27 Responses

1. Just watched The City of the Great King. Truly profound, and moved me to tears at several points. I am wondering how to join these films (as well as yours Joel) with your books on eschatology, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, and The Unseen Realm all together to make a study for my college students. One of my “kids” will be joining Dalton and company at Emmaus in February. Just so you know, God used these films (including yours Joel!) to move him to this decision (along with plenty of nudging from me). I just want both you and Dalton to know the impact your books and films have. I hope to send more your way in the future! I was a full-time missionary; now I am a mobilizer!
   Keep up the good work! Galatians 6:9-10

2. Hi Joel,

   I admittedly haven’t paid much attention to the Covenant and Controversy project but this episode has spiked my interest, especially since the project seems to offer theological depth in an area of interest to me. I remember seeing the first episode advertised on your website, but for some reason, I didn’t pay attention, so the whole idea and motivation behind the series passed me by. I’m looking forward to watching both episodes as soon as I have the time. As a Christian, I have always believed that the prophetic promises of Scripture clearly put forth an earthly Jewish kingdom with Jerusalem as the capitol and Christ as the King. However, I have recently become acquainted with someone who is a huge advocate of Reformed/Covenant Theology, which as you probably know, spiritualizes what I believe are literal promises. The end result of Reformed Theology is a denial of the physical restoration of Israel and Jerusalem and a denial of a literal 1,000 year Millenium. For the life of me, I can’t reconcile Reformed Theology/Amillenialism with Scripture and any attempts on my part to reason with people of this theology fall flat. There seems to be a devout adherence to the Reformation doctrines of men like Martin Luther (like justification by faith), while the prophetic implications of Luther’s ideas have been ignored, (such as his work forming the historical foundation for centuries of anti-semitism.) I’ve read all of your books (which are excellent), including When A Jew Rules the World, and would like to ask if you happen to know of any books or resources that focus specifically on the ideological shift from a physical kingdom/premillenialism to a spiritual kingdom/amillenialism? Thanks!
   Jeremy

3. Joel, Reggie Kelly has given me a deep understanding of what it means for all the Jews to be saved in a day. It is so dear to our Lord. He will bring his prodigal son home. What a day it will be, and at what cost? The climax of the age, and salvation of all his beloved Jews, the apple of his eye. I can’t wait for the day that a Jew rules the world. Come Lord Jesus.

4. Jeremy,

   I’m not sure what you mean by, “the ideological shift from a physical kingdom/premillenialism to a spiritual kingdom/amillenialism?”

   Do you mean historical works? Because this was in the first centuries, its murky. Apart from my brief chapters on this, the only other excellent book I can recommend is Barry Horner’s Future Israel.

5. Steve,

   It truly mean the world. I look at the fact that ISIS has recruited between 25,000-35,000 and I say, Lord let me die knowing I have helped to recruit 10,000 for your Kingdom. So right now, it looks like we are somewhere around 9,970 to go.

   Bless you!

6. Hi Joel,

   I apologize for the confusion. I did mean the historical shift. Obviously, Christ’s disciples expected His physical return to the earth to establish a physical kingdom, but by the time of the Reformation, the expectation had largely changed to a spiritual kingdom with a non-literal reading of prophecy. Outside of the fact that 1500 years had passed without Christ’s return, I’m curious about what the influences were that led the church to abandon a literal interpretation of prophecy. One of the main arguments that Reformed theologians use is that, in their view, the Abrahamic promises were fulfilled with the acceptance of the Gentile into “True Israel”, a a spiritual company destined for the Heavenly Jerusalem and that there is no reason why the Lord would establish a physical kingdom since the kingdom, in their view, has already been inaugurated by the establishing of the New Covenant at Christ’s first coming. They see no need for a restored kingdom on earth leading the surrounding nations to a knowledge of the Lord, so they reject premillenialism and a literal Millenium, which in my opinion, are the main focus of the vast majority of prophecy. Thank you for your recommendation. Your book does an excellent job of creating an argument for the rule of Christ during an earthly Millenium, but what I am looking for is, as you guessed, an in-depth work on the historical shift from the time of Christ leading up to the Reformation. It may be that the information is limited as you said. I will check out Barry Horner’s book. Thank you and keep up the good work defending the faith!

