"For the children of Israel shall
abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice,
and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward
shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David
their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:4-5).
The
nation of Israel has long been without the things mentioned in verse four of
our text. They have been without a king
or prince since the Babylonian captivity when Nebuchadnezzar razed the city of
Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Israel has been
without a sacrifice since the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. when Titus,
the Roman general, wrought destruction in Jerusalem. They have also been without the idols mentioned in verse
four. One of the major purposes of God
in the Babylonian captivity was to cure Israel of her affinity for heathen
idols. Since the return from Babylonian
captivity, Israel for the most part, has been a monotheistic nation regarding
Jehovah as the only true and living God.
Most
Bible students and scholars would heartily agree that verse four is to be taken
in its literal and common sense as fulfilled prophecy. History, reason, and faith in the infallible
Word of God support this logical conclusion.
It matters not what camp of eschatology an individual resides in, there
is little controversy as to the exact meaning of verse four in our text. The controversy arises when verse five is
interpreted in the same way verse four was interpreted, in a literal
manner. If verse five is to be
interpreted literally then there is without a doubt a future for the nation of
Israel as the chosen people of God.
From the context of the verses under consideration there is absolutely
no indication that verse five is not to be understood as having a literal
fulfillment some time in the future.
Sound Bible exegesis and honesty require the Bible student to interpret
both verses in a literal manner.
This
passage of Scripture is but one of many in the Old and New Testaments to
support the teaching of the future restoration of the nation of Israel to the
favor of Jehovah. This truth became
even more apparent to Bible scholars when the nation of Israel was formally
recognized as a Jewish state in 1948.
Since then multitudes of Jews have returned to the homeland promised to
them when God made a covenant with Abraham thousands of years ago. Though multitudes of Jews have returned to
Palestine, they are dwelling there in unbelief. They have not yet been spiritually restored to God. Multitudes of Jews will be saved during the
Tribulation Period, and an even greater number will be converted to Christ when
He comes in the Second Advent. The
elect nation of Israel will play a prominent role in the thousand year reign of
Christ upon the earth. Jerusalem will
be the place where Jesus Christ shall sit upon the throne of David and rule the
nations of the earth in majesty, glory, and great power.
Many
amillenialists deny that the elect nation of Israel has a future in the plan of
God. They insist that the promises made
to Israel in the Old Testament prophecies are to be spiritually applied to the
church, not literally interpreted as relating to Israel's restoration. They do so without Scriptural warrant. I believe without reservation that the
Scriptures teach a literal future for the elect nation of Israel. If Scripture means anything, Israel will be
restored to God spiritually by regeneration and justification, and will
physically dwell in the land that was promised to the seed of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob in ancient times.
John
Gill, the Baptist scholar of the 1700's believed in a literal restoration for
the nation of Israel, as his comments on Hosea 3:5 reveal:
"The
ten tribes of Israel, and also the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which are
included in the name of Israel,...and these are joined together in parallel
places; see Jer. 30:3,9 and 50:2,5; for though they did not go into captivity
together, yet their return and conversion will be at the same time; and they
are all spoken of under the name of Israel by the apostle Paul, when he
foretells their conversion and salvation, Rom. 11:26. The return of them, here prophesied of, does not barely mean
their return to their own land, which will be at this time; see Jer. 30:3;
Ezek. 37:21-22; Amos 9:15, but their return to the Lord by repentance; when
they shall repent of, and turn from, their sinful course of life, and
particularly of their unbelief and rejection of the true Messiah, and embrace
Him; and of their traditions and false ways of worship, which they shall
discard; and of their own righteousness they shall now renounce; and shall turn
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in Him for righteousness, life, and
salvation." (1)
The
nation of Israel has been set aside by God for nearly two thousand years
because of their unbelief. John 1:11
declares: "He came unto his own,
and his own received him not."
Even though Jesus Christ carried on a most miraculous ministry in their
midst, the blinded Israelites and religious leaders would not believe. They failed to recognize Jesus Christ as the
Messiah and would not receive the message that He had been sent by God. After Jesus had soundly rebuked the Jewish
religious leaders for their hypocrisy and unbelief He said: "Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall
not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord. And Jesus went out, and
departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the
buildings of the temple. And Jesus said
unto them, See ye not all these things?
verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matt. 23:38-24:2). In this passage Jesus formally pronounced
the nation of Israel and her worship as being set aside by God. He departed from the temple and prophesied
of its destruction which would be fulfilled by Titus, the Roman general, in 70
A.D.
