God’s Covenantal Promise or Replacement Theology

Replacement Theology and those who are at the forefront of this Biblical interpretation of God’s plan believe that the “Church” has replaced and is Israel. R. C. Sproul, according to James A. Showers in his article printed in the September / October 2010 issue of Israel My Glory, states, “ We believe that the church is essentially Israel. We believe that the answer to ‘what about the Jews?’
is ‘Here we are.’”

There are two main views of the millennial period in Replacement Theology. The two are:
1) Postmillennialism, which understands the reference to a 1,000 year period as symbolic of a golden age of spiritual prosperity. It will be ushered in by the spread of the gospel during the present church age and brought to completion when Jesus returns. This return is believed to be a “spiritual” reign in the hearts of believers in the church – leaving the Jews nowhere in the plan of God!
2) Amillennialism, which understands the reference to a 1,000 year period to be merely symbolic of a long period of time. This “symbolic” long time they propose is prophesied in the Old Testament and has been fulfilled spiritually now in the church, either on earth or in heaven. This interpretation would keep us from understanding any prophecy as being literal and trusting its fulfillment in real time! This interpretation of Scripture also removes any purpose for the Jewish people in God’s plan for the end times.

Our view is premillenialism, which, according to many Old Testament prophecies, is that Jesus will not only reign on the earth, but takes away the sins of those Jews who remain, and sets them back in their land. Many O.T. prophecies had been literally fulfilled in the 1st coming of the Lord, leading to the assurance that the rest will be literally fulfilled, such as: Micah 4:1-8; Zeph. 3:14-20; Amos 8:11-15; Hosea 3:5; Joel 3:18-21. God’s covenant to Abraham states, “And the Lord said to Abram….look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Genesis 13:14-15. There is no BUT after verse 15! The Nation of Israel is a sign of God’s faithfulness!

BLESSED TO BE A REALIST!

Every month our condo publishes a newspaper with a special page for residents to have their poems published. Last month a resident penned a poem titled “Is There a Real List?” He wondered if reality had a form and asked if once he was buried in the ground, would that be it. In answer to the man’s cry, Mimi penned the poem below which will be published in the November Kings Point newspaper.

THE REAL LIST!
(ULTIMATE REALITY)
Once I asked: Does reality have a form? I had to know!
Why not consult the wisest man of all? King Solomon.
“Glad you asked,” said this ancient one, “Listen as my words flow,
To give reverence to your Creator, that is the beginning of wisdom.”

My journey began with a promise: If you seek Me, you will find Me!
I cried out for discernment – I inclined my ear to wisdom.
An even more Ancient Voice then spoke. “Dear one, I am the Almighty.
It is I who laid the foundations of the earth. It is I who gave you your home.”

Since that time my real list grows hour by hour! There is an ultimate reality!
It began with coming clean. “Father, I am tired of living separated from You.”
Now I see all His blessings, but best of all: He has become oh so real to me.
Now I awake finding His mercies each morning, they are new.

Does reality have a form? Yes, yes yes! Don’t waste another day.
Seek Him. He is seeking you!

7/28 DIALOG

We wish all of you could have been there –at the Dialog between Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Michael Gold that we held at the Signature Grand on Wednesday night, July 28th. Everybody’s reaction to the event was that it was AWESOME! You will know this when you see the DVD, which will be available at the end of August. But you need to know what went on behind the scenes, where Christ’s body (the volunteers) was, without whom we could not have accomplished the event. This synopsis is the best way to transport you there. And with you, our brothers and sisters who pray for and support Everlasting Life Outreach, and believe in us as your missionaries, we felt you standing right next to all of us with your arms around us as amazed as we were at what God was doing!

Here are some of the highlights of the night:

