Windham/Mowery Debate on Who is Subject to the Gospel

 
 
 Proposition: 
 Like the old covenant, the new covenant is only for the physical descendants of 
the twelve tribes of Israel.

Affirm: Brian Windham
Deny:  Dub Mowery

I wish to thank the owners of this list for this opportunity to discuss this most 
important issue. I want to thank Mr. Mowery for his willingness to engage in 
discussion publicly making this debate possible. And I thank the heavenly Father 
for His Word and the opportunity to discuss it with a fellow Christian and pray He 
guides us with His Holy Spirit to search and accept the truth on this matter.

Before I show why I affirm this proposal, please allow my giving a quick 
background on Israel's relationship with God in the Old Testament (OT) so that I 
might make my case more understandable.

The Bible is a book to and about one nation of people and the people from which 
she sprang. That nation is physical Israel. There is little doubt that the OT is about 
physical Israel. The Old Covenant (OC) was with this very people. The OC was a 
contract between God & Israel.

In this contract God told Israel that He would be her God and she would be His 
people if she obeyed Him and Israel agreed (Ex 19:5-8). This was a marriage 
contract (Jer 3:14; 31:32). Israel did not obey God and eventually God split Israel 
into two houses. One house was the House of Israel which consisted of the 10 
northern tribes. The other was the House of Judah, which consisted of the two 
southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 12 & 2 Sam 11-12).

Eventually God divorced the House of Israel (Jer 3:8, Hosea 1:4,10). He sold her 
into Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 18). The majority of the House of Judah was also 
sold into Assyrian (2 Kings 18). But God left the House of Judah in Jerusalem (2 
Kings 18). However, He did not divorce the House of Judah (Hosea 1:7). He did 
allow the House of Judah at Jerusalem to be taken in the Babylonian captivity (2 
Kings 24). But they were allowed to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1).

Israel now consisted of just a small part of the House of Judah. They were known 
as Judahites or Jews. The vast majority of Israel had been divorced and sold into 
Assyrian captivity and were now outside a covenantal relationship with God 
(Hosea 1:10). But God said there would come a time when lost or divorced Israel 
would be redeemed (Hosea 1:10). And He said they would once again be joined 
with Judah (Hosea 1:11).

There are many prophecies that tell of the redeeming of Israel and the rejoining of 
her with Judah. Some of them are Hosea 1; Ezek 37 & Isaiah 11. The question is 
not only when did this happen, but how did it happen. Israel was in a covenantal 
relationship with God because she was married to Him. But the Law of God 
would not allow one to remarry his former spouse (Deut 24:4). So God could not 
remarry Israel. But He had said that Israel would once again be His (Hos 1:10). 
How was that do be done?

That's what the New Covenant is all about. The telling of the redeeming of lost 
Israel. That's what Christ did. He redeemed His people (Luke 1:68). That's why 
Christ said He was sent ONLY to Israel (Mat 15:24). That's why He sent His 
people ONLY to Israel (Mat 10:5-6). That's why the New Covenant is with the 
House of Judah and the House of Israel (Heb 8:8).

The Scripture is very clear. The New Covenant is with the very same people the 
old one was with. God said it and it's recorded twice in the Bible (Jer 31:31; Heb 
8:8). Do we accept what's actually said concerning the New Covenant or do we 
make it say something it doesn't by spiritualizing Israel? The Scripture is obvious, 
Israel in the New Covenant is physical.

Brian