by James C. Morris – www.tojesusbeallglory.com/p/james-c-morris.html
The prophecies in the Old Testament are literally filled with explicitly stated promises to both the land and the people of Israel. But many people point out such scriptures as “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) These people argue that, since the “old covenant” “is becoming obsolete and growing old,” and is thus “ready to vanish away,” then, the promises made under that “old covenant” have become “obsolete.” But in the last article, we saw that God Himself said that He would have been lying when He made these promises if He were not going to actually keep them.
But aside from that, these people are neglecting the fact that these prophecies are not limited to the Old Testament. For there are a significant number of New Testament prophecies about the end times that very specifically and explicitly mention both the land and the people of Israel. The first of these we will notice is the discourse of our Lord which is recorded in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The parts of these two chapters that are particularly important in regard to the land are:
“ ‘Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.’ ” (Matthew 24:15-21)
And:
“ ‘So when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not’ (let the reader understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.’ ” (Mark 13:14-19)
Many mistakenly take this as a warning to all Christians to flee to the mountains, and some have even made extensive preparations to hide out in the wilderness for seven years. But, as our Lord stated it, this warning was specifically addressed to those who were in a particular place. Both accounts contain the words “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” This is a specific and explicit mention of a particular land, the land of “Judea,” which is now called “Israel.”
And our Lord not only instructed them to flee at that time. He also told them of a need to fly at a different time, saying, “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:23-24)
The Greek word translated “until,” in this passage is αχρι, achri in our alphabet. (Word number 891 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary) This Greek word literally translates as “until,” but with the sense that the condition being described will come to an end at the time specified. For it is derived from the Greek word ακρον, achon, in our alphabet, word number 206 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, which indicates a terminus, that is, an end to something. So here our Lord himself was clearly indicating that there will be a time when Jerusalem will no longer be trampled by Gentiles.
So in these statements our Lord clearly set forth a prophetic program for both the land of “Judea” and the city of “Jerusalem.”
Other New Testament prophecies explicitly mention the nation of “Israel.” The first of these that we will take notice of is:
“So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.” ’ ” (Matthew 2:5-6)
We know from the New Testament itself that “Israel” rejected the proffered shepherding. So in actual fact, this has not happened. But here we find, in the New Testament, specific reference to the fact that it will happen. As it has not happened, we know it has to happen in the future, or the prophecy would not be true.
Again, we see this in the very words of our Savior himself, when He said:
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ ” (Matthew 19:28)
“And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:29-30)
This statement of our Lord, which is recorded in the two passages above, clearly indicates a time when the twelve apostles will be established as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel. But He did not just say that this would happen, He just as clearly said when it would happen. And that is “in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory.”
We see a prophetic program for Israel again, and repeatedly, in the inspired writings of the apostles.
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” (Romans 9:3-5)
Here, long after our Lord had been rejected and crucified, the promises still pertained to Paul’s brethren, his “countrymen according to the flesh.” The words “according to the flesh” make it absolutely clear that he was speaking of a fleshly relationship, not a spiritual one. This leaves no logical way to avoid the fact that “the promises” still pertained to the fleshly nation of Israel. That is, to the physical descendants of that ancient nation.
Many imagine that the fact that Israel has been rejected means that this rejection is permanent. But, even in the New Testament, God specifically and explicitly said the very opposite:
“And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.” (Romans 9:26)
The reason for this is clearly stated:
“Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28-29)
God has made a choice, and that choice is not dependant on any act of man. His “election” stands inviolate. “For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” This is the subject of the following four other New Testament passages.
“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect.” (Romans 4:13-14)
“And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ ” (Romans 9:10-12)
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.’ ” (Hebrews 6:13-14)
“And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” (Galatians 3:17-18)
This last statement was made specifically about the promise of Christ. But it shows the principle we are discussing, that once God has made a promise, that promise is “irrevocable.” Nothing can change it. Not even rebellion. This is fully developed in the following passage, which, although it is from the Old Testament, clearly states the principle being applied in the previous four passages from the New Testament.
“If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless My lovingkindness
I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”
(Psalm 89:30-34)
We need to notice that this passage clearly states that even sin could not cause God to “alter the word that has gone out of” His lips, Further, we are explicitly told that God has not cast away his people.
“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” (Romans 11:1-2)
And God’s purpose in allowing their fall is just as clearly stated, saying, “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:11-15)
This future restoration of Israel is again stated in the following passage:
“And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’ ” (Romans 11:23-26)
This passage begins with a condition, but ends with a statement that this condition will indeed be met. The blindness imposed on Israel because of their willful unbelief will indeed come to an end. For in verse 25 we again find that word “until,” “achris” in the Greek. So here we are being told that there will be a time when the judicial blindness will be removed, and Israel will again have spiritual vision. And at that time, “He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” “And so all Israel will be saved.”
This is more completely developed in the epistle to the Hebrews:
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:7-13)
Finally, we find the twelve tribes of Israel explicitly mentioned twice in the book of Revelation. First, that twelve thousand will be sealed by God from each of the twelve tribes of Israel:
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.” (Revelation 7:2-8)
And the names of the twelve tribes will be inscribed on the gates of the city.
“Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:” (Revelation 21:12)
So, in conclusion, we see that a future restoration of the nation of Israel is clearly taught, not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament.
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