Anthony Hoekema

8/11/2019 Anthony Hoekema

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The ReformedEschatologyof

AnthonyHoekema

A Judeo-centric Critique

BarryHorner


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THEREFORMEDESCHATOLOGY

OF

ANTHONYHOEKEMA

nthonyA.HoekemawasbornintheNetherlandsandimmigratedtotheUnitedStates

in1923.

He

attended

Calvin

College,

the

University

of

Michigan,

Calvin

Theological

seminaryandPrincetonTheologicalseminary.AfterservingasministerofseveralChristian

ReformedChurches (194456) hebecameAssociate Professor of Bible atCalvinCollege

(195658).From1958to1979,whenheretired,hewasProfessorofSystematicTheologyat

Calvin Theological Seminary inGrandRapids,Michigan. ProfessorHoekema spent two

sabbaticalyearsinCambridge,England(196566,197374).Ofthebookshehaswritten,one

isofmajor significance,TheBible and theFuture (1979); hewas also a contributor toThe

Meaning of theMillennium (1977) inwhichhewas the selected spokesman foramillennial

eschatology.From the latter twopublicationswe seequiteobviously theperpetuationof

theeschatologyofBavinckandVos inparticular,aswellas thatof theChristianReformed

Church.HoekemaalsosympatheticallyreferencesotheramillennialistauthorswhoopposeapremillennialanddispensationalunderstandingofIsraelandtheJews,includingOswalt

T. Allis, Louis Berkhof, W. E. Cox, Louis DeCaro, W. Grier, Floyd E. Hamilton, W.

Hendriksen,PhilipMauto,GeorgeMurray,AlbertusPieters,andMartinWyngaarden.1

A. TheChristianChurchisthetrueIsrael.

Here Augustinian, supercessionist theology with regard to national Israel is quite

explicit.For instance,because thenationof Israelasawhole rejected thekingdom,

Jesus

said

that

the

kingdom

of

God

would

be

taken

away

from

them

and

given

to

a

nationproducingthefruitsofit(Matt.21:43).2Hence,theNewTestamentchurchis

nowthetrueIsrael,inwhomandthroughwhomthepromisesmadetoOldTestament

Israelarebeingfulfilled.3

B. Romans11.

Theauthorreadilyconfessesthathisunderstandingofthismostimportantpassageof

Scripture isbased upon the exegesis ofWilliamHendriksen.4 This isbut a further

indicationofReformed scholastic interdependenceand camaraderie thatwouldalso

include

Palmer

Robertson,

Venema,

Riddlebarger,

etc.

(FI

84

86).

For

our

purposes

1 AnthonyA.Hoekema,TheBibleandtheFuture,pp.194195n.

2 Ibid.,p.46.

3 Ibid.,p.198.

4 Ibid.HespecificallyreferencesRomans911accordingtoHendriksensIsraelinProphecy,p.142n.

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THEREFORMEDESCHATOLOGYOFANTHONYHOEKEMA

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herewesimplynotecertainconclusionswhichcanbecompared inmoredetailwith

theconsiderationofthismatterinFutureIsrael(FI251290).

1. ThesalvationofthefullnessofIsrael,v.12,15.

The

saved

remnant

of

Israel,

v.

5,

assumes

Israels

widespread

unbelief

that

at

thesametimewillenablerichesfortheGentiles,v.12a,andtheculminationof

their fullness, v. 15. Yet there is to be an inevitable future salvation or

fulfillmentofIsrael,v.12b,likenedtolifefromthedead,v.15,thatwillbring

aboutundreamedofrichesfortheJewishpeople,v.12,aswellasfurtherbenefit

fortheGentiles.ButwhenwillthisresurrectionofIsraeltakeplace?Accordingto

v.15,itwouldappeartobewhenthefullnessoftheGentileshascomein.The

analogyoftheolivetree,vs.1724,indicatesthatGodisabletograftthem[the

naturalbranches of Israel] in again, v. 23. Butwhen?Hoekema, alongwith

Dutch commentatorsof aReformedbackground inparticular,believes that the

fulfillmentand

resurrection

and

regrafting

will

be

coterminous

with

the

gradualgatheringoftheelectandthegradualcompletionofthefullnessofthe

Gentiles,v.25.Thus:

Israelwill continue to turn to the Lord [as an accumulating remnant] until the

Parousia,whileat thesame time the fullnessof theGentiles isbeinggathered in.

