Scripture texts
are from the King James Version of the Bible
Introduction
What is the future of the
nation of Israel? Does God still owe this nation future blessing as a result of
promises and commitments He made to them during the days of Abraham or during
the days of King David? How do the Biblical promises given to Israel relate to
the New Testament church which has been in existence for almost 2,000 years?
Does the return of national Israel to its land in 1948 relate to Biblical
promises? Why does national Israel of today remain in steadfast opposition to
Christ as Messiah? Is the rapture of the church going to usher in a golden age
when Christ will reign as king over national Israel?
These are some of the
questions we will seek to answer in this study. As we obtain solutions to these
questions we will also unfold much truth concerning God's plan to evangelize the
world and God's plan for the return to Christ. Moreover, we will carefully
examine Old and New Testament passages that are widely misunderstood by many
theologians of today. I trust that this study shall prove to be of great help
and significance not only to those who are interested in prophecy, but also to
those who simply wish for a better understanding of God's Word in all of its
aspects.
The source we will go to
for these answers will, of course, be the Bible. God's Word concerns itself not
only with national Israel but also with all who seek a relationship with the God
Who created the world and provided redemption through the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We will begin our study
with an examination of the founding of the nation of Israel. By looking very
carefully at the promises made to Abraham, who was the beginning of Israel, we
will be able to discern the commitments God made concerning Israel. We will then
look at the rest of the Bible to discover how these commitments have been kept.
Indeed, we will come to know precisely what, if anything, God still owes
national Israel.
Since there is so much
misunderstanding concerning the Biblical declaration of God's master program for
Israel, we will look patiently at commonly quoted Bible verses that seem to
relate to future blessings for national Israel. This will be done because any
study of any part of the Bible is valuable. It will be done also because we
realize that no conclusion arrived at by Bible study can stand unless it is
found to be in harmony with anything and everything else in the Bible that might
be related to the subject at issue.
In fact, I believe one of
the most serious failings existing today, as theologians pursue truth from the
Bible, is a lack of thoroughness in Bible interpretation. Only too frequently a
conclusion or doctrine derived from one part of the Bible is not carefully
examined in the light of related information wherever it may be found in any
other part of the Bible.
Thus, conclusions and
doctrinal positions are frequently posited from Old Testament verses with no
attempt to discover whether the New Testament has any bearing on these verses.
Consequently, great error is part of many aspects of Bible teaching. Even though
much time and patience will be required, it is my hope that in this study every
attempt will be made to examine each conclusion in the light of every pertinent
passage in the Bible.
God's
Promises to National Israel
When and how did Israel
begin? Is it a nation that goes all the way back to Noah? Can we know its
precise beginning?
Indeed, we can know its
beginning. By carefully reading the Bible, we can know, without the possibility
of error, exact circumstances that relate to the founding of Israel.
The birth of the nation of
Israel coincides with commands by God to the ancient patriarch, Abraham (Abraham
was called Abram until Gen. 17). Abraham was a Gentile living in Ur of the
Chaldees. God commanded him to leave his homeland and go to a land in which he
would live as a stranger. The land he was sent to was the land of Canaan which
became the land of Israel.
As Abraham faithfully
obeyed God, he received significant promises concerning himself and concerning
his seed. These promises relate to the land, to Abraham and his seed's
relationship to God, and to the character and extent of his seed. These promises
must be looked at very
carefully if we are to understand God's present-day commitments to national
Israel.
The promises in question
are especially set forth in the twelfth through the twenty-eighth chapters of
Genesis. We will carefully examine these promises.
Two Kinds
of Promises
When we read these promises
given to Abraham, in Gen. 12 through Gen. 28, we discover that some related only
to the seed of Abraham while other promises related to Abraham and to his seed.
We read for example in Gen.
12:7: the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this
land. This promise does not concern itself with Abraham but only with his seed.
On the other hand, we read in Gen. 13:15: For all the land which thou seest, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. This promise is definitely
concerned not only with the seed of Abraham but also with Abraham himself.
The fact that there were
two kinds of promises made to Abraham is usually not noted by theologians who
comment on God's promises
to Abraham concerning
Israel. But we should sense the grave importance of the distinction that exists
between these two kinds of promises. Only by taking careful note of this
distinction will we be able to see God's commitments to national Israel of long
ago as well as to present-day national Israel.
We will begin our study by
looking at the promises made only to the seed of Abraham, but not to Abraham
himself. After we have diligently searched the Bible for all it might say that
relates to these promises, then we will examine God's promises concerning
Abraham and his seed.
God Promises Israel the Land
of Canaan
At the time that Abraham
entered the land of Canaan, God made a faithful promise to him concerning the
land. In Gen. 12:6-7 the Bible declares:
And
Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh.
And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram and
said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto
the LORD, who appeared unto him.
As we have already noted,
this promise was made with no commitment whatsoever to Abraham himself. It was a
promise given only to the seed of Abraham. His seed would be given the land on
which Abraham walked as a stranger.
We might note two other
aspects of this promise. First, it appears to be an unconditional promise, and
secondly, there is no commitment concerning the duration of time that Abraham's
seed would be the inheritors of the land. Let us keep these two facts in view as
we continue our study.
In
Gen. 15:18-21 we read for the second
time that God made a promise to Abraham concerning his seed. There we read:
In the
same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given
this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hitties, and the
Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the
Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Please note as you
carefully read these verses that this promise, like that given in Gen. 12:6-7,
does not promise land to Abraham himself but only to his seed. Moreover, like
the promise recorded in Gen. 12:7, it appears to be unconditional, and no
information is offered concerning the length of time his seed would inherit the
land.
Once more in the Book of
Genesis, God makes reference to His promise to Abraham in which He declares that
the land would be given to the seed of Abraham. In
Gen. 24:7 we read:
The LORD
God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my
kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed
will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take
a wife unto
my son from thence.
Please note that once
again, this language relates only to the seed of Abraham, not to Abraham
himself. Moreover, it appears to be unconditional in nature, and it offers no
suggestion as to how long Abraham's seed would inherit the land.
These promises, recorded in
the Bible, were given to Abraham but they offer no promise to Abraham himself.
Rather, they are promises that his seed would be given the land of Canaan, which
would also be called the land of Israel.
Have God's Promises to
National Israel Been Fulfilled?
The logical question that
now must be faced is this: Does the Bible speak of any fulfillment of the
promise to the seed of Abraham that they would become the inheritors of the
land? We know, of course, that the father of national Israel is Abraham. He
fathered Isaac, who in turn fathered Jacob. Jacob fathered twelve sons who
become the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, there can be no doubt
that national Israel may be regarded as the seed of Abraham. We must, therefore,
examine these twelve tribes to see if they indeed received the land of Canaan as
they were promised in Gen. 12:6-7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7.
In the first chapter of
Joshua, forty years after Israel left Egypt, God was speaking to Joshua
concerning the nation of Israel. Israel had been wandering in the wilderness
these forty years but was ready to enter the land of Canaan. God declares to the
Israelites in Joshua 1:2-4:
Moses my
servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this
people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Every place that the sole of your food shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the
great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the
great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
God was about to keep the
promise He made to Abraham that his seed would be given the land of Canaan.
Israel is
Given the Land Unconditionally
Remember that we saw in the
Genesis account that the promise of the land to the seed of Abraham appeared to
be unconditional. That is, it was a gift from God to Israel which they would
receive without being required to meet any prior conditions.
When we look further, we
see that, indeed, Canaan was given to the Israelites unconditionally. In
Deu. 9:1 we read:
Hear, O
Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations
greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven.
Deu.
9:4-6: Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them
out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in
to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth
drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the
uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the
wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before
thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth
thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a
stiffnecked people.
Using this language, God
clearly indicates that the land had been given to them as a gift from God
without requiring Israel to meet any conditions. It was given to them altogether
as an evidence of God's sovereign and gracious love for them.
The
Duration of Israel's Possession of the Land Was Conditional
Remember, too, that at the
time God made His promise to Abraham concerning the giving of the land to his
seed, no reference was made as to how long they would possess the land. Does the
Bible have anything more to say concerning this aspect of the promise?
Indeed it does. We read,
for example, in Deu. 8:18-20:
But thou
shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get
wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as
it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and
walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you
this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth
before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the
voice of the LORD your God.
Therefore, we see that
while God's gift of the land of Canaan was unconditional, Israel's continued
possession of the land was conditional. Now we can understand why God in His
promises to Abraham made no reference to the length of time thy would possess
the land. The length of time they would possess the land depended on the
faithfulness of national Israel.
Have the
Promises Been Fulfilled in their Entirety?
The question must be asked:
Did God fulfill entirely His promise that the seed of Abraham would possess the
land? In Gen. 15:18-21 God promised that Abraham's seed would be given the land
from the river of Egypt unto the great River Euphrates. In verse 20 God mentions
that Israel is to possess the land of the Hittites, a great nation far to the
north of present-day Israel. They were located at least as far north as the
River Euphrates.
In fact, in Joshua 1:4 God
declares that Israel was to go in to possess the land, From the wilderness and
this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your
coast.
This is certainly a great
area of land. Was there ever a time when Israel actually possessed all of this
land? If it did not, does this force us to conclude that God still owes Israel
the land?
We can see that the answers
to these questions have enormous consequences. Israel today does not possess the
land all the way to the Euphrates River. Thus, if the Israelis are still to
possess this land, it can be concluded that the Israel of today still has a
glorious future because God is always faithful to His promises.
On the other hand, if the
Bible clearly teaches that God has fully kept His promise to Israel, then we
must look for an entirely different answer to the question of the future of
modern Israel.
Wonderfully, we need not
speculate about whether or not God has fully kept His promise to Israel
concerning the land. In Joshua 21:43-45
the Bible declares:
And the
LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers;
and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round
about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a
man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into
their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken
unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
In this lucid statement,
God declares in no uncertain terms that He has given to Israel all the land that
He had promised to their fathers. Indeed, this is an emphatic declaration that
the promise to Abraham concerning the gift of the land to his seed has been
fulfilled.
How can this statement be
made in Joshua 21? There is no Biblical evidence that at the time Joshua was
speaking to Israel they actually possessed the land of the Hittites. In fact,
within the central parts of the land of Canaan were portions of land they did
not fully possess. For example, in Joshua 23:1-5, we read:
And it came to pass a long
time after the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round
about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. And Joshua called for all
Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for
their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have
seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you;
for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided
unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes,
from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea
westward. And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive
them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your
God hath promised unto you.
The language of these
verses clearly indicates there was not a full possession of the land. How then
are we to understand Joshua 21, where God expressly declares He had kept all of
His promises concerning the land?
God Defines His Own Terms
The answer to this question
must be seen in the fact that God defines His own terms. Whatever God meant when
He promised Abraham in Gen.12:7 and Gen 15:18-21 that his seed would be given
the land of Canaan, in Joshua 21, God flatly declares that those promises have
been fulfilled. No matter how we might argue, the fact stands that God has
fulfilled His promises. God, who made the promise, is certainly qualified to
know when the promise (as God had intended it) has been fulfilled. We must
surrender our personal judgment or nay personal speculation about the clear
statement of Joshua 21.
Indeed, God has more to say
in His Word concerning His faithfulness with regard to the promise of the land.
While the Book of Joshua
was written very soon after Israel entered the land of Canaan, one of the last
books of the Old Testament is that of Nehemiah. It was written almost one
thousand years after Joshua. In this book we read again that God has been
entirely faithful to His promises concerning the land.
Ezra, the holy priest of
God, is praying to God. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he declares in
Neh. 9:7-8:
Thou art
the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of
the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart
faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the
Canaanites, and Hittites, and Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites,
and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy
words; for thou art righteous.
Note carefully that these
verses speak of God's promise to Abraham that God would give to his seed the
land of Canaan. No reference is made to the land having been given to Abraham
himself. Thus, in these verses, God has in view only the promises made as
recorded in Gen. 12:6-7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7.
Note the declaration that
God hast performed thy words. God is declaring that He has faithfully kept His
commitments and promises to national Israel.
Note, too, that the land of
the Hittites is named. We saw both in Gen. 15:18-21 and in Joshua 1:4 that God
has promised to the seed of Abraham the land of the Hittites, which was located
far to the north of present-day Israel. But in this declaration of Neh. 9:7-8,
God assures us that His promise to give the land of the Hittites to the seed of
Abraham has been fulfilled. He has performed His Words. Thus, we need speculate
no longer as to whether Israel at any time possessed the land so far north that
even the land of the Hittites was included. NO doubt of any kind should remain
in our minds. God has been entirely faithful in giving national Israel of all
the land He has ever promised them.
We must remember, of
course, that in His promise to Abraham, God did not guarantee continuous
possession of the land. God reiterated many times in His Word if that Israel did
not remain faithful, it would be destroyed. Thus, the ten tribes were destroyed
in 709 B.C. by the Assyrians. In 587 B.C., Judah and Benjamin and the remnants
from the ten tribes were destroyed or taken captive by the Babylonians. In A.D.
70, Jerusalem was again thoroughly devastated, this time by the Roman, Titus.
Following this destruction, Israel did not again possess the land until A.D.
1948.
We cannot help but wonder
about the outcome of Israel's present possession of the land. As a nation,
Israel remains rebellious toward God; they do not show any inclination to accept
Jesus as the Messiah. Will God again destroy it from the land? We will find the
Biblical answer to this question later in this study.
Following the Scriptures
step by step, everything has fit together very neatly, bringing us to the
conclusion that God has fulfilled His promises to national Israel concerning the
land of Canaan.
Have We Looked at Everything
that Relates to the Land of Israel?
Have we looked at
everything in the Bible concerning the land and Israel? We read, for example, in
Ezek. 37:21-22:
And say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel
from among the heathen, whither thy be gone, and will gather them on every side,
and bring them into their own land: 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.
Do these verses speak of a
future gathering of the nation of Israel to their land?
Ezek. 37:25 continues:
And they
shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your
fathers
have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for
ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
What are we to do with
these verses? Are they perhaps to be looked upon as modifiers of some kind
insofar as the language of Joshua 21 and Neh. 9 is concerned? Surely, whenever
we come to any conclusion concerning Bible truth, we should be ready to examine
that conclusion in the light of anything and everything in the Bible that might
relate to that conclusion.
The conclusion we have made
thus far concerning national Israel is ominous. If it is correct, then Israel's
present occupation of the land is not a fulfillment of prophecy. Then, too, we
would not expect present-day Israel to have any expanded blessing in the land.
Therefore, we must not hesitate to look at any Bible statements that might
affect our conclusion that God has fulfilled all of His promises to national
Israel concerning t
he land. Thus, we must look
at Ezek. 37 and other similar passages very carefully.
Before we look at Ezek. 37
and its impact upon our conclusions concerning national Israel, we should look
again at the promises made to Abraham. We shall discover that there is an
intimate relationship between the promise made to Abraham that he himself would
be given the land and the promises set forth in passages such as Ezek. 37.
Introduction
God's
Promise to Abraham Personally
In the first chapter of our
study we learned that God made certain promises to the seed of Abraham, national
Israel, but Abraham himself was not included in these promises. We also learned
that God declares that He has faithfully kept these promises.
Do you recall that there
was a second group of promises? These promises concerning the land were made to
Abraham and included Abraham as well as his seed as the possessor. We should
examine these promises with great care. When we understand these promises, we
will also be able to understand the other commitments, such as Ezek. 37:21-25,
which relate to the land.
We read in Gen. 13:14-17,
after Lot decided to dwell in the rich Jordan Valley, that God made a promise to
Abraham concerning the land of Canaan.
Gen.
13:14-17: And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and
southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to
thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the
dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall
thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and
in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Note that God is apparently
promising the literal material land of Canaan. The promise is apparently without
any conditions that first must be satisfied by those who are to receive the
land. Note, also that the seed of Abraham are those to whom the land is to be
given.
Thus far, the promise is
identical to that recorded in Gen. 12:7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7, which we
previously studied. As we look at Gen. 13:14-17 more closely, we will discover
two very important promises not included in the previously studied verses.
God declares in Gen. 13:15:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it. and to thy seed for
ever. This is a solemn commitment that Abraham himself would possess the land.
It is a striking addition that is unrelated to the promises God made in Gen.
12:7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7.
Abraham Is
Given the Land Forever
The other promise which we
find in these verse is that the land was given to Abraham and his seed forever.
Gen. 13:15 declares: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed for ever. God has now introduced a time factor that was not
found in the Gen. 12:7, Gen. 15:18-21 or Gen. 24:7 accounts. The time factor is
exceedingly significant inasmuch as it extends all the way into eternity. God
uses the word forever, the Hebrew word olam when speaking of the everlasting
nature of God. It is a word that goes through the barrier of time all the way
into eternity. *
Thus, we see that we are
now studying a different kind of promise concerning the land than that recorded
in Gen. 12:7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7. It is so different that we wonder if
we have read it accurately.
But when we read Gen. 17,
we find the promises of Gen. 13 repeated and re-emphasized. In Gen. 17 God has
recorded the moment when Abraham officially became the head of the nation of
Israel, for it is in this chapter that we read of 99-year-old Abraham being
circumcised. Circumcision was the sign that for the following 2,000 years would
mark the nation of Israel as being a separate nation from the nations of the
world.
We read in Gen. 17:8: 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.
Note that all of the
promises of Gen. 13 are included in this statement. He as well as his seed are
to be the possessors of the land. The land would be an everlasting possession.
In His
Lifetime Abraham Never Possessed the Land
One new word has been
introduced. We read: the land wherein thou art a stranger. The word stranger is
a significant word; it introduces us to the fact that during Abraham's lifetime
on this earth he dwelt as a stranger in the land of Canaan. He never did possess
any of the land of Canaan. When his wife Sarah died Abraham had to purchase a
cave from the sons of Heth for a burial place for her (Gen. 23).
Moreover, in Heb. 11 the
Bible gives us further information concerning the fact that Abraham dwelt as a
stranger in the land of Canaan. We read in Heb.
11:8-10:
By faith
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive
for an inheritance obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in
the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Heb.
11:13: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
We are faced therefore with
the incontestable fact that under no circumstance was the promise of Gen. 13 or
Gen. 17 that Abraham would possess the land fulfilled in any way during
Abraham's lifetime.
How Can
Abraham Possess the Land?
Now we have a difficult
problem. The Bible clearly promised the land to Abraham, yet it just as clearly
teaches that that promise was never fulfilled insofar as Abraham is concerned.
Therefore, it must be fulfilled at some future time. Does this mean that at some
time in the future Abraham will be resurrected so that he can again live in this
world? Will he have the same experience as did Lazarus whom we read about in
John 11, who was resurrected after he had been dead for four days?
But Lazarus was resurrected
to live in this present world only for a brief period of time. He was not
resurrected to live forever in this world for then he would still be living
today. Because God promised Abraham that he would be given the land forever this
implies that once he was resurrected to inherit the land, he would never die
again. So in order for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham concerning his
everlasting possession of the land Abraham must be resurrected to live again on
earth, and he must be resurrected in such a way and at such a time that he will
live forever on earth.
We are brought to the
inescapable conclusion that the promises concerning the land, given to Abraham
in Gen. 13 and Gen. 17, require a time for fulfillment when Abraham will have
been resurrected. And when he is resurrected, he will live forever.
This is very serious; it
means that the fulfillment of this promise cannot be realized in its final sense
until the end of time. Only then will time be no more and eternity will begin.
Where is this line of reasoning going to take us? We will consider this question
in the next chapter.
Abraham's
Resurrection
We have been looking rather
seriously at the head of national Israel, a man named Abraham. We have seen that
God made two kinds of promises to him. The first consisted of unconditional
promises that the land of Israel was to be given to the descendants of Abraham
but not to Abraham himself. The length of time they would possess the land
depended upon their faithfulness in serving the Lord. We saw that these promises
were entirely fulfilled by God. The second kind of promise related not only to
the seed of Abraham but to Abraham himself. He was to inherit the land himself.
And both he and his seed were to inherit the land forever. We saw that this
promise was not fulfilled for Abraham. As long as he lived he was a pilgrim and
a stranger.
Therefore, the certain
conclusion we had to come to was that Abraham must be resurrected at some future
time in order to bring this second kind of promise to fulfillment.
How will this be? What does
the Bible say about some future resurrection of Abraham? In fact, what does the
Bible say about the resurrection of anyone who has trusted in the promises of
God? We should let the Bible guide us on this.
We read four significant
verses in the Gospel of John that speak of the timetable of the resurrection of
the believers in Christ. All of these verses focus on the last day.
