this post we look further into the New Testament and discover more about this.

On the first ‘Palm Sunday’ when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and entered the temple complex, he was not acting as a religious radical. He was acting as God’s replacement temple, the reality to which the temple pointed all along. The shadow of the real thing.

When Jesus died on the cross an extraordinary phenomenon occurred. The temple curtain was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This supernatural thing signified the end of the need for a physical temple and the whole sacrificial system.

Jesus’ Body now serves as the dwelling place for God’s presence: the ekklesia, the Body of Christ.

All that the temple had meant for Israel for almost one thousand years was now to be found in Israel’s Messiah. The presence of God which human beings longed for was found through a personal connection with Christ, not in a building in Jerusalem. 

The first followers of Jesus could see that the Jerusalem temple was actually ‘overthrown’ and replaced for them at Jesus’ death and resurrection. From that time, around AD 30, the early Christians, understood a new temple was established for all believers, both Jew and Gentile.

They remembered Jesus’ words the night before he was betrayed:

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 

 In the following verses the apostle Paul highlights the idea that believers collectively form the body of Christ, with each member playing a unique role:

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Romans 12:4-5.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12

And Paul saw Jesus’ body as the head over everything to do with the whole ekklesia. His fullness:

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:23

From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:16

All who wish to experience the Lord’s presence, learn his teaching, and enjoy his forgiveness can do so by embracing Jesus the Messiah, the new temple. There is no other way but Jesus’ way!

This is so clearly emphasised in the whole New Testament.

Yet, astonishingly, there are many Christians who have embraced a deadly heresy which fails to do any justice to our Lord’s majesty and headship. They have embraced dispensational theology, which originated only 200 years ago. They aggressively denounce the idea that Jesus’ body has replaced Israel, disparagingly calling it “Replacement Theology”. Thus, they become virtual Christ-deniers.

Of course, the fact that Jesus replaced the entire Mosaic system is undeniable. As we saw in John 2:13-17,  Jesus saw himself replacing the whole Jewish system with its central temple worship. Replacing all that with a community. A worldwide family of brothers and sisters.

The state known today as “Israel” is NOT God’s chosen instrument. Of course, under the Old Covenant through Israel all the nations would be blessed by the seed of Abraham.

Christians believe in his seed, i.e., Jesus (Mat 3:9, Rom 4:13-25, Gal 4:28-31), we enjoy living in the New Covenant inaugurated by the Lord Jesus.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:29 

In the New Covenant documents the people of God are those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 2:4-10 , Titus 2:14, Heb 3:6, 8:13).

Just before his passion, Jesus said to the people of Israel their end had come. In the parable of the wicked tenants (Mat 21:43)

 “And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

Yahweh will replace the wicked tenants with ‘others’, namely the ekklesia. Pentecost.

And then to the hypocritical Jewish leaders he said

“37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.[j] 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ (Mat 23:29-38).

From the time of Christ’s crucifixion in 30 AD to 70 AD, it seems God gave the disobedient Jews 40 years to repent and accept Jesus as the Messiah. Then 40 years later many multitudes of unbelieving Jews perished when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem.

But today, these deceived people say that someday Jesus will come back and reign on earth for 1000 years. And many even think God will accept sacrifices in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem! They cite Revelation chapter 20. But Revelation chapter 20 says absolutely nothing about this claim.

Such a temple where animal, and other sacrifices would be carried out would deny our Lords’s once-for-all perfect sacrifice on the cross was sufficient. The whole of Hebrews chapter 9 makes that clear. A reinstated building in Jerusalem that is like the Old Testament temple is not God’s plan.

Such activity in a third, earthly temple will require a legitimate priesthood. That also nullifies the perfect priesthood of Christ and makes his to be insufficient. Men of flesh and blood would have to be appointed to go back to a sacrificial system that Hebrews chapter 8 says was imperfect and could never make those who approached cleaned of sin.

It also denies the one Mediator between God and men being the risen Christ. In conclusion, let’s be glad and thankful for what Jesus has done. He has made obsolete all that came before him. He is the only one who could replace the whole Jewish system Including the Jerusalem Temple.

It also denies the one Mediator between God and men being the risen Christ.

In conclusion, let’s be glad and thankful for what Jesus has done. He has made obsolete all that came before him. He is the only one who could replace the whole Jewish system Including the Jerusalem Temple.

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What is the Millennium Reign of Christ?

Posted on 04/04/2025 | Leave a comment

The phrase ‘the millennium reign of Christ on earth, is a form of eschatological speculation that contradicts the Church’s historical teachings on the nature of Christ’s reign. The apocalyptic passage of Revelation 20:4-6 is usually quoted by many teachers in support of this idea These writers include the popular online series ‘Got Questions?’.

These people claim that Jesus Christ will return and will establish Himself as king in Jerusalem, literally sitting on the throne of David.  They quote Luke 1:32–33 as one of their proof texts:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

No mention of Jerusalem here! He will reign not just on earth but in heaven for ever and ever. And we Christians today are enjoying His reign! For we are the true ‘Israel of God’ as Paul declared (Galatians 6:16).

Sending His disciples He said “all power is given unto me in heaven and earth.” (Mat 28:18)

Rev 1:5. John wrote: he is the ruler of all the kings of the world.

Rev 11:15 . . . . the seventh angel sounded  . . . . saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever'”.

