Is Current Israel Under Blessing or Curse?

I'm sure we've all heard various opinions on Israel. There are a lot of Christians who believe that the current state of Israel is the final return, and that we just need to await the day that Jesus will return and all Israel will be saved. On the opposite side of the spectrum are believers that say it doesn't matter what happens in the Middle East because we are the 'New Israel.' Where does the truth actually lie?

To truly dive into such a topic as this, we need to look at the Bible as a whole. We need to see the history of Israel, what their purpose is, and we need to let the Scripture speak for itself. Both they that say Israel is finally restored and they that say we are the New Israel have taken Scriptures out of context. For example, I would challenge you to look at any prophecy that speaks of Israel's final return. One of the most often quoted verses would be Amos 9, where it says, "They shall never again be uprooted." This is actually the very last verse of Amos. But lets just assume that Amos 9:15 has a context. What is that context that is being spoken of?

Well, contrary to the subdivider in my Bible, the context actually starts way back in verse 8 (if not sooner). We find that God declares to "the sinful kingdom," "I will destroy it from the face of the earth - yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob. For I will give the command, and I will sift the house of Israel among the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.' In that day I will restore the tabernacle of David. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the Lord who will do these things."

Question: has that happened? Has the tabernacle of David been restored? Has Edom been given into the hand of Israel as a possession? The tabernacle of David is the throne of David. Is there a king upon the throne of David ruling over Israel? No. When we couple this with Isaiah 2:2, "The mountain of the Lord's Temple will be established above all other mountains... and all nations will stream unto it," we find that this part about Edom and the nations might actually have more to do with world peace and all peoples coming up to see the Lord. Has that happened? No. Why? Because the first thing that must happen before there is the "never again will you be uprooted" is the establishment of Messiah upon the throne of David. That hasn't happened, so the latter can't have happened either.

But this leaves an interesting question: if the final restoration is not what we're currently seeing, then how exactly do we understand from Amos 9:8-10? And another question: What exactly are we seeing when we look at the Middle East?

There are two things necessary for good hermeneutic of the prophetic Scriptures: an understanding of the general history of Israel (which is actually part of a larger history and context of Scripture) and the relentless pursuit of contextual analysis. Both of these are rooted in one essential ingredient: hearing the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. This is God’s eternal purpose. Such topics as Israel and the last days are not things to ‘meddle’ with. It says in Zechariah 2:8 that, “whoever touches you (Israel) touches the apple of my eye.” That Hebrew word used there is literally the pupil of God’s eye.

We need to have the utmost sobriety about this. Casual glimpses and meshing together of Scripture in a dubious sort of fashion is an abomination. You play games with the apple of God’s eye, and ultimately if Israel has not been restored to her Land that final time, you play games with the lives of countless Jews. The Messiah came before God’s final judgment upon Israel. We can say that Israel has been exiled for the past 2000 years, and in 1948 they were reestablished as a nation – born in a day. But there are a few things that must happen when God restores them the last time. We’ll look into each one of these subjects individually:

1)    Israel’s final redemption comes with world peace.

2)    Israel’s final redemption means they believe in the Lord their God.

3)    Israel’s final redemption happens at Christ’s return.

4)    There are prophecies about two returns at the end of the age.

What will become increasingly obvious is this: The current state of Israel is not the redeemed Israel spoken of in prophecy. Instead, it is an Israel that is out of sync with God’s covenant, and they will continue to be until that final restoration unto glory. All four of those things must take place before Israel is redeemed (or, more precisely, the first three at the time of their redemption). We actually mistake Bible prophecy when we say that Israel can be restored to the Land before they are redeemed. This cannot happen in a progression or spurts, as some suggest it is happening. It must all happen at once, or it won’t happen at all.

Israel’s final redemption comes with world peace

When we look through the Scriptures, we find that the covenant made to Israel was that they would be at peace in the Land. They won’t have any wars. If a nation decided to come up against Israel, they will flee in seven directions. Five will chase 100, and 100 will chase 10,000. The sword will never pass through Israel. This is found in Leviticus 26:6-8. If Israel will obey the commandments of the Lord, then they shall dwell in peace. But if she disobeys, then her enemies shall pursue her to the exact same degree. Actually, it even says that they will flee when no one chases (Leviticus 26:17).

The exile is a judgment. What is also a judgment is when there is no peace. This is a covenant that God has made with Israel. If God has established this covenant with them, and has brought them back according to that covenant, then don’t you think that they should have peace in the Land? Why are Israel’s enemies sending rockets day and night into the Land of Israel? Why is Israel a stench and burden to those surrounding her? This is a judgment from God. The redemption of that nation, and the restoration of her brings peace to the whole world.

Isaiah 35:10 specifically promises that when Israel returns, she will return with everlasting joy upon her head. Mourning and sighing will flee away. Why does it say this? It says this because everything that Israel has experienced up to this point would be persecution and tribulation (of which the Nazi Holocaust was only a foretaste). Israel will go through a time that is unparalleled. She will endure great suffering and trial. It is called by the prophet Jeremiah, “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” That time was mentioned by Jesus as being unequaled: “If that time were not cut short, no flesh would survive” (Matthew 24:22). The people will go through such anguish before their restoration that when they are delivered from it, they will enter Zion with singing.

But wait, wasn’t the Nazi Holocaust a time of unequaled tribulation? Indeed it was. So maybe Israel endured that, and then God delivered her. But we can’t reject the verse in Isaiah. She shall enter Zion with everlasting joy upon her head. Why is it everlasting? It is everlasting because there will never be another time like this. Sorrow and sighing will flee away. Why? God will make sure that they are never oppressed again. They will have peace on every side, and the Lord their God will rule over them to protect them. Does this fit the description of modern day Israel?

Though their oppressors do not overtake them, she still has oppressors. It is said in Joel 2:19, “Never again will I make you an object of scorn among the nations.” Guess what… Nations are scorning. It is not sufficient to say that there will come a time when the nations don’t scorn. I agree that there will come a time, but there will not come a time with the current state of Israel. She is still out of the covenant. The evidence for that is that she does not have the temple, she does not have the sacrifices, and she is not at peace in the Land. All of these things are covenants that God has established with her.

Israel’s final redemption means they believe in the Lord their God

Lets start in Isaiah. We’ll then work our way through to Zechariah. For the record, the amount of Scripture that I’m referencing is small. Compared to the overwhelming testimony of Scripture, I am being quite conservative. The fact is, if you continue through to study the prophets, you’ll see over and over and over again this same testimony. Isaiah 10:20 says, “In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.” What we find in this verse is a little bit of what I had previously spoken. Israel’s final redemption comes after a great calamity. “They will no longer rely on him who struck them down…” When Israel returns that final time, they will no longer trust on the arm of the flesh at all. The arm of the flesh has historically been Egypt that would be an ally to Israel, but this final allegiance will be with the Antichrist himself.