John
6:39: And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day.
John
6:40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at
the last day.
John
6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and
1 will raise him up at the last day.
John
6:54: Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day.
In these four verses God is
underscoring and emphasizing not only that there will be a resurrection but also
that it will be the last day. Because Abraham was a believer who implicitly
trusted God, we sense that the resurrection of the last day must include him.
Therefore we want to study these verses very carefully.
The
Resurrection Is the Last Day
In each one of these four
verses, the timing is seen to be the last day. Does this phrase have the same
meaning as the term the latter days or the last days? We know immediately this
cannot be because these latter two terms, which use the plural days, relate to
the whole New Testament period. Later in our study we will see this clearly. But
the term last day is not the same as last days. Rather when we search the Bible
for anything that relates to the phrase the last day, we find that it is found
only eight times in the Bible. We will carefully study these eight occurrences
to discover all we can regarding the meaning of the phrase the last day.
In addition to the four
places we have already examined in John 6, it is found in:
John
11:24: Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.
John
12:48: He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John
7:37: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
sayings, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Neh.
8:18: Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book
of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was
a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
When we study these eight
verses to determine what we can concerning the phrase, the last day, we arrive
at some very important conclusions.
The Last
Day Is Not a Long Period of Time
First of all, we discover
that the phrase the last day cannot be referring to a long period of time. Both
in John 7:37 and in Neh. 8:18 the last day refers to the feast of tabernacles.
It was a day, not a long period of time.
This is important because
some teach that the resurrection of believers can take place at various times
separated by a time period as long as a thousand years. This kind of reasoning
cannot hold up in light of the knowledge that the last day is a day like the
last day of the feast of tabernacles.
Old and
New Testament Believers Will Be Resurrected the Last Day
Secondly, we discover that
Old Testament believers and New Testament believers will be raised the last day.
That is, there is one resurrection of all of the saved whether they lived
thousands of years before Christ or whether they lived long after Jesus went to
the cross.
From the language of John
6, there is no doubt that the New Testament believers will be resurrected the
last day. It is certainly impressive that God underscores this wonderful event
four times in this chapter. Surely no one who reads the Bible faithfully can
miss this significant teaching.
From the language of John
11:24 there is no doubt that the Old Testament believers will also be
resurrected the last day. This can be known with certainty because John 11 is
concerned with Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, an Israelite who lived
and died on the Old Testament side of the cross. He, like David, Abraham, and
every other Old Testament believer, was looking forward to the cross.
And yet Martha, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared of her brother Lazarus, I know that he
shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24). Thus, we are
assured that the resurrection of Lazarus will take place at the last day, which
is the same time all New Testament believers will arise. Since Abraham, like
Lazarus, was an Old Testament believer, the resurrection of Abraham must also
take place on the last day, at the same time all the New Testament believers
will arise.
The Last
Day Is Judgment Day
Thirdly, we discover in
looking at these eight verses that the last day (at which time the resurrection
of the believers takes place) occurs simultaneously with Judgment Day.
Verse 48 of John 12 clearly teaches us
this, as it declares concerning the unsaved, He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Judgment Day is at the end
of time. It is the event that immediately precedes the destruction of this
universe by fire and the ushering in of the new heavens and the new earth.
Rev. 6:12-17 teaches us this in dramatic
fashion.
And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his
wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The
great day of God's wrath is Judgment Day. These verses teach that this
awful event occurs on the day that the universe is collapsing and the
timekeepers, the sun and moon and stars are no longer functioning.
Rev.
20:11-12 also clearly identifies Judgment Day with the end of this world.
And I
saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The phrase from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away guides us to understand that at the time God
is judging the unsaved of the world (the spiritually dead who stand before God),
the universe as we now know it will have come to an end.
Thus, we know that the term
the last day is the last day. It is the last day of this present earth's
existence. It is the moment when eternity begins.
These truths regarding the
resurrection of the last day, therefore, teach us that the resurrection of
Abraham, at which time he is to inherit the land, must be at the end of time. It
must be on the last day of this earth's existence, the day that Christ comes on
the clouds of glory to judge the world.
Believers
and Unbelievers Are Resurrected the Last Day
It must be the time when
not only the believers are resurrected but also the unbelievers. The unbelievers
cannot be judged until they have been resurrected. We are not surprised
therefore, to read of one resurrection, including the saved and the unsaved.
John
5:28-29: Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation.
Please note in the verses
that the hour is coming. It does not speak of hours (plural). Clearly there is
one time, the last day, when all mankind is resurrected.
Neither are we surprised,
therefore, to read concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in
Matt. 24:29 that:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shalt not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the
powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
The last day of this
world's existence will begin like any other 24- hour day. But then Christ will
return on the clouds of glory and all of the celestial bodies (the sun the moon
the stars) that were created to measure time (Gen. 1:14), will no longer exist.
Time will be no more, for there will be no means to measure time. Time will have
ended and only eternity will exist. Such will be the last day, when Abraham will
be resurrected to enjoy the completion of the promises of Gen. 13 and Gen. 17.
We have spent considerable
time trying to understand the implications of the promise to Abraham that he,
himself would inherit the land of Canaan. We have seen that this can have its
fulfillment only at the end of this world, when Abraham and all believers will
be resurrected.
How Can
Abraham Inherit the Earth if it Is To Be Destroyed?
This raises a difficult
question. In II Peter 3, God declares that this earth and this universe will be
destroyed by fire. In Rev. 6:12-14 God
describes the end of the world as follows:
And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places.
Therefore, the question
that we must face is: How can Abraham inherit the land of Canaan at a time when
this whole earth is destroyed? Gen. 17:8
specifically declares:
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.
Have we been going down a
blind alley? Is it possible that in spite of all we have learned regarding the
last day, our conclusion that it is the end of time is in error?
Wonderfully, the Bible
comes to our rescue. Remember, we are always to
interpret the Bible by the Bible. Therefore, the Bible is its own
dictionary. It defines its own words. Specifically, we want to look more
intently at this phrase of Gen. 17:8, the land of Canaan. This is the land that
Abraham as well as his seed is to inherit eternally. In this verse what does the
Bible mean by the phrase the land of Canaan?
There are, of course, many
passages in the Bible that point to the physical land of Canaan. It has existed
in this world and does exist right to the present day, but certainly it will not
exist after the last day. It will be destroyed by fire. So the question remains:
How can Abraham inhabit the land of Canaan if he cannot come into his
inheritance until Judgment Day when the physical material land of Canaan will be
destroyed?
The New
Testament Comes to Our Rescue
In Rom. 4, we find our
answer. In fact, we find that Rom. 4 is a commentary on all of Gen. 17. We will
presently develop this relationship in greater depth because only by doing so
will we truly understand all of the other passages, like Ezek. 37:20-25, which
speak of the land. But now we will look only at the phrase, the land of Canaan.
God declares in
Rom. 4:13: For the promise, that he should be
the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but
through the righteousness of faith.
Please note that this verse
speaks of a promise that was made to the seed of Abraham as well as to Abraham
himself. Therefore, it is directly parallel to what we read in Gen. 17, where an
inheritance is promised to Abraham and to his seed.
The Land
of Canaan Equals the Whole World
Note, too, that it speaks
of being heir to a piece of land. No it doesn't use the phrase the land of
Canaan, which we read in Gen. 17:8. Rather, it uses the phrase the world. * In
other words, God is making the Old Testament phrase the land of Canaan
equivalent to the whole world. God is exercising His divine prerogative to
define words.
Abraham was told by God in
Gen.13:14-15:
And the LORD said unto Abram
after that Lot was separated from him Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the
place where thou art northward and southward and eastward, and westward: For all
the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
By eyes of faith, he was
seeing the whole world.
Can you begin to sense that
we have come to an exceptionally grand truth when we understand the concept that
Abraham was to inherit the whole world?
Remember, the last day is
Judgment Day. That is, it is the day when this present world will have come to
an end. The unsaved will be judged and removed into hell. This present world
will be destroyed and God will create a new universe, called the new heavens and
the new earth (II Peter 3:13). Tying together the two phrases the last day and
the world, therefore, brings us to the dramatic and wonderful truth that it is
not this present world with all of its sin and corruption that Abraham would
inherit. It is the new earth, the new universe, that God will create out of the
ashes of this present earth. It is the earth Jesus speaks of in Matt. 5, where
He declares that the meek shall inherit the earth.
Now we can see why God
promises in Gen. 13:15 that Abraham would be given the land forever. So, too, in
Gen. 17:8 he was told that the land of Canaan will be an everlasting possession.
The resurrection of Abraham and the beginning of the new heavens and new earth
have their place at the end of time, when only eternity remains.
Who are the seed of Abraham
spoken of in Gen. 13 and Gen. 17? How do these chapters, with their promises of
a seed, relate to the Biblical truth that Abraham will be the inheritor of the
new heaven and the new earth? We will examine these exceedingly important
questions as we continue our study.
The Seed
of Abraham
The same promise that was
made to Abraham concerning the land was also made to his seed. Who are his seed?
Is his seed limited to national Israel? If his seed is not national Israel who
is it? We cannot be satisfied with our conclusions concerning Abraham and the
new heaven and new earth until we know how his seed fits into the whole picture.
Let us begin to answer
these questions by searching the Bible for information concerning the seed of
Abraham.
As we saw earlier in our
study, the first record of the promise God made to Abraham concerning the land
which would be inherited by Abraham and his seed forever is found in
Gen. 13:14-15. There God gives us a clue
concerning the multitudinous nature of the seed. Verses 15 and 16 of Gen. 13
record:
For all
the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And
I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the
dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
This promise is reinforced
by the language of Gen. 28:13-15:
And,
behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy
father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou
shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the
south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither
thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee,
until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
The Bible records in Gen. 15
that Abraham received a vision from God in which God showed him that his seed
would be as the stars of heaven. Gen. 15:5-7
declares:
And he
brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars,
if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And
he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said
unto him I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee
this land to inherit it.
By carefully examining
these verses, we can understand that God has purposed that the seed of Abraham
would be exceedingly numerous. We still have not learned who his seed was to be.
Was his seed to be limited to the blood descendants of Abraham? Or was his seed
to include others? Let us see what we can learn about this.
Abraham's
Seed Is to Include People from Many Nations
In
Gen. 17:2-8 we begin to find the
solution to these questions. In this passage God records:
And I
will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold,
my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither
shall thy name any more be called Abram but thy name shall be Abraham; for a
father of many nations have I made thee. 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.
Please note that these
verses, which we studied earlier, show us that the land was promised not only to
Abraham's seed forever but also to Abraham himself.
Additionally, these verses
give us a valuable clue concerning the nature of Abraham's seed who are to be
the inheritors of the land. Note verse 4: thou shalt be a father of many
nation's. Note verse 5: for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Three times in these few
verses God declares that Abraham's seed would include peop
le from many nations. It is
this seed that would inherit the land forever. Therefore, we can understand that
the seed that God has in view is not limited to national Israel.
Descendants of Ishmael or Esau: Are They the Seed?
How can this be? How can
Abraham become the progenitor of many nations? Abraham fathered Ishmael by
Hagar. Ishmael became the head of the Arab nations of today. Additionally, the
seed of Abraham's grandson, Esau, also became a separate people. One of Esau's
three wives was a daughter of Ishmael (Gen. 36:3). Thus, his descendants became
part of Ishmael's descendants, so that together they became the progenitors of
the present Arab nations.
Nevertheless, we know that
it was not through Ishmael and Esau that God was to fulfill His promise to
Abraham that he would be the father of a multitude of nations.
Notice that in these verses
of Genesis, God repeatedly speaks of a covenant.
Gen. 17:2 declares: I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will
multiply thee exceedingly. We read in
verse 4: Behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many
nations. Verse 7 says: "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."
In verse 7, God is speaking
of an everlasting covenant. Verse 8 identifies this everlasting covenant with
the land that was to be given to Abraham and his seed for an everlasting
possession.
Gen.
17:8: 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.
Thus, we know that this
everlasting covenant, which promises Abraham a seed that would come from a
multitude of nations, a seed which would inherit the land forever, could not
have reference to the descendants of Ishmael and Esau. The descendants of
Ishmael and Esau became political nations, but nowhere in the Bible is any
political nation promised
the land forever. That, of course, would be an impossibility because all
political nations will cease to exist at the end of time.
Earlier in our study, we
found that Rom. 4:13, which is a commentary on Gen. 17, indicates that the land
is the world. Therefore, we saw that it is in the new heavens and new earth that
the promise of the land forever has its fulfillment. This assures us that the
political seed of Abraham, the Arab nations of whom Ishmael and Esau are
progenitors, cannot be the seed in question.
Moreover, Gen. 17 shows
that Ishmael and his descendants are not in view when God promises that Abraham
would father many nations. At the time God was speaking to Abraham in Gen. 17,
Abraham was childless by his wife Sarah. Therefore, he momentarily believed
these promises would be fulfilled by Ishmael, whom he had fathered some years
earlier by Sarah's maid, Hagar.
God declared to Abraham in
Gen. 17:20-21:
And as
for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him
fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and
I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac,
which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
These verses clearly
indicate that God has in view a seed that would come through Isaac rather than
Ishmael. Therefore, we are confidant that God's promise to Abraham that he would
be the progenitor of many nations did not have the descendants of Ishmael or
Esau in view. We will try to answer the next question.
Who are the nations that we
read about in Gen. 17:4-6, which Abraham is to father? In Gen. 17:21 God speaks
of a covenant He would establish with Isaac, who was the son of Abraham by
Sarah. This covenant is brought to our attention in a number of places in Gen.
17. Is it a clue that helps us to identify the seed of Abraham who are to
inherit the land with Abraham?
In
Gen. 17:10-13 God speaks of the covenant
which He has made with Abraham and his seed:
This is
my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee:
Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the
flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and
you. And he that is
eight days old shall be circumcised among you,
every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought
with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy
house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my
covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Circumcision, the token or
sign of the covenant that God made, was to be administered not only to Abraham,
but also to his servants who were not in his blood line. That helps to
complicate matters. Are they to be the seed who would bring into existence the
many nations? We do need help to determine precisely what God means when He
speaks of Abraham fathering a multitude of nations.
The Seed
of Abraham
Romans 4 Shows Us How We Are
to Understand Genesis 17
Where shall we look for
more information to help us? Earlier in our study we saw that Rom. 4 is related
to Gen. 17. Let us look at Rom. 4 again, and we will find that it is a marvelous
commentary on Gen. 17. By studying Rom. 4, we will find that in Gen. 17, God
outlined His salvation plan that is to be available to the whole world. We will
see that the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham and his seed is the
covenant of redemption. It is an everlasting covenant because God's salvation
plan is everlasting. Gen. 17 speaks of Abraham being the father of a multitude
of nations because God has in view the salvation of people from every nation of
the world. In other words, by following the Biblical principle of letting the
Bible interpret the Bible, we discover that Gen. 17 is not involved with
national Israel at all; it is totally focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and the
wonderful salvation He provides through His shed blood.
We read in
Rom. 4:9-13:
Cometh
this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision
also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was
it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a
seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised:
that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father
of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk
in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet
uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not
to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of
faith.
These verses identify
precisely with the verses we have been studying in Gen. 17. They speak of
Abraham and the sign of circumcision. They speak of Abraham being the father of
the circumcision as well as the father of all them that believe, which includes
people from every nation.
The Seed
of Abraham Includes All Who Believe in Christ as Savior
This stupendous information
shifts our attention from the blood relationship, by which we think of seed or
descendants, to another kind of descent. Only national Israel, which is called
the circumcision in Rom. 4:9-12, are the blood descendants of Abraham. But God,
in Rom. 4, is speaking of all them that believe as the seed of Abraham.
The phrase all them that
believe identifies with salvation. It relates to those from every nation who
have become saved by the blood of Christ. It relates to a vast company of people
coming into the body of Christ from every nation. No wonder then, that Rom. 4:13
speaks of the righteousness of faith. The righteousness we receive in salvation
is a gift from God, given to us by God's grace on the merits of Christ's shed
blood. It is imputed to those who have trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior.
Thus, in Rom. 4 God is instructing us that the promises of Gen. 17 relate to
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation is in view, as
shown by verses 2-8 of Rom. 4, which
introduce us to this disclosure concerning the seed of Abraham:
For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him
for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness. Even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputed
righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will
not impute sin.
The covering of sins, the
forgiving of iniquities, has to do altogether with salvation. Because these
verses in Rom. 4 are a commentary on the statements of Gen. 17 we know that
salvation is the target of the verses in Genesis that indicate Abraham was to
father many nations.
God reassures us that this
is so in Rom. 4:16-24:
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise
might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that
also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is
written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he
believed, even God who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be
not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become
the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy
seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead
when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's
womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had
promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for
righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to
him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.
These verses also relate
entirely to Gen. 17. The phrase, I have made thee a father of many nations, ties
back to Gen. 17:4-5. Rom. 4:18- 20, which speaks of Sarah's dead womb, relates
back to Gen. 17:19 and 17:21. From the language of Rom. 4:23-25, we see that the
entire passage relates to all who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Indeed, Rom. 4 has truly
guided us down a path that opens up our understanding of Gen. 17. In Gen. 17 God
is not making promises to national Israel concerning the physical land of
Canaan. Rather, He is making promises concerning salvation. This salvation will
come to people
from every political
nation, including national Israel.
That salvation for all who
believe in Christ was in view when God made these promises to Abraham is further
seen in Rom. 4:23-25:
Now it was not written for
his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be
imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
God is declaring in these
verses that the promise of salvation was given not only to Abraham but to all of
us who believe in Christ.
What a grand promise God
made to Abraham in Genesis!
The Sign
of the Covenant Is Circumcision
It is no wonder, therefore,
that the sign of the covenant was circumcision. Circumcision, the cutting away
of the foreskin, involved the shedding of blood, and Christ's blood was shed so
that we might receive the blessings of the covenant.
Later, God said to Israel,
Circumcision therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked
(Deu. 10:16). Physical circumcision was pointing to a spiritual relationship
with God that could be accomplished only by Christ being cut off for us. That
is, He took upon Himself our sins and was punished by God as payment for our
sins. The punishment in view required that He endure Hell for our sins. He was
cut off from God. He cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark
15:34). That is the essence of hell.
Physical circumcision
involves the male reproductive organ. Thus, in a beautiful way, in Old Testament
Israel, physical circumcision pointed to the seed who would come from the loins
of Abraham who in turn would be the head of a vast company of believers. That
seed is Christ who was a blood descendant of Abraham and who became the head of
a vast company of believers from every nation. It was in Christ that Abraham
became the father of a multitude of nations.
We can see now why God
promised Abraham in Gen. 17 that his seed would inherit the
land forever. Earlier in
our study, we saw that the land was the new heaven and the new earth. It is an
eternal land that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will possess. We
possess that land in a real sense from the moment that we are saved because we
become citizens of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God will come to final
fulfillment in the new heavens and the new earth. Until the end of time comes,
the kingdom of God has its homeland in heaven. The new heavens and the new earth
will be an extension of heaven, for heaven is where God is. Even as God is
presently in heaven, so He will be with us forever in the new heavens and new
earth. Thus, the land God speaks of in Gen. 17 is an integral part of God's
salvation plan.
Galatians
3 Helps Us to Understand God's Promises to Abraham
Other Bible passages also
develop truths from Rom. 4 and its explanation of Gen. 17. For example, God
declares in Gal. 3:7-9:
Know ye
therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Wonderfully, in these
verses, the Bible reinforces the truths we have discovered. The Scripture, that
is, the Old Testament, anticipated that the children of Abraham would include
the heathen, the Gentiles, who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This marvelous promise
would find its fulfillment through Christ, as Gal. 3:16 declares: Now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but
as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
In the first instance,
therefore, Christ is the seed of Abraham who is to inherit the world, and who is
in view in the promises God made to Abraham and his seed. Because Christ became
the head of a vast company of believers from every nation, God states in Gal.
3:26-29:
Fo
r ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond
nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the
promise.
How marvelously everything
is beginning to fit together! God had given one kind of promise to national
Israel, whereby it (not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), received the physical land
of Israel. God made a far greater and more wonderful promise to the whole world
when He promised that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ would be the seed
of Abraham and inherit the land (the world) forever.
Some
Passages Have a Double Fulfillment
We have carefully looked at
Gen. 12:6-7, Gen. 15:18-21, and Gen. 24:7; these passages distinctly relate to
national Israel. On the other hand, Gen. 13:14-17 and Gen. 17 clearly relate to
our salvation, which finds its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and the
new earth.
