Elements of Dispensational Truth, Vol. 3 The Christian s Altar, Worship, Assembly, Sanctuary, and Circumcision, with Notice of Two Forms of Modern Messianic Judaism
iii Table of Contents INTRODUCTORY REMARKS... ix PART 1: HEBREWS AND THE CHRISTIAN S ALTAR AND WORSHIP.. 1 Chapter 1.1: God s Promises to Abraham, and His Grace to the Church... 1 Chapter 1.2: The Change Regarding God s Patience With Early Messianic Judaism...11 Introduction...11 Paul s Epistle to the Hebrews...12 Acts 28 and the End of Patience With Messianic Judaism...14 What It Means to be Outside the Camp...18 Introduction...18 Brief Analysis of the Epistle to the Hebrews in Connection with the Priesthood of Christ: with Reply to Some Tracts on the Latter Subject...22 Chapter 1.3: The Christian Altar and Worship...39 Features Concerning the Christian Altar...39 Where Is the Altar?...39 Those Who Have No Right to Eat of It...40 What Is the Altar?...41 What Does Eating of this Altar Mean?...42 Separation Below, Worship Above, and Service Below (Heb. 13:13-16)...43 1. Separation Below...44 2. Worship Above...47 3. Service Below...48 Chapter 1.4: The Assembly Gathered Together to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 18:20) Worships in the Heavenly Sanctuary...51 The Ecclesiastical Character of Matt. 18:20...51 Assembly Worship in the Holy of Holies...54 Worship Leads to the Lord s Supper...54 What is Worship?...55 Where is the Place of Worship?...55 What is the Center of Worship?...57 Praising With Christ, Corporately...58 The Father Seeks Worshipers...59 The Difference Between thenames God and Father...59 The Worship of Priests and Children...60 The Father Seeks Worshipers...61 The Spirit s Operations in Worship...63 The Spirit, The Lord s Supper, And Our State... 63 Let Us Draw Near With a True Heart...65
iv PART 2: FROM JUDAISM TO CHRISTIANITY... 71 Chapter 2.1 Judaism Set Aside... 71 The Camp as it Was and Will Be, And Christianity as Distinct from Either... 74 Outside the Camp: Hebrews 13:8-16... 82 Chapter 2.2: From Judaism to Christianity... 97 Christian Jews Now... 101 The Status of the Christian Jew... 101 PART 3: A HEAVENLY SANCTUARY... 113 Chapter 3.1: A Worldly Sanctuary... 113 Chapter 3.2: The Priesthood and the Law Changed... 123 Chapter 3.3: A Minister of the Sanctuary... 135 Chapter 3.4: The New and Living Way; and Let Us Draw Near... 147 The New and Living Way: Heb. 10:19... 147 Let Us Draw Near: (Heb. 10:22)... 153 PART 4: SOME MESSIANIC JEWISH VIEWS OF DAVID H. STERN. 163 Chapter 4.1: Was Paul a Messianic Jew All His Life?... 163 Did Paul Remain a Pharisee All His Life?... 164 We Are the Circumcision... 164 I Am a Pharisee, Son of Pharisees... 167 Paul s Avoiding Giving Unnecessary Offense... 168 Paul s Use of the Synagogue to Reach Jews... 170 Paul s Shorn Head and Vow and His Desire to Be at Jerusalem... 170 Paul s Following the Jewish Advice... 171 Did Nothing Against the People or the Customs of the Forefathers 178 Paul s Inspired Teaching Counts What He Had as a Jew, Loss... 182 Addendum... 185 Chapter 4.2: Acts 20:7: Its Bearing and How It is Judaized... 189 Breaking Bread at Troas... 189 Further Remarks on the First Day of the Week... 203 The Lordly Day and the Lordly Supper... 206 The Lord s Day Is Not the Day of the Lord... 206 Disparaging the Lord s Day... 207 Several Feasts of Jehovah Point to the First Day of the Week... 208 Where the Messianic Judaizing of the Lord s Day and the Lord s Supper May Lead... 208 Chapter 4.3: Judaizing Paul s Warnings Against Jewish Observances... 211 Col. 2:16, 17: Its Bearing; and the Distortion of It by Messianic Judaism... 211 The Structure of Colossians... 211 God s Setting Aside the Validity of Observing