AndinthiswayallIsraelwillbesaved:notjustthelastgenerationofIsraelites,but

alltrueIsraelites,...thesumtotalofalltheremnantsthroughouthistory.5

OfcourseaprimafaciereadingofRomans11doesnoteasilyleadtoHoekemas

conclusion here, and it is difficult not to conclude that PaulsJewish oriented

meanng

here

is

at

all

costs

to

be

avoided.

In

other

words,

Hoekemas

exegesis

here is really driven according to Augustinian and historic Reformed

presuppositions.RatherRomans11mostnaturallypresentsasequential/temporal

order, which vs. 2526 as a whole quite obviously construe. Hence a

sequential/temporal understanding here, with the mass saving of Israel

subsequenttothetimesoftheGentiles,alsopresentsamostexcitingconclusion

tothisage,asisPaulstonehere,whichatthesametimeisclimaxedbythereturn

ofJesusChrist.ButHoekemasunderstanding,withatrickleofJewsbeingsaved

uptotheend,ishardlyclimactic,evenifacumulativeremnantoverthecenturies

isconsidered.RatherPaulsconcludingexcitementinRomans11,asaJew,surely

anticipatesatime

of

riches

for

the

world

through

Israels

national,

spiritual

regenerationandresurrection(Ezek.3637)thatchallengesthelimitationsofour

presentimaginations.

5 Ibid.,p.145.


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2. ThesalvationofallIsrael,v.26.

This will involve the bringing to salvation throughout history of the total

number of the elect from among theJews. . . . [Thus] all Israel . . . [is] not

designating thenationof Israelasa totality tobe saved in theendtime,butas

referring

to

the

number

of

the

elect

to

be

saved

throughout

history.6

Of

course

such a view commonly believes that this elect remnant has no national or

territorialidentityinthesightofGod,onlytemporaryethnicrecognition.Sothe

JewishChristian, inbeingabsorbed into theChurchofJesusChrist,allegedly

loses all historic Jewish identity in the sight of God. Such an emasculated

meaningforJewishbetraysthefaultyexegesisthatitispurportedleadstothis

conclusion,especiallywhenPaulhassorigorouslyupheldthatheispresentlyan

Israeliteinv.1.

C. Galatians6:16.

Thehonestythatthefollowingquotationexpressesisquiterevealingsinceonecould

rightlyexpectthattheallegedidentificationofIsraelwiththechurchinGalatians6:16

wouldhavenumeroussupportingindicationsinScripture.Howeverweread:

ThereisatleastoneNewTestamentpassagewherethetermIsraelisusedasinclusiveof

Gentiles, and therefore as standing for the entire New Testament church. I refer to

Galatians6:1516. . . .Theword kai [Greek], therefore, shouldbe rendered even,as the

New InternationalVersionhasdone.When thepassage issounderstood,theIsraelof

God isafurtherdescriptionofallwhofollowthisrulethat is,ofalltruebelievers,

includingbothJewsandGentiles,who constitute theNewTestament church.Here, in

otherwords,

Paul

clearly

identifies

the

church

as

the

true

Israel.7

LetthereadersimplyrefertoFutureIsrael(FI263269)concerningGalatians6:16and

hewill appreciatejust howmuchHoekema leaves unsaidwith regard towhat is

undoubtedlyhisminorityopinion, theNIVnotwithstanding.Hemightat leasthave

madementionofthemajorityopinion.

D. TheconversionoftheJews.

The following quotation describes the continual adding ofJewishChristians to the

remnant

(Rom.

