Archive for bible study
The Ecclesiology Of I.M. Haldeman
A few months ago on Ebay, I was fortunate enough to snatch up an old harcover reprint of I.M. Haldeman’s 1904 book entitled “How To Study The Bible, The Second Coming, and Other Expositions.” It was originally published as “Friday Night Papers,” but when he issued a second edition, Haldeman changed the title and added over 200 extra pages of material. The book is a classic of Dispensational theology.
I.M. Haldeman (1845-1933) was the longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in New York City. Although mostly forgotten today, he wrote a lengthy response to Philip Mauro’s “Gospel of The Kingdom,” a bitter diatribe against Dispensationalism. During the course of a busy ministry, Haldeman also produced countless expositions, some of which are included in ”How To Study The Bible.”
What makes this title so interesting, is Haldeman’s ecclesiology, which he must have developed and refined over a long period of years. Since I myself hold to certain aspects of Haldeman’s teaching on the nature, intent, and commencement of the Christian church, a review of certain elements of his system are in order.
Contrary to most Dispensational interpreters, who believe that the church began at Pentecost, Haldeman understood the bride of Christ as having two beginnings. The church age commenced secretly in John 20: 22-23 and publicly in Acts 2.
“On the day that Christ arose from the dead, He breathed on His disciples, and by that act quickened them into vital union with Himself as the Risen One, thus uniting them to one another in Himself, and forming the living, mystic, and spiritual body, the Church; this hour was the birth hour of the Church.
” ‘He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’ John 20: 22, 23.
“On the day of Pentecost the Spirit was made manifest in the earth, as the witness of the Risen Christ; and then, and there, the Lord baptized His disciples, in the Spirit, into the Body in which, and through which, He was henceforth to manifest Himself on the earth. On that day the Spirit deposited in this spiritual body all the gifts and powers required for service in the name of an ascended Lord” (pg. 354).
Haldeman’s concept of Pentecost was not that it marked the beginning of the church itself. The church officially began in John 20: 22-23, when the Holy Spirit came as the “Comforter.” The Holy Spirit did not come as the ”Comforter” in Acts 2, but as the ”Enduer.” Thus, on the evening of the resurrection the birth of the church took place in secret. On the Day of Pentecost, the church was endued with the gifts of the Spirit, and given power to fulfill its commission.
Such a doctrine as Haldeman’s would appear to solve some of the problems related to cessation of the charismata. While spiritual enduement applies to all believers today, the special gifts must have been in force only so long as they served as testimony to the Jews (see 1 Cor. 1: 22). When the Jews failed to repent, in response to Peter’s admonition in Acts 3: 19-21, their city was destroyed and the second coming postponed.
With the close of the Jewish Dispensation ended the charismata, or the general period of enduement with miraculous gifts. It did not, however, end the Holy Spirit’s role as Comforter. Because the Church really began prior to the miraculous outpouring of power from on high, the cessation of charismatic gifts in A.D. 70 was no indication that the Body of Christ was “complete” in any sense. The Holy Spirit still comes as Comforter today, sealing the hearts of all whosoever believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, to the saving of their souls.
Although there is no record that Haldeman held the particular conclusions inferred by myself, he did lay the foundation of what I believe is a better understanding of Christian ecclesiology. If Haldeman’s system were followed, certain difficulties relating to the Dispensational transition between the Jewish and Christian economies would be cleared up.
Because Haldeman conceived that the parenthetical church age (which he calls the “Holy Ghost Dispensation“) had two beginnings, he concluded that it must have two endings. It will end secretly with a pre-tribulational rapture, and publicly, with the return of Christ from the Mount of Olives with all His saints (see Zech. 14: 5). These facts can be gleaned through a careful reading of Haldeman’s book. Although it is no longer in print, I’ve heard that it is currently available on the “SwordSearcher” Bible software.
