The True Israel

This study of the use of the names 'Jew', 'Hebrew' and 'Israel' in ancient Jewish and early Christian literature - especially the Bible, Philo, Josephus, Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament and Mishnah - defines the nature of Israel and Judaism in Antiquity. This publication has also been published in hardback, please click here for details.

What Do the Five Points of Calvinism Really Mean? Many have heard of Reformed theology, but may not be certain what it is. Some references to it have been positive, some negative. It appears to be important, and they'd like to know more about it. But they want a full, understandable explanation, not a simplistic one. What Is Reformed Theology? is an accessible introduction to beliefs that have been immensely influential in the evangelical church. In this insightful book, R. C. Sproul walks readers through the foundations of the Reformed doctrine and explains how the Reformed belief is centered on God, based on God's Word, and committed to faith in Jesus Christ. Sproul explains the five points of Reformed theology and makes plain the reality of God's amazing grace.

How did the Apostle Paul view the Church? And where does Israel fit in? How are the promises to Israel fulfilled? In Heirs of Promise, P. Chase Sears discusses this relationship between the Church and Israel, and he explains how that affects our understanding of the Old Testament. Using a biblical-theological approach to the book of Romans, Sears argues that Paul understood the church not as a replacement of Israel, but as the new Israel—the continuation of Israel reconstituted in Christ. And Jesus, as the Son of God, is the true Israel who fulfills all of God's purposes for Israel and creation. Sears shows how the Old Testament promises to Israel are being fulfilled in the Church.

Now including a new chapter: Israel in Galatians'. Over 80% of the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament have been literally fulfilled. It is a simple matter of faith in God's faithfulness to believe that he means what he says, and will do what he says he will do. This study reveals that both the people and the place called 'Israel' have a significant role in God's future plans for world redemption.

Many studies have portrayed Judaism in Antiquity as sectarian, with a variety of groups all claiming to be The True Israel. Early Christianity is alleged to have begun in this context as one more Jewish sect claiming such authority. However, the second-century Christian Justin Martyr is the first person known to have used the phrase 'the True Israel'. This book examines the uses of the names 'Jew', 'Hebrew' and 'Israel' in the surviving literature - especially the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus, New Testament and Mishnah - to determine whether this is an adequate or accurate picture. It discusses the associations of each word, as determined by their actual usage and collocations rather than their theoretical origins. It will be of value to scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.

What is the relationship between the nation of Israel, Jesus Christ, and the church? Pastors and theologians come to significantly different conclusions. The reigning systems of evangelical theology, covenant theology, and dispensationalism answer this question by stressing the continuity of the Israel-church relationship (covenant theology) or emphasizing discontinuity (dispensationalism). In more recent times, progressive covenantalism has emerged as a via media between these two theological approaches by providing a different proposal for unpacking the biblical covenants, and by highlighting that to rightly understand the people of God in biblical theology, the person of Jesus Christ must be the focal point. In Christ Jesus, the True Israel, Brent E. Parker presents the case for the importance of typology in this debate, arguing that national Israel is a type, not unlike other Old Testament types (e.g., the sacrificial system, the temple, etc.), that reaches its antitypical fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the Israel-church relationship is also typological, but only through Christ. Parker demonstrates that the progressive covenantal approach is a viable system of theology that seeks to preserve what the whole Bible says regarding the people of God, from Israel to Christ and from Christ to the church.

As sales of Hagee's current New York Times bestseller, Four Blood Moons, continue to soar, hundreds of thousands of readers have had their thirst whetted to know what is to come at the end of this world . . . heaven itself! Hagee's national media power assures another mega-bestseller.

In this much-anticipated textbook, three respected biblical scholars have written a history of ancient Israel that takes the biblical text seriously as an historical document. While also considering nonbiblical sources and being attentive to what disciplines like archaeology, anthropology, and sociology suggest about the past, the authors do so within the context and paradigm of the Old Testament canon, which is held as the primary document for reconstructing Israel's history. In Part One, the authors set the volume in context and review past and current scholarly debate about learning Israel's history, negating arguments against using the Bible as the central source. In Part Two, they seek to retell the history itself with an eye to all the factors explored in Part One.