Before we leave these
promises found in Genesis, we must recognize that both national Israel and God's
salvation plan are in view in some passages. We will study each of those
passages, and in so doing, we will see, even more clearly, the distinction
between God's promises to national Israel and those promises that are concerned
with God's salvation plan. We will also see afresh that insofar as these
promises apply to national Israel they have been altogether fulfilled.
The first verses we should
look at are Gen. 12:2-3, where God
instructs Abraham to leave his homeland, Ur of the Chaldees, and go to a land
that God would show him. At the same time, God makes promises to Abraham:
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: 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.
Three important promises in
these verses lead us to wonder: Could they possibly relate to both national
Israel and God's salvation plan? The promises are:
I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee.
In thee shall all the
families of the earth be blessed.
I will make of thee a great
nation.
Does the promise, I will
bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, relate in any sense
to national Israel? When we study the experience of Israel we find no indication
of this promise being applied to national Israel. Israel was badly treated by
many nations, including Egypt, Canaan, Moab, Assyria and Babylon. All of these
nations continued to exist, sometimes with great glory, after their mistreatment
of Israel. For example, Rome continued as a great nation for hundreds of years
after it destroyed Israel in A.D. 70.
This promise is found in
only two other places in the Bible. In Gen.
27:29 we read that Isaac pronounced a blessing on his son, Jacob, and
said:
Let
people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and
let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee,
and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
The words, be lord over thy
brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee, point to the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the One to whom believers bow down. He is the One who is Lord.
Thus, we can know that this promise is directed to those who have become
followers of Christ, citizens of God's kingdom, the Israel of God, who are the
nation wherein God will bless those who bless them.
The only other place this
promise is found is Num. 24:9. Wicked Balaam had been employed by the nation of
Moab to curse Israel, but God would not permit this to happen. Repeatedly, as
Balaam spoke, blessings rather than cursings flowed from his mouth; he
prophesied in Num. 24:7-9:
He shall
pour the water out of his buckets and his seed shall be in many waters, and his
king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought
him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall
eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bonds, and pierce them
through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion and as a great lion:
who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that
curseth thee.
Careful examination of
these verses shows that Christ is in view. He is the One who poured out the
waters (the Gospel, John 4:10-14), so that His seed (the believers), are in many
waters (the nations of the world, Rev. 17:1). He is the One whose kingdom is
exalted (Psalm 46:10). He is the One who was called out of Egypt (Matt. 2:15).
In Num. 24:17, Balaam continues the
prophecy and speaks even more plainly of the coming Christ:
I shall
see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star
out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the
corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Christ is the Star. II
Peter 1:19: We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,
and the day star arise in your hearts. Rev. 22:16:
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Christ is the Sceptre because He is the One who rules as King of kings and Lord
of lords. Only Christ is in view when God declares in Numbers: Blessed is he
that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
We have discovered that the
promise in Gen. 12:3 does not apply to national Israel. Rather, it applies to
Christ and His Kingdom of believers in Him. Those who bless Christ are the
citizens of His Kingdom, those who are coming to salvation. They in turn receive
the blessing of God because they have become saved. Those who curse Christ and
His Kingdom are the unsaved of the world who are under the dominion of Satan.
Unless they become saved, they will remain under the curse of God forevermore.
That this promise relates
to believers in Christ is also seen in the second promise in Gen. 12:2-3: in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. National Israel is in view only
in the sense that they produced the Christ. But it is Christ Himself who brings
blessings to all families of the earth. These blessings flow through the nation
of believers who bring the Gospel to the world. Christ and His children are the
seed of Abraham who bring blessing to the world.
Thus, our conclusion that
this second promise relates to God's salvation plan agrees with our conclusion
concerning the first promise.
This means that the third
promise found in Gen. 12:2-3 must also relate to God's salvation plan. Remember,
in this promise God declares that He would make of Abraham a great nation. The
great nation that God made of Abraham is the nation of believers that is found
throughout the world. While it is true that national Israel became a great
nation, this is not the focus of Gen. 12:2-3. Only God's salvation plan and the
Israel of God can be in view.
A second passage, wherein a
promise is made to Abraham that might relate to national Israel, is Gen. 15:5:
And he brought him forth
abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to
number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
God is promising that
Abraham's seed would be as the stars of heaven. We will see that it may have a
two-fold fulfillment. In speaking to ancient Israel in the wilderness, Moses
said in Deu. 1:10: The LORD your God hath
multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for
multitude.
God is assuring us that
insofar as national Israel is concerned, the promise of Gen. 15:5 has been
fulfilled. This reference to the seed of Abraham becoming as the stars of heaven
for multitude also points to the eternal seed who are believers in Christ. This
can be seen by the context in which Gen. 15:5 is found. Verse 7 states: And he
said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeess to
give thee this land to inherit it. Because this statement speaks of Abraham
inheriting the land, we know that God can be pointing only to God's salvation
plan, which finds its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and the new earth.
As we saw earlier Abraham can inherit the land only after he has been
resurrected and his resurrection can occur only at the end of time.
The phrase stars of the
heaven refers to the believers in Christ, as is seen in the declaration of Heb.
11:12:
Therefore sprang there even
of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude
and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
The context of Heb. 11 is a
listing and a focus upon some Old Testament believers who were faithful to God;
they believed in God as their Savior. Therefore, verse 12 indicates that God's
promises in Gen. 15:5, insofar as they relate to God's salvation plan, are being
fulfilled.
We must conclude that while
Gen. 15:5 may have a double fulfillment because of the reference in verse 7 to
Abraham inheriting the land, the primary focus is on God's salvation plan.
Insofar as it applies to national Israel, it has been completely fulfilled as
people are saved throughout time.
Gen.
18:18 is another
verse we will examine briefly. It says:
Seeing
that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed in him?
In this verse we find
promises almost identical to two of the promises in Gen. 12:2-3: I will make of
thee a great nation, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We learned that the primary
focus of Gen. 12:2-3 is on God's salvation program. Therefore, we can know that
Gen. 18:18 is also focused primarily on God's salvation program.
In
Gen. 22:17-18, God expands the same
promises and introduces a new element as He speaks again to Abraham. These
verses state:
That in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed
shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Four promises stand out in
these verses:
I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of the heaven, and
As the sand which is upon
the sea shore.
Thy seed shall possess the
gate of his enemies.
In thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed. The promise concerning the stars of heaven
could have the same double fulfillment as the similar phrase in Gen. 15:5 and
for the same reasons. Nevertheless, while there is the possibility of incidental
focus on national Israel the chief focus is on God's salvation program.
The phrase as the sand which
is upon the sea shore also has the same possible double fulfillment. We read in
I Kings 4:20: Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in
multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. This statement proves that
insofar as national Israel was concerned, the promise of Gen. 22:17 has been
fulfilled.
God promises in
Hosea 1:10:
Yet the
number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot
be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it
was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, ye
are the sons of the living God.
In this verse, God uses the
phrase the sand of the sea in connection with Israel. In Rom. 9:26, God is
explaining why the Gentiles are beginning to believe in Christ. Believers were
not of the Jews only, but they were also of the Gentiles.
Rom.
9:25-26: As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my
people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that
in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they
be called the children of the living God.
God quotes Hosea 1:10 to
prove that it was always God's plan that the ultimate, eternal Israel (the
Israel of God) would consist of people from all the nations of the world. In
Hosea 1:10, He speaks of this vast company of believers as the sand of the sea.
In Heb. 11:12 we read that
the believers were as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. In this
verse also we are made to understand that Gen. 22:17-18 points to God's
salvation plan. This is acquired by the context of Gen. 22:17-18 and especially
from the last promise, which states: in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed, which is a repeat of Gen. 12:3 and Gen. 18:18.
It is in Christ that all the
nations of the earth are blessed. National Israel is involved only insofar as
they are the nation which produced the Christ. He was of the tribe of Judah and
in the flesh, a descendant of David and Abraham.
That leaves one other
promise in Gen. 22:17-18 that we must consider: thy seed shall possess the gate
of his enemies.
Thy Seed
Shall Possess the Gate of His Enemy
Nowhere in the Bible do we
find this phrase repeated. The phrase indicates that Israel would have victory
over their enemies. To possess the gate of the city was to control or rule the
city, and God did give national Israel victory after victory over their enemies.
Therefore we can readily see that this promise was fulfilled insofar as national
Israel was concerned.
This promise has yet
another fulfillment. It is primarily pointing to God's salvation plan. In Luke
1:71-74, Zacharias is praising God as He contemplates that the Savior is coming.
He joyfully declares:
That we should be saved from
our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised
to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our
father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the
hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.
To be saved from the
enemies is the equivalent of possessing the gate of the enemy. In fact,
Zacharias speaks of the covenant made with
Abraham especially as it
relates to the fact that by this covenant there was to be freedom from the
enemies. The only Old Testament promise he could have in mind is the one we are
considering in Gen. 22:17. In Luke 1:71-74, God is assuring us that this promise
concerning the possession of the gate of the enemy is fulfilled in Christ. The
enemy who has been vanquished by Christ's shed blood is Satan.
Therefore, Gen. 22:17-18
may relate to national Israel to some degree. Insofar as it relates to national
Israel it has been fulfilled in every way. The most important fulfillment of
this promise is in relation to God's salvation plan, and it is being fulfilled
as God saves people from every nation.
Thy Seed Are Given These
Countries
Another statement we will
consider before we leave this aspect of our study is
Gen. 26:3-4:
Sojourn
in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and
unto thy seed. I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath
which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as
the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
This passage records an
encounter of Isaac with God's promises. The promise in verse 3, that he would be
given these countries is of the same nature as God's promise to Abraham in Gen.
17. Like his father Abraham, Isaac lived as a stranger and sojourner in the
land. He did not receive the gift of these countries during his lifetime. This
promise can be fulfilled only when Isaac is resurrected. Like the promises made
to Abraham in Gen. 17, it has to do with salvation. Therefore, verse 3 is not
related to national Israel. God continues to speak to Isaac in verse 4, and
makes these promises:
Isaac's seed were to be as
the stars of heaven.
Isaac's seed were to be
given all these countries.
In lsaac's seed all the
nations of the earth were to be blessed.
The first promise is
identical to that given to Abraham in Gen. 22:17. We saw earlier that it could
have a double fulfillment: one relates to national Israel and the other relates
to God's salvation program (the Israel of God), and the relationship of national
Israel has been completely fulfilled.
The second promise speaks
of the seed of Isaac bring given these countries. The word country is the Hebrew
word erets. It is normally translated earth or land. Therefore, even as in verse
3, Isaac and his seed were promised these countries (these lands), so verse 4
repeats the promise in regard only to the seed of Isaac. That is, the seed of
Isaac are to be given these lands. This promise therefore parallels the promise
in Gen. 15:18-21 wherein God promised to Abraham's seed the land of the Kenites,
the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims, the
Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. This promise and
the promise of Gen. 26:4 have been entirely fulfilled for national Israel.
The second promise of Gen.
26:4 is also intimately associated with God's salvation plan. Christ and His
believers are the seed who are given the lands, that is, the whole world, as the
new heavens and the new earth. Therefore, this promise, too has a double
fulfillment.
The third promise of Gen.
26:4 is similar to the promise made to Abraham in Gen. 22:18. National Israel is
the seed who produced the seed Jesus, in whom all of the nations of the world
are blessed.
Therefore, Gen. 26:3-4,
like some of the other verses we have examined could have a double fulfillment
in some phrases. For national Israel, which serves as a type or figure of the
Israel of God, these promises have been entirely fulfilled. For the believers in
Christ, these promises are being fulfilled.
Jacob's Ladder to Heaven
Gen.
28:13-14 is another passage which is
similar to those we have been considering. In these verses, God speaks to Jacob
as he flees from Esau. Jacob dreams of a ladder that reaches to heaven, and
angels are ascending and descending on it. God promises Jacob in verses 13:14:
And,
behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy
father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou
shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the
south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.
The promise in verse 13 is
almost identical to the promises made to Abraham in Gen. 17. The land is to be
given to Jacob as well as to his seed. Inasmuch as Jacob dwelt in the land of
Canaan without ownership of the land, this promise can be fulfilled only after
Jacob is resurrected on the last day.
Therefore, this promise
relates entirely to God's salvation program. It will be fulfilled in its
entirety in the new heavens and the new earth.
The promise of verse 14
that in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed, of
course, relates only to national Israel in the sense that they produced the
Christ through whom all the nations of the earth are blessed. Therefore, it
points to God's salvation program.
The promise in the first
half of verse 14, thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth and thou shalt
spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south,
can be understood by examining the New Testament commentary on it. We read in
Luke 13:28-29:
There shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the
prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall
come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south,
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
In this declaration, Jesus
indicates that blood descendants of national Israel will be cast out of the
kingdom (Matt. 8:11-12), while others, from the four points of the compass, will
be found in the kingdom. Jesus is speaking of those who will be saved as in the
kingdom; they will come from every part of the world.
Therefore, we can know that
Gen. 28:13-14 is not concerned with national Israel. Like the promises recorded
in Gen. 17, these promises are focused altogether on God's salvation program,
Angels
Ascending and Descending
In Gen. 28:12, we read that
Jacob dreamed that angels ascended and descended on the ladder. Jesus uses the
same language in John 1:51:
And he saith unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto you. Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
When we compare these two
verses, we discover that the ladder of Jacob's dream is the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it mean that the angels are ascending and descending on Him? We will
understand this dream only if we realize that both in the Hebrew and in the
Greek the word that is translated angel also may be translated messenger. When
we understand that it is messengers ascending and descending rather than angels,
then we can know what Jacob's dream as well as Jesus' words to Nathanael in John
1:51 signify. Those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are the messengers of
God who carry the Gospel message to the world. We ascend into heaven, that is,
we become citizens of the kingdom of heaven, by believing on Christ. In fact,
Eph. 2:6 speaks of those who have become saved as being seated with Christ in
the heavenly places. We ascend to heaven in Christ, but before we can remain
eternally in the glorious presence of Christ, we must serve for a time as
ambassadors, as messengers, of Christ to this present world. The messengers
descend from heaven on Christ, that is, on the authority of Christ, to bring the
Gospel message to the world. Obviously the messengers do not literally go to
heaven for a few moments at the time they are saved. God uses this picture to
show that our citizenship has been changed by salvation and that our commission
to bring the Gospel comes from Christ.
Can you see how Gen.
28:13-14 follows? Because the messengers are sent forth after they are saved,
people will be coming into the body of Christ from every nation of the world.
This is the great and wonderful truth that God gave to Jacob in a dream. It is
the glorious truth that Jesus anticipated when He spoke to Nathanael in John 1.
Indeed, Gen. 28:13-14 can be seen to be a beautiful promise that is fulfilled in
our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Brief
Summary of What We Have Learned Thus Far
We have learned first of
all that God promised national Israel that its people would be given the
physical material land of Israel. Abraham was not included in this promise.
The land would be given to
them unconditionally. That is, there were no requirements they had to meet to be
given the land. They were not promised they could remain in the land
unconditionally. Rather, they were told they would
be destroyed from the land
if they did not remain faithful to God. The land was to be of such size that it
would include the land of the Hittites, which was located far to the north of
present-day Israel.
Secondly, we learned that
God has been entirely faithful to His promises. God assures us that Israel was
given the land in accord with all of His promises and commitments. We also
learned that because of the unfaithfulness of Israel, the people were repeatedly
destroyed from the land.
Thirdly, we learned that
God made a second series of promises concerning the land. In these promises, the
inheritors of the land were to be not only the seed of Abraham but they would
include Abraham himself. Moreover, the land would be given as an eternal
possession. These promises did not have national Israel in view at all. Rather,
they have in view all who believe in Christ as Savior. This includes a remnant
chosen by grace from national Israel as well as people from every other nation
of the world.
We discovered that the land
that was in view was ultimately the new heavens and new earth which is given
only to those who are saved. Abraham would inherit this land on the last day
when he as well as all believers are to be resurrected. We also learned that we
enter that land at the moment we are saved for we become citizens of heaven.
Upon death we go home to heaven. The new heavens and new earth is an expansion
of what we now call heaven.
We learned, too, that the
seed of Abraham in the first instance is Christ. Because Christ is the head of
all who believe in Him, the seed ultimately includes all who are saved through
the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the covenant God made with
Abraham in Gen. 17 was a covenant of redemption. It was not related to physical
descent; it relates to those who have become the seed of Abraham by believing in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
We were guided by the
Scriptures to realize that a few of the statements that set forth God's promises
have a double fulfillment. Insofar as their application to national Israel is
concerned, they have been completely fulfilled. Insofar as these promises relate
to God's salvation plan, they are being fulfilled as the elect are being saved
from every nation. In this sense they will be altogether fulfilled when the new
heavens and new earth become a reality.
We discovered the immense
importance of interpreting Scripture with Scripture. Only by letting Rom. 4 and
Gal. 3 guide us, were we able to understand Gen. 17. What a pity that many
theologians fail to do this. If this is not done, there is no possibility of
coming to truth.
Genesis 17: The Watershed
of Biblical Truth
Gen. 17 is one of the most
crucial chapters in the Bible. It is the crossroad from which doctrines travel,
doctrines that are concerned with the future of national Israel, the return of
Christ, and the end of the world. It is also the fulcrum that determines our
understanding of the meaning of baptism and the nature of the kingdom of God.
When Gen. 17 is carefully studied in the light of everything in the Bible that
might possibly relate to it, then giant strides are taken toward a true
understanding of the salvation program God has planned for this world. Moreover,
the Biblical teachings concerning the future national Israel and the details
concerning the events culminating with the return of Christ are more easily
grasped.
On the other hand, attempts
to understand and explain Gen. 17 without the benefit of Rom. 4 and other New
Testament passages that relate to it, will proceed down both an eschatological
path and a salvation path that will lead farther and farther from Biblical
truth.
Premillennial Doctrine Rests on a Wrong Foundation
May I take the liberty to
make reference to premillennial theology? I do not do so to put anyone down but
to warn concerning truth. The premillennial teaching is widely held today. It
offers many conclusions concerning the return of Christ and the future of the
nation of Israel that I am afraid are altogether unbiblical. How can it be that
the premillennial doctrines are so widely held, when they are so unbiblical? I
believe the problem begins with a misunderstanding of Gen. 17.
Sadly, when I view the
literature produced by the premillennial writers, I find they explain Gen. 17
without any reference at all to Rom. 4. Based on their understanding of Gen. 17
they speak of an Abrahamic Covenant that does not relate to God's salvation
program for the world.
Dear reader, you can test
this. If you examine the writings of three of the most eminent and trusted
premillennial theologians today, you will discover this sad fact. Dr. Dwight
Pentecost has written a book entitled Things to Come,.* on the future of
national Israel and the return of Christ. On pages 69, 72, 73, 75, 76, 80, 85,
95, 291, 439, and 480, he makes references to Gen. 17. He sees in Gen. 17 the
fundamental reason why God must still bring national Israel to its land and
lavish salvation blessings upon them. But not once in his book does he make
reference to Rom. 4 as a commentary or explanation of Gen. 17. He makes
incidental reference to Rom. 4:2 (page 270), 4:3 (page 531), and 4:25 (page
196), but none of these references relate to Gen. 17.
Likewise, Dr. Charles C.
Ryrie has written a book entitled The Basis of the Premillennial Faith, ** in
which he makes reference to Gen. 17 on pages 50, 53, 55, 56, and 57. He does so
because he believes this covenant, which he calls the Abrahamic covenant,
promises future blessings to modern national Israel. While he makes extensive
reference to Gen. 17, not one sentence in the entire book refers to Rom. 4.
Similarly, Dr. John
Walvoord has written numerous books on subjects relating to Christ's return. But
again, references to Rom. 4 are noticeably lacking. For example, in his book
Israel in Prophecy, *** he makes references to Gen. 17 on pages 25, 26, 33, 39,
48, 49, 62, and 80. He does so for the same reasons that Dr. Ryrie and Dr.
Pentecost do. On the other hand, not a single reference is made to Rom. 4. It is
regrettable that scholars of such high reputation as these men would so grossly
violate the Biblical principle of interpreting Scripture with Scripture.
Premillennial scholars will
argue that in our study of Gen. 17 we have spiritualized Scripture. Frequently,
they contend that the chief difference between their understanding the Bible and
the understanding those who believe that the eternal seed of Abraham are all
believers in Christ, is that the premillennialists literalize Scripture while
the others spiritualize Scripture. Thus, they argue that Gen. 17 refers only to
the physical land of Canaan and to national Israel.
