A Promise To Israel
What is God’s purpose for Israel? Prophetically the more popular narrative today has become that either the Church has replaced Israel or there is a more metaphorical meaning. The issue with these narratives is that none of them allow for Scripture to interpret itself. We must accept that God’s word is written as He intended it, complete and true without error. This very idea for many is too much to accept. Nevertheless as one studies the case for Israel if one is a Christian then one should realize that if God will not, or cannot, fulfill His promises to Israel then we as Christians have no hope for salvation. We are all tied to the promises of God.
First we must define God’s promise to Israel.
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
In Genesis 17 God appears to Abram and announces that He will make a covenant, a promise, between God and Abraham. What we must recognize is that God’s promises cannot be broken. If He fails to keep His promise to Abraham and Israel then what hope do we have as the Church? If God can break His promises to Israel, then He could also break them for us. God is not a liar nor does He go back on His word.
Gen 17:7 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.
8 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.
Genesis 17:7-8 gives more details as to this promise. God states that the promise is between Him and Abraham, as well as the generations of Abraham’s children. He then calls it an everlasting covenant. Everlasting stands forever, it is eternal and not conditional. He promises to be a God unto them and all the generations after.
His promise goes further. He specifies that a land will be given to Abraham and all his children for an everlasting possession. The land stated in His promise is the land of Canaan. God then reaffirms that He will be their God. Here we have a specific promise, to a specific people, with a specific possession that is to be theirs as an eternal promise.
We know that Israel did not always remain in their land. Eventually Nebuchadnezzar would come and take them captive into Babylon. Seventy years would pass until a remnant would return to Israel. Then again at 70AD Israel would be destroyed along with the Temple. The Romans would topple every stone to get the melted gold from the fires destruction. The children of Israel would be scattered abroad among the nations.
For many who study prophecy the story of Israel ends here. Yet if it were to end here it leaves the promises of God broken. Through symbolism or metaphorical meaning some will attempt to claim that the Church becomes “Israel” by means of intended purpose or other reasons. Nevertheless this symbolic reasoning cannot apply for God’s promise was specific to person, people or generations, and location. To accept these alternative narratives would also require to omit or ignore other scripture pertaining to these matters.
Promise of Return
Jeremiah 30:3 ‘For behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’ “
Isaiah 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Jeremiah and Isaiah give interesting insight into God’s prophetic purpose. While some can claim that this regathering is pertaining to the return of Israel under the reign of Cyrus it cannot apply. Isaiah 43:5,6 specifically states that God will gather them from the east and the west. He says that the north and the south will “give up” His children bringing His sons and daughters from far, even the ends of the earth.
After Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon fell a king named Cyrus came to power from Persia. The location of this kingdom was east of Judea. Certainly this kingdom does not qualify as God’s children coming from the “ends of the earth”. The event that Isaiah speaks of is an event which would require first the children of Israel to be scattered abroad the entire earth. There is only one event in their history which would qualify for this. This event is the destruction of Israel, and Jerusalem with its Temple in 70 AD by Titus.
Later an emperor named Hadrian would go further at near 130AD by renaming the land to mock the Jewish people. The name he gave the land was Palestine and is the first time that this name appears in history. In the coming years after the Romans the land would change hands whether by the Crusades or the eventual Ottoman Empire. Throughout this time the children of Israel would continue to spread through the nations of the world seeking refuge from persecution attempting to assimilate.
It is only after this point where we can find the necessary qualifications for Isaiah 43:5-6 to be fulfilled. Nevertheless Isaiah is not alone with his writing pertaining to the return of the children of Israel to the land.
Ezekiel 37:21 … Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
Ezekiel 37 is dedicated to the return of Israel at some future point in time. The chapter gives great depth as to God’s intent and purpose. In verse 21 we again see the children being scattered abroad the world among the heathen “whither they be gone”. God states that He will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land.
Verse 22 gives amazing insight. Israel will not only be brought back into their land but they will be one nation, not divided, and they will have one king to rule them all. What we must do is look to history in order to see if there has been any fulfillment or partial fulfillment of these promises. It takes near 2000 years before we find an event which meets these qualifications.
It was in World War 2 that Hitler came to bring death camps and an attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. Out of these events after the war the Jewish people were refugees from many lands. No nation wanted to take them in. It would take a United Nations resolution where every member of the UN would vote for the establishment of a nation called Israel in the land of Canaan. It is here that the Jewish people would finally return home.
This event took place in May of 1948 which was shortly thereafter followed by conflict where Israel managed to maintain and defend their declaration of independence. It would take until 1967 where Israel would regain control of the Old City of Jerusalem. There for the first time in near 2000 years the rams horn was blown at the old Temple Mount wall.
There is no mistake that today Israel has returned as well as God’s promised fulfillment that the children of Israel would live within the land which was given to them. While this may fulfill the words of Isaiah it is a partial fulfillment of the words of Ezekiel. Still they wait for their one King, yet they have missed who this King is. It is from here that we can finally begin to piece together and understand the purpose of prophetic events to come.
From this point forward, and with this foundational understanding, we can begin to search into the meaning and purpose of the Tribulation. Its foundations can be found within Daniels time line given to him by God of the Image which he interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar. Its purpose and who it is for can be reaffirmed by the words of Jeremiah. Nevertheless it is established that the Israel which we see today is the children of Israel to whom God made promises through Abraham.
In no way can the Church replace Israel, nor any other nation or body of people. It is impossible to understand prophecy if one misses this foundation. Without this established foundation all other prophecy will fall and be in error based upon mans interpretation. We must hold true to God’s promises as He will hold true to them for us.