Daniel 7:27: And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Revelation 20 just does not connect with the idea ‘while Christ reigns over the earth.’ It says ‘They reigned with Christ for a thousand years.’ Yes, but on earth? No. They have died and they have received their resurrection and will reign with him where He is, in heaven. (Revelation 20:4-6)

See John 14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Let’s interpret the obscure, apocalyptic passages of scripture by text that is perspicuous—a sound hermeneutic. Jesus has ascended and is reigning now and is seated at the right hand of God. To say He will take up residence in earthly Jerusalem is junk theology—believed by millions in a cult.

These teachers claim that unconditional covenants demand a literal, physical return of Christ to establish the kingdom.

These covenants don’t ‘demand’ a physical return. A physical return cannot be proved. Why do people think He would be optically ‘seen’ at His coming in judgment hidden in clouds of glory? He whom no one can see and live? Christian, we walk by faith, not by sight!

He told Pilate ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’

They claim that the Abrahamic covenant promises Israel a land, a posterity and ruler, and a spiritual blessing quoting Genesis 12:1–3. But what does it say:

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God covenanted with Abraham (you/thee, sing.) not Israel. All people will be blessed because of Abraham’s seed, which is Christ! See Galatians 3:7-9:  Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

They claim that the Palestinian covenant promised Israel a restoration to the land and occupation of the land (Deuteronomy 30:1–10).  

True. But then the passage goes on, see verse 18: But if to other gods and [you] worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

They made the wrong choice, again and again and again. Consequently, they were certainly destroyed when Judea, Jerusalem and people were ravaged by the Roman armies in 66-70 AD after the real Jewish followers of Christ had escaped just as He instructed them. “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written. (Luke 21:20-22).

They also claim that the Davidic covenant promised Israel a king from David’s line who would rule forever—giving the nation rest from all their enemies (2 Samuel 7:10–13).

When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 

That was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus as we saw above in Luke 1:32–33.

See also Daniel 7:13-14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom will never be destroyed.

In conclusion, let me say that this whole idea we have looked at here, rather briefly, is not reflected at all in the pages of the New Testament. Their proof texts are mostly from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation.

All of this goes along with the obsession millions have about the nation-state of Israel founded not by God Almighty but by politicians and global elites like the wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish banking family Rothschilds.

We are the people of God as Peter wrote to congregations of Jews and Gentiles (1 Peter 2:9).

Repeating, God covenanted with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3):

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Today, we believers in Jesus are that ‘great nation’, not the Israeli state. We are blessed and will be a blessing, and all peoples on earth are being blessed by us!

Let’s do it!

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How Jesus’ first disciples learned about ‘the End’

Posted on 27/02/2025 | Leave a comment

Jesus took the disciples up on Jerusalem’s Mt Olivet (Matthew 24) go discuss the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. What eschatological understanding would the disciples already have understood?

Jesus would have expounded many OT scriptures that pointed to end times. Also He would have given them His own direct teachings. Matthew recorded many of these He gave them before the Olivet discourse. I was surprised how many there were. This article shows what I discovered.

The disciples would know about John the baptiser warning the Jewish leaders of the wrath to come.  Mat 3:1-2, 7-10: . . .  John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” . . . . . But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? . . . .   And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

The disciples would also have heard Jesus announcing the nearness of the kingdom–Mat 4:17. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

They heard Him declare “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfil. Mat 5:17. 

They heard this:  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Mat 8:10-12. 

They witnessed Isaiah 53:5 fulfilled: He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: “He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.”  Mat 8:16.

He warned them what to expect as he sent them out on their mission to the Jews.

“When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel”. Mat 10:23.

Clearly, here He gave them then a time frame when He would return. This would hasten them to finish the preaching of the coming Kingdom of God to the Jews while there was still time for them to repent. This was a very urgent mission—a race against time. There was no time to waste in towns especially where they would be persecuted. We can read in the Acts account and in the letters of Paul how they quickly went from town to town and brought results e.g., Rom 1:8, Col 1:6.

Jesus told them His coming would be “soon”, in their generation. “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”  Mat 16:27-28.

The disciples asked Him to explain the parable of the weeds. He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Mat 9:36-43.

And to explain the Parable of the Net: . . .   the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:47-50. 

He promised them: Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He referred to the future time when God will restore creation to its original perfection. His “glorious throne” symbolizes His authority and rule over the restored creation. Mat 19:28. 

They will have positions of authority and leadership in Jesus’ kingdom. This is not a literal judgement, but rather a way of expressing their role in governing and guiding God’s people.

They heard Him declare to Jewish leaders:  . .  Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.  . . . . .   When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. Mat 21:33-45.

In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus gave more information to the disciples :

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Mat 22:2-14.

Here they learnt about Jesus’ eschatological marriage to His assembly (Greek ekklesia – church) of believers who follow Him. The guests at the feast that are clothed in the proper wedding garments are clothed in Christ’s righteousness provided by God through faith in Jesus. The man without the proper wedding garments is about the unbelieving Jews. It symbolizes a lack of proper preparation or acceptance of the invitation on God’s terms—that is, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally in the week of Jesus’ passion, they heard Jesus’ final words of declaration of judgment on the whole house of Judaism: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . .   Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Mat 23:37-39.

Their house is left to them ‘desolate’—solitary, lonely, uninhabited unfit for anyone especially by the Lord; replaced by the Household of faith in the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord.  

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