Earliest Church Fathers believed Israel was Realized in the Church

[Lysimachus]

We are going to prove that the earliest Church Fathers were not Dispensationalists.

Dispensationalists like to accuse Historicism of originating from Augustine. But never will they accuse our views of Israel being realized in the Church as stemming from the earliest Fathers. Why? Because then they will shoot themselves in the foot as they love to appeal to these Fathers to support their Futurist interpretations!

While I am not a fan of appealing to the early Fathers to support any teachings, I will provide the following sources only to make a point. That being, that Dispensationalists are on baseless grounds to accuse Historicism of originating from Augustine and Origen when the teachings of Futurism originate in the Beliar Myth and pseudepigraphal writings. In fact, the Dispensational Premillennial notions are essentially the elements found in the "Pseudepigraphal Millennium". These ideas were believed by mythical Jews that lived in the Alexandrian era. They wrote uninspired mythical books of junk.

But going back on topic, seeing that Dispensationalists love so much to allude to the earliest Church fathers as the "paragons of our faith", and for "preserving our apostolic heritage", and for "supporting the futurist views", let's see what they have to say about Israel:

I will quote D.S. Farris:

Quote:

Were The Early Fathers Dispensationalists?

Now we need to ask more questions: Have modern dispensationalists received their dispensational system from the early fathers? For the sake of clarity we will ask again; what is dispensationalism? Charles Ryrie says, “The essence of dispensationalism, then, is the distinction between Israel and the Church” (Dispensationalism Today, 47). Lewis S. Chafer says, “The distinction between the purpose for Israel and the purpose for

the Church is about as important as that which exists between the two testaments” (Systematic Theology, Vol. 4, 47). As we have seen, the dispensational doctrine of the distinction between Israel and the Church leads them to teach, “The church is not fulfilling in any sense the promises to Israel” (Ryrie, The Basis of the Premillennial Faith, 136). Chafer says, “That the Christian now inherits the distinctive Jewish promises is not taught in scripture” (Systematic Theology, Vol. 4, 316).

Did the early fathers believe any of these propositions? No! The following brief examples will suffice to prove the point. Concerning the temple, the early Church father, Barnabas, says in the Epistle Of Barnabas:

• Moreover, I will also tell you concerning the temple, how the wretched [Jews], wandering in error, trusted not in God Himself, but in the temple, as being the house of God. For almost after the manner of the Gentiles they worshipped Him in the temple. But learn how the speaks when abolishing it: “Who hath meted out heaven with a span, and the earth with his palm? Have not I?” “Thus saith the Lord, Heaven is My Throne, and the earth My footstool: what kind of house will ye build to Me, or what is the place of My rest?” Ye perceive that their hope is vain (The Epistle Of Barnabas chap. XVI, “The Spiritual Temple Of God” in ANF, Vol. 1, 147).

Barnabas goes on to say in lengthy words that the temple of God is the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Christian. Barnabas teaches: “The New Covenant, Founded on The Sufferings of Christ, tends to our [the Church] salvation, but to the Jews’ destruction” (The Epistle Of Barnabas chap. V, “The Spiritual Temple Of God” in ANF, Vol. 1, 139). In ANF Vol. 1—the source we are citing these Church fathers—we see it as bright as the sunshine that they were not dispensationalists. In chapter VI Barnabas teaches that the New Covenant for the Church was foreseen by the prophets. Barnabas teaches in chap. XIII “Christians, and not Jews, [are] the heirs of the Covenant” (The Epistle Of Barnabas chap. XIII, “The Spiritual Temple Of God” in ANF, Vol. 1, 145). In chap. XIV he teaches that the Church received “the Testament which Moses received and broke.” Barnabas says, “Learn now how we have received it (the covenant). Moses, as a servant, received it; but the Lord himself, having suffered in our behalf, hath given it to us, that we should be the people of inheritance” (The Epistle Of Barnabas chap. XIV, “The Spiritual Temple Of God” in ANF, Vol. 1, 146).

Justin Martyr says in his Dialogue With Trypho—a Jew:

• For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucifed Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed (Dialogue With Trypho. chap. XI in ANF vol. 1, 200. Emphasis mine).

Justin went as far as to say in chap. XXV that “the Jews boast in vain that they are sons of Abraham” (Dialogue With Trypho. chap. XI in ANF vol. 1, 206. Emphasis mine). Justin says concerning Jacob and his seed:

• But Israel was His name from the beginning, to which He altered the name of the blessed Jacob when He blessed him with His own name, proclaiming thereby that all who through Him have fled for refuge to the Father, constitute the blessed Israel. But you, having understood none of this, and not being prepared to understand, since you are the children of Jacob after the fleshly seed, expect that you shall be assuredly saved. But that you deceive yourselves in such matters, I proved by many words (Dialogue With Trypho. chap. CXXV in ANF vol. 1, 262).

The Ante-Nicene Father, Irenaeus says, “and He (Christ) gathered into one faith of Abraham those who, from either covenant, are eligible for God’s building” (Irenaeus Against Heresies book IV chap. XXV in ANF, vol. 1, 496). Irenaeus also says:

• When ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of heaven, but you yourselves cast out.” This, then, is a clear point, that those who disallow his salvation, and frame the idea of another God besides Him who made the promise to Abraham, are outside the kingdom of God, and are disinherited from [the gift of] incorruption, setting at naught and blaspheming God, who introduces, through Jesus Christ, Abraham to the kingdom of heaven, and his seed, that is, the Church, upon which also is conferred the adoption and the inheritance promised to Abraham (Irenaeus Against Heresies book VIII chap. XXV in ANF, vol. 1, 470, 471 Emphasis mine)

In chap. XXVI Irenaeus teaches: “the treasure hid in scriptures is Christ; the true exposition of the scriptures is to be found in the church alone” (ANF, vol. 1, 496). Irenaeus says that the Church was foreseen by the Prophets: “Then I have pointed out the truth, and shown the preaching of the Church, which the prophets proclaimed” (ANF, vol.

1, 526).

Every one of these samples is a complete repudiation to any notion that these Church fathers were dispensationalists by the definitions of C.C. Ryrie and L. S. Chafer. There are other Church fathers who essentially say the same things as the ones we have cited. It was universally believed by the Church fathers that the Church is the Israel of God. In the following chapter, we are going to reveal the true origins of dispensationalism. Throughout this course, we have used this term loosely to represent the whole Pre-Tribulation Dispensational Futurist system, for it is common practice in Christendom to speak of the whole system by that term. However, when we are attempting to isolate the sources of each part of this system, we must be more meticulous at distinguishing these terms.

Source: Futurism: The Counterfeit Prophecy, pages 46-49.

I highly recommend reading that full paper, from beginning to end. It will BLOW your mind!

In addition to the above, I recommend D.S. Farris' chapter on The Israel of God.

Even if you already agree on this truth, I encourage everyone to read it in order to sharpen their skills and acquiring the necessary defense tools to dismantle the overmastering delusions that are being propounded by men like "Truth Files".

For those of you who wish to read the entire book from beginning to end, go to this page here:

Prophetic Toolchest for Dismantling the Dispensational Delusion

All online for free.