CRITIQUING JOEL MCDURMON PART 2:  ABRAHAM AND THE LAND/CITY/WORLD (NEW EXODUS) PROMISES FULFILLED OR NOT FULFILLED?

By:  Michael J. Sullivan

In this article I want to address two issues.  First, is Joel McDurmon asserting in his debate with Don Preston that Abraham did not inherit the land promise and if we say that he did, then according to Acts 7 – the Bible contradicts itself.  According to McDurmon if Abraham didn’t inherit the land or the earth (Rom. 4:13) that must mean that he will be raised (along with everyone) in a physical body upon the promised land and earth in the future.  The second issue is to demonstrate that according to futurists, the land promise made to Abraham is climaxed and fulfilled under OT typology through the exodus and then when David took the city of Jerusalem and God dwelt among His people safely 2 Sam. 5:6ff.  

Let’s first address the issue of Abraham allegedly not inheriting the land.  Of course we couldn’t help but think we were debating a Premillennial Dispensationalist when we heard McDurmon’s comments on this subject!  Below is a chart harmonizing the OT record and Acts 7 demonstrating that there is no “contradiction” and that Abraham did inherit the land through his seed.  Is this not ironic that this is a reformed refutation of the Premillennial Dispensational view?!?:

I. The major Bible texts of the three promises

II. Exposition of Gen 15:1-21 & Acts 7:1-7

III.     God gave the land to Fathers through seed:

1.         Gen 28:4 that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.

2.         Gen 35:12 the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to Jacob

3.         Deut 30:5 God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it

Contrary to McDurmon, there obviously is no “contradiction” in Acts 7 from the rest of Scripture.  And of course the exodus or land promise under the OT exodus didn’t reach its climax until the conquest — 40 year reigns of David and Solomon took place.  R.E. Nixon places the OT consummation or climax of the exodus with David taking over the city of Jerusalem and thus Yahweh having a place to dwell in the midst of His people:

“In the earlier part of the Old Testament there are three outstanding moments to which the later writers look back. They are the call of Abraham, the Exodus and the reign of David.5 To Abraham there was made the promise of numerous descendants and a land for them to live in as their own.6 That promise was not fulfilled in his lifetime.7 The Exodus was the event which constituted the descendants of Abraham a nation and the purpose of the Exodus was to bring the people eventually to the promised land of Canaan.8 But the mere crossing of the Jordan into Canaan did not accomplish the purposes of God, for the land had to be conquered. It was not until the time of David that it could truly be said that Israel was given security from all her surrounding enemies.9 Moreover they had to find a place in which Yahweh their God would choose to make His name dwell,10 and therefore the capture of Jerusalem by David was in a sense the climax to which the whole Exodus-event was leading.11[2][2]”  

Of course the 40 year wilderness wanderings and David and Solomon’s 40 year reigns of conquest and rest of the land and city of Jerusalem typified the new exodus “this generation” under Christ and the Church – being roughly between AD 30 – AD 70.  The unclean spirits were driven from the land, Satan crushed “shortly,” and the kingdom taken from OC Jerusalem and given to the new nation bearing the fruits thereof – ie. the glorified and established NC Jerusalem by AD 70.  The message of the book of Hebrews and that of the book of Revelation teaches us that the establishment of the land/city promise made to Abraham and OC Israel was fulfilled at Christ’s Second Appearing at the end of the OC age in a “very little while,” “shortly,” “at hand,” “quickly” “about to” AD 70 time period (Heb. 3-4, 9:26-28—10:37—13:14YLT/WEY/Rev. 1:1—20-22:6-7, 10-12, 20).  According to the book of Hebrews, all the “enemies” of Psalm 110 were “made his footstool” when a fire was “about to” (their “wait”) “consume” them at “the Day” which was approaching when He would” judge His people” in AD 70 (Heb. 10:13, 25, 27, 30, 35-37).  Paul in 1 Cor. 15 identifies the enemies of Psalm 110 being put down within the same time frame as that of the author to the book of Hebrews — that is at Daniel’s “the time of the end” or Jesus’ “the end of the [OC] age” “this generation” — with the last enemy, “the death” to take place at Christ’s “THE parousia” when the OC “THE Law” would be fulfilled (Dan. 7, 9, 12; Matt. 24-25/1 Cor. 15:23-57). 