The First Baptist Church in New York City presently has one of Haldeman’s prophecy charts hanging in its hallway. The digital scan above is somewhat difficult to read. However, it is clear that Dr. Haldeman was an ardent student of prophecy, and one of the great pioneers of 20th century Dispensational studies. Although his works have been eclipsed in recent years, they contain hidden riches that will surprise and delight those who seek them out.
Israel’s “Lo-Ammi” Periods
Some of the foremost difficulties encountered by Bible students lie in the field of chronology. Higher criticism would tell us of inconsistencies in the Divine record itself; and though such difficulties can be (and have been) surmounted, it is too often with a sense of embarassment that they are explained away.
Take, for instance, the statement in 1 Kings 6: 1, that Solomon began to build his temple in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt. This is well and good. But when we turn to Paul’s statement in Acts 13: 17-21, we come up with a figure of 573 years (counting, of course, the reign of king David, and the first three years of Solomon’s reign).
Now here is a discrepancy of 93 years; and it is for this reason that Bible students come to a standstill. Most chronologists accept the account in 1 Kings 6: 1, and leave Paul’s statement to fend for itself. Or, they say that Paul was “only speaking generally.” However, what they fail to see is that both statements are literally true. The figures are given, however, according to two different reckonings.
The calculation in 1 Kings 6: 1 is not an “Anno Mundi” figure, but what we may call (for the sake of convenience) an “Anno Dei” figure. Whereas Paul’s calculation is actually the correct “Anno Mundi” reckoning. What accounts for the difference?
Due to a forced “linear perception” of prophetic and chronological fulfillment (“once the ball starts rolling it never stops”) , students fail to see that whenever Israel was counted “Lo-Ammi” (“not my people”) by God, their national history years were omitted from the lifetime of the world. This creates gaps, or lacunae, in Bible chronology, which must be filled in.
The figure given in 1 Kings 6 is not an Anno Mundi calculation, but an Anno Dei one. By taking it as Anno Mundi, confusion is created in the Biblical record, and havoc is made in regard to the correct date of events.
The 93-year discrepancy between 1 Kings 6 and the account given by Paul in Acts 13 can easily be explained when we turn to the Book of Judges. There we shall find five distinct periods during which Israel was “given up” and sold into the hands of their enemies.
After the death of Joshua, it is recorded that the children of Israel ”did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim and the groves” (Judges 3: 7). Therefore, the Lord sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, for the space of eight years (Judges 3: 8). This was the first “Lo-Ammi” period, which ended when Othniel, the son of Kenaz, began to judge the nation. Under his judgeship the land had rest for forty years (Judges 3: 11).
The second ”Lo-Ammi” period commenced when the children of Israel were sold into the hands of Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years (Judges 3: 14). The servitude was ended by Ehud the son of Gera, whom God raised up to judge Israel (Judges 3: 15). Ehud delivered the nation out of the hands of Moab, and the land had rest for eighty years (Judges 3: 30).
The third “Lo-Ammi” period came about when Israel was sold into the hand of Jabin the king of Canaan, who oppressed them for twenty years (Judges 4: 3). The nation was then rescued by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4: 4-10); and after the defeat of Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, the land had rest for forty years (Judges 5: 31).
The fourth “Lo-Ammi” period began when Israel was delivered into the hands of the Midianites, and it lasted for seven years (Judges 6: 1). This “Lo-Ammi” period was ended by the judgeship of Gideon, who delivered the nation from its enemies. Then the land had rest for forty years (Judges 8: 28).
The fifth “Lo-Ammi” period occurred when the Lord delivered Israel into the hand of the Philistines for forty years (Judges 13: 1). Although Samson gave the land no rest, he judged Israel for twenty years (Judges 15: 20).
Here we must note, that the Book of Judges lists another captivity which is sometimes wrongly considered a “Lo-Ammi” period. This is found in Judges 10: 7-9, where it is recorded that the Philistines and the children of Ammon vexed the children of Israel for eighteen years. Yet this “oppression” was local and beyond Jordan, and did not affect the national status. Therefore, it is not a “Lo-Ammi” period. [For more information, see Dr. Bullinger's note on 1 Kings 6: 1, Companion Bible, pg. 456].