From
the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. until 1948 the Jews have been scattered
over the face of the whole earth. God
had prophesied of their scattering for rebellion, as well as their restoration,
in Ezekiel 11:16-17 which states: "Therefore
say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the
heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be
to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I
will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries
where ye have been scattered and I will give you the land of Israel." For the last two thousand years Jews
have been hounded, hated, and persecuted because of their unbelief and refusal
to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
They are presently dwelling in the land of Israel in unbelief. Jews may occupy the land of Israel, but they
are not yet restored to God. This will
happen when God pours out His Spirit upon them and they look upon Jesus as the
one whom they had pierced and acknowledge Him as their Messiah and Lord.
The
time period when Israel is cast aside by God for unbelief is known as the times
of the Gentiles. Jesus prophesied of
this time period in Luke 21:24 which states: "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Israel will remain in a national state of
blindness until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, at which time they
will be converted by God as Romans 11:25-27 reveals: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this
mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is
written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take
away their sins." Israel is in
a present state of blindness, but there is coming a grand day when they will
see the glories of Jesus Christ, and behold Him with eyes of saving faith. They will be spiritually restored to God and
physically restored to their land to reign with Christ and His people in
millennial glory.
ISRAEL'S
LITERAL APOSTASY AND SUBSEQUENT JUDGMENT DEMAND HER LITERAL RESTORATION
The same
God who foretold of the apostasy of the nation of Israel and the judgments that
would result from it, also promised that He would restore the nation of Israel
spiritually as well as physically. The
literal fulfillment of prophecies relating to Israel's apostasy and punishment
demand a literal fulfillment of prophecies relating to her restoration. If the prophecies relating to Israel's
apostasy and judgment as a nation are
literally true, then the prophecies dealing with Israel's future
restoration cannot vaguely be spiritualized away. A literal fulfillment of threatenings upon Israel argues for a
literal fulfillment of the promises made to her concerning her future
restoration. Simply stated, you cannot
have one without the other. If one set
of prophecies are to be understood literally then the other set must likewise
be interpreted literally. What is
amazing is that the threatenings for apostasy as well as the promises of future
restoration are often found in the very same context of Scripture. Several passages of Scripture clearly prove
this to be true.
"And if ye walk contrary unto me, and
will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you
according to your sins...And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will
draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities
waste...Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with
Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember
the land. The land also shall be left
of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them:
and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even
because they despised my judgments and because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the
land of their enemies. I will not cast
them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my
covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors,
whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that
I might be their God" (Lev. 26:21;33; 42-45).
In this passage of Scripture God promises that He
would smite the nation of Israel for disobedience, yet He would not forsake
them utterly because of the covenant that He had made with Abraham. Both of these prophecies refer solely to the
nation of Israel, one has already been fulfilled (the judgments), the other
will certainly come to fruition unless Jehovah goes back on His Word which is
impossible. God is not a liar, He will
certainly perform all that He has promised regarding Israel because it is "...impossible for God to lie..."
(Heb. 6:18).
Deuteronomy
30:3-6 declares: "That then the
LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will
return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath
scattered thee. If any of thine be
driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God
gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will
bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess
it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers." The entire context of Deuteronomy thirty
deals with the curses that Israel will experience when God drives them out of
their land and scatters them among the nations for their disobedience. Just as surely as Israel literally
experienced the judgment of God, she will also be restored to His favor and to
her land as these verses plainly declare.
If the prophecies relating to Israel's punishment are literally true,
then the promises relating to her future restoration must of necessity be of
equal force.
"Therefore will I cast you out of this
land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall
ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour. Therefore, behold the days come, saith the
LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But , The LORD liveth, that
brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the
lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land
that I gave unto their fathers" (Jer. 16:13-15).
"Hear 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. For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and
ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore 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" (Jer. 31:10-12).