When they return the final time, they will trust in the Lord their God. “Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I,” Isaiah 52:6. When Israel shall return to the Land that final time, it shall be in such a manner that causes them to know it was God’s doing. They won’t take the prophecies about how God has said they would return, and therefore they have a right to the Land. This is taking the Lord’s name in vein. They act as though God has established them to bless them, so they can then then ignore Him in all other areas of their politics.

The Lord has indeed established the current nation of Israel. God has restored her, for no one else has the authority to do such a thing. That does not give Israel the right, however, to then take those promises and use them as a “magic genie” against all her oppressors. It is a shameful thing to use the name of the Lord as a safety blanket. When He shall redeem Israel and bring her back to the Land, that people will know Him. That kind of knowledge is not some sort of acknowledgment of God, but is a deep intimate knowledge. Because they have suffered His judgments, they shall know His mercy. For His judgments are His mercies.

That people will return knowing their God. That knowledge will consist of more than an intellectual ascribing. Israel shall deeply know and be united with God. She shall come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That people will come to know Christ Jesus, and that kind of knowledge does not come cheaply for the Jew. There is a stripping that must take place. God must pluck up, destroy, and then plant. He must destroy any knowledge that they currently have, because even if it is truth, it is based in a false reality. Any false reality or perception of God cannot remain.

To have the proper knowledge of God as God is to have a proper knowledge of everything. It is that knowledge of Him that reveals to us our own self. It reveals to us the condition of the nations. It reveals to us the understanding of God’s purpose for the nations. For Israel to return knowing the Lord is more than a statement about them coming back and “believing” in Jesus. Our current understanding of repentance barely even scratches the surface. I think repentance is an understatement. “At that time, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people… The people who survive the sword shall find favor in the desert. I will come to give rest to Israel,” Jeremiah 31:1-2. Notice here again the context of coming out of tribulation and destruction. God brings them out of calamity, “The people who survive the sword…”

“Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people… You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord,” Ezekiel 34:30-31. God does not mince His words. He doesn’t speak into the air to fill it with noise. What He has said shall be done. That people will be His people. Though there is only a remnant of followers of Christ Jesus now, at that time they shall all be followers of Christ Jesus. As it is written, “And so, all Israel shall be saved,” Romans 11:26.

To move from their current beliefs (or disbeliefs) to the state of “all Israel shall be saved” is quite an epoch. Something drastic has to take place that Israel shall say, “I will go back to my Husband as at first, for then I was better off than now,” Hosea 2:7. That something is called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Tribulation is the calculated drama to take place that will drive the Jewish people to repentance before the Lord. They will recognize that their punishment is in proportion to their sin (Ezekiel 7:8). To come to that acknowledgement is to come to the understanding that you are under judgment. When in history has that taken place? The only example that I can think of might be with the generation of Nehemiah.

To acknowledge that the Lord is judging His people is to acknowledge the error or our ways. But we are a stiff-necked people – all of us. It isn’t Israel that is stiff-necked and we can mock them for it. We have all been bullheaded and absolutely absurd. That kind of an acknowledgement from the people of God grants unto God His due worship and adoration. He has not slain us because He is against us, but because He is for us. He has not abandoned us and allowed mischief to take place. Instead, He is the author of the chastisement, and He is the finisher and “perfecter” of our faith.

“I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God,” Zechariah 8:8. To claim that the first can happen without the second is an abuse of Scripture. If we are content with saying that God has restored Israel in her sinful condition so that they might gradually come to know the Lord, then what exegetical error are we not capable of? This is quite possibly the one thing that needs to be understood in Christendom. If we are sending Jews back to Israel as a safe haven, we are sending them to their deaths. We are taking them out of the frying pan and throwing them into the fire.

Though it is true currently that the Jews worldwide are suffering persecution, it is not true that Israel is safe. If you send them to the Land, they will suffer the greater persecution. It is actually upon that land that the judgment is the most concentrated. There is better possibility of survival to endure the persecution in the nations than to go unto Israel where God has spoken, “though a tenth remains in the Land, it will again be laid waste,” Isaiah 6:13. Ninety percent of the population in Israel will either flee or die. God has declared that during the Tribulation there will only be a stump to remain (Isaiah 11:1). Zechariah 13:8 adds the detail that two-thirds will die in the land.

This is not a game. This is not something to wistfully send money in order to send the Jews back home. This is life and death. There is coming a time of judgment that is yet future that will eclipse even the Nazi Holocaust, and it will be worldwide. The devastation that will occur in the land of Israel will be such devastation that it will actually cause even some Christians to fall away from God. The question of “why” won’t cut it. To believe that God would allow such terror to break out upon the Jewish people is considered anti-Semitism. Yet, it might actually be the greatest form of love to warn them and prepare our hearts and homes to be a refuge for them.

Why is it that the Tribulation is the calculated drama to lead them to repentance? They won't just flee into the wilderness and "be sifted through all nations." They will find refuge in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6). That refuge will be a Church that has been prepared by God. They will flee Jerusalem to come unto a Body that is so unified in character and heart that Psalm 133 calls them "Zion." That reality being portrayed and lived out in daily interaction with the saints, and taking in the Jewish people as brethren instead of "sinners," is the very means necessary to drive them to envy. It is actually that very thing that will cause for the layers to be stripped away little by little. While they are suffering agony without the Holy Spirit, we are wrestling the principalities and powers over them in the Spirit. It is that wrestling that will actually lead to their blindness and hardness of heart being taken away - removing the veil and breaking their power (Isaiah 25:7, Daniel 12:7) - so that when Christ returns they shall each person break away to weep and repent (Zechariah 12:10-14).

The final redemption of Israel comes after great tragedy. It comes when they are brought back to the Land knowing their God. It comes when there is to be worldwide peace. There is only one thing that can cause such a predicament:

Israel’s final redemption happens at Christ’s return

Nothing short of the revelation of Jesus returning on the clouds will save them. The nations will behold Him coming, and all they that have persecuted Israel will be held accountable. The nations will gather to Jerusalem for a final battle against Christ Jesus, but He shall prevail over them. It is actually upon this return of Jesus that God has ordained the redemption of Israel. There is much to the story that needs to be played out and explained as to how we get here, but know that it takes nothing less than their rejected Messiah (beholding Him whom they have pierced – Zechariah 12:10) returning to cause repentance to spring up in the House of Israel.

It is prophesied in Genesis 49 what shall come to pass in the last days. Upon Judah (from where we get the Jews) the prophecy is given, “The scepter will not depart from Judah; nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” This is an obvious prophecy that Christ shall come from Judah. But notice that it is an end time prophecy, and that the gathering of the people is unto Him.

“The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness,” Isaiah 16:4-5. Notice the oppressor is defeated when the throne is established. The oppressor is the Antichrist, which is a shadow of the ultimate oppressor: Satan. Later Isaiah says (33:17-18), “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and view a land that stretches afar. In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror.”

