We have recently recovered some of the printed material from the Ben Israel Apocalyptic Evangelism Course announced in the Fall 2001 Newsletter. Please note the downloadable PDF’s next to each title. A couple of the article’s had already been published on the mysteryofisrael.org site. 04-14-11 Update: we have now made all articles viewable online for [...]
[...] In every context where the eschatological day of the Lord is in view, there is usually a near and a far fulfillment. This is seen most clearly by the simple fact that the messianic salvation, everywhere identified with a climactic post tribulational day of the Lord, simply did not happen. A view of the inerrancy of the inspired scripture, will, of course, demand that a gap be recognized between the past, near and partial fulfillment, and a future fulfillment that is complete and exhaustive.
Even if you happen to deny a distinct future for natural Israel, and even if you are prone to interpret scripture allegorically, one is still obliged to recognize that the promised messianic salvation did not come until much later with the advent of Jesus. Beyond the earnest and first fruits (the “already”) of Israel’s promised salvation, there remains the “not yet” of a yet future day of the Lord that will accomplish “the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets” (Acts 3:21; Ro 11:25-29).
[Note: The difference between pre-mill and a-mill eschatology is simply the question of how much of Israel's promised salvation came in with the revelation of the gospel? All or part? [...] [...]
As of this weekend, all of the videos from the Sept 2010 Convocation regarding the prophet Daniel have now been posted on YouTube. (If there may be a few straggler segments we will update as necessary.) We have made mention of each session here as they have been posted, but we fear that as additional articles are put up over the coming weeks or months, this foundational material will get buried and neglected. Therefore it has been assembled and cross-linked so that it can more readily be found in it’s entirety.
In the banner at the top of every Mystery-of-Israel page there is a new section called “Courses” replacing the older section called “Apocalyptic Evangelism Course.” This new link references the still-in-progress work called “Apocalyptic Evangelism,” but now also the completed course on The Five Visions of Daniel.
The graphic above appears on each page of the course, so that easy reference to other chapters is available. We hope to link relevant articles and commentary to the appropriate lessons as time permits.
Our prayer is that this great book will open up afresh to God’s saints, and that they will find renewed confidence in His Word, His character and His glorious Name.
A complete session of the Video from September’s “People Prepared” Convocation on Daniel Chapters 11-12 is now available on YouTube. A direct link is found below:
Chapters Eleven & Twelve (click/tap here if you see nothing below)
Phil Norcom and Reggie Kelly lead a discussion on the fifth and final vision of the book of Daniel. These last sessions, covering Daniel Chapters 10-12 contain the verses spoken of by Jesus when He referenced the “‘abomination that causes desolation’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel. Let the reader understand.”
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But Doc, here’s the question I want to run by you: What wise use should we who know the prophetic scriptures be making of these current trends that are moving in precisely the direction that prophecy said they would? I’m talking about evangelism, what Art liked to call, “apocalyptic evangelism”. Art compared ‘apocalyptic evangelism’ to the idea of a “delayed reaction bomb”. The seed of the powerful evidence of prophecy is sewn in confidence that it will be soon verified by the deepening crisis that will conform to the pattern that prophecy declares.
We might call it, “pre-evangelism”, particularly in the case of Jews who will not at first receive the Word, but will have later occasion to reflect on what was shown to them from the prophetic scriptures. Of course, the same holds true for anyone, but the church will not come to its appointed fullness independently of its calling to Israel, since the Jew represents the church’s most formidable challenge, and forces believers to do their homework. God knows that when we go to the Jew first, our faith will be tested and deepened. [...]
In Chapter 9, Daniel realizes that the 70 years of exile is almost over, so he cries out to God for mercy for himself and his people. In response he has a vision of the the angel Gabriel who begins to explain God’s timetable for delivering Israel. Reggie Kelly and Phil Norcom lead us through the five visions of Daniel with emphasis on what they mean for Israel and the Church (The Mystery of Israel).
A complete session of the Video from September’s “People Prepared” Convocation on Daniel Chapter 9 is now available on YouTube. A direct link is found below:
Chapter Nine (click here if you see nothing below)
The vision of Nebuchadnezzar is the first vision in the book of Daniel (Daniel Chapter 2) and provides a foundation for the four visions that follow. They all point to a climax that will occur in “the last days.” Reggie Kelly and Phil Norcom lead us through the five visions of Daniel with emphasis on what they mean for Israel and the Church (The Mystery of Israel).
Chapter Two (Click Here if you see nothing below)
[...] We are in the process of editing the video from the September Convocation “A People Prepared for These Last Days.” Audio has been available at the Convocation page since a week or so following the event, but the video files are larger and more difficult to serve. The good news is that almost half of the Daniel Series has been uploaded to YouTube in HD (The YouTube user is “mysteryofisrael“. Going through all the Visions of the book of Daniel verse by verse in one weekend was a bit taxing but we were granted the grace to get all the way through the final chapters that Jesus Himself encouraged us to read – “Let the reader understand.” (Mark 13:14, Matt 24:15) [...]
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Until then, the gospel reveals that power and salvation of that “still coming” DAY has come in unexpected advance of THAT DAY through the revelation of the secret hidden in other ages (Ro 16:25-26; Eph 6:19; 1Pet 1:11). But according to Paul, this present fulfillment of the covenant through the revelation of the mystery of the gospel and gift of the Spirit cannot stop short of the grafting of the natural branches back into their own place. Paul does not present their return as a generous divine initiative tacked on at the end of the age for good measure. No, it is a covenant necessity demanded by the specific language of the covenant, (Ro 11:26-29), which would only be established with the larger nation at the post-tribulational day of the Lord. That is the eschatology of the OT, which the revelation of the mystery modifies, but does NOT erase. The day of the Lord will bring all that the literal reading of scripture said it will bring.
So I see Peter as saying “this is that,” but this is NOT “all” of that. It is indeed the Spirit promised to Israel in association with the well known day of the Lord. The promise of that day has arrived. It is here. But the day itself, and the full balance that remains to be fulfilled at that time remains for a post-tribulational future. Nothing about that has changed. The powers of the age to come have indeed broken decisively into this present evil prior to and apart from the kind of outward transformation expected in association with the day of the Lord. This, however, does nothing to change all that Scripture promises will come to the broken and penitent remnant that will look upon Him whom they pierced (Zech 12:10), when “that generation” will say with one voice, “blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mt 23:39). Hallelujah!
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