1. First, over 700 people filled the 800 seat auditorium, many were non-believing Jewish people.
2. We had over 30 volunteers from our church and other churches making this event go smoothly.
3. There were 3 volunteers who were warm and friendly greeters, who, when people entered the glass sliding doors from the outside would smile and welcome people in for the event.
4. There were two greeters who directed people either to the ticket sales desk if they didn’t have a ticket, or to toward the ticket takers by the banquet hall entrance if they bought tickets beforehand on a website we setup for them to do so. We had sold about 400 tickets this way!
5. If they didn’t pre-buy a ticket, we had 5 ticket sellers at a table as people came in, some selling tickets from buyers paying by cash, some by checks, and some paying by credit cards, imputing the information into an on-line merchant service account specifically setup for the event. Needless to say, these people were BUSY!!
6. We had 3 friendly greeters mid-way between the glass doors and the entrance doors into the banquet hall where the 800 seats were located for the Dialog. (There were also 2-3 men looking over the crowd looking for any people who might be bringing in things that shouldn’t be brought in or people who might look like they didn’t like a Dialog which included “Jesus” being talked about. Anti-missionaries made trouble at the last Dialog and did demonstrate outside at this one too.)
7. We had 6 ticket takers, 3 at the front and 3 at the right side entrance down the hall into the banquet room.
8. There were 3 able bodied men, whose duty it was to direct ½ of the crowd down the hall to the right. Needless to say, they were friendly too!
9. Once inside the banquet room, there were 4 program givers, 2 at each entrance. These warm and smiling ladies handed out programs designed by a volunteer, Sandi Powell, a graphic artist who worked for American Express for 30 years. These programs were AWESOME! For each program given out there was a card inside that asked for the person to write a question indicating if it was for Dr. Brown or Rabbi Gold. A golf pencil was also given with each program to write each question (fore!). The question card had lines for the questions and a place to indicate if they wanted to talk further about the Dialog with someone later. AND, one of the gifted volunteers did these cards in calligraphy!
10. Once past the program givers, the people went by our watchful group of ushers (8 in all, placed 2 in each of the 4 rows, one in the front and one in the back) and assisted to their seat by them when necessary. As the banquet hall filled up, the ushers helped the people coming in find an empty seat. Once seated at approximately 7:10 pm, very close to the “Prompt time” hoped for, the Dialog began.

It needs to be noted that a gentleman named Adam Pitilon, a Jewish believer who goes to our church, Calvary Chapel, was instrumental not only in the committee planning the Dialog, but was able to provide for 4 personal body guards for Dr. Brown before, during, and after the Dialog. (I also had them watching out for Mimi too!) These guards were professional, unobtrusive, and watchful, because of the threat posed at the last Dialog by the anti-missionaries, a Jewish watchdog group that issued an inflammatory “Community Alert” against me, and any rabbi participating in such a Dialog. (For anyone wanting to see this “Alert” let me know and I will try to email [email only] it to you). Others on the committee planning this Dialog included Dee McBride, Lori Gibboney, and James Seawell, all on our Board of Directors here in Ft. Lauderdale. Keith Thompson, Sandi Powell, and others too many to mention helped make this an awesome event! Also, Alice Bunning and Carol Ann Wilkinson from Christ UMC in Venice, FL, and Richard and Joan Erickson from Montgomery, AL, travelled here to serve as short-term missionaries.

It also needs to be pointed out, as you will see on the DVD (we hope that everyone of you will order them at the discounted rate of $12.00 plus $2.50 shipping [except those who already contributed – it will be sent free]) that our moderator, Eric Purtic, of the Ravi Zacharias School of Apologetics at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, adroitly handled a very touchy situation with a rebellious set of microphones, and provided an excellent solution to the problem. His quick thinking lent a personal touch to the dialog between Rabbi Gold and Dr. Brown. Eric will certainly be our first choice as moderator at the next dialog we have.

After the event, the “crowd” went out into the hallway to leave only to be met by Dr. Brown’s book table, where he was escorted by his personal body guards and was seated there with his assistant Trent, who came with him from North Carolina. Trent and two of the volunteers, Lori and Luz, were selling Dr. Brown’s books, and he was signing them and talking with those around the table; Rabbi Gold was at his book table doing the same. At our table, we were talking to unbelieving Jewish people, giving them the book, “They Thought For Themselves”, a book about Jewish people who came to Jesus and wrote their testimonies for the book. Dr. Brown’s testimony is one of those. We also collected the names and phone numbers of those who wanted to be contacted to talk more about what they had heard at the dialog.

After everyone left, all was packed up again, Dr. Brown & Trent, Lori Gibboney & husband Glen, Dee McBride & husband Jack, Mimi and I and a couple of others went to Carrabba's Italian Grill for something to eat then to go home and to bed.

We will be editing the videotape tomorrow and it should be ready to be shipped by the end of August. However, clips of it should be on utube maybe in a week or so. We will keep you updated.

Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. It was AWESOME!
In Jesus,
Michael & Mimi
Your missionaries

UPDATE ON JONAH

We wrote about "Jonah" in our last entry here. Since that time, Michael has met with him twice and we believe he is hearing his Savior's voice calling . Jonah is a very kind man, about 70 years of age. We initially gave him a book of Jewish testimonies (titled "They Thought For Themselves"). Included in this collection was Dr. Michael Brown's testimony. Since Jonah had already watched the DVD of the debate with Dr. Brown, he read Dr. Brown's story first. Michael then met with him in our home and learned that Jonah has a PhD in Mid-Eastern literature. Interestingly, Dr. Brown has earned his doctorate in Mid-Eastern languages. We lent Jonah Dr. Brown's first two volumes of "Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus" and he is already requesting the 3rd volume! We also learned from Jonah that when he was a child, a Christian had shared with him about this "man who died for his sins" but his mother told him that this was not something he should think about.