It is upon beholding His appearing that Israel is saved. On that day, when Christ returns, He shall gather Israel. It shall be in that day that kings and queens will bring them back upon their shoulders (Isaiah 49:22-23). At the return of Christ, Israel is redeemed. When Israel is redeemed, the nations are subjected under her. When the nations humble themselves and “enter the tent of Shem” (Genesis 9:27), then everlasting righteousness has been established, and world peace will last from generation to generation. All of this climaxes at the return of Christ.

Fulfillment of Prophecy, but not of Promise

There is a text in Ezekiel that explains what we’re seeing in the Middle East currently. “Then the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross unto me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron, and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into a furnace to melt it with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted insider her. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you,” Ezekiel 22:17-22.

The current state of Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy, but not of promise. God has gathered the people back together a second to final time in judgment. The plan is to convict of sin, and to display to Israel her wrongs. When Israel has acknowledged that she has sinned before the Lord, the end has come.

In Isaiah 11:11, God says, “In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people…” Why does God reach out a second time? We’re seeing the first time play out before our eyes. Yes, God brought Israel back to the Land. However, that restoring to the Land is not based upon the redemption of Israel and the restoration of the covenant. Instead, it is based upon judgment. God will pour out His furor upon a disobedient people.

“For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled your sanctuary,” Isaiah 63:18. We learn from Daniel 8:10 and other places that the Temple will be rebuilt, and sacrifices begun to be offered again. The Antichrist will cut off the sacrifices and sit himself upon the throne in the Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4). There has to be a temple and sacrifices for that to happen. I don’t believe that we’ll be seeing Israel having the Temple and sacrifices for a long time. It says in Isaiah 63:18 that they have possessed His holy place “for a little while.”

We are beholding prophecy play out before us, but we are not witnessing the restored and redeemed Israel that is gathered back to the Land by Jesus Christ Himself. There is a coming calamity before that will take place. Israel will pass through another time of being sifted through the nations. The Jewish people will be uprooted from that Land and scattered throughout all nations. When God has sifted them as one sifts grain in a sieve, then the end has come. So many things connect right at the very end.

We could spend a lifetime searching out the details of all of the sub-stories. All of the little details that are given to tell us what is happening to Israel during the Tribulation is one “story.” Another “story” is what is happening to the Church. Another story is what is happening in heaven. Another story is what is going on in the midst of the nations. Another story is what is going on in the midst of the Antichrist’s kingdom. All of these stories interweave, but ultimately intersect together into one story at the consummation of the age: the return of Christ. 

To understand what is playing out before our eyes is a life and death necessity. I'm not against building ministries or sending the Jews back to Israel per se. But to do so without the understanding of a coming calamity that Jesus gave the warning, "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 14:15-16 paraphrase), is the same as wickedness. This is ministerial malpractice at its absolute worst. We have not rightly divided the word, and the result will be the blood of countless masses upon our hands.

Eschatology 101

Eschatology 101

T. Justin Comer

Introduction

I. Summary of theocracy

-The main theme of the Bible

-A clash between darkness and light

-Who will rule over this cosmos?

-A coming kingdom

-Eschatology explains how and why God is now able to dwell on earth.

II. Nation state versus Redeemed Israel

The current state of Israel is not the redeemed Israel spoken of in prophecy. Instead, it is the Israel that is under God’s judgment, and they will continue to be until that final restoration unto glory.

-Israel’s final redemption comes with world peace

            +Isaiah 35:10, Joel 2:19,

-Israel’s final redemption means they believe in the Lord their God

            +Isaiah 10:20, 48:8-11, 52:6, Jeremiah 31:1, Ezekiel 34:30-31, Hosea 2:7, Zechariah 8:8,

-Israel’s final redemption happens at Christ’s return

            +Genesis 49:10, Isaiah 16:4-5, 33:17-18, Ezekiel 34:23-24, Hosea 3:4-5, Zechariah 9:16,

-Ezekiel 22:19-22

            +Current Israel is fulfillment of prophecy, but not promise.

            +Isaiah 11:11, 63:18,

III. Summary of Principalities and Powers

-One government/influence over all nations

            +Genesis 11, Revelation 13:3, Luke 4:5-7, Daniel 10:13,

-Antichrist Kingdom

            +Daniel 2, Revelation 17:9-11, Daniel 7:1-5, Revelation 13:1-2, Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:11-19, Zechariah 1:19, Revelation 17-19, Genesis 11:2, Psalm 109:16-20,

-Defeat only by God’s wisdom

            +Cross

                        -1 Corinthians 18-2:8, Psalm 82:5,

            +Ephesians 3:10

                        -Revelation 12:11, Deuteronomy 32:21,

IV. Israel’s purpose

-Covenant

            +The covenant is an eternal covenant. The eternal covenant is not necessarily with Israel, but with all of God’s elect. God has chosen a specific people for Him to put His name upon, and all other nations must come unto them in order to worship the Lord. The covenant unfolds throughout the Scripture gaining more and more detail, until finally it culminates in the man Christ Jesus – the true Israel and firstfruit from the dead.

            +Genesis 9:25-27, 12:2-3, 15:1-21, 22:18, 25:23, 26:4, 28:14, 35:11, 48:19, Deuteronomy 4:1, 5:3, 6:25, 10:12-13, 11:26-28, 16:19-20, 26:17-18, 29:9, Joshua 1:5, 2:9, Psalm 105:8, Romans 11:28-29,

-Center of nations

            +God has chosen a specific place (Zion) for His rule. Israel will be heralded as the center of all nations when Christ sets up His literal Kingdom and rule on the earth.

            +Ezekiel 5:5, Deuteronomy 28:1, 28:13, 32:8-9,

-God’s nation among nations

            +The purpose for Israel is this very thing: it is God’s nation among all nations. That has a couple implications: priesthood, theocracy, display of God’s character, and His witness unto the four corners of the earth.

            +Deuteronomy 4:34, Zechariah 8:6, Deuteronomy 7:6, Isaiah 51:4a,

V. Tribulation

-Seven years

            +Daniel 9:27,

            +The number 7 is vitally important to the Scriptures. There were 7 days of creation; some of the rabbis have speculated the world is on a 7000 yearlong clock, the last 1000 years being the reign of Messiah. Joshua marched around Jericho for 7 days, 7 times on the seventh day. When you offer a sin offering, you pour out the blood 7 times upon the altar. The number 7 speaks of perfection, not merely completion. For the age to end with a 7 year Tribulation seems perfectly legitimate and absolutely patterned.

