Very thorough discussion of the meaning of Israel -- spiritual/ethnic/national -- and its role(s) -- if any -- in biblical end times. I occasionally found the book tough going, but that is more a reflection of the reader than the author. Dr. Robertson's arguments that national Israel does *not* figure in biblical prophecies were, to my mind, a convincing antidote to the premillennial dispensationalism that seems so rampant in this day and age. The chapters on Hebrews 7 and Romans 11 especially rewarded careful reading, and the author's 'Concluding Propositions' were a helpful and clear summary of all that had preceded. ( )

This book tries to crack many nuts in a few pages, but it has several issues. To be sure I agree with most of its conclusions and arguments, but I do think it needs to be redone.

First, the less important stuff: it is badly typeset. The type used seem to vibrate optically, making for much a tiring and even irritating reading experience. So from the start I cannot claim to be impartial in my evaluation.

A much more irritating issue is some quite out of line quotes from Israeli personages and mentions of Israeli history, trying to prove Israel is not anything special. Taken all out of context and without any effort at evaluation, they seem more like a piece of antisemitic propaganda; coming early in the book, they predispose people sympathetic to Israel (as I count myself to be) to discount claims by the author. Also, they are irrelevant to the author’s argument, so they end up opening the whole book under suspicion instead of strengthening its argument.

The main thesis is that the Christian church is the Israel of God, and thus the current State of Israel has no special place in God’s kingdom. As such, it sounds like a book for recovering Judaizers or Dispensationalists, but its tone and approach will probably alienate all but the already convinced. I have nothing against its main thrust, which I believe to be true from the general tenor of Scripture; personally, I have little use for its text-proofing approach, while I do indeed appreciate some of its translation insights.

There are a few non-sequiturs, specially in the concluding propositions; in general, I think that while the main thesis is indeed true, the author tries to wring more from Scripture than can be exegetically sound and logically tenable. While I am in general theologically aligned with the author (and Jean-Marc Berthoud, for instance), in this issue I am more sympathetic with Jacques Ellul (which I consider mainly a heretic, but a very interesting one) than with them. ( )

Like most any American evangelical, how the Bible views the modern state of Israel is a topic that interests me. I’ve grown in my understanding of this issue, even as I’ve evaluated competing theological systems such as dispensationalism and covenant theology. For me, the Bible is most important, as I don’t feel compelled to be loyal to any particular theological system.

Perhaps that is why O. Palmer Robertson’s writings have been so helpful to me. I greatly appreciated his Biblical treatment of the various covenants of Scripture in The Christ of the Covenants. In The Israel of God: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Robertson far exceeded my expectations.

Robertson doesn’t have to convince anyone that interpretations concerning the Bible’s view of Israel are varied and extremely influential. In his book, though, he manages to bring the focus to where it should be: on what Scripture actually says concerning the topic.

And this is where he excels. He doesn’t settle for a few proof texts. Rather he carefully traces out a Biblical theology of the land, the people Israel, their worship and lifestyle, and the Kingdom as it relates to Israel. He offers a careful exposition of Galatians 6:16, Hebrews 7, and Romans 11. All the while, he examines Scripture’s entire testimony on these subjects letting all of Scripture weigh in on this issue.

The book shows how the essence of the land promise was spiritual fellowship with God. This is enjoyed by the church today (Matt. 5:5, Rom. 4:13, Eph. 6:3). It argues that the worship and lifestyle of Israel is radically altered with Christ’s provision of a better covenant (Heb. 7). It goes on to examine how Scripture defines the people of Israel, and it details how Gentile believers in the church are Abraham’s children and heirs, true Jews, yes, even the Israel of God (Gal. 3:26-29, 6:16; Rom. 2:28-29, 4:11-12; Eph. 2:14, 19).

One may well disagree with Robertson’s conclusions. But anyone who cares about Scripture will appreciate his emphasis on letting Scripture speak for itself. I would hope those differing with Robertson would at least give his Biblical presentation fair consideration. His exposition of Romans 11 in particular has the potential of changing the mind of many on this subject. Not because it is novel, but because he shows how clearly the chapter as a whole argues for a present-day focus in Paul’s concern.

I won’t explain all of Robertson’s arguments for you. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book yourself. Its a fairly quick read which will definitely keep your interest. I’m sure you’ll be glad you gave this book a hearing.

An expanded version of this review is available at CrossFocusedReviews.com, where you can find book excerpts, giveaways, promotional offers, audio reviews and more. ( )

I found myself nodding in agreement quite a lot while reading this work... ( )