MATTHEW READ WRONGLY

Israel, Objections June 28, 2024 1 Comment

PMW 2024-051 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Confused man

My brief survey of Matthew’s Gospel is important for setting up the broader literary context of the Olivet Discourse with its warning of Israel’s judgment in AD 70. Both Jesus’ regular teaching and frequent actions, as well as Matthew’s overall historical progression and literary presentation powerfully highlight God’s approaching wrath upon Israel. This understanding of Matthew is so clear as to be undeniable. In fact, Lowery — though a dispensationalist — can even speak of “the strong denunciation of Israel that pervades the gospel” and which employs a “strong polemic against Israel.”[1]

This presentation of Israel’s disturbing spiritual condition and foreboding historical expectation is so obvious, strong, frequent, and widespread that many liberal historians and theologians (wrongly) charge Matthew’s Gospel as a prime source of anti-Semitism in the world. Continue reading →

JESUS REJECTED TURNS TO THE GENTILES

Great Commission, Israel June 25, 2024 Comments: 2

PMW 2024-050 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Jesus commissions

I am now at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel. Though I did not survey the entire Gospel, I showed it’s beginning and ending provided the rationale for the destruction of the temple and the judgment of Israel. And in the process of Israel’s rejecting their Messiah, we have seen evidence for the inclusion of the Gentiles. This last point comes to full expression in the last words of the Gospel.

Matthew 27

In Matthew 27:1 “all the chief priests” discuss with the “elders of the people” how to kill Jesus. In verses 11–12 Jesus appears before the Roman procurator Pilate where the chief priests and elders accuse him. In verses 15–21 when Pilate tries to release Jesus, the chief priests resist him: “but the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death” (v. 20). When Pilate attempts again to release him, “they kept shouting all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified’” (v. 22). Continue reading →

NEW BOOK ON GEERHARDUS VOS’ ESCHATOLOGY

Age(s) (Two Ages), Theologians June 21, 2024 Leave a comment

PMW 2024-049 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Vos Geerhardus

Bill Boney, a good friend of mine, and I have co-edited a book that should be released later this Summer. I hope this work will be well received not only in the Reformed world, but also more widely in the evangelical realm. We are thankful for the skillful competence of our publisher Kyle Shepherd who has pressed us to complete and release this work

What is this book? And what is it all about? It’s working title (which could change) is The Reformed Eschatology of Geerhardus Vos. Continue reading →

PARABOLIC WARNINGS TO ISRAEL

Uncategorized June 18, 2024 Comments: 4

PMW 2024-048 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Preachi to sanhedrin

I am working my through Matthew showing the rejection of the Jews from God’s kingdom and the inclusion of the Gentiles. This helps us to see why the Olivet Discourse is given so late in Jesus’ ministry. He has given Israel every opportunity to believe in him, but they have refused. In the process we are seeing the gradual inclusion of the Gentiles in the biblical narrative. We are now ready to consider a few parabolic warnings to Israel, especially her leaders.

Matthew 22

In Matthew 22:1–14 Jesus presents the parable of the king (God) who gives a wedding feast for his son (Jesus). Those originally invited (the Jews, Matt. 10:5; 15:24) refuse to come (they do not accept Jesus as the Messiah, Matt. 23:37; 27:25; cp. John 1:11; cp. Acts 13:46; 18:6; 19:19)). As a consequence, “the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire” (22:7).

This speaks of the Romans burning Jerusalem in AD 70, of which Josephus writes: “one would have thought that the hill itself, on which the temple stood, was seething hot, as full of fire on every part of it” (J.W. 6:5:1 §275). Of the Romans we read that: “they went in numbers into the lanes of the city with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook without and set fire to the houses whither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them” (J.W. 6:8:5 §404). Continue reading →

HYPERPRETERISM & SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY?

Uncategorized June 14, 2024 Comments: 4

PMW 2024-059 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Black hole

An old lawyer’s maxim states: “If you can’t pound the facts, pound the table.” This loud procedure has been adopted by many Christians for spreading fear about orthodox (partial) preterism. They argue that many hyper-preterists were once partial-preterists, and thus orthodox preterism leads to heresy. Therefore, they loudly urge Christians to avoid all preterism as dangerous.

Partial preterism and hyper-preterism

Well, it is certainly true that many hyper-preterists started out as partial preterists. And they often boast about this fact. Indeed, Gary DeMar in his recent podcast about my Revelation commentary mentions this issue: Continue reading →

JOHN, JESUS, AND THE JEWS

Israel June 11, 2024 Comments: 4

PMW 2024-045 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.John Baptist preaching

We are continuing our survey of the opening chapters of Matthew, showing how Israel is presented as opposed to God’s will and the Gentiles will gradually begin entering God’s kingdom.

In chapter three Matthew presents us with the first sermon recorded in his Gospel. It is by Jesus’ forerunner John the Baptist, who introduces the Messiah to Israel. The very first words we hear out of John’s mouth are foreboding: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:1). These are also Jesus’ first words in his ministry, as recorded by Matthew: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17). John and Jesus are confronting Israel with her sin and calling her to repent (cf. Matt. 23:37).

In this sermon John warns the Jewish religious leaders (Matt. 3:7) that they need to “bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance” (v. 8). Later we will discover that Israel does not bring forth the fruit of repentance, for Jesus acts out a prophetic curse against fruitless Israel (21:19) and declares that he will secure another nation to bear the proper fruit (21:43). Continue reading →

JESUS’ GENEALOGY AND GENTILES

Uncategorized June 7, 2024 1 Comment

PMW 2024-044 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Matthew 1

Having noted the importance of narrative flow in the Gospels, we will now begin considering some of the earlier chapters of Matthew. We will notice how Matthew begins with two themes that are important for postmillennialism: (1) The decline of Israel and (2) the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s kingdom.

JESUS AND ABRAHAM

Matthew opens his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, the “father” of the Jews (Matt. 3:9). [1] As we will see, Matthew will be presenting Jesus as the new Israel, the true, continuing Israel of God (cp. Gal. 6:15–16). [2] Thus, he begins Jesus’ story by tracing his genealogy to Israel’s own historical source, Abraham. In this he differs from the Gentile Luke who takes his genealogy all the way back to Adam, the historical source of all men (Luke 3:38).

In fact, Matthew even structures his genealogy in a remarkably-intriguing and rhetorically-important way. We see this as he summarizes it in 1:17: “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.” Continue reading →