11:5),

so

that

when

the

remnant,

that

is

the

sum

total

of

all

the

6 Ibid.,p.140.

7 Ibid.,pp.196197.


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remnantsthroughouthistory iscomplete,8thenall Israelwillbesaved,butnot in

anynationalandclimacticsense.

JewswillcontinuetobeconvertedtoChristianitythroughouttheentireerabetweenthe

firstandsecondcomingsofChrist,asthefullnumberoftheGentilesisbeinggatheredin.

In suchJewish conversions, therefore,we are to see a signof the certaintyofChrists

return.In

the

meantime,

this

sign

should

bind

on

our

hearts

the

urgency

of

the

churchs

missiontotheJews.InaworldinwhichthereisstillagreatdealofantiSemitism,letus

neverforgetthatGodhasnotrejectedhisancientcovenantpeople,andthathestillhas

hispurposewithIsrael.9

However,aswellintentionedasthelasttwosentencesmayseemtobe,thereappears

someambiguity,evenobfuscation,withthedeclarationthatGodhasnotrejectedhis

ancient covenant people. Does this mean that Hoekemabelieves, concerning this

present church age, that national Israel and the land it inhabits hasdivine sanction

according to the explicit covenantal promises that God made to Abraham? The

followingcommentwouldsuggestotherwise.

From the fourth chapter of thebook ofHebrewswe learn thatCanaanwas a type of

SabbathrestofthepeopleofGodinthelifetocome.FromPaulslettertotheGalatians

welearnthatallthosewhoareinChristareincludedintheseedofAbraham(Gal.3:29).

WhenwereadGenesis17:8(AndIwillgiveunto thee,and to thyseedafter thee, the

landofthysojournings,allthelandofCanaan,foraneverlastingpossession;andIwillbe

their God [ASV]) with this understanding of the New Testamentbroadening these

concepts,weseeinitapromiseofthenewearthastheeverlastingpossessionofallthe

peopleofGod,notjustofthephysicaldescendantsofAbraham.Andwheninthelightof

thisNewTestamentteaching,wenowreadAmos9:15(AndIwillplantthemupontheir

land,andtheyshallnomorebepluckedupoutoftheir landwhichIhavegiventhem,

saithJehovah

thy

God

[ASV]),

we

do

not

feel

compelled

to

restrict

the

meaning

of

these

wordstonationalIsraelandthelandofPalestine.Weunderstandthemtobeaprediction

oftheeternaldwellingofallofGodspeople,GentilesaswellasJews,onthenewearthof

whichCanaanwasatype.10

Hereisaclassicexampleofhowplasticityinexegesis,especiallywithregardtoAmos

9:15(FI198200),results inthesquarepegofanOldTestamenttextbeingforced into

theroundholeofatheologicalsystem.TheJewtowhomwearecalledupontowitness

wouldrightlyscoffatsuchamisuseofthesacredtext.Furthermore,hewouldalsobe

repulsed by the knowledge, should it be revealed to him, that our evangelistic

endeavor intends forhim tocome torealize thathisJewishness isreallypass in the

sightof

God.

Of

course

Paul

never

had

such

an

intention,

but

those

who

follow

Hoekemaseschatologycertainlydo.Hence thisreference toGodsancientcovenant

8 Ibid.,p.145.TheauthorfootnotesthathisinterpretationiscompetentlysetforthinHendriksen,Israel

inProphecy,chapters3and4.

9 Ibid.,p.147.

10 AnthonyA.Hoekema,Amillennialism,TheMeaningoftheMillennium,ed.RobertG.Clouse,p.185.


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people involves dubiousmeaning. The reference to the urgency of the churchs

mission to theJews also appears tobe fraughtwithbothquestionable terminology

and intentions, and quite unlike thatwhich is genuinely Pauline.And in the same

breathtomentionaworldinwhichthereisstillagreatdealofantiSemitismwhile

EuropeanhistoryindicatesthattheChristianChurchingeneral,overthecenturies,has

fostered

this

great

shame

through

the

Augustinian

eschatology

that

Hoekema

espouses,isenoughtoleaveonecompletelybreathless.

Anthony Hoekema

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