Both
of the above passages in Jeremiah clearly reveal that the future gathering of
Israel is just as sure as their being scattered according to the declaration of
Jehovah. The restoration of Israel is
yet future as revealed in the latter part of Jeremiah 31:12. There has never been a time in Israel's
history when they were free from all sorrow.
This will be literally fulfilled in the glory of the Millennial
kingdom.
Ezekiel
39:27-29 declares: "When I have
brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies'
lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they
know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity
among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left
none of them any more there. Neither
will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon
the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD." This passage of Scripture will come to complete fruition at the
Second Advent when the Spirit of grace and supplications is poured out upon
elect Israel. Then and only then will
the face of God shine brightly and not be hidden any longer from the nation of
Israel. Their eyes shall be opened to
see the glories of a crucified and risen Christ. They will look upon the One whom they pierced and embrace His
justifying righteousness through faith in His blood.
Again,
if all of the declarations concerning the dispersion of Israel had a literal
fulfillment, then logic and sound Bible exegesis demand that the prophecies
relating to Israel's future restoration must also have a literal
fulfillment. These passages cannot be
explained away by amillilenialists by transferring the promises made to
Israel, to the church. The Old Testament prophets knew nothing
about the church. It was a mystery
veiled to their eyes as Ephesians 3:1-8 so clearly states. When the Old Testament prophets wrote under
the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Spirit they understood Israel to be literal
Israel. We must likewise understand
their prophecies relating to Israel in a literal vein.
THE
COVENANTS INSURE A FUTURE FOR ISRAEL
The
covenants that God made with the nation of Israel unconditionally insure the
fulfillment of promises made to Israel.
The Abrahamic or Palestinian covenant insures that Israel will have the
land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.
The Davidic covenant insures that Israel will have a king to reign upon
the throne of David. The terms of the
New covenant insure spiritual blessings of regeneration, justification, and
forgiveness of sins for elect Israel.
We
can be sure that the terms of each of these unconditional covenants will be
carried out by Almighty God. Whatever
God has purposed and decreed will surely come to pass without fail. Jehovah Himself declared: "For a small moment have I forsaken
thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with
everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy
Redeemer. For this is as the waters of
Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go
over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke
thee. For the mountains shall depart,
and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on
thee" (Isa. 54:7-10). God has
never gone back on His promise to Noah, so we may safely infer that He will
never go back on His promises made to the nation of Israel. He has promised to bestow everlasting
kindness upon the nation of Israel and to show them mercy because of the
unconditional covenants that He made with them.
Jeremiah
31:35-37 declares: "Thus saith the
LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon
and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves
thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from
before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being
a nation before me for ever. Thus saith
the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth
searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that
they have done, saith the LORD."
This passage proves that the covenants made with the nation of Israel
were unconditional and irrevocable. If
language means anything it is impossible for the promises made to Israel to be
annulled or spiritualized away. I like
what R.T. Ketchum once said: "When the amillennialists have measured the
immeasurable heavens and penetrated the impenetrable foundations of the earth,
then, saith the Lord, they can talk with some degree of confident assurance
about there being no future for Israel."
Paul
the apostle made it very clear that God will never cast off His chosen people,
the nation of Israel, in Romans 11:1-2; and 28-29 which state: "I say then, Hath God cast away his
people? GOD FORBID. For I also am an
Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he
foreknew...As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as
touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance." The Old and New
Testaments make it very clear that God will not go back on the promises made to
His elect nation. Oh, that God would
give faith to those who deny a future for Israel and meekly receive the rebuke
given to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25).
Now
we will proceed to look at the covenants made with Israel that pertain to her
future glory and restoration.
The
Abrahamic or Palestinian covenant was the first one recorded in Scripture
dealing with Israel's future glory. God
made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and his seed in Genesis 17:6-9
which states: "And I will make thee
exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out
of thee. And I will establish my
covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for
an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee. And I will give unto thee, and to
thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." In this passage of Scripture, God without
reservation or qualification, promises that the seed of Abraham would inherit
the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. We would do well to believe this Scripture just as it reads
unless we are prepared to do away with the meaning of the word
everlasting. If everlasting does not
mean everlasting in this passage of Scripture, then how can we be sure it means
everlasting in relation to salvation in John 3:16 and John 5:24?