McDurmon is in print teaching that Jesus’ and Paul’s “this age” is the OC age, and the “age to come” is the NC age which arrived when the resurrection of Dan. 12:2-3/Matt. 13:39-43, 49 took place in AD 70.  He also affirms that the parable of the 10 virgins was fulfilled at Christ’s coming in AD 70 – this also being the time Abraham feasted with the Gentiles when the kingdom came (Matt. 8:11; Matt. 25:1-31).  But the wedding feast takes place when “the death” is defeated and the resurrection takes place in “the [NC] age to come” (Isa. 25:6-8/1Cor. 15:54; Luke 20:34-38)!  Abraham was “perfected” and received a “better resurrection” with the first century church (Heb. 11:35, 39-40).  The NC inheritance of the “better things” of a Heavenly Country/Zion/City/Kingdom in the book of Hebrews are ALL spiritual and were “about to” arrive at Christ’s imminent approaching “Day” return. 

The book of Revelation ends with the New Jerusalem coming down and clothing the church while upon the earth.  She is secure in the City of the Living God/The New Jerusalem dwelling with God where the curse is no more.  McDurmon and DeMar teach us that the imminent time texts throughout the book of Revelation instruct us that the NC New Jerusalem came down from heaven to earth in AD 70.  The Biblical view is that the OT promises were partially fulfilled in the OT under the OC, but needed to be fulfilled in the spiritual or “true” realm — thus the fuller fulfillment “in Christ” under a new or second exodus.  These “true” and “spiritual” fulfillments came at Christ’s Second Appearing in AD 70 and came to a mature state – in which the eschatological goal or end was realized. 

Romans 4:13/1John 2:17/Revelation 21:1/2 Peter 3/Heb. 12-13:14

It has been asserted by some that we have not dealt with the Greek word kosmos/“world” in Romans 4:13 as it pertains to the inheritance of Abraham and his seed.  Therefore, I would like to turn my attention briefly to this text so as to identify what “world” this is. 

As American Vision’s Joel McDurmon and Gary DeMar know full well, kosmos has a wide variety of meanings in the NT.  The two that I will focus on here is kosmos in relation to the Great Commission being fulfilled in the NT, and kosmos being used as Israel’s OC world with the spiritual inheritance of the NC world taking its place by AD 70 — thus being a blessing and healing to the nations in the NC age.

The Great Commission was fulfilled in all the “world”/kosmos by the first century – God’s new  Israel by AD 70:

PROPHECY            FULFILLMENT

There is a serious problem for men like G.K. Beale who attempt to connect a literal phase to the new creation with and when the fulfillment of a global Great Commission takes place — when he appeals to NT passages which clearly teach the gospel had already been preached into all the world in the first century.  All of these terms Jesus used for the Great Commission were used by Paul in the past tense to communicate the commands of Jesus as being fulfilled within his generation.  Let’s briefly examine Colossians 1-2.  Paul writes, “…which things are a shadow of those things about to come. But the body belongs to Christ.” (Cols. 2:17WEY).  This imminent time text is consistent with the immediate context of the Great Commission having been fulfilled by Paul in the first century Mt.24:14/Mark 16:15/Col.1:5-6, 23. The great commission here is the fulfillment of Gen.1:28 and paradise is being restored and about to come in its fullness. G.K. Beale makes the connection:

“Several commentators have noticed that verse 6 and 10 are an allusion to Genesis 1:28 (and perhaps 1:22). It appears that the Hebrew text may be the focus, since the Greek Old Testament renders the Hebrew para (‘bear fruit’) by auxano (‘increase’) and raba (‘to multiply’) by plethuno (‘to multiply’).”[3] 

