Expansion theology

[arapahoepark]

I am wondering if there are any good resources on the engrafting of Gentiles and the fulfillment of the prophets saying the Gentiles will flock to Jerusalem. In other words Gentiles become one with Israel as in covenant theology. Anything particularly on Acts?
What I find doing a cursory search on the internet digs up either, higher critical NPPish views or Dispensational views.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

If there are no focused resources on the question, perhaps begin with commentaries on Act.15:15-17, wherein God raises up the tent of David once fallen, "rebuild its ruins... so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name." N.B. 2Chr.7:14, famous phrasing of "my people... called by my name," ref. to Israel; cf. Dan.9:19.

So, James declares in v15 that "the words of the prophets agree," cf. 10:43, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins," spoken to the company of Cornelius; with commentary 11:18, "God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

This compels us to the prophets, to find such references. So, Zech. 2:11. "And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee."

Is.56:6-8, "Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him."

Is.14:1 "For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob."

Is.60 (entire) see v10, "And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee...;" or v14, "The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel." v9, it is the Gentiles who bring Israel's sons home, v16 whose milk nourishes them. In the immediate context, Jesus preaches ch.61 in Nazareth, proclaiming the day of its fulfillment arrived in him.

So, unless one has an apriori commitment to the suspension of fulfillment (hiatus) because Jesus was rejected at that time and thus the (earthly) kingdom must be "offered" a second time (to an ethnic entity) in the future someday, then the apostolic interpretation seems to me clearly to declare that these sorts of prophetic texts (which are plentiful) should be interpreted consistent with the assertion that their fulfillment was substantively met in Christ's coming and his ascension.

 

[Peairtach]

I think you just have to put together your own book from commentaries, etc.

See e.g. Erroll Hulse, "The Restoration of Israel" and its bibliography, Iain Murray "The Puritan Hope", David Brown "Christ's Second Coming: Will it be Premillennial?", Lorraine Boettner, "The Millennium", John Murray "Romans", Roderick Campbell, "Israel and the New Covenant", in fact anything by postmillennials.

Read the standard Reformed commentaries by Calvin, Henry and others on the passages you're interested in.

the Gentiles will flock to Jerusalem.

The Gentiles aren't spoken of as flocking to the earthly Jerusalem, although Israel is of historic interest to Christians, and when the Jewish nation is converted to Christianity, even more Gentile and Jewish Christians may visit.

But in the psalms and prophets, "Jerusalem", "Zion", etc, is a symbol for the Church.

 

[lynnie]

I have heard this referred to as enlargement theology, not expansion theology. I don't know if that will help with a google search or not, but you could try changing the search word.

 

[monoergon]

Sam Storms discusses the issue of Israel's restoration in his book Kingdom Come, which is a great refutation to dispensationalism. It addresses many other issues and is not limited to eschatology.