Dr. Gordon Ginn?s first Open Letter to Christians aroused a cloudburst of comments and controversies. This is his answer to one much-asked question. In the interest of continuity, your Editor is prefacing Dr Ginn?s answer with a brief review of Dr. Ginn?s first essay.

Dr. Ginn compared the neo-Christian belief commonly referred to as “dispensationalism” to an acceptance of human evolution as fact. He considers both to be grave errors. He listed what he considers to be the basic and erroneous tenets of dispensationalism and went on to conclude:

“If these assumptions are incorrect, contemporary Christians who follow them are actually supporting the Anti-Christ system for a New World Order, and they are, whether they recognize it or not, trading the finished work of Christ on the cross for a mess of pottage in the form of a false “Chosen People” hypothesis. This is even more tragic than buying evolutionism, although the two are supported by the same secret entity.”

The Question:

“Dr. Ginn, how do you think Christians can integrate the Churchs historic understanding that our Lords humanity came via this tribe, the “Chosen People,” with the fact that this group today is so very troublesome?”

The Answer:

My feelings for Jews on an individual basis are the same as for others, including Palestinians. I believe that God is allowing the nation called “Israel” to exist at present, though its purpose for being there is quite different from the general dispensationalist belief. My booklet, “Strong Delusion,” lays out my concepts about the future of the present “Israel”.

As for Romans 9, 10 and 11, most evangelical and fundamentalist Christians zero in on 11:26 as the proof text for Israel being saved as an entity. All of the expositors with whom I agree read those three chapters as an inseparable whole, believing that there are two key elements: the Remnant and the Manner in which “all Israel” will be saved.

In 11:26 the standard expression is “And So All Israel Will Be Saved.” Taken out of the three-chapter context, this leads to an erroneous conclusion. The accurate translation should be, “And In This Way those who belong to Israel will be saved.” This is faithful to the Greek. The little Greek word “outos” conveys a world of difference. The rest of the verse explains why: He who comes out of Zion will turn away wickedness from Jacob. This, of course, is the Christ at His first advent.

Going back to the theme of the Remnant (9:27 & 11:5), Paul simply was saying that God had not cast out Israel, because he (Paul) was an Israelite, and he had been saved. Likewise, all Israelites who turn to Christ (in this way) will be saved. They must turn to Christ. This changes the whole complexion of Romans 9-11 and makes it totally compatible with the gospel message that whoever believes in Christ will be saved. But Israelites who do not trust Christ will not be saved. The English word “ALL” in verse 26, if allowed to stand alone, yields error.

Elsewhere in Romans, Paul defines who is a true Jew, i.e., one whose heart has been circumcised (2:29). And in Galatians 3 and 4 he clearly defines Christians as the true Israel. They are the true children of Abraham. Isaac represented Christians, while Hagar and Ishmael represent the commonwealth of Israel, which was cast out. Some call this replacement theology, but it is continuation theology, because true believers in the commonwealth of Israel were always the inheritors of the promise (Rom. 9:6-8)–the promise to Abraham which continued right through to those who became Christians because they believed on the One whom God sent–they are the inheritors of the promise to Abraham (Rom. 10:14-21).

Christ destroyed the commonwealth of Israel in A.D. 70, which completed the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. Todays Israel is an impostor.

In Christ, Gordon Ginn, Ph.D.