Newspaper columnist Ann Coulter was widely attacked as an
anti-Semite the other week for her comments on a cable news talk show that ÒChristians
consider themselves perfected Jews.Ó
She said in the MSNBC interview, ÒWe believe the Old Testament. As
you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans
for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians
believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that
that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old
Testament. You don't believe our testament.Ó
Coulter shows a very common, basic ignorance of the Bible by
mistaking Christians for Òspiritual IsraelitesÓ who are supposedly Òspiritually
fulfillingÓ the things God said and gave Israel.
Simply, the law was given to Israel through the hands of Moses in
the Old Testament and everybody else was Òcut off,Ó as Paul clearly informs.
He clearly summarizes in Ephesians 2, ÒWherefore remember, that ye
being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that
which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time
ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the
world.Ó
*****
Jordan explains about this passage, ÒThereÕs a racial issue here;
something you are by nature. There are two groups of people; a group called the
circumcision (Jews) and a group called the uncircumcision (Gentiles). Could you
get any more different than that? One is and one ainÕt.
ÒTo me, in that first verse, the one word repeated twice really
emphasizes the matter: ÔWho are called uncircumcision by that which is called
circumcision.Õ I mean, these dudes call each other names!
ÒYou see theyÕre mad at each other. ThereÕs enmity between them.
ThereÕs hatred between them. They despise one another. They donÕt love each
other. There is contempt for each other. And if you donÕt believe that, well,
you havenÕt thought very much, have you? The Jew has absolute total contempt
for the Gentile and the Gentile returns the favor.
ÒWrite down in your notes I Samuel 17:26. Old David looks out
yonder at Goliath and he talks about this uncircumcised dog. Well, you know he
wasnÕt complimenting him when he said that!
ÒLook at John 18:35 and see if you think old Pilate was being kind
when he answered, ÔAm I a Jew.Õ You think Pilate was trying to butter him up
when he said that? CanÕt you just kind of hear the contempt roll of his
tongue? HeÕs saying, ÔIÕm not a Jew, man!Õ
*****
This enmity is demonstrated in Acts 16 where itÕs reported that
the Gentiles Òcaught
Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
[20] And brought them to the
magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
[21] And teach customs, which are
not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
[22] And the multitude rose up
together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and
commanded to beat them.Ó
Jordan explains, ÒThe Jew despised the Gentile and the Gentile
returned the favor in spades, buddy—they didnÕt like each other! So thereÕs
an enmity, a hatred; a hostility and a contempt socially and racially between
the Gentile and the Jew.
ÒAnd that was a problem for you and me as Gentiles. You know why?
Paul says Ôthat at that time you were without Christ.Õ Well, why were they
without Christ? ÔBeing aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.Õ Uh-oh!
ÒYou see why itÕs a problem for the hatred and division to be
there? Because one of those groups is advantaged and the other one isnÕt.
People are always talking about superiority—hey, did you realize thereÕs
racial superiority in the Word of God?! And you know who it is? Well, it ainÕt
none of us. It isnÕt us; itÕs them!
ÒAnd the reason that nation—the national, racial, social
superiority existed is because of a spiritual and religious superiority God
gave them.
ÒNow, the most basic, fundamental characteristic in Ôtime pastÕ is
that distinction. PaulÕs looking back there to that promise made to Abraham and
heÕs talking about that Ômiddle wall of partitionÕ thatÕs been raised up
between the circumcision and uncircumcision. For Paul, when you talk about Ôtime
past,Õ the most basic issue thatÕs being raised is where that promise is and itÕs
in AbrahamÕs seed.Ó
*****
What the vast majority of Christians fail to recognize is Ôtime
past,Õ as Paul defines it, is divided into two sections: Adam to Moses
represents the dispensation of promise (Gal. 3) and Moses to Christ the
dispensation of law.
A dispensation is a particular set of instructions given out for
manÕs obedience. The dispensation of grace that weÕre currently under goes from
Christ, in His heavenly ministry through Paul, to the Rapture, and out in the
future is the kingdom program, followed by the dispensation of the fullness of
time.
Jordan says, ÒIf you want to call the Garden of Eden a
dispensation, itÕs called innocence. Now (the Rev. C.I.) Scofield divides up
the dispensations as Ôinnocence, conscience, human government and promise,Õ but
conscience is a system of perception; itÕs not a system of rules. Human government is
not a dispensation either; itÕs one of the divine institutions for the
establishment of the race.Ó
*****
Genesis
1 and its account of creation was written by Moses in light of what the Jews
already knew and learned in Job, the first written book of the Bible.
ÒDonÕt
just think because Genesis 1 is the first thing you read that itÕs the first
thing they knew,Ó says Jordan. ÒHe wrote it to them in an outline form,
sketching certain events and laying out certain times and seasons because the
details about all that stuff they already had. They knew it from the beginning;
they were told from the beginning and they understood it.
ÒAs
Isaiah asks, ÔWho hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted
out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?Õ
ÒDoes
that give you a little bit more information then when Genesis just says He
formed the earth and made the dry land to appear?
ÒGod
knew how high He wanted that mountain; how much water He wanted in that sea
over there. He had it already figured out down to the gallon and the pound. And
He had a book with all of that written in it.
ÒAnd in
Job 8, He says He went over and looked at that book and HeÕd go carve it and
make it and mold it like He wanted. The Lord didnÕt just walk out and go ÔPhfft!
LetÕs see what I can throw out there!Õ Sort of like spaghetti against a wall
just to see how it hit. He had a plan! And the plan had to do with something
you read about in Job.
ÒIsaiah
says it is Ôhe that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.Õ TheyÕve known since
the time the Bible was written that the earth was a circle. Now science took
6,000 years to catch up with the Bible. ItÕs always going to be way ahead of
the Bible.
ÒSo,
when what you hear and read and understand somebody say about science doesnÕt
match the text, donÕt worry about what youÕre reading and hearing. TheyÕre
going to change that in 20 years anyway. Science textbooks are obsolete every
10 years.
ÒOne of
the greatest businesses to be in the world is school books because every 10
years youÕve got to rewrite the whole thing because you know more. And what you
used to know isnÕt true; something else is true.
ÒIn
medical science they call that advancement but when the preacher learns
something they say, ÔOh, youÕre departing from the faith, brother.Õ Yeah,
uh-huh, sure. Right.Ó