The
Abrahamic covenant was confirmed to Isaac and Jacob just as God told Abraham in
Genesis 17:19: "And God said, Sarah
thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and
I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his
seed after him." (See also
Gen. 26:3-5; 28:13-15; and 35:9-15). In
each of the instances where the covenant was confirmed those who received the
confirmation from God understood the seed of Abraham to be his physical
descendants which would later make up the elect nation of Israel. The fact that there is a spiritual seed of
Abraham made up of all believers in no way nullifies the promises made to
Abraham's physical seed with regards to the land of Canaan.
The
very fact that Israel has returned in unbelief to the land of Canaan should
serve as a testimony to the truth that the land is hers because of God's
everlasting covenant with her. After
being dispersed, hated, and scattered throughout the world the Jews have been
gathered to their homeland in Palestine where they now dwell in unbelief until
the Lord pours out His Spirit upon them at the Second Advent of Christ. One of the greatest of modern miracles has
been the preservation of the identity of Israel as a race and a nation,
dwelling in a land that was promised to her in ancient times. Ezekiel 36:24-28 declares: "For I will take you from among the
heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own
land. Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your
idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take
away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh,
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and
ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall
be my people, and I will be your God." Verse 24 has already been accomplished in part, but verses 25-28
are yet to be fulfilled as Israel has not yet been cleansed of her filthiness
and given a new heart. I do not
understand how anyone could deny that Israel has a future in the land given to
her by God in the light of such clear statements of Scripture.
The
truth of the future restoration of Israel to her land in peace and spiritual
prosperity is strongly affirmed by Jeremiah 32:37-41 which states: "Behold, I will gather them out of all
countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in
great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them
to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I
will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good
of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting
covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them
good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with
my whole soul." In this
passage we have the testimony of Jehovah Himself, that He will most assuredly
restore Israel to her land. If, as some
contend, the nation of Israel has no future and no claim upon the land of
Palestine these passages of Scripture are meaningless and not worthy of serious
consideration. Yet, such a view casts
reproach upon the covenant promises of Jehovah Himself who is a covenant
keeping God that never changes. As for
me I will accept the testimony of the Psalmist over those who deny a latter day
glory and restoration for the elect nation of Israel: "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he
commanded to a THOUSAND GENERATIONS.
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And
confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, AND TO ISRAEL FOR AN EVERLASTING
COVENANT" (Psa. 105:10).
The
Davidic covenant further insures a future for the nation of Israel. God promised that a king would sit upon the
throne of David in Jerusalem. This will
have a literal fulfillment when Jesus Christ sits upon the throne of David in
the Millennial Kingdom. This inspired
promise was recorded by David in Psalms 89:29-37 and is supported by several
other Scriptures.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever. The zeal
of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:6-7). None will deny that verse six was literally
fulfilled in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Verse seven is yet future because when Christ comes to sit upon the throne
of David, He will establish the throne with judgment and justice just as the
scene in Revelation 19:11-16 describes.
It is at this time (the Second Advent) when Christ will establish the
kingdom and make "Jerusalem a
praise in the earth" (Isa. 62:7).
This certainly cannot be understood as a present reality in some sort of
spiritual kingdom as the ammillenialist asserts because Jerusalem is now a city
that is cursed by the nations of the world.
The
truth of the Davidic covenant and its resulting fulfillment and blessings upon
Israel is further illustrated in Jeremiah 23:5-8 which states: "Behold, the days come, saith the
LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign
and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice IN THE EARTH. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold
the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth,
which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the LORD
liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of
the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them: and they
shall dwell in their own land."
Several truths relating to Israel's restoration and Millennial glory may
be gleaned from this passage of Scripture.
First, the manner of the King's reign will be one of perfect judgment
and justice. Secondly, the sphere of
His reign will be upon the earth.
Thirdly, in the days of the earthly reign of Christ Israel and Judah
shall dwell safely which has not happened since the days of Solomon so its
fulfillment must be regarded as future.
Fourthly, Israel has not dwelt in complete safety and without fear of her
enemies for thousands of years and she will not until Jesus the King comes to
sit upon the throne of David. Oh, what
a glorious time of peace and spirituality awaits the earth's inhabitants when
King Jesus establishes His throne in Jerusalem and reigns in power and great
glory! How I long for the day when
there shall be peace within the borders of Israel because it will mean that the
Prince of Peace will be upon the throne reigning in regal majesty.