-Final judgment

            +There are a lot more Scriptures than I put here. Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding, and the pudding needed to be displayed to other places before it became repetitive. To answer the question of how we know that this is the final judgment and that there is no more judgment after this, we simply need to ask “why?” Why is God sending the Tribulation? It is to redeem a people that have rejected Him, and to establish His literal Kingdom upon this earth. If His people are no longer disobedient, and the world is in peace, then why would there need to be another judgment upon the earth? The Judgment Seat comes after the 1000-year reign of Christ, after certain peoples and nations gather again against Jerusalem led by Satan Himself (Revelation 20:7 and onward)

            +Isaiah 51:11, Daniel 9:24-27,

-Christ returns at end

            +Daniel 9:24 (with respect to Ezekiel 45:17), Ezekiel 34:23-24, Daniel 2:34,

VI. Beginning of Seven Years (first 3 ½ years)

-Covenant/treaty made

            +This is one of the most powerful, yet subtle, understandings. There simply are not very many Scriptures to indicate a covenant or treaty to be made. The point isn’t the treaty made with the Antichrist, but instead is that Israel trusts in the arm of the flesh. Instead of trusting in their God, they look to “Egypt” to protect them.

            +Deuteronomy 23:6, Isaiah 28:15, 30:1, Daniel 9:27,

-Peace and Security

            +Isaiah 30:2-5 (note in Bible: If Egypt’s help is Israel’s shame and disgrace, how much more the Antichrist’s?), Jeremiah 6:14, Daniel 8:25 (when they feel secure),

            +I think that the best thing to note is that Jesus tells us to watch; Paul and Peter also both talk about the Day of the Lord coming like a thief. To those that are not watching, they will be taken by surprise. Why? For those that are the people of God, they will not expect sudden calamity. Those that are not of the Lord will not find anything strange or ‘unnatural’ signs to clue them in.

-Trusting in man/arm of the flesh

            +Isaiah 31:1, 31:3, 57:11-13, Jeremiah 17:5-8,

-Temple and Sacrifices

            +What does God think about the sacrifices that Israel will be offering during the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation?

            +Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 40:6, 51:16-17, Isaiah 1:11, 66:3-4, Daniel 8:11 (there must be a third temple for them to be brought low), Amos 5:22,

VII. Middle of Seven Years (somewhere around 1,260-1,290 days before Jesus’ return)

-Covenant broken

            +Isaiah 24:5, Daniel 9:27, Isaiah 28:18, 33:8, Daniel 11:30-32, 12:7,

-Antichrist

            +King of the North

                        -Not so much about specific verses that say the King of the North is the Antichrist, but that the King of the North is typically always the one to come against Israel and Jerusalem

                        -Jeremiah 1:13b-14, 6:1, 6:22, 10:22, 13:20, Ezekiel 26:7, Daniel 11:28,

            ++Isaiah 19:4, Daniel 7:8, Jeremiah 48:25, Daniel 7:24-25, 8:23-25, 11:21, Micah 5-6, Jeremiah 51:25 & Zechariah 4:7, Matthew 4:8 (in reference to Revelation 13:2), Matthew 24:24, Luke 19:43-44, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 13:1-8 (Isaiah 27:1 mentions the piercing of the Leviathan, a type of antichrist {beast from the sea}),

-Abomination of Desolation

            +Psalm 74:7-8, 79:1, Jeremiah 7:30, 51:51, Daniel 9:27, 11:31, Matthew 24:15, Ezekiel 7:24b, 8:3, Daniel 8:11, 9:26-27, Matthew 24:15, Luke 21:20, Revelation 13:14-15,

VIII. Jacob’s Trouble

-Jeremiah 30:7

            +No time worse

                        -Daniel 12:1, Deuteronomy 28:53, 28:62-63, 29:22-28, Psalm 9:13-14, 42:3, 44:9-11, 83:4, 88:13-18, 102:1-11, Isaiah 1:25, 3:18-26, 7:17, 13:12, 24:6, Jeremiah 9:25-26, Ezekiel 5:12, 7:25-26, Joel 1:2-3, Matthew 24:21, Luke 21:22-24,

-Antichrist Wars with the Saints

            +Daniel 7:21, 7:25, Revelation 13:7, Psalm 79:2, Daniel 8:10, 11:33-35, Luke 21:16-17,

-Israel’s flight

            +Amos 9: , Deuteronomy 4:26-27-31, Jeremiah 31:31-37, Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 28:20, 28:25, 32:26-27, Isaiah 5:13, 6:13, 22:1-3, 48:21, 59:9-13, Jeremiah 12:4, Ezekiel 6:8, 20:33-35, 34: 4-6, 36:19-20, Amos 5:18, 9:1-4, Zechariah 2:6, 14:2, Matthew 12:30, Luke 22:31-32, Revelation 12:6,

-Strength and Power of Israel Broken

            +The strength and power of Israel is their pride. God must break it off of them if the strength and pride of all other nations is to be broken off as well.

            +Deuteronomy 32:36, Psalm 102:23, Isaiah 2:17-18, 3:22, 22:8-11, 23:9, Ezekiel 7:24a, Daniel 12:7, Leviticus 26:19, Zechariah 13:8-9, Luke 21:31,

-Refuge in wilderness

            +Ezekiel 20:33-35, Genesis 32:30, Isaiah 28:11, Jeremiah 5:18, 31:2, Amos 9:8-10, Zechariah 10:9, Matthew 24:45 (in reference to Revelation 12:6), Revelation 12:6, 12:13-14,

-Our witness to the Jews/wrestle principalities

            +Daniel 11:35-40, Psalm 14:7, Romans 11:25-26, Psalm 53:6, Isaiah 14:32, 40:9-11, 58:1, Jeremiah 49:12, Matthew 10:1, 17:20-21, 25:14-30 (parable of the talents – the talents are the Jewish people coming into our hands, according to context of Matthew 24:45-46), Matthew 25:40, Luke 21:14-15, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, 2:6-8, Ephesians 3:10-11, Revelation 12:11, 12:17,

IX. Restoration

-Gog and Magog/Antichrist war

            +Revelation 19: , Ezekiel 38-39, Zech 12, 14, Psalm 33:10-11, 48:4-7, 74:13-14, 75:8, Isaiah 8:9-10, Isaiah 13:4, 18:6 (Revelation 19:17-18, Ezekiel 39:4), Isaiah 27:1 (Revelation 19:12-21), Isaiah 29:3 (Luke 21:20), Isaiah 29:5-8, 31:4, 31:8, Jeremiah 7:33, Joel 2:20, 3:1-3, Zechariah 12:3, 12:9, Matthew 24:28 (in reference to Revelation 19:17-18), 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 14:14-20, 19:11-21,

-Return of Christ/Establishment of the Branch

            +Deuteronomy 18:15, Psalm 2:6-9, 80:15-17, Isaiah 4:2-6, 9:6-7, 11:4, Zech 12:10, Isaiah 31:6, 41:2, 42:1-4, 66:18, Ezekiel 34:22-24, 37:23-24, Daniel 7:13-14, Amos 9:11, Zechariah 3:8-9, 6:13, Malachi 3:1-4, Matthew 24:27, Luke 1:32-33, Luke 21:27, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, Revelation 11:15,

