Seven years ago we published a review of Mark Dunman’s first book, entitled Has God really finished with Israel. At the time we commented on the fact that the book had been kept to a reasonable length and price by putting the appendices, bibliography, glossary and indices on the author’s website rather in the book itself, and that this was rather inconvenient to the reader.

Exceptional effort

Now, Dunman has produced a new version that, as well as expanding certain sections, has brought all this material into the main book.

As I noted in my initial review, the book is an exceptional effort based upon industrious research and intelligent reflection. The author has spent many years listening and learning, including time spent in Israel and with Palestinian Christians in the West Bank. He displays a great talent to absorb and then share.

Here you will find solid facts, common sense and Spirit-led clarity. His writing is detailed yet not crowded or verbose. As a retired science teacher he is gifted communicator, well used to presenting the evidence for his beliefs, which he does brilliantly.

Helpful additions

There are still the same twelve chapters as before, though some of these have also undergone revision and expansion, with the endnotes to each chapter being extended where necessary. The maps remain the same but we now find in the book the seven appendices previously placed on the website.

Following this comes an historical timeline of Israel’s history from the time of Abraham right up to 2020 ...

Also now within the covers is an extensive glossary, as the author understands how it can be frustrating for readers new to the subject of the book to meet new words or expression without some clarification. Following this comes an historical timeline of Israel’s history from the time of Abraham right up to 2020, and the book now concludes with a bibliography and three helpful indices – a general index and a scriptural index as well as a supplementary one to cover the seven appendices.

Appendices – a mini-book

The seven appendices cover 67 pages, almost a mini book in themselves, with the longest two being dedicated to issues raised by supercessionists and their objections to Christian Zionism. The other five appendices are much shorter. One provides the population statistics in Palestine between 1800 and 2020, another is entitled ‘Captivity of Israel and Judah’ and the next asks whether the second exile actually happened.

There is another question posed in the penultimate appendix, namely ‘Are the Jews really Jewish?’ The final appendix contains details of three Christian charities who are dedicated to supporting the poor in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, should anyone wish to help not only Arab and Messianic Jewish believers but also the poor in general.

The final appendix contains details of three Christian charities who are dedicated to supporting the poor in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

A complete work

As a result of these additions we now have a book that is weightier (in both senses) and of more substantial length (almost twice that of the first edition) but one which now does the full job extremely well. If you have the original version, do consider getting this revised edition. It is well worth paying out again. And you can then give away the first edition to something who needs to begin to understand the role of Israel as this still fulfils that purpose.

‘Has God really finished with Israel’ (356pp) is published by Freedom Publishing, and is available from Springboard Media Limited for £15.99 (inc p&p).