As pointed out in the debate, we believe Mr. McDurmon does not understand how Paul or John uses Genesis 1-3 material in applying it to the Church as God’s New Creation as the NC age was reaching its maturity phase by AD 70. There is a new Adam—Christ, and He is exercising dominion through His seed and progeny–the Church. This is being accomplished in Paul’s day by the gospel filling the earth/land in expelling the darkness of the evil one’s kingdom in plundering his house by taking back the hearts of His people shining through them as God’s new creation in (verse 3; cf. 2 Cor. 4:6; 5:17). 

In Colossians 1:15-20, Christ is the new Adam carrying the fullness of God’s “image” and is therefore the “head” and “firstborn” of this new-covenant creation. He was the sustainer of the old-covenant creation of Israel and has now begun a creation (the “already”) process through the cross, reconciling things in heaven (regenerated Jews) and things on the earth (regenerated Gentiles) for Himself and therefore is the “head” of the Church (the new creation). Since I favor John Locke and other’s interpretation of “heaven” (being the Jews) and “earth” (being the Gentiles) in Ephesians 1:9-10,[4] it seems only natural according to Pauline theology, to identify the same terms here as Jew and Gentile being reconciled together under the headship of Christ and placed within family of God–the church.   

He is the “first born from among the dead” meaning He is the first to rise victoriously over the spiritual sin/death that came through Adam and in Him is realized the new-covenant Passover and redemption. Christ is not reconciling fallen angels or rocks and trees to himself “on the earth” or “things in heaven” through His blood. These are the souls of people – Jews / Gentiles, making up Christ’s new creation.     

Joel McDurmon and Gary DeMar in their writings acknowledge that the kosmos/world in Romans and Colossians was referring to the then present known world preached to by AD 70 (Rom. 1:8; Cols. 1:5-6).  Combined, such PP as James Jordan, Peter Leithart, Joel McDurmon are on record as taking the resurrection of Daniel 12:2-3 (or logically having to) as being Israel’s resurrection and judgment/harvest taking place by AD 70 appealing to Matthew 13:1-49.  Therefore, “the field” being “the world/kosmos” in (Matt. 13:38) should be taken in the same limited way in these kingdom seed/growth/maturity parables of Jesus.  This is one aspect of the word “world”/kosmos that needs to be addressed. 

But let’s deal with the second meaning in regards to the nature of the inherited “world”/kosmos in our text of (Rom. 4:13).  Again PP such as DeMar and McDurmon would inform their readers that Paul and John’s “form of the world/kosmos” or “world/kosmos” which was “passing away” in the first century is NOT the physical globe, but the OC system (1 Cor. 7:31; 1 John 2:17-18).  They would inform us that the “world” that takes its place imminently in AD 70 is the spiritual NC world of righteousness as described in 2 Peter 3 and Revelation 21-22.  We couldn’t agree more!  Our only disagreement is that Paul, Peter or John are teaching a “literal phase” that has not been “fully-fulfilled” yet in these texts.  The inherited “world”/kosmos in (Rom. 4:13) is no less heavenly or spiritual than the inherited heavenly country/kingdom/Zion of Hebrews 12-13:14WEY which arrived in AD 70.  This “world” is no less spiritual than the spiritual NC seed and circumcision of those that come into and thus inherit it. 