To
further prove that there must be a glorious future for Israel in the Millennial
kingdom Jeremiah 3:17-18 declares that Christ's throne in Jerusalem will be the
chief place of worship for the nations: "At
that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations
shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall
they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk
with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the
north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers." This passage of Scripture was not fulfilled
in the first coming of Christ, but it will definitely be fulfilled at His
Second Advent. Judah and Israel, who
have been split and at enmity with one another since the days of Rehoboam, shall
be gloriously reunited under the reign of King Jesus. God has given His unconditional promise that Israel would inherit
the land that was promised to her fathers when King Jesus comes again to reign
upon the earth.
Luke,
the inspired writer of one of the four Gospels, understood God's promise to
David and the children of Israel concerning a King to be literal and
unconditional as is evidenced by Luke 1:31-33: "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Christ is now seated on the right hand of
His Father upon the Father's throne (Rev. 2:21). acting as our High Priest and
Advocate. But there is coming a day
when He shall sit upon the throne of David reigning over a subdued earth in righteousness
and holiness, in complete and literal fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. It is strange to me that orthodox men can
believe in the literal aspect of virgin birth of Christ in this passage, and
yet not believe in a literal reign of Christ in Jerusalem seated upon the
throne of David. The literalism of this
passage is conclusively proven to open minds by the literalness of the thing
that was promised. If the throne of
David in centuries past was a spiritual home in the hearts of the Israelites,
then we must accept the amillennial theory that the throne of David given to
Christ is likewise a spiritual throne in the hearts of the people. But if, on the other hand, the throne of
David was a literal throne in a literal city on a literal earth, then when
Jehovah says that this is what is to be given to Christ, why fly in the face of
history with a perverted spiritualized interpretation? It seems to me that the literal
interpretation of Scripture, except where it is purposely symbolical, is the only
means whereby we can keep ourselves from the serious position of having much
Scripture on our hands with which we know not what to do.
It is
obvious from Matthew 19:28 that the Lord Jesus Christ also understood the terms
of the Davidic covenant to have a literal fulfillment in the future kingdom: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son
of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Jesus Christ believed and taught that He
would be personally seated upon the throne of David, and that the twelve
apostles would assist Him in the judgment of a restored Israel. In order for Christ to sit upon the throne
of His glory, He must come back in His glory which will not happen until the
Second Advent when He establishes the kingdom.
Matthew 24:29-30 pinpoints the time when He shall come to reign: "IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF
THOSE DAYS shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: AND THEN SHALL APPEAR
THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN HEAVEN: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN
IN POWER AND GREAT GLORY."
If the foregoing Scriptures mean anything then
we can be assured that King Jesus, who was born a Jew, from the kingly tribe of
Judah, will reign in great glory and power over a restored Israel upon a
subdued earth. This was God's
unconditional promise to Israel and Jehovah cannot lie.
The
New Covenant has insured a future for the nation of Israel. God has promised Israel that in the latter
days He would put His laws in their hearts and put away their sins and cause
them to walk in His ways. The fact that
God also does this for Gentile believers in salvation does not nullify or
transfer this covenant with the nation of Israel.
Jeremiah
31:31-34 declares: "Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that 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 that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; After those days, (Tribulation Period, cf. Jer. 30:4-9;
TWR) saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people. And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest
of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more." God
specifically states this new covenant would be fulfilled in the house of Israel
and the house of Judah which put together make up national Israel. Israel was considered the wife of Jehovah in
the Old Testament and in this passage God identifies Himself as the husband of
Israel in verse 32. Furthermore, the
terms of this covenant must have future fulfillment because the terms of verse
34 have yet to be realized "...for
they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them..." This will only be a
literal reality when elect and restored Israel enters into the Millennial
Kingdom, because all those who enter into the Kingdom will know the Lord.
Ezekiel
36:24-28 gives another picture of what God is going to do for Israel in
fulfilling the terms of the New Covenant: "For
I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries,
and will bring you into your own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from
all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave
to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." Right now there are Israelites in the
promised land, but Israel is not yet restored.