-Judgment of Nations

            +Joel 3:1-3, Obadiah 15, Micah 4:3, Matthew 13:41-42, Revelation 11:18,

-Gathered from Nations

            +Psalm 107:2-3, 111:9, Isaiah 11:12, 14:1, 35:10, 43:5-7, 54:6-7, Jeremiah 3:18, 12:15-17, 30:8-9, 31:8, 32:37-40, Ezekiel 11:16-17, 20:41-43, 28:25-26, 34:13-16, 36:24-30, 39:25, Zechariah 10:10, Matthew 8:11-12, 24:31,

-Full Redemption

            +Romans 11:26, Isaiah 27:9, Deuteronomy 12:2-3, 30:1-6, Psalm 50:15, 66:12, Isaiah 12:3 (John 7:37-38), Isaiah 30:19-22, 32:15, 45:17, Jeremiah 31:31-37, 32:8, Ezekiel 11:18-21, Obadiah 17, Zephaniah 3:11-13, Zechariah 9:11-12 (in reference to Matthew 26:28 as the Covenant), Zechariah 12:10-13:2, Ephesians 1:14,

-In One Day

            +Isaiah 10:17, 10:20-23, 66:8-9, Ezekiel 36:33-36 (on the day), Zechariah 3:9, 9:16,

-Principalities and Powers Defeated

            +Revelation 20:1-5, Isaiah 24:21-22, Psalm 2, Ezekiel 28:17, Matthew 8:29,

-Veil that Covers Nations

            +The veil that covers the nations is their pride. It is ultimately put there by demons. The Church must wrestle those demonic powers to overcome them and break off the veil that blinds Israel, so that at Israel’s redemption the veil will be broken off of the nations.

            +Isaiah 25:7, 54:3 (Genesis 9:27), Ezekiel 28:25, 35:23, 36:36, Daniel 7:11-12,

-Jesus Rules from Jerusalem and Zion

            +Isaiah 2, Zechariah 14:16, Deuteronomy 11:12, 15:6, Psalm 48:1-3, 50:2, 65:1-3, 99:1-2, 102:21-22, 110:1-2, Isaiah 24:23, Jeremiah 31:5, Joel 2:32, Micah 4:1-2, Zechariah 8:1-3,

-Jeremiah 23:7-8

            +Deuteronomy 7:14, Psalm 37:9-11, Isaiah 31:5, 16:14-15, Jeremiah 16:14-15,

X. 1000 year reign

-World peace

            +Isaiah 2:4, 60:17b, Daniel 7:21-22, Joel 3:10 (in reference to Isaiah 2:4)?, Joel 3:17, Micah 4:3, Zechariah 9:10, 14:11,

-Israel as Priests

            +Genesis 33:10, Deuteronomy 18:2, Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 4:6, 17:8-13, Joshua 4:24, Psalm 18:43, Isaiah 12:4, 14:2b, 55:5, 60:1-3, 60:12, Ezekiel 37:26-28, Zechariah 3:4 (Joshua being a symbol of priestly Israel), Zechariah 8:13, 8:23,

-Redemption of Nations

            +Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 9:20, 22:27-28, 47:7-8, 79:10, Isaiah 52:15, Psalm 86:9, 94:10, 96:7-9, 98:2-3, Isaiah 2:2-3, 10:13-14, 18:7, 26:9b, 45:22-24, 51:4-5, 56:4-8, Ezekiel 37:28, Daniel 7:14, 7:27, Amos 9:12, Zechariah 2:11, 8:20-22, 14:16, Malachi 1:11, 1:14, Romans 11:11-15,

-Church as Spiritual Rulers

            +Isaiah 32:1, Jeremiah 23:4, Daniel 7:18, Zechariah 14:5b, John 1:51 (with reference to Zechariah 3:8-10 & Genesis 28:12), Romans 8:18-21,

-First Resurrection

            +Revelation 20:4-6, Psalm 17:15, Daniel 12:13, 1 Corinthians 15:23, 15:42-44, 15:50-53, Philippians 3:10-11, 3:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Revelation 20:4-6,

Egypt is System

Maybe the very first statement should be one that tells you that I am not speaking of modern day political Egypt. The Egypt in the Bible is both a symbol as well as a spirit. Just in case anyone would read this and either get offended or start proclaiming that modern day Egypt is what I have to say, I've put it forth immediately.

When we read the Bible, it doesn't take long before we find the Exodus story (second book of the Bible). From that moment onward, Egypt is recognized as the place of bondage. However, I think that we misunderstand what bondage even is. We think that bondage represents sin only. Or we think that bondage represents anything that brings stress. Or we think that bondage is something that keeps us from being able to live haply. We think bondage is oppression.

Bondage is system. To define system: System is any institution, corporation, or organization that seeks it's own perpetuation and goals over and above anything or anyone else. Lets unpack that a little bit.

System is any institution, corporation, or organization... Basically, anything that is man-made is a system. Even our systems of religion are places of bondage, and not places of liberty. Nations can be systems - certainly government itself is a system. Institutions, corporations, and organizations have one common thread: their set up and leadership. These are places that have a small number on the top in charge, and from there people of influence, and then the common person. It is a pyramid. We have set up our businesses and organizations to even model this. From our business and corporate model, many "churches" have also modeled what church should be.

When we have one man, or only a few men at the very top, we find that the system is corruptible. The reason is twofold: man and satan. Man in corruptible. Man is depraved. We are inherently sinful, meaning we are born with the condition of sin, and we tend toward sin instead of away from sin. We become increasingly sinful. Man is not perfect. Only God is perfect. But the other aspect is satanic. There is a demonic influence over systems. The first place that we find such systems in the Bible is the tower of Babel. Ultimately, Babylon resulted from this tower. Babylon is a representation of the kingdom of darkness. Satan inspired such an idea as the tower of Babel. Why? Because it is easier to jerk and manipulate one man at the top than an entire nation or people.

However, the statement doesn't stop there. System seeks it's own perpetuation and goals over and above anything or anyone else. We'll break down that first part. What does it mean to seek your own perpetuation? Think about a small mom and pop store. The hope is that they can continue their business and hand it down to their children. In a sense, there is nothing wrong with this. In another sense, this is a stepping stone to disaster. The system itself has its own hopes and desires. When you come against this machine industry, it will lash out against you. Why? What is it that would cause for such a system to lash out instead of embrace death?

