PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE / PART FOUR
I should probably make something about the connection between election and eschatology and justification and covenant more explicit. What we have in the first century is a double problem. The original problem is that there is sin in the world and the world needs redemption. God chose Isreal and called her to somehow bring redemption to the world. But it was widely recognized that there was a second problem. Israel was herself in need of rescue. Israel was, to a great extent, lost in her sins. Despite her founding and covenant, Israel had demonstrated that the nation was in the old creation still, in Adam.
This meant that to pray for the salvation of the world required one to pray for the restoration of Israel and, conversely, to hope for the restoration of Israel was to long to see God bring salvation to the world.
It is important to realize that this eschatology for Israel was not simply equated with the Final Judgment. Isaelites knew God would be faithful to his covenant to grant the land to true Israelites. They also know of many faithful martyrs who had gone to their deaths out of loyalty to God. This meant that their had to be a resurrection. At some point God would give his people new life so that he could fulfill his promises to them.
While this future resurrection, and the Final Judgment, when it took place, would be related to God’s rescue of Israel, it wouldn’t necessarily be at the same time. This is important because we tend to read statements about the sun turning black and stars falling into the sea as if they were meant to be literal descriptions of physical reality. Wright argues that this is a mistake. Eschatology does not mean the end of the physical cosmos, but the imagery is a way of showing the cosmic significance of the geopolitical judgments that God makes in history.
While variouis groups had different ideas of what was wrong with Israel–or of what would solve what was wrong–they all agreed that Israel was in trouble. I mentioned earlier that Paul’s doctrine that not all Israel is really Israel was probably one of the most widespread beliefs among all Israel. What I didn’t mention is that everyone knew that at least some Israelites were being unfaithful because Israel was obviously under a curse. Pagan Romans and Edomite Kings under them were ruling the Land. They were under the power of the nations. Most were convinced that they also had a corrupt and unfaithful priesthood controlling the Temple. This could not possibly be an accident of history. They were being judged by God for their sins. The day God rescued them from Roman oppression and cleansed the Temple would be his public declaration that he had forgiven their sins.
The exception to some of the above would be the Saducees who were kept in power over the Temple system by the Roman Empire. As those benefitting from the status quo, they did not believe in the resurrection hope. They liked life as it was.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, desired intently to be found faithfully waiting for and expecting the coming kingdom. This meant they needed to ensure they never became essentially indistinguishable from their pagan neighbors…