The fact is, however, that
those who hold the premillennial view do not hesitate to spiritualize Scripture
when it suits their purpose. For example, when the Bible speaks in Rev. 13 of a
dragon with seven heads and ten horns they do not hesitate to teach that the ten
horns are in actuality ten European nations of today. They are correct in their
understanding that the ten horns are not to be understood as literal horns but
they are incorrect in their understanding of what they do represent. Later, we
will show that the ten horns represent the rule of Satan during the final
tribulation period. Under no circumstance will the Bible allow a conclusion
relating to modern day political activity.
Even though the
premillennialists' conclusion is faulty, they prove that they spiritualize
certain passages of the Bible when the context demands, as do amillennialists.
Moreover, the
premillennialist contends that the amillennialist never looks at prophecies
concerning future events in a literal fashion. This contention also is without
truth. As we go on in this study, we will come to many passages which can be
understood only in the most literal fashion. For example, when the Bible
declares in Matt. 24:29-31 that Christ will return immediately after the
tribulation, we will show that this can be understood only literally.
Indeed, the problem of
differences between the premillennialist and the amillennialist is not literal
versus spiritual interpretation. Rather, it has to do with the care that is
taken to allow the whole Bible to be used in interpreting the Scripture at
issue.
Because the eminent
premillennial scholars have not understood Gen. 17 in the light of the Rom. 4
commentary, their conclusions concerning Gen. 17 are altogether faulty.
Consequently, because they have not understood Gen. 17 correctly, all that
follows in their teaching concerning God's promises national Israel and
concerning the return of Christ will be faulty. Therefore, I believe that anyone
who holds the premillennial view should rethink and restudy his position,
beginning with Gen. 17. Wonderfully, God has given us the Bible as the ultimate
authority. Therefore, no matter how far any of us have strayed from truth we can
come to truth by making sure that any doctrine we hold is in harmony with
everything the Bible teaches.
Another question must be
faced. The nation of Israel was called Israel because the people were the
physical seed of Jacob whose name became Israel at the time he wrestled with God
at the river Jabbok (Gen. 32:24-28). Does the Bible also regard as Israel those
from all nations who are believers in Christ? This is an important question
because the answer will help us understand difficult Bible passages that
apparently speak of national Israel but cannot be fully understood until we see
that they speak of the whole body of believers, who come from every nation. In
our next chapter we will look at the word Israel very carefully.
Israel
We have seen that key
passages like Gen. 17, which superficially seem to relate to national Israel,
actually do not relate to Israel at all. Rather, they relate to all who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of any political nation in which they were
born or have lived. How then are we to understand the word Israel? Careful study
of the word Israel will help us to understand many puzzling and frequently
misunderstood Old Testament passages.
Jacob, the grandson of
Abraham, was first called Israel. How does he relate to what we have already
learned? Since he was in the direct line from Abraham to Christ, we would expect
that the promises that were given to Abraham would also apply to him.
Indeed, this is so. At the
time Jacob was leaving his parents to seek a wife in Padanaram, Isaac declared
to Jacob in Gen. 28:3-4:
And God
Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest
be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to
thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a
stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
This promise, like that
made to Abraham in Gen. 17, speaks of Jacob becoming a multitude of people;
also, according to this promise he would inherit the land wherein he lived as a
stranger.
Do you remember that as
Jacob was sleeping, God visited him? We read in
Gen. 28:12-14:
And he
dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to
heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And,
behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy
father and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it
and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt
spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south:
and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
We find a commentary on
these verses in Matthew 8:11-12 and in Luke 13:28-29, where Christ declares that
the sons of the kingdom (national Israel) would be cast out, while many others
from every direction would come in.
Matthew
8:11-12: And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and
shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But
the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall
be wicking and gnashing of teeth.
Luke
13:28-29: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and
you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west,
and from the north, and from the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Furthermore, forty years after Jacob went to seek a wife, while he was returning
to the land of Israel, God appeared to him.
We read in
Gen. 35:10-12:
And God
said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob,
but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto
him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of
nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land
which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give its and to thy seed after
thee will I give the land.
Jacob had become Israel
(Israel means Prince of God); He, too, was promised the land. He, too, will be
the father of many nations. We have seen that all of this finds its fulfillment
in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the promises that were given to Abraham apply
also to Jacob. But while Abraham was not called Israel (even though he was the
beginning of that nation), Jacob was called Israel.
Jacob's physical seed, the
twelve tribes, were called Israel. We find this to be true throughout the Bible.
But what about his spiritual seed, all those who believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ? Does the Bible also regard them as Israel?
Logically, if the physical
seed of Jacob are called Israel because Jacob, their physical progenitor, was
called Israel, we should likewise be able to assume that the spiritual seed of
Jacob, the believers in Christ should also be called Israel. Let us see how the
Bible, our authority, directs us on this question.
Christ
Ministers to a Gentile Woman: Is She Israel?
In Matthew 15 the Bible
describes a visit of the Lord Jesus to Tyre and Sidon (a land outside of Israel)
where He ministered to a woman of that area. Mark 7:26 speaks of her as a Greek,
a Syrophenician by nation. Matt. 15:22 tells us that she was a woman of Canaan.
Under no circumstances was she a blood descendant of Abraham.
As our Lord dealt with this
non-Israelite, this Gentile, He declared to her, in Matt. 15:24, I am not sent
but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This significant passage
declares that Christ was sent only to the house of Israel.
From this pronouncement of
the Lord Jesus, it seems we must conclude that Jesus was sent only to the nation
of Israel. But does the phrase the house of Israel refer to national Israel
alone?
If this were a correct
conclusion, and Christ was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,
what was He doing ministering to a non-Israelite, a Gentile woman? Was Jesus
violating His own rules? Of course, this cannot be.
Nevertheless, His actions
might puzzle us. Not only did He minister to a heathen woman, but on another
occasion He ministered to another non- Jew, a Samaritan woman. He deliberately
addressed a Samaritan woman and declared the way of salvation to her. We road in
John 4:7: There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her
Give me to drink. We read in John 4:13-14:
He not
only spoke to her of the way of salvation, but He spent two days in the city of
the Samaritans so that many Samaritans believed on Him.
We read in John 4:39-41:
And many
of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman,
which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were
come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode
there two days. And many more believed because of his own word.
These Samaritans were not
Jews. This is shown by the language of John 4:9,
which declares:
Then
saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest
drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans.
How can this be if Jesus
was sent only to the house of Israel that is if the house of Israel is to be
understood only as national Israel?
All Who
Believe in Christ are Israel
To complicate matters even
further, we read in John 1:29:
The next
day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.
The world includes far more
than national Israel. If Jesus was sent only to national Israel, why does John
the Baptist introduce Him as the Savior of the world? Is it possible we are to
understand that the phrase the house of Israel refers to all believers? Surely
this appears to be so.
We saw from Gen. 17. Rom.
4, and Gal. 3 that God had prophesied in the Old Testament that Abraham would be
the father of a multitude of nations. We saw that this promise was focused on
the Lord Jesus becoming the Savior of Gentiles as well as Jews. We saw that this
promise was repeated to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Therefore the
conclusion that the term "the house of Israel" would include Gentiles as well as
Jews is entirely in agreement with the promises that Abraham was to be the
father of a multitude of nations.
We can see why Jesus
ministered to Gentiles such as the Syrophenician woman and the Samaritans. They,
too, were the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Only by understanding this
wonderful truth does Christ's statement, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24), have any integrity.
But have we missed
something? Isn't
there another passage in
the Bible that teaches that the lost sheep of the house of Israel cannot be
Gentiles or Samaritans? The verses in question are
Matt. 10:5-6 which declare:
These
twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the
Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Surely it appears that
these verses are putting into opposition the house of Israel on the one hand and
the Gentiles and Samaritans on the other.
Notice that the main
modifiers of the verbs go and enter are the way, into any city, and the lost
sheep. The phrase of the Gentiles' modifies the term the way' in which the
disciples were not to go and with which they were not to become involved.
The phrase the way has
particular meaning in the Bible. We read in John 14:6 that Jesus said, I am the
way. In Acts 9:2 the Bible declares that the believers in Christ are of the way
(Acts 19:9, 23). Thus, the term the way signifies a spiritual path. When Jesus
commanded the disciples not to go into the way of the Gentiles, He was
effectively commanding them not to become involved in the spiritual paths of the
heathen. They were to remain true followers of the way of Christ.
That this conclusion is
accurate can be seen when we look again at the Syrophenician woman. If this
command meant that the disciples were not to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles,
then Christ violated this principle when He ministered to the Syrophenician
woman. To minister to her, Christ had to leave the land of Israel and go into
the countries of Tyre and Sidon. If the phrase the way of the Gentiles meant
that the disciples were not to go where the Gentiles lived, then the Lord Jesus
violated this command by going with His disciples to the lands of Tyre and
Sidon.
On the other hand, if the
phrase the way of the Gentiles is understood to mean that the disciples there
not to become involved with the heathen religions then there was no
contradiction
or violation in Christ
going to Tyre and Sidon to minister to the Syrophenician woman.
Likewise, when we examine
the phrase city of the Samaritans, we see that this refers to the spiritual city
or the religion practised by the Samaritans. Let us see why this is so.
The Bible frequently refers
to the believers as the city of God or as the holy city. In Isa. 52:1 the
believers are referred to as the holy city. In
Rev. 21:2 we read:
And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The bride of Christ
consists of all the believers in the world. Believers are, therefore the holy
city. In Isa. 60:14 we read, they shall call thee, The city of the LORD. This
chapter of Isaiah is dealing with the Savior who would come. He is, therefore
the City of the Lord.
The term the city can refer
to a religion or a body of believers who are under the lordship of someone. The
city of the Samaritans makes reference to a wrong gospel, a Samaritan religion.
The disciples were not to become involved with the congregation or the religion
of the Samaritans. Thus, the term "the city" has the same meaning as the prior
term "the way."
That this is an accurate
and correct conclusion can be seen when we read of Christ's activities with the
Samaritans as recorded in John 4. In John 4:5 we read that Jesus came to a city
of Samaria. In verse 8, the Bible informs us that the disciples were gone away
unto the city to buy meat. In verses 39-41, as we discovered earlier, we read
that He spent two days with the Samaritans.
All of this activity would
have been in violation of the command in Matt. 10:5, into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not, if the city of the Samaritans is to be understood to
mean a literal, material city. When we understand this phrase to mean the gospel
or religion of the Samaritans, then there is complete harmony among all of the
verses.
We now can see why in Matt.
10:5-6, Jesus on the one hand speaks of not going and not entering into the way
of the Gentiles, or the city of the Samaritans, while on the other hand He
speaks of going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He is telling the
disciples not to become involved with the religions of the Gentiles or the
Samaritans. Rather, they are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
That is, they are to faithfully proclaim the true Gospel of salvation so that
those whom God planned to save from every nation of the world might hear the
Gospel and be saved. In our Lord's declaration in Matt. 15:24, concerning the
lost sheep of the house of Israel, the house of Israel refers to all believers;
and also in Matt. 10, the house of Israel refers to all believers.
Moreover, we can be secure
in the conclusion that all believers are called Israel when we realize that the
Bible is its own dictionary; the Bible defines its own terms. God has the right
to assign the name Israel to whomever He pleases, and He definitely wants us to
understand that the term Israel refers to all believers. It is entirely within
God's prerogative to give a meaning to the term Israel, other than Jacob (whose
name was changed to Israel), and the ten tribes (the nation called Israel after
the death of Solomon and the division of the twelve tribes), and the whole
nation of Israel (blood descendants of Abraham). The Bible teaches us that at
times, Israel can also be a reference to the whole body of believers.
Christ,
too, Is Sometimes Called Israel
The Bible assigns the name
Israel to another personality who is intimately identified with all believers.
That personality is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He, too, is called Israel,
which gives us added assurance about understanding why the Bible refers to all
believers as the house of Israel. All believers are a spiritual house (I Peter
2:5), and the chief cornerstone of that house is Christ (I Peter 2:6).
I Peter
2:5-6: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief
corner stone, elect precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded.
From these verses we learn
that the house of believers is the house of Christ. If Christ is Israel then it
necessarily follows that the believers are the house of Israel. If Christ is the
head and we, the church, are His body, then if He, the head, is Israel, it
surely follows that we, His body, are Israel.
We should show that the
Bible sometimes speaks of Christ as Israel. In
Hosea 11:1 we read: When Israel was a
child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.'
In this verse, we learn
that someone called Israel as a child was loved by God. He was the Son of God
and He was called out of Egypt. This is most interesting. Who is this
individual?
The Bibles gives us a clear
answer. In Matthew 2 we read of Mary and Joseph with the young child Jesus
fleeing from Herod. In this context, the Bible declares in
Matt. 2:14-15:
When he
arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Here God is quoting from
Hosea 11:1 with the language When Israel was a child, then I loved him and
called my son out of Egypt. In other words, God is instructing us that the
prophecy of Hosea 11:1 was being fulfilled when Jesus was taken by His parents
into Egypt. That is before Jesus would go to Nazareth to grow up, before He
would begin His official work as the Messiah, He was called out of Egypt. Hosea
11:1 insists that this Son is Israel. Thus, Christ is called Israel. In coming
as the child, Israel, out of Egypt, He is paralleling the experience of national
Israel which came out of Egypt.
Therefore, we see that the
name Israel in the Bible can refer to Christ Himself.
In this connection, we will
look briefly at Isa. 49:1-3, where we
read:
Listen,
O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from
the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name, And he
hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me,
and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me,
Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
This passage, which speaks
of the Lord's servant called Israel, who has a mouth like a sharp sword and in
whom God is glorified can refer only to Christ.
Do you recall that we read
how He will come at Judgment Day with a sharp sword protruding from His mouth
(Rev. 19:15)? Do you recall that the name Israel means Prince of God? No
individual can bear that name more accurately than Christ Himself, who is
frequently called a Prince in the Bible (Isa. 9:6, Ezek. 46:2, Dan. 8:25).
We have established that in
the Bible all believers in Christ are sometimes referred to as Israel, and that
sometimes Christ Himself is referred to as Israel. This in turn agrees precisely
with the Biblical truth that all believers are the seed of Abraham who was the
father of Israel. As we proceed in our study, we set that every detail is
fitting into place.
All
Believers in Christ Are Jews
We have seen that in
certain parts of the Bible, all believers are called Israel just as certainly as
the nation of Israel is called Israel in other parts of the Bible. We have seen
that this truth is reinforced by the language of Rom. 4 and Gal. 3, where all
believers are called the seed of Abraham.
Are there other passages
that point to the fact that insofar as God is concerned, all believers in Christ
are the Israel of God? If there are, do these passages help us to understand Old
Testament passages which speak of a future glory for Israel? Indeed there are,
and as we examine some of them, we will learn more conclusively than ever that
God always anticipated a nation, an Israel, that was far more glorious than the
political nation, national Israel.
Let us look at
Rom. 2:28-29 where God declares:
For he
is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision
is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God.
In these verses, God is
teaching first of all that in God's view, a Jew is not someone who has been
circumcised that is one who is a blood descendant of Abraham. This is very
significant. While in many parts of the Bible we are taught that the Jews were
those of the nation of Israel, in this passage, God is teaching that from God's
vantage point, Jews are only those who have become saved. To have one's heart
circumcised is Biblical language indicating salvation. This was already
commanded in Deu. 10:16: "Circumcise therefore
the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiffnecked."
God says in
Deu. 30:6 that He will accomplish this
kind of circumcision:
And the
LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
This statement clearly
identifies with salvation, as can be seen by
Col. 2:11:
In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off
the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
All
Believers Are Circumcised
Now the question might be
raised: Couldn't it be that in Rom. 2:28-29
God is speaking 3:3:
For we
are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ
Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.
This passage clearly points
to the fact that all believers are the circumcision. This is taught in
Col. 2:11-13:
In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off
the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having
forgiven you all trespasses.
Clearly the circumcision
that God recognizes is that of those whose sins have been cut off by the blood
of Jesus Christ. They are the Jews of Rom. 2:28-29.
This truth, that the
circumcision God recognizes involves all who believed in Christ as Savior, is in
harmony with the teaching of Gen. 17. Do you recall that the sign of the
promises, of the Covenant, made to Abraham and his seed was circumcision?
Concerning this sign, God declares in Gen.
17:14:
And the
uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised that soul
shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
In this warning, God is
emphasizing that for these promises to become realized in the life and
experience of the inheritor of the land, circumcision is a requirement. Is God
thus teaching that physical circumcision is a requirement for salvation?
Remember, we previously learned that the promises of Gen. 17 find their
fulfillment in salvation.
Yes, circumcision is a
requirement for salvation. But it is not physical circumcision. It is not an act
which we perform. Rather, it is the circumcision of our hearts. It is an
operation performed by God. Do you recall Deu.
30:6:
And the
LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Can you see how beautifully
Col. 2:11 agrees with Deu. 30:6?
Col.
2:11: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands
in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Small wonder then that in
Phil. 3:3 God declares that we are the circumcision, which worship God in the
spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. How
harmoniously and how beautifully all of the Bible is fitting together.
Now we can see, too, why
Gen. 17:14 declares: And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin
is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken
my covenant.
Covenant breakers are those
who have not been circumcised in their hearts. That is, they have not become
saved. Thus they will be cut off. To be cut off is language that relates to
eternal damnation.
Christ Was
a Jew
It should not be surprising
that the Bible speaks of all believers as Jews. Jesus, our head, was a Jew. He
was of the tribe of Judah. Since He was a Jew, then we who have become adopted
into His family are also Jews. Through Him, we have become identified with
Israel and the tribe of Judah.
We must not lose sight of
the truth that the identification of believers in Christ as Jews is just as real
and substantive as that for blood descendants of Abraham, who are
called Jews. God has given a
much more meaningful and eternal meaning to the word Jew and the word Israel
when He refers to those who have become saved than when He refers to national
Israel.
In
Gal. 6:15-16, the Bible makes further
reference to Israel. There we read:
For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision but a
new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and
mercy, and* upon the Israel of God.
In this passage, God is
highlighting the truth that those who are saved are to be called the Israel of
God. The new creature of verse 15 is the Israel of God of verse 16.
We have discovered the
tremendous fact that there is more than one Israel in the Bible. To look blindly
at each verse of the Bible that speaks of Israel as though it speaks only of
national Israel is to deny a great amount of Biblical truth. While, indeed, the
Bible very frequently does speak of national Israel, it also speaks of another
Israel that is every bit as real and substantive as national Israel.
That Israel is the Israel
of God. The Israel of God is the Israel made up of every believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is the Israel that is eternally glorious. The members of this
Israel are those who have become sons of God. The Israel of God is added to
every time someone becomes saved. It is the whole house of Israel that our Lord
came to seek and to save. It is the Israel that God has repeatedly in view as He
develops His magnificent plan of salvation.
The question still
persists: Aren't there other passages in the Bible that speak of a glorious
future for national Israel? In the next chapter we will look at additional
Scriptures that many theologians believe anticipate a future for national
Israel.
God's
Glorious Eternal Israel
We began this study
wondering about national Israel and its future Very quickly in the beginning of
Chapter 1 we saw that God had made certain promises to national Israel
concerning the land. We also saw that these promises were completely fulfilled.
We discovered that other
promises were made to Abraham as well as to his seed. These promises emphasize
that the land is an everlasting inheritance. When we continued to probe into the
Biblical evidence concerning these promises, we found they always relate to
salvation. They had national Israel in view only insofar as there is a remnant
out of national Israel who together with the saved Gentiles constitute the house
of Israel which our Lord came to save.
Everywhere we turned, we
found further confirmation of this grand and wonderful truth. In fact, we are
beginning to see that while God dwelt with national Israel in history, He
normally had in view in His promises the Israel of God, which is the Israel
comprised of every child of God.
In this chapter, we will
continue to look at significant Old Testament passages which appear to relate to
national Israel, and, indeed, in the premillennial system of doctrine, these
passages are used as proof texts to support the idea of a glorious future for
national Israel. However, when we look at these passages in the light of the New
Testament commentary, we see that that do not relate to national Israel at all.
Rather, they all pointed to the Israel of God, which consists of every one who
believes in Christ as Savior.