The important thing to keep in mind is this: that during each of these “captivities,” Israel’s national history was omitted from the lifetime of the world. This can be easily seen when we add the number of years of the various “Lo-Ammi” periods.
1. Mesopotamia/ 8 years
2. Moab/ 18 years
3. Canaan/ 20 years
4. Midian/ 7 years
5. Philistia/ 40 years
TOTAL = 93 years
Thus it is seen that the numeric figure given in 1 Kings 6: 1 agrees with that of Paul – but only when we take into account the two different modes of reckoning. Paul was working from an “Anno Mundi” scheme. But the figure in 1 Kings 6: 1 ignores the 93 years of national servitude when the nation became ”Lo-Ammi.” This tells us, of course, that the figure was computed according to an ”Anno Dei” reckoning.
Of course, we are not to assume that the captivities recorded in the Book of Judges comprise Israel’s only “Lo-Ammi” periods. There are other such periods in Israel’s national history, which include: Athaliah’s six years of usurpation; the gap of thirteen years between the reigns of Amaziah and Uzziah; and the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. These periods must all be taken into account if we would come to a proper understanding of Biblical chronology.
The most important “Lo-Ammi” period — at least to ourselves — is that which began in Acts 28: 28, when the nation of Israel was formally set aside, and their “hope” (the PAROUSIA) put in abeyance. It was then that the parenthetical Dispensation of the Mystery (Eph. 3: 9) began.
Unless the reader understands how these “Lo-Ammi” periods work, he/she will be apt to stumble into errors like Preterism, which teaches that Christ actually returned in A.D. 70. But when Acts 28: 28 is rightly seen as the commencement of Israel’s longest and greatest “Lo-Ammi” period (see Hosea 3: 4-5), all the pieces fall into order, and consistency takes the place of confusion.
Charles H. Welch– On The Parenthetical Nature of The Mosaic Economy
(from Dispensational Truth, 1912)
The reader may wonder why the period associated with the name of Moses is given so small a space in this volume. [...] The Mosaic legislation, and the assumption of responsibility by Israel in their reply, “All that the Lord hath said will we do” (Exod. 24: 7) are parenthetical to the great purpose.
The land promised to Abraham, and the land possessed by Israel during the past, are not co-extensive. The possession of the full extent of the territory and dominion awaits the fulfillment of the ‘covenant ordered in all things and sure.’ A reference to Galatians 3: 15-18 will help us to see that the dispensation of law was transitional and preparatory, and its failure or success in no wise affected the oath and promise given 430 years before Sinai.
That the omission of the Mosaic economy from the main line of God’s purpose is in harmony with the Word may be seen by examining the opening words of Matthew 1: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham.” Verse 17 says, “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” Thus we see that David is the next link in the chain of purpose, and thus the Mosaic period is passed over.
G.W. Whitaker– The Image Of Daniel 2 (Dispensational Chart)
Here is an interesting chart (click to enlarge) which may serve as a commentary on the “colossus” seen in Nebuchadnzezzar’s dream (see Dan. 2), and explained by the prophet Daniel. Based on a chronological scheme which takes into account the various “Lo-Ammi” periods, during which the years of Israel’s national history are omitted from the lifetime of the world, this pictorial chart shows the downward progress of Gentile dominion, from the reign of Nebuchadezzar until the “kingdoms of this world (kosmos) become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (Rev. 11: 15).
The Perfect Balance Of Truth (Dispensational Chart)
The chart at left illustrates some of the most vital principles of “right division.” It sets forth, in pictorial form, the substance of Paul’s twofold ministry — before and after Acts 28: 28. During the first part of his ministry, Paul preached the “hope made to the fathers,” which involves the establishment of the Millennial kingdom. After Acts 28: 28, when the kingdom had been postponed, Paul was sent to preach the mystery of the one body, which is only contained in his epistles written after the Acts period. A close comparison of the two sides of the chart will bring to light many precious truths which we find essential to a right understanding of the New Testament epistles.
