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COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE
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 | Rev. Barry Griffing, Palm Bay, Florida; music and worship clinician; director, International Worship Symposium |
"This book presents a fresh and creative approach to the Book of Revelation that belongs to none of the traditional schools of interpretation. J. E. Leonard dares to propose that most, if not all, of the prophecies in the book were fulfilled in the first century. In a day when the fear of being anti-Semitic has made many evangelicals willing to forfeit the uniqueness of their faith in Jesus, the author dares to affirm a spiritual Israel composed of both Jews and Gentiles who believe. Though few may agree with everything Leonard presents, this author deserves to be heard; and when that occurs, many traditional interpretations will be challenged."
| Dr. Donald Madvig, pastor, Beverly Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago; author of "Joshua" in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary; former professor of Biblical literature |
"Troubled times tend to rekindle apocalyptic interest and encourage speculation about ‘final’ events. Refreshingly, this book takes another tack and allows a different view to prevail. The author’s hermeneutic is placed squarely within history and therefore depends upon the context, rather than the ‘cosmic,’ for interpretation. This is a thoughtful, well-documented and helpful guide for anyone seeking to better understand a very difficult part of our Christian literature."
| Dr. Ronald D. Ballard, Professor of Religion and former dean of the School of Science and Humanities, Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth |
There is much that we will never understand about the Revelation to John. The key to a detailed understanding of the purpose and technique of the author would be a complete knowledge of the exact local historical and ecclesiastical background for his work. With the passing of the Revelation’s first readers and the ensuing upheavals of history, a good deal of this knowledge has been lost, a victim of the shifting winds of spiritual climate and the transition of ancient cultures. It appears that even second- and third-century Christians found it difficult to understand and, in some cases, to accept this book.
The book itself, however, remains to our day, not as an isolated text but as one viewed through the total framework of Scripture. And this Biblical context is, both anciently and in our time, the primary key for unlocking the secrets of the Revelation. Leland Ryken has expressed the matter thus:
The book of Revelation does not assume full literary significance by itself. It is the climax of biblical literature as a whole, and this is part of its significance. The whole Bible builds toward it and provides a context for understanding it.
The present study follows such a contextual methodology, comparing Scripture with Scripture as it systematically lays out a refreshed perspective upon the meaning and intent of John the Revelator.
Although other ancient sources are cited for background, it is the books of Moses and the prophets, the writings of the apostles, and the words of Jesus Christ as recorded by John himself and the other evangelists, which provide the clues to the purpose of the Apocalypse. In the end, we discover that the Apocalypse is not at all a piece of "apocalyptic" literature, setting forth future events which represent a cosmic intrusion into the present course of history. Rather, the Revelation is a dramatic portrayal of historical events quite within the scope of the author and his readers.
Such a thesis is not a novel one, having been advanced elsewhere during the past century of Biblical research. The major contribution of this study is its concentration upon the covenant between the Lord and His people as the central theme of the Revelation. Viewed as a covenant document -- or more correctly, perhaps, as a document amplifying the consequences of the violation of the covenant -- the Revelation takes on a renewed significance in terms of the tragic events of its own time. Such an approach also enhances the meaning of the Revelation for today; for when the identity of the true people of God becomes clear, then the proper response to the God of the covenant also comes into sharper focus. The author discusses this response in the concluding chapters of this book.
This study, by its methodology and its findings, also has implications for the church’s use of the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation is seen to manifest a heavy dependence upon the Hebrew Scriptures for its thrust and imagery. For the earliest Christians, the "Scriptures" were the Hebrew Bible. John, and the other New Testament authors, produced what might be termed a commentary on the Scriptures-- an inspired and essential commentary, to be sure, but not a replacement for the Old Testament, which remains the foundation covenant document. Whenever Christians relegate the Old Testament to secondary status within the canon, as though superseded, they reveal an attitude toward the Hebrew Scriptures which finds no support within the New Testament, and certainly none from the Revelation to John.
At this writing, events in the Middle East have fostered a resurgence of interest in the Bible’s portrayal of "end-time" events. Several titles have lately appeared which, while claiming to offer a new angle, essentially dust off the same worn-out dispensational scheme, keeping the old plot but changing the names of the characters. Amidst such speculation, however, it is refreshing to have the completely different approach presented in Come Out of Her, My People.
Richard C. Leonard, Ph. D.
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Preface
This book was born out of struggle. Most of my lifetime has been spent within the futuristic, dispensational, theological framework; moving away from the security of the familiar into uncharted territory has been unsettling, and occasionally somewhat frightening. Nevertheless, an intense desire to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John has compelled me to abandon most of my previous eschatology for that which is stated clearly in the Scripture.
The search for understanding moved me some years ago from dispensationalism into a post-tribulational view, and from there to my present position, which does not fit neatly into any of the commonly accepted schools of thought. In the process of my search I have read a number of books, both old and new, which purport to interpret the Revelation to John. Some of them were helpful; some were not. None satisfied me completely. The final source and authority for this book has been the Scripture itself, as seen through my new eyes of understanding.
The book is not to be construed as being in any way anti-Jewish. I have, from childhood, sustained a love for the Jewish people. However, it is with dismay that I recognize a trend in evangelicalism today which supposes a special status for the physical descendants of Jacob and says that they need not be evangelized because they have "their own covenant with the Father." The erroneous idea that all Jews will be supernaturally born again in one day when they see Jesus Christ prevents many Christians from viewing them as the are -- lost human beings, "strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). The Bible clearly states that no one can be in relation to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Indeed, many Christians are so enamored with Judaism that they attempt to become Jews themselves. The practice of holding passover seders in the church is becoming common, and spiritual significance is thought to be seen in Jewish practices which originated, not in the practices of ancient Israel nor even in the Judaism of New Testament times, but in European customs of the Middle Ages. Surely we are to love the Jewish people, but not the Judaistic system which denies our Saviour, the Lord Jesus.
It is the worst form of anti-Semitism that withholds the good news of salvation from an entire ethnic group because we are afraid to imply that their religion, like every other religion without Christ, is false and will lead them to destruction. It is not love for Jews which keeps us from telling them the truth but the fear that we might offend them. The gospel is an offense to all unbelievers, but it is also the only vehicle by which they can be reconciled to God. To assert that unbelieving people of any background are His chosen people is to deny them the opportunity to become truly chosen, by entering into the covenant people Israel through faith in Jesus Christ.
The writers of the New Testament were, for the most part, Jewish, yet without exception they reject Judaism. Jesus Himself accused its leaders of being spiritually blind. He, the Son of God who died for the whole world, including the Jewish people, can hardly be accused of anti-Semitism.
It is time for God’s chosen people to discover and affirm their identity. The church is not an interruption in God’s plan for Israel. The church is Israel (Rom. 9:6-8; Gal. 6:16). It is because God has emblazoned this truth across the pages of Scripture and brought it to life in my own spirit that I offer to you, the reader Come Out of Her, My People. My prayer is that God will take the veil from your heart as you read.