In Rom. 9, we find
information that relates to Old Testament passages that apparently speak of
national Israel but actually show that the Israel in which God is interested
consists of Gentiles as well as believing blood descendants of Abraham. We read
in Rom. 9:23-26:
And that
he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he
had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called not of the Jews
only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my
people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it
shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my
people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
In this informative
declaration God is showing that the prophecies of Hosea anticipated the
inclusion of the Gentiles in the body of believers. When we read the quotations
as they are found in Hosea and which are quoted in Rom. 9, we are astounded to
find that they make no mention of Gentiles. The context of these verses in the
Book of Hosea seems to indicate that they speak only of national Israel. Verse
25 of Rom. 9 quotes Hosea 2:23, which reads as follows:
And I will sow her unto me
in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I
will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall
say, Thou are my God.
And verse 26 of Rom. 9
quotes from the second half of Hosea 1:10,
which reads:
. . .
and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are
not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living
God.
Not only does Hosea 1:10
speak specifically of Israel but in the same context, the next verse refers to
Judah as well as Israel and indicates that the time is coming when these two Old
Testament nations would again be one people with one head.
Moreover, when we carefully
read the first two chapters of Hosea, we find no reference at all to Gentiles.
The context appears to be altogether focused on national Israel. While they have
become a divided people because of their sins and, in fact have come under
severe condemnation, nevertheless, God apparently is prophesying that they will
again become God's own people.
Let us never forget that
the Bible is its own interpreter. The Bible is its
own dictionary. It provides its own commentary. While the first two
chapters apparently are speaking of national Israel, God clearly shows us in
Rom. 9 that He is not saying that national Israel would again become God's
people.
Rather, He is speaking of a
nation of people that would consist of believing Gentiles as well as believing
Jews. Before we are saved we are not the people of God, but when we become saved
we become the people of God. We become the sons of the living God.
Once we understand these
wonderful truths we can see why God declares in Hosea 2:19-20:
And I will betroth thee unto
me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment,
and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in
faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.
In other words, in these
two chapters of Hosea, God is prophesying the marvelous truth that in the coming
Messiah (typified by Jezreel in these chapters), salvation would come to Judah
and Israel. Christ would be their head.
In Rom. 9:25-26 God is
showing that the Israel, the Judah, who would be saved includes Gentiles as well
as a believing remnant from national Israel.
Significantly, in I Peter
2, God speaks of those who have believed in Christ and uses language of Hosea
2:23. Note I Peter 2:9-10:
But ye
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
In these verses, too, God
is underscoring the truth that all believers, whether Gentile or Jew, are to be
identified with the Israel of Hosea 2.
The importance of what we
are learning from Rom. 9 as it teaches God's intention concerning Hosea 1 and 2
cannot be underestimated. It truly is an outstanding disclosure. By this means,
God has shown us that when He speaks in the Old Testament of a future glory for
Judah or Israel, He has in view not national Israel but the Israel of God. It is
the Israel made up of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 9: A Commentary on
Isaiah
God further develops this
understanding in Rom. 9:27-29:
Esaias
also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as
the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and
cut it short in righteousness: because short work will Lord make upon the earth.
And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had let us a seed, we had
been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
We must remember that these
verses like Rom. 9:25-26, are being used
to prove that God had always anticipated that the Gentiles would be saved right
along with a believing remnant from national Israel. The next verse,
verse 30, underscores this:
What
shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness,
have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
We know, therefore, that in
these verses God has given a commentary on the original Old Testament passages
from which they are quoted. Verses 27 and 28 are a quotation from
Isa. 10:22-23 which declare:
For
though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall
return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord
GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in the midst of all the
land.
In that context God states
in Isa. 10:20-21:
And it
shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are
escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote
them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The
remnant shall return even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God.
Since we know from Rom. 9
that verses 22 and 23 of Isa. 10 have an Israel in view that includes Gentiles
as well as Jews, we know that the remnant of Jacob, the remnant of Israel, has
in view the body of believers who will come to the Lord Jesus Christ. These
would include blood descendants of Abraham who have believed in Christ and
Gentiles who have believed in Christ. God is indeed opening up our understanding
concerning His intentions with the language of the Old Testament.
Returning to Rom. 9:29 we
discover that this verse is a quotation from Isa. 1:9, which promises:
Except the LORD of hosts had
left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should
have been like unto Gomorrah.
Again, we must remember
that since Rom. 9 is discussing an Israel made up of Gentiles and Jews, the
first chapter of Isaiah is also anticipating an Israel that would be a body of
believers made up of Gentiles and Jews. This accords beautifully with
Isa. 1:18:
Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be
as wool.
This verse helps us to see
that Isa. 1:25-27 is focused on the
whole body of believers that would come forth as a result of God's redemptive
work through Christ. These verses read as follows:
And I
will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all
thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first and thy counsellors as at
the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the
faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with
righteousness.
The faithful city, the city
of righteousness, and Zion are references to the whole body of believers who are
to be redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ who came to satisfy God's judgment on
their behalf. This city of believers is to consist not only of Gentiles but also
of believers from national Israel. It is no wonder that
Rom. 9:6-9 declares:
Not as
though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel; Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham are they all
children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the
children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of
the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this
time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
In these verses, God sets
forth the same truth that we discovered in Rom. 2:28-29. The Israel that God is
especially concerned with does not consist only of those who are blood
descendants of Abraham. It consists of those who are the children of the
promise. The children of the promise are those who believe in Christ as Savior
whether they are blood descendants of Abraham or Gentiles. This is seen clearly
by the language of Rom. 4:16-17, where
the promised seed are shown to include people of every nation. These verses
state:
Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might
be sure to
all the seed; not to that only which is of the
law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us
all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him
whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were.
An
Understanding of the Old Testament Requires the New Testament
We are beginning to see
that carefully reading the New Testament gives us a considerably different
understanding of the Old Testament from that which we might have if we read the
Old Testament without the benefit of the New Testament commentary. We should
realize by now that it is imperative that we do not come to conclusions
concerning Old Testament teaching without the benefit of the New Testament
explanation. To do so is to violate a basic Biblical principle that we are to
compare spiritual things with spiritual (I Corinthians 2:13). To violate this
principle can only lead to very faulty doctrines.
For example, the Jews of
Jesus' day did not have the New Testament. Their knowledge of the character and
nature of the coming Messiah was based on the Old Testament. They had great
difficulty, therefore, in understanding many aspects of the nature of God's
salvation plan which are extremely clear to those of us who have the New
Testament and the Old Testament. While the Old Testament declared that the
Messiah was to be a blood sacrifice, the disciples themselves did not understand
Jesus' crucifixion, that is, until after it had become an historical event.
Likewise, if we attempt to
understand the Old Testament passages that speak of future glory for Israel or
future events of any kind without carefully studying the New Testament verses
that relate to them, we are bound to come up with wrong doctrine. Therefore, it
is imperative that we carefully examine the New Testament before we try to
understand the Old Testament.
The New
Testament Church Was Thoroughly Anticipated in the Old Testament
Let us return to the Book of Romans and see how God teaches when He makes
reference to Old Testament promises, that He always had planned to save Gentiles
as well as Jews. As we search out the Old Testament passages referred to in the
New Testament, we will begin to see that the Old Testament spotlight is not on
national Israel but on the whole body of believers whether they are Jew or
Gentile. In other words, the spotlight is on the church which came into
existence at Pentecost and continues to the present day.
In Rom. 15, the Apostle
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, makes a number of references to
Old Testament prophecies which showed that God intended to save Gentiles as well
as Jews. In Rom. 15:8-9 we read:
Now I
say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among
the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
This is a quotation from
Psalm 18. Psalm 18:49 declares:
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD,
among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. We are assured by the
Bible that Psalm 18 is prophesying of the Lord Jesus Christ when He came as the
Messiah. It is also speaking of the peoples who would believe on Him peoples who
would include the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Therefore, we know that
verses 48 and 50 also speak of the
salvation which would be provided by Christ. These verses read as follows:
Psalms
18:48: He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those
that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
Psalms
18:50: Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his
anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
These verses speak of
deliverance from commies and of mercy to David and his seed. They are
anticipating the salvation to be provided by Christ whereby we are delivered
from the enemy, Satan and receive the mercy of God. When other Bible passages
use these same phrases they, too, ordinarily can be expected to be speaking of
salvation in Christ. For example, we read in Luke 1:68-75 that Zacharias spoke
of deliverance from enemies as he anticipated the birth of Christ who would
bring salvation. In the beautiful statement he declared:
Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn
of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth
of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be
saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the
mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which
he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being
delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In
holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
How beautiful and cohesive
the Bible is!
His
People: All Believers in Christ
Returning to Rom. 15, in
verse 10 we read another quotation from the Old Testament which relates to God's
program to include Gentiles in the body of Christ: And again he saith, Rejoice,
ye Gentiles, with his people. This verse is a quotation from
Deu. 32:43, which reads:
Rejoice,
O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and
will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land,
and to his people.
It is noteworthy that this
verse which we can now understand has its fulfillment in the New Testament
church in which God has included Gentiles and Jews, speaks of his land and his
people. We know from Matt. 1:21 that Jesus came to save His people from their
sins. We know from Rom. 11:1 that God has not rejected His people. We know from
John 6:37-39 that Christ's people have been given to Him by the Father. John 6
emphasizes that His people must include all believers, and, therefore, both Jews
and
Gentiles. But so does Deu.
32:43 teach this inasmuch as we know from the Rom, 15:10 commentary that
Gentiles are included in salvation. Do you recall that Zacharias said in Luke
1:68, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his
people. Again we see the cohesiveness and harmonious character of the
Scriptures.
Of great interest is the
phrase in Deu. 32:43 which tells us that He will be merciful unto his land. We
see in this phrase that the land is completely related to God's program of
salvation. Earlier in our study we learned that the land that was promised to
Abraham and his seed was not the material land of Canaan but the land that is
given to all believers. It is the new earth which continues eternally and which
is completely related to salvation. God will have mercy not only on those who
believed on Him but also on the creation itself which will become the new heaven
and new earth. Later, in our study we will see that the phrase his land has a
wider meaning than creation itself.
Continuing in Rom. 15, we
find that the next verse, verse 11, which also ties in the Gentiles with the
body of believers, is a quotation from Psalm 117. Rom. 15:11: And again, Praise
the Lord, all ye Gentiles; applaud him, all ye people. In this verse, God shows
us that Psalm 117 is also anticipating the wonderful salvation God would provide
to all the nations through the Lord Jesus.
Psalm 117 tells us:
O Praise
the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness
is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the
LORD.
Isaiah 11
Has the Salvation of the Gentiles in View
Another tremendous clue to
correct understanding of the Old Testament is found in the next verse
Rom. 15:12:
And
again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to
reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
This is a quotation from
Isa. 11. Verse 10 of Isa. 11 declares:
And in
that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the
people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Rom. 15:12 assures us that
this verse is speaking of the phenomenon immediately following the cross whereby
the Gentiles would begin to flow into the rest provided by the root of Jesse.
The root of Jesse is Jesus. The rest which He provides is rest from our efforts
to try to become right with God by our own labor. We are to rest in the finished
work of Christ who paid for our sins if we have become born again. Thus, we are
guided by God to understand that the language of Isa. 11 is pointing to the
cross and the church that would begin immediately after our Savior's ascension.
Therefore, we know that the
language of Isa. 11:6-8, which is part of the context
of Isa. 11:10, also must be entirely
related to God's salvation program. These verses give us the information:
The wolf
also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and
the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall
lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall
play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice' den.
If we look at this passage
in a very literal material way then the cross would have brought about
tremendous modification in animal behavior. We know that has not happened nor is
it taught in the Bible. We must realize this is symbolical language.
Salvation
Signifies the Curse Has Been Removed
In the Garden of Eden
before sin entered the world, the animals were herbivorous; that is they ate no
meat. In the Garden of Eden, there was no enmity between animals and no enmity
between man and animals; and man was at peace and in harmony with God. But
because of man's sin, death and enmity entered the world. Man became estranged
from God and became the slave of Satan.
When we become saved, the
curse of sin is removed. We are again at peace with God. It is as if we are
again in the Garden of Eden, where: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear
shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall cat
straw like the ox (Isa. 11:6-7). The believer is pictured as a child (Matt.
18:3: Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven). The believer plays on the hole of the asp and puts
his hand on the cockatrice's den. Both the asp and the cockatrice are poisonous
reptiles which typify Satan over whom the believer in Christ has triumphed.
Thus, when these verses are
rightly understood, they agree precisely with the conclusion to which the Bible
has led us: The cross and the New Testament believers are in view.
Salvation comes to the
believer because Christ went to the cross to pay for our sins. Salvation will
come to its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and the new earth.
Therefore, as God discussed the conditions in the new heavens and the new earth
in Isa. 65:17-25, He uses the same
figure, as He declares in verse 25:
The wolf
and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock:
and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my
holy mountain, saith the LORD.
Even as in Isa. 11, literal
animals are not in view. Rather, God is emphasizing that salvation brings about
the wonderful condition that the curse of sin has been removed.
The second verse of Isa. 11
is similar to other verses in Isaiah which the New Testament assures us point
specifically to Christ who came as Messiah. Verse 2 records: And the spirit of
the LORD Shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
Note how similar this
language is to that of Isa. 42:1-4:
Behold
my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my
spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not
cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed
shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring
forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have
set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isa. 42 is quoted in
Matt. 12:18-21, where God declares:
Behold
my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I
will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles, He
shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed shall he not break and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he
send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
In Matt. 12:17, the Bible
solemnly informs us that Isa. 42 was fulfilled when the Messiah came: That it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet. Therefore, we are
certain that the prophecies of Isa. 11 and Isa. 42 find their fulfillment in
Christ's coming as the Messiah and in the fact that Gentiles as well as a
remnant from national Israel make up the Israel of God. Note the language of
Isa. 11:12:
And he
shall set up an ensign for the nations and shall assemble the outcasts of
Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth.
Here God speaks of
assembling the outcasts of Israel and gathering the dispersed of Judah from the
four corners of the earth. The context surely indicates that they are gathered
together to be saved. Salvation comes to all who believe on Christ whether of
national Israel or of any other nation. But in this passage, all of those who
have believed are looked upon as Israel or Judah. This conclusion is in perfect
harmony with everything we have already discovered in our study.
Israel and
Judah Can Refer to All Who Believe in Christ
We can easily see why the
believers in Christ are called Judah. Jesus, our Head, is of the tribe of Judah.
He is intimately associated with Judah. Thus, since we who believe on Him are
citizens of the kingdom of Christ, we, too, may be called Judah. In fact, the
citizens of national Israel were called Jews because they were identified with
Judah, and since we who believe in Christ are called Jews, we may be called
Judah as well.
While we are on the subject
of the beautiful prophecies of Isaiah that relate to the plan of salvation, we
will look at Luke 4:17-21, where Jesus
is reading from the Old Testament:
And
there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had
opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord
is upon
me, because he hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he
closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the
eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began
to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
This Scripture is a
quotation from Isa. 61:1-2, which
promises:
The
spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound; To proclaim the acceptable year or the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn.
Isaiah 61 Anticipates God's
Wonderful New Testament Salvation Plan
Some theologians observe
that when our Lord read from Isaiah, He read only the first half of verse 2.
They believe that this implies that the last half of verse 2, together with the
rest of Isa. 61, will not have fulfillment until some future time.
This conclusion is quite
erroneous. Let us see why. When we look at other verses in Isa. 61, it can be
seen that they also relate to Jesus as the Savior, and to the New Testament body
of believers, which includes a remnant from national Israel and Gentiles.
A few examples from Isa. 61
will show this. Verse 2 speaks of a day of vengeance. The day of the vengeance
is Judgment Day, when God's wrath will be poured out on the unsaved. The last
day of this earth's existence is Judgment Day. But so was the cross Judgment
Day. It was as real and awful as the final Judgment Day because at the cross,
Jesus suffered the wrath of God, the equivalent of eternity in hell, on behalf
of all who believe on Him. Therefore, we know that the phrase the day of
vengeance of our God can point to the cross.
This truth, that the day of
vengeance of our God can point to the cross, is further seen in
Isa. 35. The whole chapter gloriously
prophesies concerning the coming of Christ. In the heart of this chapter is
verse 4 in which God declares:
Say to
them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will
come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
God came in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ to provide the recompense (the payment) for our sins. God
came with vengeance and poured out His wrath on Christ for our sins. All of this
occurred because He came to save us. Indeed, the day of vengeance is a phrase
that rightfully can point to the cross.
The last phrase of Isa.
61:2 declares, to comfort all that mourn. The Lord Jesus quoted these words in
the Beatitudes in Matt. 5:4: Blessed are they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
The Beatitudes have in view
those who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who mourn
refers to those who weep as they see their sins and the wrath of God they so
rightly deserve. But God comforts us by bringing salvation. God speaks
dramatically of the fact that those who have been comforted are those who have
been saved; He says in Isa. 40:1-2:
Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and
cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
Those whose iniquity has
been pardoned are only those who have been saved. Thus, we can be certain that
the last phrase of Isa. 61:2, to comfort all that mourn, also speaks of the
grand event of Christ being our Savior.
As we continue to look at
Isa. 61, we will see more evidence that
this chapter is focused on the coming of Jesus as our Savior.
Verses 4-5 declare:
And they
shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they
shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And
strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be
your plowmen and your vinedressers.
This prophecy, together
with similar language found in other places such as Jer. 30:18 and Amos 9:11, is
referred to in Acts 15:16, where the New Testament church is grappling with the
issue of Gentiles becoming believers. The leaders of the church met in Jerusalem
to study this phenomenon and the Apostle James, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, declared in Acts 15:16-18:
After
this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is
fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon
whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto
God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Since these verses address
the question the church faced in Acts 15, that is, Gentiles becoming saved, we
can know that the language used in Acts 15:16, which speaks of rebuilding the
tabernacle and its ruins, must be a word picture depicting the building of the
church from people of every nation. By this declaration, we are informed that
the Old Testament language which promises the rebuilding of David's tabernacle
or raising up the former desolations does not point to the rebuilding of a
material, physical city or tabernacle; rather, it points to the building of the
house of God or the city of God. That house or city is the body of believers.
This conclusion harmonizes perfectly with all our other conclusions in this
study.
Returning to
Isa. 61, we can now see why verse 9
promises:
And
their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the
people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which
the LORD hath blessed.
Verse 9 also must be
speaking of the salvation that was brought by Christ as He died for our sins.
Thus wherever we look in Isa. 61 we see a relationship to our salvation which
was accomplished because our Savior went to the cross.
Isaiah 49
Prophesies God's Salvation Program
Before we leave Isaiah, we
will look at Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas were bringing the Gospel, and they
observed in Acts 13:47:
For so
hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the
Gentiles that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
This is a quotation from
Isa. 49:6, where God promised:
And
he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of
the earth.
Isa. 49
is a dramatic passage that presents the coming Messiah as the suffering servant.
Verse 2 declares:
And he
hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me,
and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.
Remember, God teaches in
Rev. 19:15 that when Christ comes on the clouds of glory, He will have a sharp
sword protruding from His mouth. That sword is the Word of God. Therefore, Isa.
49:2 is speaking of Christ coming as the Word of God. As we have already seen,
verse 6 teaches us that His coming was to bring salvation to the world.
Verse 3 of Isa. 49 declares
that this servant is Israel: And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in
whom I will be glorified. Earlier in our study, we determined that Israel means
Prince of God. Christ is the Prince of God. Therefore, we are not surprised to
see that He is called Israel in this verse.
Because Christ is also
called Israel, it logically follows that verse 6 speaks of the believers who
will come to Him as being not only the Gentiles who will come to His light but
also as the tribes of Jacob and the preserved of Israel. This accords with the
earlier passages we studied which speak of the body of believers as Israel. It
conveys the additional information that the body of believers may be called
Jacob insofar as God's definitions are concerned. This language also suggests
that Christ is sometimes called Israel in the Bible and that He at times is
called Jacob. Even as the believers are the preserved who belong to Israel
(Christ), so, too, they are the tribes of Jacob; that is, they are the tribes
who belong to Jacob (Christ). Later, we will see the significance of this as we
look at the meaning of Jer. 30:7 which discusses Jacob's trouble.
As we study any part of the
Bible, we must remember that it is imperative that we understand the Old
Testament prophecies in the light of New Testament information or commentary.
This is vital if we are to be certain we have obtained a true perspective of the
Scriptures. Those who have failed to follow this principle have arrived at
warped conclusions concerning national Israel and the very nature of salvation.