She will not truly be restored until God pours out His Spirit upon them,
when the terms of the New Covenant are met, and "a nation shall be born at once" (Isa. 66:8). When God gives His elect nation a new heart
by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit then He will also restore them to
their land in righteousness and peace under the holy dominion of Christ Jesus
who will be King over all the earth. I
long to see the terms of the New Covenant met, when God will display His
almighty power in a glorious way upon His chosen people!
The
time of Israel's spiritual restoration to God and physical restoration to the land
promised to her in the Abrahamic Covenant will occur in the latter days as
several passages of Scripture make crystal clear. Hosea 3:5 declares: "Afterward
shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David
their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the LATTER DAYS."
Deuteronomy
4:30-31 declares: "When thou art in
tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days,
if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient to His voice; (For the
LORD thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee,
nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them." Thousands of Israelites will be saved during
the Tribulation Period when they call upon the Lord. However, they will not inherit the land promised to them until
the Second Advent of Christ. At the
Second Advent of Christ multitudes of Israelites are going to be converted when
they see their Messiah coming in power and great glory which corresponds with the
inspired record of Matthew 24:29-30 which states: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn (cf. Zech. 12:7-10; 13:1; Rev. 1:7), and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory." Thus
the time of Israel's complete spiritual and physical restoration will occur at
the Second Advent of Christ when He will establish His kingdom upon the
earth. This is further proved by the
prophet Isaiah who wrote: "And the
Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in
Jacob, saith the LORD" (Isa. 59:20).
Paul the apostle also believed there was going to be a
specific time when Israel would be restored and grafted back to God in Romans
11:25-27 which states: "For I would
not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be
wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out
of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is
my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." Paul pinpoints the restoration of Israel to
be after the fullness of the Gentiles be come in which has not happened as of yet.
When all of the foregoing Scriptures are compared and analyzed
the complete spiritual and physical restoration of Israel will occur after the
fullness of the Gentiles be come in, at the end of the Tribulation Period, and
when Christ comes in glory at the Second Advent to establish His kingdom upon
the earth.
Elect Israel will be regenerated by the Spirit and converted
to Christ in the latter days by the visible manifestation of the Messiah as
well as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them. Israel will not be saved and restored to God apart from the Lord
Jesus Christ. They will be saved
precisely in the same way that all men throughout the ages have been saved, by
grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus comes again in glory the tribes of Israel will mourn over
their sins, and they will repent and turn to the Lord. Zechariah 12:8-10 makes this very clear: "In that day shall the LORD defend the
inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be
as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD
before them. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the
house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and
of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." This passage clearly refers to Israel's
regeneration and repentance. When they
look upon their Messiah in faith they will be cleansed from their sins by the
fountain of His precious blood as Zechariah 13:1 declares: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Israel shall enter into millennial glory,
possessing her land, cleansed from all her sins, undefiled and justified in the
sight of the Lord through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, glorious day when Israel will repent and recognize their
Messiah and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That which had a partial fulfillment on the day of Pentecost when God
poured out His Spirit upon the first church at Jerusalem will become a literal
reality when God pours out His Spirit upon His elect nation to restore them to
His favor as Joel 2:28-3:1 states: "And
it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon
the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and
in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in
Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom
the LORD shall call. For, behold, in
those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah
and Jerusalem."
Israel's conversion to Christ and their future restoration is
clearly set forth in the Word of God in no uncertain terms. If we interpret all the foregoing Scriptures
dealing with Israel in a literal vein, comparing Scripture with Scripture, just
as it reads, we cannot help but believe that there is definitely a glorious
future in store for the nation of Israel.
There are many amillennialists who despise the thought of a
future restoration of God's chosen nation.
Let us not make a similar mistake.
Israel's restoration will mark the "restitution
of all things" (Acts 3:21) when the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters that cover the sea. Oh, glad Millennial day when the purpose of
God for this earth is come to fruition and Messiah takes His rightful place
upon the throne of David to rule and reign for a thousand years. How our hearts should rejoice as we
anticipate such a glorious day: "O
let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people
righteously, and govern the NATIONS UPON EARTH. Selah. Let the people
praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own
God, shall bless us. God shall bless
us; and ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL FEAR HIM" (Psa. 67:4-7).