Israel's Gone Global

This book explores the biblical definition of the word, Israel, as conveying the central message of salvation. It engages with dispensationalism, and the idea that if God proclaims it eternal, covenant can neither be broken nor annulled. It studies one common covenant idea often attacked through secular humanism, marriage. Defined only by God, is marriage dissoluble in his sight? It applies the conclusion to covenants in general, and in particular, to the Sinaitic Covenant. Has Yahweh 'divorced' Ethnic Israel/Judah? Has the title deed, Israel, passed to messiah and been shared with his community? The marriage to Ethnic Israel is affirmed, as is her 'divorce', her secularisation, allowing True Israel (althinos) to go global as God's plan moved into a deeper phase.The world religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, are examined, asking not whether they convey eternal life, but whether they house any who shall have it: thankfully eternal life has inclusive and exclusive aspects. Inclusively all who love God as God shall have ultimate eternal life. Exclusively to Christianity, only those who love God in Christ have eternal life now, knowing God as their father. The entrance door is seen to be Jesus, and the ticket is seen as heart-welcoming him. The Evangel is good news. The fate of people who die before or soon after birth is also considered, and a way forward is argued for that links personal welcome of God as God to infancy - Predilectionism, the fixity of Calvinism without its selectivity. This cuts through the selective idea of infant baptism in the East and rhantism in the West, and the ethically dubious idea of all people who die in infancy being equally (dis)advantaged over people who die in later years through no fault or faith of their own. It suggests that people's nature from conception - though nurture and choice from youth - determine their experience of God. As to eternal life now, we ask whether it is ethical to preach the good news to those who might be persecuted if they join the Church. What are the joys for insiders, God's mortal children? And for that matter, what are the joys for the redeemed after death? Finally, Israel's Gone Global traces the main covenants through and beyond tanakian times: Adam, Abraham, Yakob, Yeshua.