I believe the chief reason
the premillennial view of Christ's return can be proven to be unbiblical in so
many ways is that it has as its foundation an entirely wrong interpretation of
the Old Testament verses we have been studying. They have interpreted these
verses, which speak of a future for Israel, without allowing the New Testament
teachings to be brought to bear on them.
When we diligently apply
the principle of comparing Scripture with Scripture, we see that God's
definition of terms such as Jew, Israel, Jacob, and Judah can apply not only to
national Israel but also to Jesus Himself. Moreover, they can apply to the body
of believers, which consists of saved Jews and saved Gentiles. This information
puts us on guard as we read either the Old Testament or the New Testament. When
any of these words are used, we must carefully examine the immediate context as
well as the whole Bible to try to discover who or what is in view. Is national
Israel in view, or the whole body of believers, or Jesus, Himself?
We have also begun to learn
that passages such as Gen. 17, which tell us of God's covenant with Abraham and
his seeds are concerned altogether with God's salvation program. This conclusion
is supported by a whole host of Biblical references. It is the grand theme that
permeates the Bible. Amazingly, every passage we looked at except for the few
which we examined at the beginning of Chapter 1, was immediately concerned with
the salvation Christ came to provide.
We Visit
Ezekiel 37
Now that we have begun to
understand how we are to proceed with a study of Old Testament prophecies, let
us look at Ezek. 37, which speaks of future blessing for Israel and Judah. This
chapter is used by premillennial theologians as evidence that God has promised a
glorious future for national Israel. Utilizing the principle that all Scripture
is to be interpreted by all Scripture, we will answer the question: Are their
conclusions accurate?
Which Israel and which
Judah are in view in Ezek. 37? Is it national Israel, as many theologians of
today believe? Is it the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it the whole body of believers
which became the New Testament church?
Ezek. 37 is divided into
two sections. The first fourteen verses are concerned with the resurrection of
the house of Israel and placing them in their land. Verses 15-28 deal with
bringing Judah and Israel into their land so that they are one kingdom ruled
over by David forevermore. Let us examine each of these two prophecies.
The Valley
of Dry Bones
Ezek. 37 opens with the
information that Ezekiel, a prophet of God, was brought to a valley full of dry
bones, which is a picture of death. It is a picture of hopelessness. There is no
evidence of any kind of life.
Then God told
Ezekiel in verses 3-6:
And he
said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou
knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, O
ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these
bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I
will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with
skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the
LORD.
Ezekiel then prophesied (to
prophesy is to declare the Word of God) to these dead bones and they came
together and flesh came upon them and they were covered with skin. But no breath
was in them.
Ezek.
37:7-8: So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And
when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Thereupon, Ezekiel was
commanded to prophesy to the wind (ruach, which is the normal Hebrew word for
spirit or breath), in Ezek. 37:9 Come from the
four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So he prophesied, in Ezek. 37:10, and the breath [ruach] came into them, and
they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
God then told
Ezekiel in verses 11-14:
Then he
said unto me, Son of man these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they
say, Our bones are dried and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my
people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of our graves, and
bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I
have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And
shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own
land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith
the LORD.
Who Is the Whole House of
Israel?
Immediately questions begin
to multiply. Who is the whole house of Israel? What is the land of Israel that
is in view? When is this great event going to happen?
The first truth we must
realize is that God is speaking of a people who were dead and whom God brings to
life. To come to life after being dead is to be resurrected. Therefore, they are
a people who have experienced a resurrection.
Secondly, they come to life
because Ezekiel, the prophet of the Lord, prophesies (declares God's Word) to
them (verses 4-7). Thirdly, they are those who hear the Word of the Lord (verse
4). Fourthly, they are spoken of by God as My people (verses 12-13). Fifthly,
after they have been resurrected, they will be placed in their own land (verse
12). Sixthly, God's Spirit will indwell them (verse 14). These, I believe, are
the essential characteristics and experiences of those who are called "the whole
house of Israel" in verse 11.
The essential all-important
question is: Who is Israel? There are three possibilities. Israel can refer to
the ten tribes which constituted the northern kingdom after the death of
Solomon; or Israel could be all twelve tribes of national Israel; or Israel
could be the whole body of believers in Christ who are also called the house of
Israel.
Let us assume that either
the ten tribes or the twelve tribes are in view, that is, the blood descendants
of Abraham, and not the seed of Abraham which is constituted of believers in
Christ.
Having made this
assumption, we must answer the question: Does national Israel, either as ten
tribes or as twelve tribes, satisfy the language the whole house of Israel?
Immediately, of course, we can exclude the ten tribes because they were only a
part of the whole of national Israel. Ten tribes could never be the whole house
of Israel. We must conclude, therefore, that if national Israel is in view in
these verses, it must be all twelve tribes. Let us consider national Israel as
it has existed throughout time.
Is National Israel the Whole
House of Israel?
Dr. Dwight Pentecost, a
leading teacher of the premillennial view of Christ's return, in his book Things
to Come, * writes:
In this connection a word is
necessary concerning Ezekiel 37 the vision of the valley of dry bones. It is
held by some that the mention of graves in Ezekiel 37:13-14 would seem to show
that resurrection is in view here, for it does not seem to mean a place among
the nations, but rather a place of burial. However the bones are not seen in a
grave, but scattered over the valley. Ezekiel must be using the figure of burial
and resurrection here to teach restoration.
In the explanation of the
vision [verses 21-22], Ezekiel clearly explains that restoration is in view. It
would be concluded here that Ezekiel is speaking of restoration and not
resurrection.
Dr. Pentecost further
explains that national Israel will be regathered in unbelief to their land (page
295). There they apparently will be restored, as a nation to a righteous
relationship with Christ. This will be presumably at or just before a future
1,000 year reign of Christ on this earth.
Let us examine this
conclusion to see if it accords with Scripture. National Israel has existed
since Abraham was circumcised in 2068 B.C. Therefore, they have a history
covering about 4,000 years. Their average population during this period was
maybe two million people. In a 4,000-year span of time there would have been
perhaps as many as a hundred generations. Thus, the total number of the whole
house of national Israel could approximate as many as 200 million people.
Is God teaching us that all
these Israelites, who have died and whose bones are now in the earth, will
someday be resurrected and be brought back to their land? This must be our
understanding if the whole house of Israel refers to national Israel. This would
mean that those Israelites who perished in unbelief, and those Israelites like
the scribes of Jesus' day who had committed the unpardonable sin (Mark 3:22-30),
would all have great blessings still to come to them in the future.
Surely this line of
reasoning is preposterous. Nowhere does the Bible teach that those who have died
in unbelief will escape eternal damnation. The Bible insists that from national
Israel a remnant is chosen by grace. God speaks of those in national Israel who
have become believers in Rom. 11:5: even so then at this present time also there
is a remnant according to the election of grace. A remnant is only a small part
of the whole. Therefore under no circumstance may we look at the whole house of
Israel as being national Israel.
Moreover, the conclusion
that the whole house of Israel is national Israel does not take into account all
of the language of Ezek. 37:1-14. Verse 11 of Ezek. 37 expressly speaks of the
whole house of Israel. Premillennialists frequently contend that Ezek. 37 will
find fulfillment during the final tribulation period when the nation of Israel
will turn as a nation to Christ as Savior. But the blood descendants of Abraham
who are living during the final tribulation period surely are not the whole
house of Israel. They represent only a tiny part of the whole house of Israel.
Furthermore in verse 25, we
see that when Israel returns to their land they are to dwell there forever.
Since this earth and the whole universe are to be burned with fire when Christ
returns (II Peter 3) in no way could the physical land of Israel located along
the shore of the Mediterranean Sea be in view because it will be destroyed by
fire. The only way we can understand language that speaks of the land for ever
is to remember what we learned
from Gen. 17, where God
speaks of Abraham and his seed inheriting the land as an everlasting covenant.
We saw that Gen. 17 had God's plan of salvation for the whole world in view.
Therefore, we can be certain that national Israel was not in view in Gen. 17,
and they are not in view in Ezek. 37 which speaks of the whole house of Israel.
Since national Israel is
not in view in these verses of Ezek. 37, we have no alternative but to believe
that the house of Israel which God has in mind is the body of believers from
every nation who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Earlier in our study we
discovered that Israel frequently is the name assigned to those who have trusted
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believers
in Christ Are the Whole House of Israel
Does the body of believers
composed of saved people from every nation fit the description of the whole
house of Israel? Our answer must be, Indeed, it does. As we saw earlier in our
study, Jesus declared He was sent "but" to the house of Israel and He came to
the Syrophenician woman and to the Samaritans. In fact, He sent the disciples to
the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Are they the whole house of
Israel? Indeed, they are. God has a precise plan of salvation that includes all
who are predestinated to be saved. They are God's elect, who were chosen from
before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). They were given to Christ by the
Father, and Jesus declared He would lose none of them (John 6:37-39). Indeed,
the believers in Christ meet the definition of being the whole house of Israel.
As we look at the truth
that the whole house of Israel spoken of in Ezek. 37 consists of all who believe
in Christ, we find they have all the characteristics presented in Ezek. 37.
Remembers verses 1 to 13 speak of the house of Israel being in graves; that is
they are dead. Were those who have come to life in Christ dead? Indeed, they
were. The Bible declares in Eph. 2:1: And you hath he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins.
God further emphasizes in
Eph. 2:5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved).
Spiritually all of mankind
are dead in their sins. We are dead because we have rebelled against God; we
have sinned. The law of God declares that the wages of sin is death. While in
the Garden of Eden, Adam was told in Gen. 2:17:
But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Spiritually, Adam became
dead before God from the moment he sinned. He was slain by God spiritually
because he dared to disobey God. Since all of us come from the loins of Adam, we
are equally spiritually dead. The evidence of mankind's deadness is seen in that
we die physically and in that we will endure damnation eternally.
Ezek. 37 speaks of the
whole house of Israel having the Word of God brought to them, which they hear,
and which causes them to be resurrected. Does this apply to believers in Christ?
All
Believers Have Experienced the Resurrection
Indeed, this does apply to
all believers. God normally saves us through the preaching of the Word (Rom.
10:17). He gives us ears to hear and the will and strength to respond to the
Word. He raises us from spiritual death to eternal life. Eph. 1:5: Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself
according to the good pleasure of his will.
Our Redeemer, the Lord
Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead; that is, He experienced the
resurrection. If we have been raised with Him, then we have experienced the
resurrection. At the moment of salvation we receive our new souls. We become new
creatures in Christ. We are born from above by the will of God.
John 5:24 says it so well:
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.
If we were dead and now are
alive, the inescapable conclusion must be that we have experienced the
resurrection. There is no way around this conclusion.
Jesus speaks very
succinctly to this question. In John 5:25
He declares:
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear
the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
In this passage, the only
dead being raised are those who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It
is a beautiful declaration that shows the fulfillment of the resurrection which
God had promised in Ezek. 37:1-14.
Col.
2:12 speaks of this
resurrection:
Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
This same fact is reiterated
by the exhortation in Col. 3:1: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Do the believers in Christ
meet the requirement in Ezek. 37:12-13 of being called by God my people? Indeed,
they do. When we looked at Hosea 2:23 in the light of Rom. 9:25, we saw that God
meant all believers when He used the term my people. It was His people that
Jesus came to save, which we read in Matt. 1:21:
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he
shall save his people from their sins.
In Ezek. 37:14 God says He
will put His Spirit in those who have been resurrected. Is this requirement met
by all those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ? Wonderfully, yes. The
characteristic of the child of God is that he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Rom. 8:9 teaches that if we do not have His Spirit, we are none of His.
All
Believers Have Been Brought into the Land of Israel
Have we who have believed
in Jesus been brought into the land of Israel as Ezek. 37:12 prophesies? This
question requires a somewhat longer explanation.
Earlier in our study, we
discovered that the land that had been given to all believers as well as to
Abraham was the new heaven and the new earth. We come into this inheritance at
the end of time, when we will have received our resurrected bodies. It is the
final fulfillment of our salvation. It is in this sense that God speaks of the
land in His promise to Abraham.
God uses the term land in
another sense, which is related to and actually anticipates the meaning in Gen.
17. Let me explain.
In the Book of Joshua, we
have the account of Israel's conquest of the land of Canaan. The Israelites had
left Egypt, the house of bondage, and had entered the land of Canaan, which had
been given to them. It was necessary for them to conquer the land and finally
they became substantially victorious. Then we read in Joshua 11:23:
So Joshua took the whole
land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an
inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the
land rested from war.
And in Joshua 14:15:
And the name of Hebron
before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the
land had rest from war.
The New Testament
commentary on these verses is found in Heb.
4:8-10:
For if
Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of
another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that
is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his.
Here we are taught that God
typifies the rest we have in Christ by the rest the Israelites enjoyed in
Canaan. In other words our salvation is typified by the land of Canaan. Thus, in
the Bible, language that concerns the land can refer to salvation.
Of course, we must remember
that the land of Canaan in the ultimate sense typifies the new heaven and the
new earth, which is a guaranteed inheritance for those who have become saved.
The new heaven and the new earth, where we will dwell eternally with God, is an
extension of heaven, where God now dwells. The Bible teaches that at the moment
of salvation, we become citizens of heaven. Phil. 3:20: For our conversation is
in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. God
shows us that our homeland has become heaven by His statement
in Eph. 2:5-6:
Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus.
This surprising declaration
emphasizes that we reign with Christ from the moment we become saved. Eph.
1:20-22 shows that Christ is seated at the right hand of God, ruling over
everything in this age and in the world to come. Therefore if Christ is reigning
and we are seated with Him, then we are also reigning. We have been assigned the
task, however, of first serving as ambassadors of Christ to this sin-cursed
world. Only when our work is ended can we go home to heaven.
The Land
Is Christ's Kingdom which Believers Enter at Salvation
Col. 1:13 declares: Who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son. In this beautiful statement, God informs us that those
who have become believers are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of
heaven is more substantial and real than any political kingdom for it will
continue eternally.
The kingdom of heaven is
the kingdom we enter into by being born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). It
is the kingdom that is constantly referred to in the New Testament. It is the
kingdom that Christ established by going to the cross. It is the kingdom He
rules over as King. It is a kingdom composed of all who have become born from
above.
Because the kingdom of
heaven is a substantial and real kingdom, with Christ reigning over it as King,
its citizens are spoken of as being in a land. It is not a land occupied by
existing political kingdoms; it is a spiritual land that today is the wonderful
relationship we have with Christ. After Judgment Day, it will find its permanent
homeland in Christ, as He rules over the new heaven and the new earth.
Therefore, we can conclude
that the phrase come into the land is language that can be speaking of an
historical entrance into the physical, material land of Canaan. Or equally, the
phrase can refer to entrance into salvation. Or it could have reference to the
completion of our salvation at the time we enter the new heavens and the new
earth.
The fact that the phrase
the land could have reference either to salvation itself or to the completion of
our salvation is paralleled by other language that described salvation as a
present reality as well as a bestowal from God in the future. In
Rom. 8, for example, we read that those
who have been saved have become adopted as children.
Verses 15 and 16 state:
For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage against fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Verse 23
declares: And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body.
Comparing these two
passages, we learn that when we became saved, we were immediately adopted into
God's family. We learn also that we must be adopted into His family at some time
in the future.
Likewise, when we have been
saved, we have entered the land, but our inheritance of the land will not be
complete until our salvation has been completed. That will become a reality when
we receive our resurrected bodies and enter into the new heaven and the new
earth.
Returning to Ezek. 37:12,
we see that the phrase bring you into the land of Israel has to do with
salvation, even as the resurrection described in this chapter has to do with
salvation. The whole house of Israel which means everyone whom God has elected
to salvation, will come into the land; that is, they will be saved.
We have seen that every
phrase of the first fourteen verses of Ezek. 37 can be clearly understood when
we learn that God is describing His wonderful salvation plan which is to be
available to the whole house of Israel, that is, to all who will become
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel
37:15-28 Can Refer Only to God's Salvation Program
Beginning in verse 15 of
Ezek. 37, God again is making promises that relate to Israel. Will our earlier
conclusion, that God has already kept all of His promises insofar as national
Israel's relationship to the land is concerned, stand close scrutiny in light of
these verses? Indeed it will, as we shall discover.
The opening verses of this
passage appear to have only national Israel in view. During the days of David
and Solomon, the nation of Israel consisted of one unified kingdom. However,
upon Solomon's death, in the year 931 B.C., the kingdom was divided into two
nations. Ten of the tribes, including the dominant tribe Ephraim, with their
capital in Samaria, continued to be called the nation of Israel. Two of the
tribes, including the dominant tribe Judah, with their capital in Jerusalem,
became the nation of Judah. This division of Israel into two nations continued
to the end of their respective national existences as independent nations.
The nation of Israel, the
ten tribes, was destroyed and taken captive by the Assyrians in 709 B.C. A
little more than one hundred years later, the nation of Judah, which was also
called Israel after the destruction of the ten tribes, came under attack and
harassment by the Babylonians. In 587 B.C., the nation of Judah was destroyed
and taken captive by the Babylonians. Ezek. 37 was penned just before the
destruction of Judah.
The Two
Sticks
In this context, God is
speaking through the priest Ezekiel and says in Ezek. 37:19-22:
Say unto them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD, Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even
with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick and they shall be one in mine
hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their
eyes. And say unto them, 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: 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.
As indicated earlier, at
first blush this language appears to relate only to national Israel. Indeed if
we stopped reading at verse 22, this could be our conclusion. But when we
continue to read, we learn that the language that is used to describe this
uniting of Judah and Israel relates to salvation. Verse 23 prophesies:
Neither shall they defile
themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with
any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling
places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse then: so shall they be my
people, and I will be their God.
This is the language of
salvation. The phrase I will save them is completely identified with salvation.
The phrase wherein they have sinned also is intimately associated with the
message of redemption. Before we are saved, we are dwelling in our own house
that is in our own life and it is a sinful life. Christ came to save us from a
life of sin.
Likewise, the phrase and
will cleanse them is altogether related to salvation. You will recall Titus 3:5,
which beautifully declares:
Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
The phrase so shall they be
my people also is totally involved with salvation. We learned earlier when we
studied Hosea 2:23, which speaks of my people, in the light of Rom. 9:25 and I
Peter 2:10, that the phrase my people refers to all believers in Christ.
In a letter to the church
in Corinth, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in
II Cor. 6:16:
And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living
God; as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people.
In this verse, by the words
as God hath said, God is showing us that He is quoting from the Old Testament.
Some of this quotation comes directly from Ezek. 37:23, where God is
prophesying, so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Since II Cor. 6 is
addressed to Gentiles as well as Jews it is teaching us that the phrase I will
be their God, and they shall be my people, relates to all believers.
We have seen that verse 23
of Ezek. 37 declares that the promises concerning the reuniting of Judah and
Israel in their own land point directly to the salvation that would be provided
by Christ who came as the Savior.
Judah and
Israel: All Believers in Christ
As we saw earlier in this
study, the name Judah does not only refer to the nation that existed from 931
B.C. to 587 B.C., it can also refer to all who have placed their trust in
Christ. Before we are saved, we are scattered amongst the heathen or nations of
the world. After we are saved and cleansed of our sins, we enter the nation of
Israel which is the land of salvation, the kingdom of God.
Likewise, when God speaks
of Israel, the tribes which made up the nation of Israel during the period from
931 B.C. to 709 B.C. can be in view. But the name Israel can be equally assigned
to those scattered throughout the world who are brought into salvation.
Thus, in Ezek. 37:15-22,
God seems to be speaking of national Judah and national Israel but when we read
verse 23, which declares how the promises of the earlier verses will be
accomplished then we know that God is speaking of salvation which came to the
world through the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we have understood Ezek.
37:23 correctly, then we know that verses 15 to 22, which speak of uniting Judah
and Israel, cannot refer to a political reunification of the two kingdoms. Judah
and Israel must make reference to the elect who will be gathered from every
nation and kingdom of the world into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
elect are typified by ancient Judah and Israel.
We have looked at verse 23,
but what about the rest of Ezek. 37?
Does it support our conclusion that this whole passage is focused on the coming
of Christ as Redeemer? We read in verses 24 and
25:
And
David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd:
they shall also walk in my judgments. and observe my statutes, and do them. And
they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein
your fathers
have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even
they, and their children and their children's children forever: and my servant
David shall be their prince for ever.
The Lord
Jesus Christ, Typified by David, Will Be King Forever
In these verses, we see
that David, God's servant, is to be king over them. Verse 22 says that one king
shall be king to them all. These verses make reference to David as king. Does
this mean that David, who ruled over ancient Israel, is to be resurrected to
rule over a united Judah and Israel? Earlier in our study, we saw that those who
have died will not be resurrected until the last day. Thus, if David himself in
view, then it would have to be speaking of the new heavens and the new earth. If
that were true, this prophecy could have no fulfillment in time.