7. Another great book: Rabbi Akiva’s Messiah by Daniel Gruber.

8. @Jeremy McGuire,
   There were “Christians” moving away from the millennial kingdom before Augustine, but he was the strongest voice which swayed the Church away from it.
   Papias, the Apostle John’s disciple, who became a presbyter in Asia Minor, taught the 1000 year millennial kingdom and also talked to the Jewish disciples of Jesus who were still alive who used to physically spend time with the Lord. He’d ask them about the other things Jesus said which were not put in our four gospels, and he compiled their sayings, their recollections of what Yeshua used to say.

   But an earthly kingdom ruled from Jerusalem is very Jewish and many Gentile Christians wanted to be different/superior to the Jews and their ideas and hopes.

   Plus the Hellenistic and gnostic worldview was very popular.

   Flesh is a mistake the dimiurge made, but what we really want is to be set free from our bodies to experience a disembodied existence floating on clouds like ghosts in heaven.

9. Theology that sets “the Church” in opposition to “the Jews” is “anti-Judaic” theology. Anti-Judaic theology arose as a response to the “chosenness” of the Jewish people. There was an anti-Judaic tendency that began very early. Paul addresses it in his letter to the Romans. We will examine his comments in detail later. The Council of Nicea, in 325 C.E., was a distinct turning point in the history of the Church. Since that time, all accepted Church theology has been built upon an anti-Judaic foundation. The theological changes embraced at Nicea made it impossible for the Church to be faithful to its God-given mission.
   The rejection of the literal meaning of Scripture in its context.
   The determination that Church doctrine and practice would be in opposition to the Jews.
   Origen’s work is dated around the beginning of the third century. There were others before Origen who interpreted the Scriptures in an allegorical way, but Origen is credited with being the father of the allegorical method of interpretation. The reason is that Origen, in a comprehensive system, made allegory the only way to truly understand the Scriptures. In Origen’s system of interpretation, he often denied the ordinary sense of the text, and replaced it with allegories which he made up. These allegories then became the real meaning of the text. In this allegorical system, when the text said, “Israel,” it meant “the Church” and not the Jews, so long as the promise or comment in the text was good. If the promise or comment in the text was not good, then “Israel” still meant “the Jews,” and not “the Church.” His theology determined how the text was to be understood, rather than the text determining what should be understood and believed.
   From the end of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion on, all Jews were forbidden to even enter the precincts of Jerusalem. Up until that time, the “bishops” of Jerusalem had all been Jewish. If there were “bishops” in Caesarea before that time, they also would have almost certainly been Jewish. The Roman Empire had destroyed or removed the Jewish leaders and congregations/communities which believed in Yeshua. They were replaced by Gentile ones. The Gentile “bishops” and “churches” naturally began to think of themselves as having replaced the Jews. With the introduction of Origen’s allegorical method of interpretation in the third century, the faith of the Church concerning the kingdom began to change. As the anti-Judaic posture spread in the Church, what was once considered heresy was put forward as the new orthodoxy. The Millennial restoration of Israel began to be considered a carnal, Jewish doctrine which no orthodox Christian could believe.
   Eusebius was the friend of Constantine, and he wrote, in part, to affirm the new Church-State relationship that Constantine had established. That new Church-State relationship was antagonistic to the expected kingdom of God that had been proclaimed by the apostles. In the new relationship, the Church would establish the kingdom of God through the State.
   For example. Eusebius knew Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho. He quotes from it, praising Justin as “a true lover of sound philosophy.” He characterizes Justin as courageous, a man “of cool deliberation and judgment.” But when it comes to Justin’s declaration that those who do not acknowledge the future coming and reign of the Lord on the earth from Jerusalem are “godless and impious heretics,” Eusebius ignores Justin. He neither quotes, nor mentions, nor comments. He cannot pretend that Justin was lead astray by Papias, so he simply pretends that Justin never said what he said. For Eusebius, it is not part of the history of the Church, because it is not what he wants the Church to believe.
   (Based on material from http://www.elijahnet.net)
   A return to classical pre-millenialism is only part of the solution …………..
   As Reggie Kelly points out;
   The Church’s Dereliction towards Israel: A Symptom of Apostasy
   The church’s failure to grasp the theological significance of the Holocaust is not stranger than its reluctance to recognize the most prophetically loaded event to occur since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, specifically, the repossession of Eretz Yisrael, and the formation on its soil of a Jewish state. The reticence of the church concerning the importance of this modern sign is at once spiritually obtuse and a statement of the church’s costly ignorance of the very mystery that is calculated to save it from the boastfulness of humanism (Ro.11:25). It is more than vincible ignorance; it betrays a disposition that sees no incongruity in the divine character if Israel’s failure is final. But, “have they stumbled that they should fall?” “God forbid!” is the apostolic riposte that the larger part of that which calls itself the church has ignored to its eternal loss (Ro.11:11).
   While the church waits to recover her original consciousness of Israel’s role in world redemption, the nations are condemned to languish under demonic domination until Israel comes to understand Yom Kippur in the light of the cross (Zech.12:10). The sudden and powerful inbreaking of the revelation of this mystery will finally answer the prophet’s question “shall a nation be brought forth in a day?” (Is.66:8).
   Prophecy is important is because the Name is at stake. See Ezekiel 36, Deuteronomy 32, Exodus 32…..
   God must fulfill His Word for the sake of His Name, to vindicate His name. If He doesn’t keep His Word, what kind of God is that? A false God….
   If He could cancel His Everlasting Covenant with Abraham, He could cancel His New Covenant with us…..He is proving who He is in the eyes of the world, so that we, the world, will know who He is, and will fear His Name.
   (Based on material from http://the.mysteryofisrael.org)