This is actually at the heart of the Exodus story. Why did Pharaoh continue to harden his heart? Why does it then say later that God hardened his heart? The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is not in itself because of Pharaoh, but because of the system itself. Any threat to the existence of that system, which in the case of the Exodus was the enslavement of an entire people, is vehemently opposed. It goes back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know best, and therefore anything that challenges our rule is to be squashed. Yet, the tree of life is a death and a cross. It is trust in the Lord, that even if He has hidden something from us (the accusation of the serpent in Genesis 3), it is for our benefit, and not for our detriment.

Systems desire to perpetuate themselves. They will use and abuse people in order to do so. If the establishment is crumbling, the workers, the clients, the customers, the owners, and all others involved are going to get hurt by that system. It somehow seems that the system itself is what is causing the pain and toil.

On the other hand, when we're dealing with systems, we're also dealing with an abuse and misuse of people in order to reach the desired goal. That goal might be influence, it might be income, it might be growth, or it might be survival. Whatever the goal is, that goal is the ultimate, and people are only a means to that end.

I worked at Chic-Fil-A. I don't have anything against the company. But I can use this as an explanation that even Christian owned companies are not beyond this. You have at the top of the corporation a CEO, or a board, and then others that work at corporate Chic-Fil-A under them. Then from there are the owners of the franchises, and under the owners are the managers, and then finally the common staff employee. That common staff employee gets paid what they have agreed to, but in the mind of the person at corporate Chic-Fil-A (which is an office and not a restaurant), that person is only a number. They are a faceless employee. They are a statistic. They are a paycheck, and they represent income and growth. The company Chic-Fil-A is probably one of the best (if not the best) companies to work for with this as their basis. Even though the people are numbers, the people that are at the top know that those numbers represent people. That does not stop the abuse and misuse of those workers, but it does limit it. I'm willing to admit that.

So when we read of Egypt being bondage, or slavery, many times we think that it is the harsh taskmasters and the making of bricks without straw that is the bondage and slavery. We think of the slavery itself, and the lack of mercy. What we don't realize is that the slavery and bondage is only the result of a system. Egypt is system. System is Egypt. The two are synonyms.

When we want to talk about our freedom from sin, or our freedom from Egypt, or how God is going to destroy Egypt, we need to have this understanding. What it means that God will destroy Egypt is that God will destroy the system that enslaves. He will take that pyramid that looks at people as numbers and statistics, and He will abolish that. In fact, when you look at what God has ordained that we be, you find that He has actually taken that pyramid and turned it upside-down.

Instead of the idea that Christ is at the top and under Him are the apostles and prophets, and then under them are some of the giants from the last 2000 years, and then we eventually come down to the pastors, and then the teachers, and then the common laymen, God has set Jesus at the bottom. The idea that we have in our mind is that the anointing, or blessing, comes from the head and flows down the body. Just as when you anointed a man as king or priest, you would anoint their head, and then it flowed down.

However, God has said that He who is to be greatest must be the least. Jesus was not exalted because of His greatness, but because of His humility. The sin and need of all of the people flow down onto the pastors and teachers, who then are able to serve and minster those people. The sin and need of those pastors and teachers flow down onto the apostles and prophets, who are then able to serve and minster to the people. The sin and need of those apostles and prophets then flows down onto Christ Jesus, and He is ultimately the one who took up sin - became sin - so that all of our needs are met through Him.

God has set up an upside-down pyramid, where ministry does not mean teaching or preaching or educating, but instead it means discipling. Discipleship means taking someone into your life and living together with them. They can get more sermons from seeing your character than from hearing your knowledge. The idea of a pastor or teacher is not to somehow "lead" or "teach" the flock in a Greek style. The Greeks would hold lectures. The Hebrews would share life together. Jesus is our ultimate example of what it means to be a teacher or pastor. He took in His disciples. There were the initial 12 that followed Him everywhere, but then there are others that also seem to follow Him (He sends out the 72 at one point). The 12 are closest, and even within the 12 there were 3 being distinguished: Peter, James, and John.

This is how God has established what we're to be about. But any religious system that is based off of Egypt will make statements like, "No church is perfect." Of course it isn't when you take an imperfect system and call that "church." But the Bible says that the Bride is perfect. She is blameless. She is spotless. She is clean. She is beautiful. How long will we judge whether we're doing church correctly on a false system - one that looks like Egypt? I am looking for a perfect church. The perfect church is one that is able to live together in unity, and confess our faults one to another. The perfect church is one that seeks humility above order. The perfect church is one that knows we are all sinners, and we all need to repent. The perfect church takes seriously the command in James where it tells us to "confess our faults one to another." It is actually in that very thing that we find freedom. But if we aren't living together, and we fear that we'll be judged instead of cleansed, then what are we even doing?

Egypt is still around. It is still alive and well. Though God judged it millennia ago, we are still facing the same bondage that the Israelites faced. In fact, we seem to have these statements like, "What alternative is there?" What other option do we have? It takes the mighty works of God almighty in order to deliver us from systems. It takes miracles to get us out, and it takes miracles to even sustain us in the wilderness before we come unto the Land that He has promised. But if you are willing to hear that call, "Get thee out," then fear not. Cry unto God for a deliverer from your oppression. Know this: the oppression is not those circumstances; it is a lifestyle that we have allowed Egyptian culture and society to form us to.

Why are so many of us unhappy? Why are so many of us not content? It is because we are enslaved, and we don't even know it. Our enslavement is to the television, our jobs, a system that tells us we need to have a career, a system that tells us the best thing we can do is get a degree in order to "be somebody," a system that tells us what kind of house to live in, what kind of family we should raise, what area of town we should live in, and everything else in our lives is constituted upon the value system and propaganda of Egypt.

Listen closely: do not strive to "be somebody." You already are somebody. You were made in the image of God, and He is ever crying out, "Let me see your face, and let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet like honey, and your face is lovely." Waters cannot quench this love; neither floods can drown it. "Whom the Son sets free is FREE INDEED." We are called as a people to be outside of Egypt, not to become the New Egypt. In Israel's history, Solomon reformed Israel into a "new egypt." The only thing left after that was exile and judgment.

The church and the synagogue are identical. They are synonyms. They are both set up as the same system. Come out from her, my people. Remember the first message of our Lord at Nazareth, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind, and to release they that are oppressed."

Pre-Eschatology Theology

I want to give a very basic overview of the necessary mindsets to have while reading the prophetic text. In discussing the theological framework of understanding the End Times, we can better be one more step forward in understanding before we even start. The topics I’ll look at are covenant, Israel’s destiny, theocracy, principalities and powers, our in-grafting (Romans 11), and hopefully be able to touch on the character of God.

The best place to start would be with the Kingdom of God. First and foremost, we must understand that this concept is a Jewish concept. There is nothing about it that is Gentile. The entire faith itself came out from Judaism. All of the disciples were Jewish. Though they were scattered and though some held positions that were contrary to respectable Judaism (like a tax collector), that does not relinquish them from being Jewish. Most scholars would agree that their names were Hebrew names like Mattityahu (Matthew in English), Jochanan (John in English), Jakov (James in our English versions), or Bar-Talmai (Bartholomew).