Originally Given Jewish Ordinances... 213 The New Order Introduced by God -- The Body [Is] of Christ... 217 What Was the Standing of Those to Whom the Shadows Were Given?... 217 The Judaization as Dealt with in Several Epistles... 220 Died to Elements of the World, or Died to Elemental Spirits of the Universe?... 221 Keeping the Law Now Is as Heathenism... 222 Not Elemental Spirits of the Universe... 225 The Bearing of Romans 14... 228 Messianic Judaism s Keeping the Law in Force... 231 Concerning the Mosaic Covenant... 231 Concerning Feast-days... 231 Concerning Circumcision... 232 Some in Fundamental Evil Regarding the Trinity... 233 Chapter 4.4: Dr. Stern s Messianic, Judaistic, Postribulational, Olive Tree Theology... 235 Olive Tree Theology, or, How to Judaize the NT... 235 Jewish Importance... 240 Notice of Two Criticisms of Messianic Judaism... 241 PART 5: DR. ARNOLD G. FRUCTENBAUM S ADVOCACY Of THE HEBREW CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVES EXAMINED.. 245 Dr. Fructenbaum s Scheme... 245 Chapter 5.1: Are Jewish Believer s Under The Abrahamic Covenant?249 Distinctions Only Removed in Certain Areas... 249 Christians Not Under the New Covenant... 249 What Are the Distinctions That Are Maintained?... 250 The Abrahamic Covenant -- and Present-day Circumcision of Jewish Christians... 251 Are Jewish Christians under the Abrahamic Covenant?.. 252 Does Scripture Say That the Abrahamic Covenant Is in Force for Jewish Christians?... 259 Are Any Christians Under the New Covenant?... 260 The Christian and Circumcision... 262 Is Paul Correctly Represented by Dr. Fructenbaum?... 262 Paul s Judaizing Error... 263 Paul s Teaching Concerning Circumcision... 266 Why Was Paul Persecuted If He Preached Circumcision?... 266 Circumcision Is Nothing and Uncircumcision Is Nothing... 267 Circumcision Outside of Christ?... 267 The Circumcision of Jewish Christians Denies Their Completeness in Christ... 267 The True Jew Is Circumcised Inwardly... 268 v
vi We Are the Circumcision... 268 The Israel of God Is Not Exempt from the Rule of the New Creation... 268 Circumcision in the Flesh Is Not for Those with a Heavenly Calling... 269 The Seal of Circumcision and the Seal of the Spirit... 271 Chapter 5.2: Dr. Fructenbaum s Doctrine of the Jewish Remnant.. 273 The Remnant s Dual Citizenship... 273 Is the Present Jewish Remnant in the Nation of Israel?.. 273 The Outworking of the Dual Citizenship... 277 The Doctrine of the Olive Tree... 279 The Israel of God... 282 Chapter 5.3: The Seed of Abraham... 287 The Presently Suspended Abrahamic Covenant Will Be Fulfilled in the Millennium... 287 The Blessing for Believers Meanwhile... 288 Those Near, and Those Far Off, Now One New Man... 290 What Is the Basis of God Doing These Things?... 291 All of this Is for Jewish and Gentile Believers Equally... 292 Chapter 5.4: The People of God... 295 Chapter 5.5: Some Jewish, Spiritual Practices... 299 The Bearing of Romans 14... 299 Col. 2:16 Violated... 300 Inversion of the Meaning... 300 The Passover... 302 The Day of Atonement... 302 Why Are These Feasts Observed?... 302 Dr. Fructenbaum s Comment on Christmas and Easter Observance... 303 Dr. Fructenbaum Does Not Practice What the Heavenly Calling Is 306 W. Kelly s Comments... 307 Concluding Remarks... 308 PART 6: THE CHRISTIAN S CIRCUMCISION... 313 Chapter 6.1: Positional Circumcision in Christ... 313 Positional Circumcision in Colossians... 313 Our Completeness in Christ... 316 Positional Circumcision at Gilgal... 319 Chapter 6.2: The Practice of Our Circumcision in Christ... 325 Answering in Practice to Positional Circumcision: Col. 3:5-11.. 325 Across the Jordan... 328 Morality, Self-judgment, Conflict, Religious Practices, Etc.... 332 Chapter 6.3: The Practice of Our Circumcision in Christ (Continued) 335 The Twelve Stones, The Passover, The Old Corn of the Land, The Captain of Jehovah s Army... 335 The Twelve Stones... 335
The Passover... 341 The Old Corn of the Land and Unleavened Cakes... 342 The Captain of the Jehovah s Army... 345 Chapter 6.4: The Practice of Our Circumcision in Christ (Continued)... 349 The Old Man and the New Man... 349 A Walk in the Moral Power of Circumcision in Christ.. 354 vii Charts: The Heavenly Church and the Earthly Camp... 69 A Dispensationalist Messianic Jewish View of the Abrahamic Covenant and Circumcision... 244 The Truth Concerning The Abrahamic Covenant and Circumcision in the Body... 245