10. For those who don’t see my sarcasm, I’m obviously digging at the flesh is bad idea. God created man out of the dust of the earth and said it was? Very good. So if that was very good, how much more good will our new immortal physical bodies be that are equal to the angels.

11. Thank you David Roberts and Roland Dunkerley for your comments. As you said, Roland, God must fulfill His promises to remain faithful to Himself and to vindicate His name. What continues to amaze me is the number of Christians who profess the importance of hermeneutics, yet can’t see the inconsistencies in their interpretations. To understand the Bible takes a great deal of effort and humility and to be unwilling to examine if one’s own beliefs are scriptural, as is the case with many Christians, seems to be nothing more than arrogance. The inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s plan is in harmony with the promises made to Abraham, but as you know, does not abrogate ethnic Israel from finally achieving redemption, nor does it cancel God’s promises concerning the land itself or the city of Jerusalem.

    Thank you Joel for your recommendation for Future Israel. After reading reviews, I ordered a copy from Amazon. I think it is exactly what I am looking for. Looking forward to seeing the second Covenant and Controvery film!

12. Joel, This was FAB! Cried tears and my heart leapt the whole way through! I miss Israel. A 2-day rental wasn’t enough time to actually let this beautiful piece process in my spirit. VERY thankful it went up for purchase on Amazon. As always, THANK YOU brother for your heart for our LORD. He truly has to be so very proud!

