Matthew 24 Fulfilled
Biblical and Historical Sources
By Brian Godawa
Matthew 24 Fulfilled: Biblical and Historical Sources
2nd Edition
Copyright © 2017, 2021 Brian Godawa
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.
Warrior Poet Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-942858-34-8 (ebook)
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001, except where noted as the NASB: New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chronicles of the Apocalypse
23:36 – This Generation
Time Texts: Jesus’ Coming during the lives of those still alive
Kingdom is “at hand”
The guilt of this generation
23:37-24:2 – Temple Destroyed
The New Covenant = no Temple
24:3 – End of the Age, Last Days
Two Ages
Last Days in OT
24:4 – False Christs (see verse 11)
24:6 – Wars, Rumors of War
24:7 – Famines, Earthquakes
Luke 21:11 – Signs from Heaven
24:9 – Persecution
24:10 – Apostasy
24:11 – False Christs
Antichrist
24:13 – Endure to the End
24:14 – Gospel Preached to Whole World
All the Nations
All does not mean “All”
24:15 – Abomination of Desolation
Luke 19:41 – Armies
God uses Pagan Armies
Daniel 9 – Messiah Prince
24:16 – Flee to the Mountains
Luke 21:23 – Led Captive to All Nations
24:21 – Great Tribulation
Tribulation in the First Century
Such as has not occurred…
24:22 – Days Cut Short
24:23 – False Messiahs (see verse 11)
24:27 – Lightning
24:28 – Corpse and Vultures
24:29 – Sun, Moon and Stars
Mountains Shaking
24:30 – Tribes of the Earth will Mourn
24:30 – Sign of Son of Man
24:30 – Coming on the Clouds
Will see
Coming on the Clouds = Judgment
God Coming Down
24:31 – Angels, Trumpet, Gather Elect
“And He will send forth His angels…
with a great trumpet…
and they will gather together His elect…
The Remnant
Regathering / Restoration of Israel to the Land / Remnant
The Priesthood of All Believers
The Stump of Jesse
Raise the Tabernacle of David
“Acceptable time of salvation” was the Regathering
The Acceptable Day (Isa 49) Day of Vengeance
NT Fulfillment: Made Two One, Covenant of Peace
NT Fulfillment: God’s Dwelling with Them
Not My People Will Be My People
Messiah reigns over Jacob
The Gathering of the Shepherd
NT Fulfillment: 1 Shepherd 2 Flocks
Two Sheep of One Fold (Gentiles with Jews)
Gentiles & the Regathering
NT Fulfillment: My Law in Their Hearts = New Covenant
From the Four Corners
Remnant Saved, Rest of Nation Destroyed
Latter Days Remnant Gathered
New Covenant / New Spirit / New Heart
24:32 – Fig Tree, Near, Israel
Near
Fig tree as Israel?
24:39-42 – One Taken, One Left – Not Rapture
Addendum 1: Day of the Lord
Addendum 2: New Heavens and Earth
Addendum 3: The Land Promise
Addendum 4: The Destruction of the Temple Prophesied in the NT
God Acts Thru Human Acts
Hyperliteralism
Literal Absurdities in Revelation
Preterist Scholars
Ancient Preterists
Summary of Gentry’s Early Date Evidence for Revelation
External Witnesses:
Internal Witnesses
Objections
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About the Author
A Verse-by-Verse Fulfillment of Matthew 24 Before the Year A.D. 70.
From the Bible and Ancient History
PLEASE NOTE: This document is a compilation of research notes. As such, it will have many more typos than in an edited and proofed manuscript.
Far better authors than I have addressed this issue in depth and with worthy scholarship, so my goal here is to simply present the Scripture, verse by verse, and then cite it’s historical fulfillment with citation from original sources, and minimal blathering of my own commentary. For further scholarship see Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar (my personal favorite), and The Divorce of Israel: A commentary on Revelation by Kenneth Gentry.