In the immediate context we read of a righteousness that was “about to be reckoned” or received, “but also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned—to us believing on Him who did raise up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,” (Rms. 4:24 YLT WEY).  This is the new heavens and earth or world in which righteousness dwells that PPism tells us came in AD 70 (2 Pet. 3:13).  And sticking with our new creation theme, in the next chapter over we read that Adam was a “type” of Christ who was “coming” (Rom. 5:14YLT) or a better translation would be “about to come.” What was He coming with in Romans 4-5 and 2 Peter 3?  Yup the inheritance of the NC spiritual world!  Is Peter’s “inheritance” reached at an imminently approaching Day of the Lord any different than that of Paul’s in the book of Romans (1 Peter 1:4-12/4:5-7/2Peter 3)?!?  After all, Romans 4:13 runs with the contextual flow throughout Romans concerning a the resurrection “day” approaching, an “about to be” “glory” or glorification and redemption of the body and “salvation” of “all Israel” — All of which DeMar and McDurmon tell us took place in AD 70 in some sense (Rom. 8:18-23YLT/WEY/AV; 11:1-27; 13:11-12)!  I say in “some sense” in regards to Romans 8:18-23 because Mr. DeMar refuses to answer my questions on this text and pretends he doesn’t know what “glory” was “about to be revealed” in the passage!  Clearly it is when the bondage, groanings and decay of the creation is liberated and the glorification and redemption of the body takes place.  No mystery in the text Mr. DeMar!  Since there is NO contextual confusion here, perhaps his “confusion” over the text has to do more with accepting it was fulfilled in AD 70 all while not wanting to give the farm away to Full Preterism and violating the creeds and upsetting his finacial supporters who are tied to those creeds?              

Conclusion

Under the OC, Abraham inherited the LITERAL typological land promises in the first exodus through his natural seed – culminating when David reigned 40 years and took Jerusalem and Israel was secure experiencing peace in the land.  The NC SPIRITUAL ANTI-TYPE was Jesus’ “this generation” 40 years pre-parousia reign whereby Abraham and the Church feasted and were raised together to inherit the New Creation/New Jerusalem at Christ’s imminent return in AD 70 – Matt. 8:11-12/Heb. 11:35, 39-40; 13:14YLT/Rev. 21:1–22:6-7, 10-12, 20.  What Partial Preterist Postmillennialism and American Vision wants you to believe is that the NT teaches these NT spiritual “BETTER” ANTI-TYPE fulfillments were but yet ANOTHER TYPE of a “greater” “literal” fulfillment — of which they have no chapter and verse for — it is simply and literally eisegetically read into the texts of the NT!  Covenant theologians claim that Premillennial Dispensationalists don’t understand how the NT writers use the OT when it comes to Israel, Jerusalem, Zion, seed, the imminent time texts connected to the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom etc…  Well, when it comes to the inspired NT authors using the OT, reformed Amillennialists and Partial Preterist Postmillennialists are no less clueless when it comes to their inspired teachings on the time and nature of fulfillment than their Dispensational critics!  Especially when they begin claiming the NT’s “not yet” eschaton is really two – one for Israel in AD 70 and one for the Church at the end of time and thus can be turned into ANOTHER ALREADY AND NOT YET period with AD 70 fulfillments having “partial” “typological” “patterns” various “manifestations” of fulfillment in Matthew 24; 2 Romans 8:18-23YLT/WEY/AV; Peter 3; Rev. 21-22 etc…  If they can give these texts these kinds of “fulfillments,” then there is nothing stopping Dispensationalism from coming to important NT eschatological texts and DOING THE SAME TO FIT THEIR BROKEN SYSTEM! 

Paul’s imminent “inheritance” of the “world” in Romans 4-5; 8:18-23YLT/WEY/AV; 11, 13:11-12 is no different than that of Peter’s – 1 Peter 1:4-12; 4:5-7; 2 Pet. 3.  Paul had ONE HOPE and eschatological goal/end/telos in the NT and it was reached and brought to maturity at Christ’s ONE Second Coming event in AD 70.      

This is not difficult to put together or understand.  Therefore, it seems to me what is, is that American Vision’s Gary DeMar and Joel McDurmon are trying to reconcile their progressive PPism with the reformed creeds — all the while trying to satisfy their financial supporters and cater to a handful of hateful former FP and Gary North.  Adding to the word of God, pleasing (seeking “validation from”) and fearing men more than God, making null and void the Word of God due to uninspired “tradition” etc…, are ALL very serious issues that Mr. DeMar and his hateful anti-FP affiliates need to mindful of.