The conclusion that King
David, who ruled over ancient Israel, is to rule again over Israel appears to be
supported by the phrase, and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. We
learned earlier that the new heavens and the new earth (which must be in view
when the Bible uses the word forever), relate to salvation. When we become
saved, David does not become our king; Christ becomes our King. How can this be
resolved?
We must bear in mind that
God frequently uses a type when He speaks of an antitype. For example, God
speaks of Elijah coming in Mal. 4, verses 5 and 6:
Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The New Testament
commentary on these verses tells us that an angel informed Zacharias that he
would have a son and he was to name him John. Concerning this son, who became
John the Baptist, the angel declared in Luke
1:17:
And he
shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Comparing Luke 1:17 with
Mal. 4:5-6, we see that the Elijah of Mal. 4 was John the Baptist. In Mal. 4,
God speaks of John the Baptist as Elijah because John was typified by Elijah.
Elijah was the type which pointed to the antitype, John the Baptist.
The fact that Elijah
typified John the Baptist is also seen in the language of
Matt. 11:12-14, where we read:
And from
the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
When God speaks of David in
Ezek. 37:24-25, He has the Lord Jesus Christ in view; Christ was typified by
David. Jesus is the King who rules over all believers, who have become Israel.
When Christ came, He was called the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Acts 5:31 speaks
of Christ: Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
The Lord
Jesus Christ Will Come as Shepherd
Verse 24 of Ezek. 37
informs us that they all shall have one shepherd. Who came as the Good Shepherd?
In John 10:1-16, our Lord talks about His sheep and says that He is the Good
Shepherd. Verse 11 says; I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep, which helps us to understand Ezek. 37.
Ezek. 34:11-16 also makes a promise and
declares that God Himself is the Shepherd:
For thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them
out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep
that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of
all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will
bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will
bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the
rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a
good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there
shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the
mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down,
saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was
lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which
was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat
and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
In this beautiful and
significant prophecy we are informed that God will be the Shepherd who will
search out the sheep. Christ, who declared that He was the Good Shepherd, is the
fulfillment of these Ezekiel passages. In Ezek. 37:24-25, God is promising that
Christ, who was typified by David, will be King as well as Shepherd over all who
become believers.
Those Who
Believe in Christ Will Be Given the Land Forever
In
Ezek. 37:24-25, we read the promise:
And
David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd:
they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And
they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein
your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their
children and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be
their prince for ever.
Note how parallel this
promise is to the promise made to Jacob in Gen.
28:13:
And,
behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy
father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed.
Earlier in our study we
learned that this verse and other similar verses relate altogether to salvation.
How consistent God is in repeating His promises! Because Gen. 28:13 relates to
salvation, we know that the language of Ezek. 37:25 relates to salvation. Verses
24 and 25 of Ezek. 37 are entirely in harmony with verse 23, wherein every
phrase relates to the salvation which would be provided by our Lord Jesus Christ
who came to pay for our sins.
But Ezek. 37 has more to
say that underscores the truth that these promises relate to salvation. Verse 26
tells us:
Moreover I will make a
covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and
I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of
them for evermore.
This verse assures us that
salvation is in view in that it says: I will . . . set my sanctuary in the midst
of them for evermore. Thus, eternity must be in view and eternity always relates
to salvation.
What is the sanctuary or
temple that will be in the midst of the believers forever? Jesus called Himself
a temple when He told the Jewish leaders in John 2:19: Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up. The Bible then tells us in John 2:21: But he
spake of the temple of his body.
How clearly we are taught
that Jesus is the Temple or Sanctuary. He will dwell forever. God speaks of the
new heavens and the new earth and declares in
Rev. 21:22: And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are the temple of it.
How marvelously all the
Scriptures mesh together once we see that the dominant subject of the Bible is
God's magnificent salvation plan!
God's
Covenant of Peace with all Believers
Returning to Ezek. 37, we
read that God will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them. What is this covenant of peace? An everlasting
covenant must relate to salvation because only salvation is everlasting. How
does salvation relate to peace? When the angels announced the exciting news of
Jesus' birth, they said to the shepherds, Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14).
The covenant of peace is
the covenant of salvation. Before we are saved, we are citizens of the dominion
of Satan who is at war with God. Christ came, as it were, with the peace treaty.
When we become saved we are no longer at war with God. When we are saved, we are
taken out of the dominion of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's
dear Son (Col. 1:13). Isa. 40:2 says it
so well:
Speak ye
comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double
for all her sins.
This is the everlasting
covenant of peace that God speaks of in Ezek. 34:25-26. God emphasizes that all
of Ezek. 37 is focused on the glorious salvation that would be provided by our
Lord Jesus. It is the same covenant we studied earlier in Gen. 17. The covenant
made with Abraham and the covenant of peace are one and the same.
Verse 27 of Ezek. 37
further reinforces our conclusion that this entire passage relates to salvation.
In this verse, God tells us:
My tabernacle also shall be
with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Christ is the tabernacle
that is with us. I will be their God, and they shall be my people, is a
reiteration of verse 23, which we learned is wholly related to salvation.
Ezek.
37:28 tells us:
And the
heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall
be in the midst of them for evermore.
When Christ the Sanctuary is
in the midst of the believers forever, it will be in the new heavens and the new
earth, and all the nations will know that Christ is Lord.
Phil. 2:9-10 says:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.
All the nations will know
that Christ is Lord when He comes to judge them on the last day. Unfortunately,
it will be too late for salvation, but they will know that Christ had come as
Savior. They will know that Christ had come to sanctify, or set apart for His
service, a people called Israel, the Israel that includes all who will ever
believe in Christ.
We have shown that every
part of Ezek. 37 can be understood plainly when we
follow the principle of
interpreting Scripture with Scripture. By carefully examining each phrase in the
light of the New Testament commentary, we have seen that everything in Ezek. 37
points to salvation. Thus, the Judah and Israel that are presented in this
chapter are not national Israel. The Judah and Israel presented in this chapter
are all the people who believe on Christ as Savior.
Ezekiel 37 Does Not Suggest
a Glorious Future for National Israel
We have carefully studied
Ezek. 37 because premillennialists typically use this chapter to suggest that
God still has a wonderful plan for national Israel. In our study, however, we
have found that this chapter relates entirely to the coming of Christ to be our
Savior and to the salvation He has so graciously provided.
Those who hold the
premillennial position assert that they differ from the amillennialists in that
the former look at prophecy literally, whereas the latter spiritualize prophecy.
They fail to realize that there are many passages the premillennialists
spiritualize. For example, they do not expect a literal resurrection of the dry
bones of Ezek. 37:1-12.
On the other hand, the
amillennialists look at many prophetic passages that deal with Christ's return
very literally. The resurrection of the last day as recorded in John 6 is a very
literal resurrection. The resurrection of Daniel 12:2 is also to be regarded as
a very literal resurrection.
I have become utterly
convinced that the difference between the amillennial and the premillennial
views is not due to literal versus spiritual interpretation; the difference in
the two views has to do with the issue of the use of the whole Bible to
interpret the Scriptures.
As I studied premillenial
books, I discovered that conclusions are derived from Old Testament passages
such as Gen. 17 or Ezek. 37 with no serious attempt to study the New Testament
commentary on these Old Testament passages. Thus, I am afraid that doctrine is
being taught that has not been arrived at by comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Conclusions will be in
error if they are not made in the light of everything the Bible the offers on
the subject. It is a cardinal principle that we must compare Scripture with
Scripture. Therefore, we dare not arrive at conclusions concerning Gen. 17 or
Ezek. 37 or any other Old Testament passage until we have carefully taken into
account every New Testament phrase that is associated with the prophecy being
studied.
In our study, we are
beginning to learn that the Old Testament is just as concerned with salvation as
the New Testament. Oh, yes, it is much easier to read the Old Testament without
doing the necessary work of searching the New Testament for God's explanation of
the Old Testament. Only as we do this patiently will we come to truth. If we do
not do this, we will teach error. It is imperative that we examine every part of
the Bible in light of everything in the Bible that might relate to the verse in
question.
God's
Plan to Evangelize the World
We will begin this chapter
with a study of a few words and phrases that will help us to understand some Old
Testament passages which many people believe refer to a glorious future for
national Israel. We shall see that the fulfillment of these passages centers on
the New Testament, after Christ came as our Redeemer and as the Gospel goes into
all the world.
The Phrase
Pour Out His Spirit Points to God's Salvation Plan
The Old Testament has a
number of references to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. While it should be
easy to recognize that these references anticipated the sending forth of the
Gospel into the world after the ascension of our Lord unfortunately, many people
believe these Old Testament passages require a future fulfillment centered
around national Israel.
Study of the Biblical
language that relates to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit reveals that
passages such as Gen. 17 and Ezek. 37 anticipated God's program to evangelize
the world.
We read how God began His
program to bring the Gospel to the world in Acts 2, where the Bible quotes Joel
2 and records that God poured out His Spirit. Paul, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, explains the momentous event and declares in
Acts 2:16-21:
But this
is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the
last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will
pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew
wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire, and
vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Since this is a quotation
from the Old Testament Book of Joel (Chapter 2, verses 28-32), we have assurance
that Joel 2 must be promising and pointing to the beginning of the great event
of the Gospel of salvation being sent into all the world.
We will briefly study the
promise of the poured-out Holy Spirit in the Book of Joel to see how it relates
to God's program of salvation for the world.
The Book
of Joel Warns of Coming Judgment
God begins the Book of Joel
by warning of impending judgment. This impending judgment is presented in a
multi-layered fashion that points first to the destruction of ancient Israel by
the Assyrians and the Babylonians and ultimately to the judgment that all
peoples of the world must face on the last day when God will judge the nations.
Two aspects of God's final
judgment are in view. The first is the judgment that will come upon God's
people, who are constituted as congregations, and the second is Judgment Day.
Ancient Israel was the
corporate, external representation of the kingdom of God on earth in the Old
Testaments and the churches and denominations which are reasonably true to God's
Word are the external representatives of the kingdom of God on earth today.
Ancient Israel, which typified the New Testament church was destroyed by the
Assyrians and Babylonians who typify the dominion of Satan. Just before Judgment
Day, the churches and denominations will be destroyed by Satan's kingdom as
Satan comes with false gospels to ravage the churches which will become
increasingly apostate as we approach the end of time. This sad situation will
come to full flower during the final tribulation period, which I believe we are
in now, just prior to Judgment Day.
The terrible judgment that
came upon Israel and which points to the final tribulation period, is seen in:
Joel
1:10: The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new
wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
Joel
1:12: The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree,
the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are
withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
Joel
1:17: The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the
barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
In these verses, corn, wine,
oil, and seed, are references to the Gospel or the Word of God, which was in a
sorry state during the time Israel was besieged by the Assyrians and the
Babylonians. During the final tribulation period, the Gospel will be in an
equally sorry condition. A couple of references in the New Testament will show
us what is to happen during the final tribulation period. (Chapters 12 and 15
include greater details about the final tribulation.) Our Lord asks a rhetorical
question, which sets forth the spiritual condition of the world when Christ
returns, in Luke 18:8: "Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" In John 9:4, He
anticipates this condition: "the night cometh, when no man can work.
In the Bible, night and
darkness are synonyms for the rules of Satan. During the final tribulation
period, Satan is loosed to overrun the churches.
The first eleven verses of
Joel 2 are a dramatic warning of the reality and certainty of Judgment Day which
is coming not only upon the whole world but already in a sense rests upon the
unsaved. The warning of the coming of God in judgment is an important ingredient
in God's salvation plan. God declares in John
3:36:
He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The warning of impending
judgment in Joel l and Joel 2 sets the stage for the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ as He came to redeem a people for Himself from every nation of the world.
As stated previously, the
coming of God in judgment is typified in the Book of Joel by the Assyrian and
Babyloni
an armies which destroyed
the ten tribes of Israel in 709 B.C. and the nation of Judah in 587 B.C.
Joel 1:15 declares: Alas for the day! for the
day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it
come. These destructions of ancient Israel are presented in a
multi-layered fashion as they in turn are typified by a locust plague which in
turn is typified by a devastating fire.
Joel
2:7-9 describes the plague of locusts:
They
shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they
shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither
shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they
fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the
city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they
shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
In
Joel 2:5 the plague of locusts in
typified by fire:
Like the
noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a
flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle
array.
How can we know that the
plague of locusts typifies the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians or
Babylonians? God assures us that the Assyrians are typified by locusts in the
Book of Nahum. Nahum 3:15-17 speaks of
Assyria:
There
shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up
like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as
the locusts. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the
cankerworn spoileth, and fleeth away. Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy
captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day,
but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they
are.
The
Judgment on Israel Typifies God's Judgment on the World
How can we know that the
destruction of Israel by the enemy typifies Judgment Day at the end of the
world? The Bible gives a great deal of evidence to show this. For example, in
the opening chapters of Isaiah, God warns ancient Judah that the Babylonian
armies are going to destroy them because of their spiritual adulteries. God
declares in Isa. 5:13-14:
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and
their honourable men are famished and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and
their glory, and their multitudes and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall
descend into it.
God says that the
consequence of their sin is hell, but He also speaks of them going into
captivity. Thus, captivity is equated with hell. Their destruction and captivity
by the Babylonians become figures or types of Judgment Day when the unsaved will
be cast into hell.
That Judgment Day is in
view in Isa. 5 can be seen by the
warning in verses 24 and 25:
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaff,
so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust:
because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word
of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against
his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten
them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of
the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still.
God warns more specifically
of coming judgment in Joel 1:15:
Alas
for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the
Almighty shall it come.
This ominous declaration is
repeated in Joel 2:1-2:
Blow ye
the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh
at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong;
there hath not been ever the like neither shall be any more after it, even to
the years of many generations.
The day of the Lord is
Judgment Day, which will come upon the whole earth. Rev. 16:14 speaks of it as
that great day of God Almighty. In Rev. 6:12-17 God describes that awesome day
with language that is very similar to Joel 2:10. Verses 12 and 13 of Rev. 6
inform us:
Rev.
6:17 concludes the description of this awful day by stating:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The day of the Lord,
Judgment Day, was typified by the destruction of Israel at the hands of the
Assyrians and the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. These terrible events
left Israel in ruins with no apparent hope for the future.
But the certainty of
Judgment Day is not the only truth that God presents in His Word. God will have
mercy. There is a solution to the absolutely horrible doom awaiting mankind.
God's Call
to Repentance
The impending destruction of
Israel typifies impending doom for the sinner, and God's call to Israel to
repent to avert national destruction typifies God's call to the sinner to repent
of his sins. Joel 2:12-14 sets forth
this call to repentance:
Therefore
also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me
with all your heart, and with fasting,
and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments,
and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will
return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a
drink offering unto the LORD your God?
In Chapter 2 of Joel, we
see the overwhelming and abundant grace of God in His provision for salvation.
Joel 2:18 declares: Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his
people. Matt. 1:21 refers to His people: And she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name
JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
His people are those whom
Christ came to seek and to save. Likewise, we must understand His land is a
reference to the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was typified by the
land of Canaan. Joel 2:19:
Yea, the
LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold I will send you corn, and wine,
and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a
reproach among the heathen.
Corn, wine, and oil refer
to the Gospel which was to become abundantly available after Christ came as the
Messiah.
God's Plan
for Man's Escape from Judgment
Salvation is in view in
Joel 2:19, as can be seen, for example, in the last phrase of Joel 2:26 which is
repeated for emphasis in verse 27. The phrase, My people shall never be ashamed,
does not refer to the physical land; it relates to salvation. To be ashamed in
the Bible relates to being under the condemnation of God, that is, to be subject
to judgment. For example, we are taught about the relationship of shame to
judgment in Psalm 31:16-17:
Make thy
face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be
ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let
them be silent in the grave.
The New Testament
underscores this and indicates that it was first declared in the Old Testament.
In Rom. 10:11 God declares: For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him
shall not be ashamed. Thus, we see again how the New Testament guides us and
shows us we are on the right path.
Returning to Joel 2, in
verse 28, God teaches us how the escape from judgment will be provided. He also
displays the wonderful result of the escape from Judgment Day.
Joel 2:28-32 accords:
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.
These verses are quoted in
Acts 2 and fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was poured out. This dramatic event
signaled the beginning of God's program to evangelize the world.
How wonderful to read the
words, Whosoever shall call on the name of Lord shall be delivered. How merciful
God is! This is the language of salvation which is the major thrust of the Book
of Joel. The references in the Book of Joel to the fact that Judgment Day is
coming, emphasize the pressing need for salvation. Unless we find an escape from
Judgment Day, surely we will be cast into hell.
Note that Joel 2:31
contains the language of Joel 2:10, which warns that Judgment Day is coming.
Joel 2:10 declares:
The
earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon
shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The phrases in this verse
that speak of the sun, moon, and stars being darkened are used in the New
Testament in Matt. 24:29 and Rev. 6:12, and instruct us about Judgment Day, when
time will have come to an end. The timekeepers, the sun and moon, to which God
assigned the task of ruling over the day and night (Gen. 1:16-18), will be taken
out of commission. The stars will withdraw their shining and fall from heaven
(Matt. 24:29), because the universe will be collapsing. The time of the end of
this present earth will have come, and God will destroy it and create new
heavens and a new earth wherein the curse of sin has been removed (II Peter
3:7-13).
In Joel 2:28-32, God is not
speaking of Judgment Day at the end of time, He is speaking of Judgment Day
experienced by Christ on the cross. Because of sins, unsaved mankind will come
under the wrath of God on Judgment Day at the end of time. In Joel 2:28-32 God
is speaking of salvation which will come to those who have trusted in Christ as
Savior. Joel 2:32 says:
And it
shall come 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.
This dramatic statement
points right to the Lord Jesus Christ who faced the judgment throne of God to
pay for the sins of all who would believe on Him. He had become sin for us, and
in His atonement He was found guilty of these sins. Thus, sentence was passed.
He was condemned. He endured the wrath of God for our sins, the equivalent of
eternity in hell for all who would believe on Him. Joel 2:31 employs the
language of Judgment Day and warns: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and
the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
This is the language of
Judgment Day, but the content indicates very clearly that the Judgment Day that
God has in mind is that experienced by Christ on the cross because it was at the
cross that Jesus endured the wrath of God on behalf of all who would believe on
Him. The sun, and the moon were darkened at the cross, which underscores the
fact that Judgment Day was being experienced by Christ.
God's
Spirit Is Poured Out
In Joel 2:29, God says He
will pour out my spirit. How does this relate to God's salvation program? How
can God's Spirit be poured out?
God's Spirit is the Holy
Spirit. God the Holy Spirit has been, is, and always will be present in the
world. The Holy Spirit was present at creation (Gen. 1:2); He upholds the world
by His power (Psalm 104). The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He is not a quantity
of something that can be literally poured out. He is eternal God who is
everywhere present in the world.
But didn't Jesus say in
John 16:7 that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, must come? Doesn't Joel speak of
the pouring out of the Holy Spirit? How are we to understand these phrases?
The answers to these
questions must be seen in the fact that God uses various phrases to speak about
different aspects of the activities of God the Holy Spirit. Each phrase might be
called a technical phrase used to describe a particular work of God the Holy
Spirit. While it is beyond the scope of this study to develop this, it can be
shown that to be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be qualified to be a
witness of the Gospel. Likewise, those who have received the baptism in the Holy
Spirit are those who not only have become saved (that is, their sins have been
washed away), but they also have become identified with God's New Testament
program to evangelize the world.
In the same manner,
references in the Bible to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit relate to the work
of God the Holy Spirit in evangelizing the world. Until the Pentecost experience
recorded in Acts 2, it had not been God's program to send the Gospel into the
whole world; He dealt primarily with the nation of Israel.
The coming of Christ as the
Messiah ushered in God's program to evangelize the world. In the Bible
expressions concerning the coming of the Comforter and the pouring out of the
Holy Spirit refer to God's program to evangelize the world. For example, in Joel
2, in the context of a description of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, God
makes the wonderful promise that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD
shall be delivered. How gracious God is in that Salvation was made available to
the whole world!
Christ
Experienced Judgment to Bring Salvation
We can now understand why
Joel 2:30-31, which is quoted in Acts 2,
uses language which speaks of Judgment Day. To effectuate God's plan of
worldwide evangelism, it was first necessary that our Lord Jesus Christ
experience Judgment Day for our sins. These two verses declare:
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.