It is from this understanding that the faith is Jewish that we can move on. Have you ever noticed that some Jewish authors, scholars, or rabbis will not say or write “God?” They will write G-d. It is from a practice that stems back millennia. If you cannot see the face of God and live, then we ought to have the utmost respect for all aspects of God – including His name. Many people won’t say His name, and when it comes to saying or writing God, they find another way of addressing Him. In the 1^st century, one of the ways they would address God is by addressing His habitation: heaven. Thus, when we read in the Gospel of Matthew (which was written to the Jews), we find that Jesus refers to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is not different than the Kingdom of God. They are the same thing – the one respecting God’s name, and the other unafraid to pronounce God’s name.

So what was the Hebrew thought when speaking of the Kingdom of God? They didn’t have the New Testament to tell them it was “within you.” Jesus’ statement here is typically taken out of context to make a point that the Kingdom is invisible. But is it really? We find the Kingdom of God stems back to the first book of the Bible:

² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:2-3

This is the first time that God promises a blessing of all the nations – or “families of the Earth.” It is going to be through a people/nation that come from Abram. When we trace this story, we find that these people were known as the people Israel. In this passage everything hangs.

Certain aspects of doctrine that we claim in Christianity come from this passage. It even bears weight on the question of circumcision asked in the New Testament. Paul makes the argument that the promise was given to Abram before the covenant of circumcision. Therefore, if you have not been circumcised of body, but have been circumcised of heart, then you are under this Abrahamic Covenant.

The importance of this passage that God will have a people for Himself stretches through to the very end of the Bible. But lets for now take it bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece. When you reach Exodus, God brings His people Israel out of Egypt. They are called to be His people. Lets examine a couple of Scriptures and glean from them the importance.

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Exodus 19:6

⁸When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

⁹ For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9

²⁹ For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Romans 11:29

I suggest looking into that last passage a bit more. Read Romans 11 for the whole context. You’ll see that I’m not pulling it out of context, but actually bringing it into a more precise context. The point is more upon the first 2 Scriptures. Israel was called to be a nation of priests. In Deuteronomy 32 it claims that the boundaries of the other nations were actually set up according to the number of Israel.

Why would God select this people? What is it that they have to offer that is so different than the rest of the world? The answer, strangely, is exactly the same reason why God chooses anything. Why does God choose to take John Wesley from the rich and send him out to preach to the poor? Why does God choose the Land of Israel over any other land in the world? What is it that God sees in David that he didn’t see in his brothers? What did God see in the cross that we have missed? Why would God choose the cross as the execution of His Son instead of some other form of suffering? Why would God choose suffering anyway? Isn’t this unbecoming?

And here lies the intrinsic characteristic of God. God suffers. He doesn’t suffer because He has to suffer. He suffers because He chooses to suffer. Notice I did not say He wants to suffer. No one wants to suffer. Suffering isn’t what God desires; it is, however, what He has chosen. Why? In the foolishness of suffering, we see clearly the wisdom of God. God is not afraid of suffering. He is willing to suffer in order to attain the greater good. What is the greater good? The best and highest good is the glory of God. There is nothing loftier than for God to be glorified, for in it is the creations greatest good.

Here we have a problem of semantics. The question could be posed, “Why?” Why is it that God’s glory is the greatest earthly good? Have you ever heard the statement, “Don’t be too heavenly minded, or else you will be no earthly good?” It is quite the contrary. Unless you are heavenly minded, you are no earthly good. How else do you explain Jesus? Was he too heavenly minded? Nothing was spoken out of the mouth of Christ that did not have its inception within heaven.

So why would God choose Israel? Here is where the Biblical scholar must understand. You sacrosanct saints that want a cheapie and a nice lackadaisical understanding and grasp of the faith cannot comprehend the beauty of the eternal purposes of God. Who else have you ever heard speak this way? What is Israel? What are the Jews? Is it the people? Is it the Land? Is the nation? Is it a religion? What is it for heaven’s sake?

When we desire to define terms, know that I will only refer to Israel as the people in this writing. However, there is a much larger usage of this word. Israel, from the perception of God, is the people, within that Land, as a kingdom of priests to all nations. This requires something. It requires that they be in the Land. It requires that they are God’s people, and God is their God. It requires that they know their God as He in fact is. It requires that they do not break the Laws given; otherwise they will be exiled from that Land, and therefore no longer the people (Deuteronomy 28). It requires that they are priests. The Israel that is God’s inheritance is the people, Land, Torah (teachings), God within the people, and the covenants between God and that people.

Unless all of these things are fulfilled, God has gone against Himself in revoking (or repenting) His gifts and callings. This is crucial to understanding. There must be a time when Israel is saved and they know their Messiah Jesus. There must be a time when they are the priesthood to all nations. There must be a time when they possess the Land and will never be uprooted again (Amos 9). If these things do not happen, then God is not God. He chose these things because they are despised. They are foolish.

We see the character of God revealed within His choosing of this people and that land and their calling and their purposes. The Kingdom of God is not complete without them. We, as the Church, are in need of them and they are in need of us. We are for now a different people, but will be one under the same Head in the end. I would even argue that we are not a different entity from Israel, but that they are the separate entity from Israel. Israel can only be Israel when all of these things are met. Anyone who rejects the Messiah cannot be Israel. But we know from Romans 11:26 that “All Israel shall be saved, as it is written.” Is this mere homiletic mysticism and rhetoric?

What is the ultimate form of the Kingdom of God? What is it that we should be striving toward and looking toward? The Kingdom of God is and always will be a theocracy. Theo- means God and -cratic is rule or government. It is the government of God. He will forever be the supreme ruler. We find later in the Old Testament how God intends to be this:

¹² And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³ He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
2 Samuel 7:12-14

God is speaking to the Israeli King David. The Messiah must be a descendant from David. But He can’t just be a descendant of David. He has to surpass David. He has to be greater than David. It says in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord.”

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psalm 110:1

Here we see a Psalm of David where David actually calls the Messiah “Lord.” How can the Messiah be both the Lord and also a descendant of David? We find answer in that Jesus was born of a virgin. He was without human father. He only had God as His father. This is important. The rule of God depends upon one who will be able to rule the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2), but at the same time be a human descendant of David, and at the same time be God. But it isn’t enough that He is King. He must be a priest, for Psalm 110 continues:

⁴ The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4

In the Book of Hebrews, there is an excellent exposition on this very thing. The Kingdom of God is best summed up as follows: The government of God ruled by the Davidic King and Melchizedek Priest out of Israel and upon Zion. How about them apples?