Why the Destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 is so Important
My only commentary is to set the basic overview of the “preterist” (fulfilled in the past) interpretation of Matthew 24 so you have an idea of the big picture. If you’ve been taught like 95% of the rest of us, you’ll probably react scandalously to this at first. I know I did. We’ve been taught only one view over the years as if it were the only Biblical view of the End Times and so we tend to think it is orthodoxy, when in fact it is modern western revisionism at it’s worst: Reinterpreting ancient documents through contemporary thought patterns.
Anyway, my overview is that Jesus is prophesying about the “end of the age” or the end of the old covenant and the ushering in of a “new age” or new covenant. This “End of the Age” is a Hebrew reference to the termination of the old covenant, not to the end of the space-time universe. The destruction of the Jewish Temple that occurred in AD 70 by the hand of Titus and his Roman armies is God’s final act of marking this transition from Old to New Covenant. Between Christ’s resurrection and AD 70, Christianity was still considered a Jewish sect, and many of the Christians were still going to Temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1) and intermingling with their Jewish brethren, trying to bring the gospel first to the lost sheep of Israel before the Apostles began spreading it to the Gentiles. There was a “fading glory” of the “old ministry” and an increasing glory of the new (2Cor 3, Heb 8:13). A hybrid mixture of believing Christian and unbelieving Jew that God was ready to separate for good, a transference from the national to the international people of God. This “process” of change of the covenants was the 40 year period between the ascension of Christ and the destruction of the Temple, God’s final separation — all this within the generation of those who knew Jesus and the Apostles.
The Temple was the Old Covenant physical reference of God’s presence on earth amidst his people. It was the very reference point of Judaism because it was the focus of priestly sacrifice for sins. But it was only a shadow of the true temple or tabernacle of God, not made by hands, which is in the heavens (Hebrews 9). By destroying the physical Temple, God literally abolished the ability of the Jews to offer sacrifices and therefore finalized his inauguration of the New Covenant and Christ’s once for all sacrifice in the true Temple of God replacing the old sacrificial system focused in the old Temple. Now God’s Temple is the body of Christ, which consists of all believers in Christ worldwide, Jew and Gentile believer alike (Ephesians 2:19-22).
This is why the Destruction of the Temple is so important in God’s covenantal plan for his people. It marks the end of the Old Covenant sacrificial system (which has not ever been re-established), and the new once-for-all sacrifice of Christ that supplants the old. It marks the replacing of the “shadow” Temple with the True Temple, Christ’s Body. It marks the final break of Christianity from the apostate Jews who refused to accept Messiah. It marks the final establishment of Christianity as a separate faith from this apostate religion. It marks God’s final divorce decree upon unfaithful Israel (unbelieving Jews), and the creation of his new “bride,” his remnant of “true Israel” (believing Jews and Gentiles – Romans 2:28-29) as those who worship Jesus Christ as Messiah.
I used to wonder why I was never taught any of this time period of history in my Christian education. I now know why. Because what happened to me will probably happen to you if you study it thoroughly.
Enough blathering. Let God’s Word and it’s fulfillment speak for itself:
23:36 – This Generation
Matthew 23:36 “Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. [At the end of chapter 24 as well: 24:33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, {right} at the door. 34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ]
FULFILLMENT:
When the entire section of the “This generation” verse is read in context, every word is directed to the very hearers of Jesus’ words. HIS generation, not a future one.
Matthew 23:29–36
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
“YOU” in Matthew 24 is spoken to his audience. If he was referring to a future generation it would be absurd. They would think he is talking to them, but he wasn’t. Which would be deception:
• “See to it that no one misleads you” (24:4).
• “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened” (24:6).
• “They will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name” (24:9).
• “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet” (24:15).
• “Pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath” (24:20).
• “Then if anyone says to you” (24:23).
• “Behold, I have told you in advance” (24:25).
• “If therefore they say to you” (24:26).
• “Even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door” (24:33).
• “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (24:34).[1]
“This Generation” (Greek: Genea) Never means “Race of people” in the New Testament, but always means a literal generation of people and in particular, the literal generation who were Jesus’ contemporaries, those alive at that time:
Matt. 11:16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Luke 11:29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah,”
Matt 12:41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Matt. 12:45 “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Matt. 17:17 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?
Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
See also: Matthew1:17; Mark 8:12, 38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 1:48, 50; 7:31; 9:41; 11:29, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51; 16:8; 17:25; 21:32
Time Texts: Jesus’ Coming during the lives of those still alive
Matthew 16:27–28
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 26:63–64
63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 10:22–23
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 23:36
36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Matthew 24:30
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:30
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:33–34
33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
John 21:20–23
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
James 5:7-9
Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–9
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, … For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction… 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
Philippians 4:4–5
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
Hebrews 10:25
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:36–37
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
In Revelation:
• “The things that must shortly take place” (1:1).
• “For the time is near” (1:3).
• “I am coming to you quickly” (2:16).
• “I am coming quickly” (3:11).
• “The third woe is coming quickly” (11:14).
• “A little while longer” (6:11)
• “no more delay” (10:6)
• “his time is short” (12:12)
• “The things which must shortly take place” (22:6).
• “Behold, I am coming quickly” (22:7).
• “For the time is near” (22:10).
• “Behold, I am coming quickly” (22:12).
• “Yes, I am coming quickly” (22:20).[2]
Kingdom is “at hand”
Matthew 3:2–3
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:15
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The Kingdom arrived in the first century with Messiah
Matthew 12:28
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Daniel 2:44–45
44 And in the days of those kings [the 4 kingdoms of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, then Rome] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
The kingdom was given to Jesus at his ascension:
Daniel 7:13–14
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
“At hand” means near to those he was speaking. Their time frame, not a long time later:
• Jesus said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ (Matt. 26:18)
• Then He came to the disciples, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” (Matt. 26:45–46)
• But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. (Luke 21:20)
• And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (John 2:13)
• Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (John 6:4)
• Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. (John 7:2)
• Jesus therefore said to them, “My time is not yet at hand, but your time is always opportune.” (John 7:6)
• Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover, to purify themselves. (John 11:55)[3]
This question is more than rhetoric. Peter was crucified before AD 70 and John was still alive in AD 70.
Eusebius, Ecclesiastial History 3:7
But it may be proper to mention also those events [destruction of Jerusalem] which exhibited the graciousness of that all-good Providence which held back their destruction full forty years after their crime against Christ,—during which time many of the apostles and disciples, and James himself the first bishop there, the one who is called the brother of the Lord, were still alive, and dwelling in Jerusalem itself, remained the surest bulwark of the place.
The Guilt of This Generation
“THIS GENERATION” referred to as guilty, the first century Jews who rejected Messiah. Always used in conjunction with judgment (as in AD 70).
Matt. 11:16
“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Matt. 12:38
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; [Luke 11:29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah] 40 for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Matt. 12:45
“Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Matt. 17:17
And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?
Mark 8:38
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Matt. 21:33
“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey. 34 “And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 “And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 “Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.’ 39 “And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the {proper} seasons.”… Matt. 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.
Luke 23:28
But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 “Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘cover us.’ [same reference in Revelation: Rev 6:16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”]
Matt 27:25
And all the people answered and said, “His blood {be} on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.
Acts 7:51
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;
1Thess 2:14
For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they {did} from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
Acts 3:13–15
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Acts 5:30–32
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 5.10.5, §442
neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the world.
First century Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah are described as:
“children of the devil” and “murderers” by Jesus
John 8:42–44
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 … 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
“Dogs,” “evildoers,” “Mutilators of the flesh,” “False circumcision” by Paul
Philippians 3:2–3
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
“Synagogues of Satan” “Liars” by John
Revelation 2:9
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 3:9
9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie
“False Jew” and “false circumcision” by Paul
Romans 2:28–29
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
“Not Israel” and “not children of Abraham” by Paul
Romans 9:6–8
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
[1] Gary DeMar, Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2009), 68–69.
[2] Gary DeMar, Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2009), 123–124.
[3] Gary DeMar, Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2009), 203–204.