September 2007 - Volume 3, Issue 4

In this issue...
-- The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 8)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Violinist, harpist to participate in Day with WMI

The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 8)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

We have presented two reasons why Israel's national conversion to Messiah cannot occur at His Second Coming in glory. First, people are converted by hearing and believing His Word, not by seeing Him physically, even in His glorified state. Second, Israel must have experienced her spiritual transformation three-and-a-half years before Christ's return in order to take His Gospel message to all the Gentile nations of the earth (Matt. 24:14). This will constitute a spectacular fulfillment of her very purpose of existence as a chosen people: "And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests" (Ex. 19:6). "And they [redeemed Israel] shall declare My glory among the Gentiles" (Is. 66:19b; cf. 49:22-23; 55:5; 60:5,9,11,14; 61:6).

But why will the people of Israel be given this magnificent privilege of knowing the Son of God by faith (and thus entering into the spiritual privileges of the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36), and also of seeing their Messiah in His glory?

The answer to this urgent question is made emphatically clear in the Bible: "The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers" (Deut. 7:7-8; cf. 4:37; 10:15; Ezek. 36:16-32). But our God is not a respecter of persons. Because of thousands of years of disobedience to her divine calling, Israel "hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins" (Isa. 40:2).

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Israel as a nation officially rejected Jesus as her Messiah (cf. Matt. 27:25; Mark 15:13; Luke 23:21; John 19:12, 15). To this, our Lord did not reply: "ye shall not see Me." That is indeed what the nation deserved. Instead - and this is an oft overlooked statement of Christ - He said to them: "Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord'" (Matt. 23:39).

The breaking off of Israel from the tree of divine blessing (Rom. 11:17-22) was therefore temporary, not permanent! It was partial, not complete! As the apostle Paul went on to explain: "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:25-26).

True, Israel does not deserve to be saved, because, "as concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes" (Rom. 11:28). But it is not a question of deserving salvation! The ultimate reality is that: "as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes [i.e., Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave an unconditional covenant - Genesis 15, 22, 35]. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:28-29). Thus, God has not permanently replaced Israel with the church!

It would be very dangerous for a Christian to think: "Jews do not deserve to be saved, but I do!" Apart from the infinite grace of God, what do we really deserve?

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:4, 5, 7-9).

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
These are great days to serve the Lord! We trust that your ministries are fruitful, and we hope that the resources provided through Whitcomb Ministries will help them to be so. Pray for Dr. Whitcomb as he continues to maintain a very active schedule, and be sure to keep up with his work regularly on our Web pages.

From Sunday, Nov. 4, to Tuesday, November 6, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Trinity Baptist Church and School in Fond du Lac, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Dan Leeds at 920-922-9044, or visit www.trinityfdl.net.

On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Immanuel Bible Church in Sheboygan, Wis. For more information, call Julie Nyhuis at 920-458-4979, or visit www.delightintheword.org.

On Friday, Nov. 9, Dr. Whitcomb will be the guest on the "Crosstalk" radio program on the VCY America radio network. For more information, or to listen live or through the archives online, visit www.vcyamerica.org or www.crosstalkamerica.com.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Dr. Whitcomb will speak for the Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, which will be held at the Calvary Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Paul or Lynnette Scharf at 920-623-0257, or click on "Events" at www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

On Sunday, Nov. 11, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at the Calvary Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Mark Brooks at 262-251-0320, or visit www.calvarytoday.org.

On Monday, Nov. 12, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Calvary Baptist Christian School in Menomonee Falls, Wis. For more information, call Pastor Mark Brooks at 262-251-0320, or visit www.calvarytoday.org.

From Friday, Nov. 16, to Sunday, Nov. 18, Dr. Whitcomb will preach on creationism at the Heritage Bible Fellowship in Hope Mills, N.C. For more information, call Pastor Boyd Dellinger at 910-717-8172, or visit www.hbffnc.org.

From Sunday, Nov. 25, to Tuesday, Nov. 27, Dr. Whitcomb will speak on creationism at the Lakeland Conservative Grace Brethren Church in Warsaw, Ind. For more information, call Dr. Russell Simpson at 574-268-0458 or 574-267-4808.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Dr. Whitcomb will address the Pre-Trib Study Group in Irving, Tex. For more information, call 972-929-8400.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Violinist, harpist to participate in Day with WMI
Violinist Elizabeth Pabón and harpist RuthAnn Ledgerwood will provide classical sacred music to complement Dr. Whitcomb's teaching on apologetics at the Fourth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries. This conference will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., at the facilities of the Calvary Baptist Church (Main Campus), in Menomonee Falls, Wis.

The theme of this year's conference will be, "The Bible: The Christian's Essential Foundation."

Registration for this conference is now open, and admission for this year's event will be free for all who attend. Only those who pre-register will be guaranteed to receive a conference registration packet, however. A freewill offering will be received at the event.

For more information, or to request a brochure, call 920-623-0257, e-mail conference@whitcombministries.org, or visit www.whitcombministries.org or www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb, where you can register online simply by clicking on "Events."

Seating is limited, but registration will remain open until the capacity is filled. Calvary Baptist Church's Main Campus is located at N84 W16971 Menomonee Ave. For further directions, visit their website at www.calvarytoday.org.