Now, when we’re talking about the theocratic kingdom, we’re discussing something that we have a piece of today. The full expression is yet future. But we do experience a taste (or foretaste if you read King James) of what is ahead. Our very salvation and sealing of the Holy Spirit attest to the future glory that is to come. Words cannot express the depths. I would be willing to bet that words are unlawful to speak about what glories are to come (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

What is it that we need to apprehend in order to get there? This is going to be a bit of eschatology, but it won’t necessarily be commentary on Revelation. Ultimately, this view that I have is a view of covenant – covenant failure, covenant obligation, covenant blessing, and covenant curse. This idea comes from Deuteronomy. It plainly states (especially within Deuteronomy 28) that if the people Israel follow and obey the covenant, then they will keep the Land, and all these blessings will come upon them. However, if they disobey this covenant, then they will be uprooted from the Land, and they will suffer curse and judgment from God as chastisement.

It is to this that I speak. There will be a final judgment or chastisement that the Israel of God must undergo. It is for the lack of understanding of both the future calamity and the ultimate glory of Israel – and thus the glory of God – that people misinterpret Scripture after Scripture and hope that the Jewish state will change its tune and come to God and find Jesus and everything will be groovy.

If we think that priesthood comes from some sort of calling or some sort of ordination without appropriation of character, then we have lost the biblical mindset. Priesthood requires something ultimate. The priest must identify with those to whom he is ministering, taking upon self their guilt and sin. It takes a very certain kind of person – one that states, “I am the chief of all sinners” – that can minister in a priestly way. It requires the deepest breaking over sin and understanding that we in our humanity are only too easily deceived and ready to snatch up any sin. Nothing is too off limits. There is nothing too risqué. There is nothing too provocative. We are all capable of the same grotesque sins, and we are all guilty before God.

In order for the people Israel to be priestly, that kind of mindset and character must come upon them. I believe that Paul’s apostolate to the Gentiles was a foretaste of Israel’s ultimate call to be an apostolic entity to the nations. The Gentiles hung upon the neck of Paul and wept when they heard the news that he would be bound in chains at Jerusalem. Imagine a nation of Pauls going out into the world and the Gentile nations having the same kind of love and adoration of them.

When we browse Isaiah 35 we find an End Time stratagem for that people:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Isaiah 35:1

⁴ Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 35:4-5

⁷ And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

⁸ And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isaiah 35:7-8

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:10

Their return shall be with “everlasting joy.” Why everlasting? Because, they will never sorrow again. God will wipe away every tear. But how do they come to such a place? It is in the judgment of God upon their sin. They will be cast out into the wilderness places, and God will meet with them face-to-face. How does God meet with them face-to-face? He does it through a servant Body that is already upon this Earth, though it is not a part of the Israel that is being judged…

Do you see how the pieces fit together yet? Our role and function as the Church is to be that priestly nation to them. Paul even says, “…to the Jew first, and then to the Greek,” Romans 1:16. Our call and chief role is not to be the priesthood to the nations like we have thought. That does not come until the Millennium with them. Until that time, our calling and role is to drive them to jealousy (Romans 11). We are to be priestly in identifying with them in their sin and possibly going to our death in that identification.

When this end time calamity is upon us, I don’t doubt that there will be persecution of Christians. It says this blatantly in both Old and New Testament. Daniel says the Antichrist will overcome the saints, and again will wear out the saints. Revelation 13 says that the Antichrist will war against the saints and overpower them. It says in Revelation 12, though, that the dragon makes war with the woman first, and goes after the believers in Jesus after (Revelation 12:17). The woman is undoubtedly Israel. A woman almost always (I can’t think of any exceptions off the top of my head) means Israel in the prophetic writings.

If the persecution comes upon Israel first, then why do we not expect them to receive any kind of persecution? Why do leading speakers seems to indicate quite the opposite? So many believe that Israel won’t be uprooted again and that they are indestructible. From what biblical bases does this come? Their history has only shown the opposite. They rejected God and were carried away to Babylon. They rejected the Messiah and were scattered through the nations. Why would this be different?

¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

¹¹For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

¹³Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

Jeremiah 31:10-13

Virtually every time that this Millennial blessedness of Israel’s is mentioned, it makes mention that they will sorrow no more, they will be comforted, they will have peace, they will suffer no more terror and violence, etc. It eventually starts to make sense that this time of blessedness happens immediately after a time of persecution.

²Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

³For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Isaiah 54:2-3

Here is another statement of millennial promise: “Your descendants will possess the nations,” and before the sentence is concluded, God adds, “And will resettle the desolate cities.” In the whole redemptive program of God, His intention is to bless the nations. He is the God of the nations. They shall come to know God through a redeemed Israel, and they will come to the brightness of that nations rising:

¹Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

⁴Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

⁵Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Isaiah 60:1-5

¹⁰And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

¹¹Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

¹²For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Isaiah 60:10-12

²³Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Zechariah 8:23

¹⁸Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

Isaiah 60:18

²¹Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

Isaiah 60:21

Notice here what I have been saying all along. There will come a time when Israel will inherit the Land forever. But that cannot happen if the covenant will continue to get broken. If they continue to reject God, then they will never be His people in that Land. This qualifies for a definition of terms. There is an immense difference between appropriation and inheritance. An inheritance is only given to those in right relation with God. Appropriation can be given to whomever. The redeemed nation is given an everlasting covenant that cannot be broken, and in that condition, the Land can be inherited as “the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.” There is something about the Lord planting that gives the mind an image of peace. It is not exacerbating to the neighbors of Israel (unlike what we see today), but instead brings them peace and blessedness.

In that day, there shall be one King, one kingdom, and one Lord over all. But that cannot come unless Israel suffers her own road to Calvary experience. There must be a putting to death all that would trust in the arm of the flesh. She must go down out of the Land and into the wilderness places. It is in that wilderness that she will meet her God. But if we’re raptured out of this world, then I suppose that means that Israel will need some other way of coming to know her God.

This is where I’ve heard ridiculous theories. Some say that the rabbi’s will have a revelation and start teaching about Jesus (because that worked the first time?). Others say that Israel has no part. Still others say that they will come to Christ by our witnessing to them before the Tribulation, and then they will preach the Gospel during the Tribulation. For reasons that I think we’ve already been through, I have immense problems with these. I think the one thing I hate more than any other is the idea that we’re beyond chastisement or undergoing suffering. If God did not even spare His own Son, then why would He spare you? By what means of reasoning do you honestly believe that God will rapture His Church out at all?

It is in this end time scenario that we are met face-to-face with our own inadequacy. It haunts us. We aren’t mature enough to struggle this. We aren’t ready. We’re complacent and lazy. We’re too lukewarm and pampered to endure to the end. It will take a certain kind of person to be able to handle the grit and trauma of this extreme. It is one thing for me to give Scripture evidence and speak of this calamity, but how will I react when it actually happens? Will I be able to handle it? Will I collapse under the weight of hearing stories and meeting people and watching gruesome tales play out before my eyes?

It is to this that I wish to speak in the next segment.