Please pray for Jonah's entrance into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light!

"FOR WE ARE GOD'S FELLOW WORKERS / THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK" 1 cor 3:9a & Gal 3:28a

Kings Point Condominiums, where we live, was built to circle around a lake, housing at the present time approximately 9000 people, with probably 99% of the residents being Jewish. Kings Point could properly be described as its very own village or community. Across from the condominiums are individual homes. Though these homes are a “stone’s throw away,” it is as if they existed miles and miles apart from one another. As Jewish believers in Jesus, we are accustomed to living in what some would consider to be two disparate worlds. As for our friend above, this is KRAMER! We are blessed to have Kramer’s owners, Michael and Sandi, as our friends – with all three of them (Michael, Sandi, and Kramer) living in one of the above-mentioned homes.

Yesterday while Sandi, Kramer, and Mimi were walking together, they began an interesting conversation. Sandi had asked whether Mimi thought Jews were better able to share Jesus with their Jewish friends or whether actually this was best left to the Gentile. Mimi was explaining why she saw it as God’s divine plan to use both together, when Kramer demonstrated that we were leaving out an especially unique group of living beings: the Canines (Jew or Gentile? – well, Kramer is a Jewish name, I guess, but he’s owned by a Wonderful Gentile Couple –point is: God uses us all.)

Okay, to the point already: A Jewish man, a resident of Kings Point, as he walked towards us on his way home, Kramer went up to “Jonah” and welcomed him into our conversation. Jonah introduced himself by saying his name was the same was one of the “minor prophets” in the Bible. Yes, of course, we took advantage of the opening. That’s not all. Mimi remembered his name and his face – Michael had helped Jonah and his daughter put up two ceiling fans in their unit several months ago. Michael had also given Jonah a DVD of the debate, which Jonah told Mimi he had indeed watched. He is a very intelligent and very gracious man. He mentioned how much he had appreciated Michael’s work in his unit and thought he should have received something more for his labor. Mimi explained: “I’m the negotiator. In exchange for his putting up the ceilings fans, give my husband an hour to do a Bible study with you.” Just as Jonah said “sure, that’d be fine,” who do we see walking up towards us on the sidewalk? Well, tell you what, we’ll let Sandi describe it. This is an email she sent to us last night:

That was an incredible event. The way it all happened, You and me meeting, you walking back with me, meeting Jonah and THEN Michael? God surrounded him with light and he has no clue. Interesting man. Yes, Awesome!

Please pray for the soon-to-be meeting between Michael and Jonah to look at Scriptures – oh, Jonah also said he would very much be interested in attending the debate to be held here at Kings Point.

THE GREAT DEBATE WITH HAPPY FEET- WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?

Ever go out and sow seeds of the Gospel to have people find the Lord? - of course you have. I was out this afternoon walking and putting posters on the bulletin boards in our Jewish community's buildings, which tells them about the March 10th debate "Jesus: Madman, Messiah, or Misrepresented Jew?" As you see from the photo below, my feet were very tired from walking so much but they were still "happy feet!" Please pray that 450 unsaved Jewish people come to see Dr. Michael Brown debate with Rabbi Polirer about this subject.



Also, we have included the poster that we have put on the bulletin boards.

MADMEN ARE NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD!

We now have the title/subject for our March 10th debate to be held at Kings Point. Jesus: Madman, Messiah, or Misrepresented Jew? Rabbi Polirer said his position will be "misrepresented Jew," and (praise God) Dr. Brown's will be HE IS THE MESSIAH! Sadly, it is the rabbis who have misrepresented Him for 2000+ years now.

KINGDOM OF GOD

While watching Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus used the phrase "the Kingdom of Heaven has suddenly come upon you!" Of course, Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven. Then it struck me that God has opened the door for Everlasting Life Outreach at the King's Point Condo Complex where we live with 7-8,000 Jewish people, to have a Messianic Bible study 3 times per month and the first of a series of debates with the leading Jewish / Christian Apologist, Dr. Michael Brown, and a conservative Rabbi, so at least 450 unsaved Jewish people can hear the Gospel and Jesus lifted up! God is bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to these Jewish people whom He loves so much so they can have a chance to enter into His Kingdom. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened at King's Point. Pray that many will open their empty hearts to God's calling and that there would be a great harvest - and follow-up! In Jesus - Michael & Mimi