13. After Purchasing in on Vimeo, I’ve watched it twice now and hope I can generate some awareness in my own church setting… It’s a tremendous blessing and eye opening for the Truth as we see the end times approach… It seems the events in the world are a like a live real life movie… Real life drama with major consequences…

14. Joel

    It’s very timely for this part about Jerusalem to come out in light of recent news from the Sanhedrin, don’t you think? In case you haven’t heard, the Sanhedrin have officially declared the prophecy of the Jews restoration to the land fulfilled and have now begun to (as of last year) count the Jubilee (or the years of Jubilee. If they started last year then this would be the second year of the first Jubilee). If they started that last year, I’m surprised to just now hear about it, but regardless, they are also taking up money for the rebuilding of the temple and even getting people to groom animals and get them ready for sacrifices. I think they were trying before, but you’d know better than me what there level of success was.

    http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=705

    This is the article I read…it’ll give better detail. I don’t know about you, Joel, but I feel like we’re so close now. I know some more things have got to happen yet, but it feels like we’re closer now than ever. I think the last thing this big was when Israel became a nation again in 1948. What do you think?

15. Just a suggest for FAI- switch the order of the films. It would give so much more context for “The Rage” if you’ve seen “The City of the Great King” first.

16. Hey Joel.

    This in not meant to be posted. But why did you remove my post? The one about Calvinism? Did it just disappear… or did you see something you didn’t like or agree with and delete it? Just wondering that is all.. it is YOUR BLOG…. for heavens sake you can do what you want with it as I am sure you have to avoid posting many comments! I am just curious as to why you removed it. Thanks..

17. Troy,

    The article you linked to had nothing to do with the video. In general, I do not allow folks to use this site as a forum to express their theological pet peeves or to debate various random issues, particularly the calvinist arminian debate.

    Blessings

18. Joel

    Thanks for explaining… the issue of free will was not tied to your video as you said. I was posting it more in line with Roland’s post. I should have just typed in what I was thinking instead of posting it. I was referring to his comments in his first and second sentences concerning the “chosenness” of Israel. This is the reason I posted what I did. But you are right.. I am not a fan of the T.U.L.I.P. system of interpretation for sure. You are always very gracious to all people and I totally understand why you did it. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

19. Regardless as to what one thinks about TULIP, Israel’s election is a nonnegotiable matter. Individual election and the Lord’s sovereign election of Israel are two very distinct issues.

20. I like the term Reggie Kelley uses about people’s offense at Israel’s election: “The scandal of particularity”

21. Hi Joel, I pray you and yours are doing well and are blessed.I have been trying to understand replacement theology. What I do understand at this point, is that this “doctrine” should not be in the church at all. In reading about this in your book, When a Jew Rules the World, on page 25, your conversation with Dr. Kaiser and Genesis chapter 15, I have a question. I can’t find anywhere where it says God walked between the pieces. I looked at 2 commentaries. I need help with this. I understand if you can’t post this here, because it may be off topic. Thank you
    Shawn

22. “It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.” —Genesis 15:17

    The “smoking oven and flaming torch” was the manner in which God’s manifestation is described.

23. Thank you brother Joel, I had read that part a few times but in my rookie mind it did not click. I understand now.I want you to know , I want everyone to know, that this replacement theology “doctrine” is new to me. I learned of it through reading your books Joel and it really hit home after watching the The Covenant & Controversy The Great Rage.It tears me up to know that this is a major doctrine in the church.Here is the good news about learning of this doctrine…it has driven me to my knees in prayer and motivated me to a closer walk with the Lord our God and Savior Jesus. Y’all have a super day in The Lord.
    Shawn

24. Amen and amen.

25. Wonderful, wonderful films! The song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” has become very dear to me after having watched the first film. I’ll never be able to hear that song the same way again. It brings me to tears nearly every time.
    Dalton was saying that he expected the greatest criticism of the films would be their length. Well, for me, when they came to an end I was like “Nooo! Keep going!”. Thanks so much for being faithful teachers of the Word of God! I am already looking forward to when the third film comes out!

26. Hi Joel! I hope you are well, do you have any updates on the situation in Middle East?
    Praying for you all
    God Bless

27. Such great viewing!
    Thank you.
    Wish we could get all your materials here in South Africa.