This is the language of
Judgment Day, but it is not describing the Judgment Day at the end of the world.
It is describing the Judgment Day that Christ experienced on the cross on behalf
of all who would believe on Him.
Notice the similarity of
the phrase, the great and the terrible day of the Lord, to the phrase in Mal.
4:5 where God prophesies concerning the coming of John the Baptist, who was
typified by Elijah. Mal. 4:5: Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of
the LORD.
We know that the great and
dreadful day of the Lord refers to the cross. John the Baptists typified by
Elijah, introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world. Jesus was the Lamb who took away the sins of the world by going to the
cross to pay for our sins. Thus, the promise of Mal. 4:5 gives us assurance that
Joel 2:31 speaks of the cross.
Verse 20 of Joel 3
continues to speak of this wonderful salvation and shows that it is eternal in
the promise: But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to
generation. In this declaration, God again speaks of His believers, using the
figures Judah and Jerusalem. God is quite consistent in the Bible in frequently
using the names Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem in a very literal fashion while
speaking of all who would believe on Christ as Savior.
The Book of Joel is a
beautiful demonstration of how God presents the message of salvation in the
Bible. We have assurance from Acts 2:17- 21 that Joel 2:28-32 is speaking of
salvation. God employed types and figures in the Book of Joel, which brings the
message of salvation that would become available to the whole world.
The Book of Joel begins
with the warning that God's judgment rests on all people. It then shows that
salvation would be provided by the coming Messiah who would endure Judgment Day
for those who would repent and believe. It closes with the wonderful promises of
blessing for those who have become listeners. How gracious our Lord is in His
salvation!
We will look at two other
Old Testament passages which speak of God pouring out His Spirit.
Isaiah 32
Points to God's Program of Salvation
Isaiah
32 opens with the promise that a king will reign in righteousness. Verse
1 promises: Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule
in judgment.
Then the reader is reminded
of the sad condition that prevails as Israel faces the future.
Verses 13 and 14 warn:
Upon the
land of my people shall come up thorns and briers, yea, upon all the houses of
joy in the joyous city:
Because
the palace shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts
and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks.
This bleak future will have
an end. God speaks of His great love and compassion in
verse 15:
Until
the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful
field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
The phrase, the spirit be
poured upon us from on high, gives us immediate assurance that God is speaking
of the great event recorded in Acts 2, when God began His program to evangelize
the nations. The King who will reign in righteousness is none other that the
Lord Jesus Christ who came as our righteous king. The princes who rule in
judgment must be the believers who are seated with Christ in heavenly places
(Eph. 2:6), which means that when we become saved, our homeland becomes heaven.
As sons of God, who now are a royal priesthood, we serve on this earth as
ambassadors of our heavenly kingdom.
Verse
2 of Isa. 32 further assures us that the
reign of a king in righteousness identifies with the Lord Jesus Christ when He
came as our Savior. Verse 2 declares:
And a
man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as
rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
Note the phrase, rivers of
water in a dry place. Jesus promises in John
7:38-39:
He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on
him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was
not yet glorified.)
In other words, when God
began His program to evangelize the world, rivers of living water, that is, the
Gospel of salvation began to flow from the lives of the believers. The man who
is to be a hiding place is none other than Jesus who hides us from the wrath of
God. Jesus is the great Rock in whose shadow we are protected from the wrath of
God.
These rivers of water will
produce a tremendous harvest. Isa. 32:15 promises that at the time the Holy
Spirit is poured out the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field
be counted for a forest. Isa. 32 speaks of sending the Gospel into all the world
after the Lord Jesus came as the King of righteousness. Those who believe on Him
would be at rest, as verse 18 teaches: And my people shall dwell in a peaceable
habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
When we compare verse 15,
which speaks of the effects of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, with Isa.
35:1 and Isa. 41:18-19, we are assured that these two chapters are also
addressed to God's wonderful program to evangelize the world. Isa. 32:15:
Until the spirit be poured
upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful
field be counted for a forest.
In similar language, Isa.
35:1 declares: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and
the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Likewise, in
Isa. 41:18-19 we read:
I
will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I
will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water. I
will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and
the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box
tree together.
We will not take time for a
complete study of Isa. 35 and Isa. 41, but we will
note Isa. 35:5, where God promises:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Matt. 11:5 is a commentary
on Isa. 35:5 and teaches us that we are to understand these Scriptures as having
been fulfilled by Christ when He came as Savior.
Matt.
11:5: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached
to them.
We are assured, therefore,
that Isa. 32, Isa. 35, and Isa. 41 all have God's wonderful plan to evangelize
the world in view.
Unfortunately, there are
people who read these chapters and come to certain conclusions, and they do not
seek to harmonize their conclusions with everything else in the Bible that might
relate to them. They conclude, for example, that national Israel's relatively
thriving agricultural industry of today must be a fulfillment of the promises in
Isaiah.
How pitiful! To believe
that today's agricultural industry could be a fulfillment of these marvelous
promises is to empty the Bible of all meaning. God has an infinitely more
glorious fulfillment: The glorious fulfillment of the world becoming a seedbed
of people being saved. God's fulfillment is a harvest of souls who have been
brought from the precipice of hell into an everlasting relationship with Christ.
I hope we are all beginning
to see clearly and insistently that the Bible is God's message to mankind
concerning salvation. The Bible is a spiritual book. While it was written using
types and figures of a material nature, the goal of the Bible is to teach us
about the wonderful kingdom that God came to establish through our Lord Jesus
Christ. God has been building this kingdom for the past two thousand years, in
direct fulfillment of these Old Testament promises.
The New Testament
commentary on God's promise to pour out the Holy Spirit helps us to understand
the Book of Joel and several chapters of Isaiah. Knowing God's intention with
the language found in these chapters, we could take words and phrases from them
as further commentary on the other parts of the Bible that seem difficult to
understand. We are beginning to see that the Old Testament has a great deal to
say about the glorious salvation program that was to fill the earth after the
Savior went to the cross.
Ezekiel 39 points to the
Cross
A second Scripture passage
where God promises that He will pour out His Holy Spirit is in Ezek. 39. This
chapter is troublesome to understand, but because of the language of verse 29,
we know that it had to be fulfilled when Christ came and God began His program
to evangelize the world. Ezek. 39:29:
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.
Note that God's spirit is
poured out upon the house of Israel. Acts 2:17-21 tells us that God's Spirit is
to be poured out on all flesh. By tying these two verses together and
understanding that Acts 2:17-21 is a commentary on Ezek. 39:29, we discover that
the phrase, the house of Israel, has the same people in views as those who are
in view in the phrase all flesh of Acts 2:17-21, which includes anyone from any
political nation who will believe in Christ. Thus, we know that Ezek. 39 is a
prophecy concerning the salvation of the world, the phrase "house of Israel"
identifies with all believers in Christ, and "all flesh" becomes the equivalent
of the house of Israel. This agrees precisely with our earlier study which
revealed that "the house of Israel" has in view all who would believe on the
Lord Jesus. How beautifully the Bible ties together concepts and truths!
There is another verse in
Ezek. 39 which assures us that God has
in view the coming of Jesus and the evangelization of the world. It is
verse 25, which states:
Therefore
thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob and have
mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name.
The phrase bring again the
captivity assures us that God's salvation plan is in view. This is a very
important phrase, and we should study it carefully. Therefore, we will leave
Ezek. 39 and explore this phrase as it is found in other passages, and then
return to Ezek. 39 and a few of its more difficult verses.
Bring
Again the Captivity
We want to look at some Old
Testament passages that contain the clue phrase, I will bring again the
captivity, and which many premillennialists attempt to relate to future glory
for national Israel.
In
Joel 3:1 we read:
For, behold, in those days, and in that time,
when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. We learned
earlier that the Book of Joel is identified with the coming of Christ to save.
Therefore, we know that the phrase, bring again the captivity, in Joel 3:1
speaks of salvation.
This phrase is also found
in Ezek. 39:25, which we quoted earlier. Thus, we suspect that Ezek. 39 also
speaks of the coming of Christ to save.
In fact, the phrase bring
again the captivity, or bring back the captivity, always relates to salvation.
We will study the verses which contain this phrase, and as we do, we will be
assured that the passages in which it is found point to God's wonderful
salvation program which was initiated by Christ going to the cross.
Bring Again the Captivity
Always Points to God's Salvation Program
Psalm 14:7, Psalm 53:6, and
Psalm 85:1-2 use this language even though they were written at a time when
Israel was not in captivity. How then can these Psalms use language that teaches
the freeing of those who are captives? The verses themselves show what God has
in view.
Psalm
14:7: Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD
bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall
be glad.
Psalm
53:6: Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth
back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psalm
85:1-2: LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back
the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the
iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Notice that these verses
speak of salvation, forgiveness for iniquity, and sins being covered. God is
informing us that the promise to bring back the captivity relates to the
forgiveness of sins. Let us see why this is so.
Before we are saved we are
in captivity to Satan. We are his captives because we have rebelled against God.
Satan has conquered mankind because man obeyed Satan rather than God. But Christ
came to set us free. Christ came to make us His captives and His bond servants.
Eph. 4:7- 9 declares:
But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gilt of
Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he
also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Christ descended into the
lower parts of the earth, a synonym for hell which means He endured hell on our
behalf to save us from hell. Moreover, He found us in hell that is, we were
captives or slaves of Satan on the way to hell. Christ freed us from Satan's
captivity and made us His captives or bond servants. In Luke 4:18, Jesus reads
from Isa. 61:1-2 to show that He has come to free the captives and fulfill Old
Testament promises.
Luke
4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon men, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind to set at
liberty them that are bruised.
From this we can see that
the Psalms we quoted which speak of bringing back the captivity do not have
national Israel in view. They are prophecies of salvation for a vast multitude
of people, who will be taken from every nation of the world, the Israel of God,
with whom God is eternally concerned, and who are the focus of all of the Old
Testament promises of future blessing for Israel.
When these Psalms were
penned, Israel was not in captivity. They were written when David was king, and
Israel was beginning to enjoy a freedom and glory they had never experienced
before. When they were written, God had in view the wonderful freedom we can
enjoy in Christ.
Christ came to bring
salvation first to the Jews of national Israel. When He came as Messiah, He did
not minister to Africa or Europe or China. He ministered to national Israel. He
ministered to the disciples who were Jews, and to Mary Magdalene and Martha, who
were Jews. Salvation came to them as God promised in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53.
Therefore they were freed from spiritually captivity.
When Jesus came to national
Israel to bring salvation to them, He also came to the Samaritans and the
Syrophenician woman and, indeed to all the world, to free captives from the
bondage of sin. All who become saved, therefore, are the Israel, the Jacob, who
have been freed from spiritual capacity.
The Book
of Jeremiah Includes Prophecies about God's Salvation Plan
Many other Old Testament
passages empty the phrase bring back the captivity or bring again the captivity.
Since we know that this phrase points to the salvation that was to be provided
by Christ as Savior, we know that every passage in which this phrase is found
prophesies the coming of our Lord Jesus. Thus, by this phrase, we know that a
great number of Old Testament passages point to God's wonderful salvation.
For example,
Jer. 29:14 declares:
And I
will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I
will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have
driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I
caused you to be carried away captive.
By the phrase I will turn
away your captivity, we can know that this verse establishes the fact that
verses 10 to 14 of this chapter are speaking of the coming salvation through
Jesus Christ.
How can Jer. 29, in the
context of a return of Israel from Babylon, be speaking of salvation? We will
study this question in some detail, for in arriving at an understanding of it we
will develop an understanding of many other Biblical passages.
Judah was destroyed by the
Babylonians in the year 587 B.C. This destruction began in the year 609 B.C.,
when the last good king of Judah, King Josiah, was killed in battle with Egypt.
From that year forward, Judah or Israel began to go into captivity. For a few
years they served Egypt, but then Babylon became the chief antagonist of Israel.
Finally, in 587 B.C. Babylon completely destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The
nation of Judah was destroyed and many Jews were taken into Babylonian
captivity. As the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel were writing, Israel was about
to be destroyed by the Babylonians. This sad and terrible event is used in the
Bible to serve as a figure of three aspects of the Gospel. They are:
Judgment Day.
The final tribulation
period.
The fact that all men are
captives of Satan.
The truth that the
destruction of Israel by the Assyrians or the Babylonians has Judgment Day in
view is illustrated in
many places in the Bible.
We found this to be so in the Book of Joel. We saw that Isa. 5: 13-14 and 24-25
speak of the destruction of national Israel as a figure of hell. Passages such
as Deuteronomy 28: 15-68 are used in the same way. God again warns ancient
Israel in Jer. 17:4:
And
thou, even thyself shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I
will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for
ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
The phrase ye have kindled
a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever, assures us that eternal
damnation is in view.
The second aspect of God's
salvation plan which is typified by Israel going into Babylonian captivity is
the final tribulation period. We observed this fact when we looked briefly at
the first chapter of Joel. Even as Judah, which typifies the church, went into
captivity to Babylon, so the church will be overrun with false gospels and will
come into judgment. This aspect of salvation
truth is closely related to
the idea of Judgment Day. God's judgment program
begins with judgment on the church and is completed with judgment on the whole
world at Judgment Day.
The final tribulation
period is therefore typified by the 23 inclusive years from the death of Josiah
in 609 B.C. to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. It is also typified by
the 70 years from 609 B.C. until Babylon was conquered by the Medes and the
Persians in 539 B.C.
The third aspect of God's
salvation program that is taught by the destruction of Judah by Babylon in 587
B.C. is that of man's fall into sin. Babylon is a type or figure of the kingdom
of Satan. When mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they
became slaves or captives of Satan. When the nation of Judah rebelled against
God, Israel went into captivity in Babylon. When individuals become saved, they
are freed from bondage or captivity to Satan. When some of the nation of Israel
returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, they were freed from captivity.
Thus, the destruction of
Judah by Babylon as a type of man's fall into sin is a basis for the Biblical
assertion, I will turn away your captivity. This is what God has in view by this
phrase in Jer. 29:14.
This World
Is Typified by Ancient Babylon
Verses
4-7 of Jer. 29 underscore the fact that we live in a world ruled by Satan
and, therefore, is typified by Babylon. God says in verses 4-7:
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away
captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of
them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons,
and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that
ye maybe increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city
whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD
for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
This language emphasized
that as long as we are here, we are to seek the best for this world. When we
seek the peace of the city, we desire the salvation of the unsaved who are
citizens of the kingdom of Satan. Only when they become saved are they at peace
with God. Christ is the Prince of Peace.
In
verses 13 and 14 of Jer. 29, God speaks
of the salvation plan whereby slaves of Satan will be saved:
And ye
shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And
I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and
I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have
driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I
caused you to be carried away captive.
Before we are saved, we are
slaves of Satan. We are captives of Satan because we are part of the human race
which has rebelled against God. When we become saved, we are taken out of
captivity to Satan, and we become sons of God.
Verses
15-19 might be
difficult to understand. They state:
Because
ye have said The LORD hath raised us up prophets In Babylon; Know that thus
saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David and of all the
people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth
with you into captivity; Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon
them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile
figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. And I will persecute them with the
sword with the famine. and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be
removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment,
and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven
them: Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent
unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye
would not hear, saith the LORD.
The picture God is
developing is this: There are many in the world who believe and declare that
they do not need salvation. They do not believe the Bible truth that by nature
we are in bondage to sin and to Satan. They are typified by those in Judah at
the time Babylon was a threat. Judah would not hear the pronouncement of the
Lord's prophets that they not only would go into captivity but must go into
captivity. Because they would not listen to what God had to say concerning their
plight, but insisted that all was well, they were going to experience even more
of God's judgment. So, too, those who believe they are good, moral decent people
who do not need a Savior (who do not need to be delivered from captivity), will
come under God's judgment for certain. How grateful we should be that God has
revealed to us our terrible condition of captivity So that we can know we must
flee to Jesus, our Deliverer.
Bring
Again the Captivity Helps Us to Understand Jacob's Trouble
We have studied Jer. 29 and
the phrase return the captivity, and we recognize that it always points to God's
salvation program. We will now briefly examine another passage where this phrase
is found in Jer. 30, in which we find
the intriguing reference to Jacob's trouble. This chapter speaks of the first
coming of Christ because in two verses we find the key phrase bring again the
captivity. Verse 3 declares:
For, lo,
the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my
people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the
land that I gave to their fathers and they shall possess it.
Verse 18
promises:
Thus
saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and
have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her open
heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
These two verses advise us
that Jer. 30 is an important prophecy concerning the coming of Christ as the
Savior. This is significant because the account of Jacob's trouble is found in
this chapter. Many people teach that Jacob's trouble can refer only to a future
distress upon Israel during the final tribulation. This conclusion is altogether
impossible since we have already learned that Jer. 30 points to the cross and
the salvation that would come from Christ on the cross. The verse in question is
verse 7, which reads: Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it
is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Since this verse is in a
chapter that promises salvation through the coming Christ we know that this
verse must relate to the cross. But who is Jacob? We learned that Jacob could
refer to the patriarch Jacob, national Israel, or Christ, who is anticipated in
this chapter.
We know, of course, that
Christ is the one who endured the wrath of God for our sins. He is the one who
suffered terrible trouble to save us. Therefore, we know that God is teaching
that Christ who is typified by Jacob, would have great trouble. That is, He must
face hell for our sins, but He would be saved out of it. Once He had paid for
our sins God would raise Him up (Psalm 16:10, Psalm 22:21). Because of this
salvation, all who will believe on Him will serve the Lord their God instead of
Satan. Verse 9, which uses David as a figure of Christ, teaches us that, They
shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto
them.
Jeremiah
31: Another Chapter Focuses on Salvation
Chapter 31 also brings us
the wonderful massage of salvation. We are assured of this by the language of
verse 23, which reads:
Thus saith the LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah
and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD
bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.
Further assurance of this
truth is found when we compare Jer. 31:15 with Matt. 2:18, where God declares
that Jer. 31:15 was fulfilled when Herod killed the children of Bethlehem after
the birth of Jesus. Jer. 31:15:
Thus
saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping;
Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because
they were not.
Matt. 2:18 teaches that that
prophecy of Jer. 31 has been fulfilled: In Rama was there a voice heard,
lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children,
and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Other verses of Jer. 31 are
intimately associated with salvation. For example, God speaks of Himself as a
Shepherd (verse 10), a Redeemer (verse 11), and He declares in verse 34 that He
will forgive their iniquity. An important proof that salvation is in view is
shown in verses 31-34:
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, 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 quotes these verses in
Heb. 8:8-12 to show that they have been
fulfilled in Christ.
For
finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they
continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this
is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
saith the Lord; I will put my law's into their mind and write them in their
hearts: and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people: And they
shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more.
Our Lord spoke of this new
covenant when He instituted the Lord's Supper and indicated that His blood is
the new covenant [King James: 'testament'], which is shed for many. Thus, in a
very dramatic way, we are taught that Jer. 31 anticipates the shed blood of
Christ as it speaks of a new covenant. How can any theologian miss this
important truth?
We have seen from many
vantage points that the Bible teaches that Jer. 31 speaks of the coming
salvation in Jesus Christ. Those who are to be saved, which includes all
believers, are spoken of as the families of Israel (verse 1), the virgin of
Israel (verses 4, 21). Jacob (verse 7, 11), the remnant of Israel (verse 7),
Ephraim (verses 9, 18, 20), the house of Israel (verses 27, 31), the house of
Judah (verses 27, 31), and the seed of Israel (verse 37). Thus, as we learned
from Ezek. 37 and many other passages, the believers, those whom God plans to
save, are typified by Old Testament types such as Israel, Judah, Jacob, and
Ephraim. Likewise, the salvation we enter into is typified by the land of Judah
(verse 23).
Jeremiah 32 Points to the Cross
Jer.
32 also points to salvation because the same clue phrase, bring back the
captivity, is found in verse 44, where
God declares:
Men
shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take
witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the
cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the
valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to
return, saith the LORD.
In Jer. 32, God speaks of
the historical event when Babylonians besieged Jerusalem. Jeremiah was commanded
to buy a field for seventeen shekels of silver as proof that Israel would return
to the land. The captivity of Judah by the Babylonians typified the fact that we
who become believers were in bondage to Satan, typified by Babylon, until we
became saved. This conclusion is demonstrated clearly by the words of
Jer. 32:38-40:
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 forever, 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.
Once again we see how
consistent the Bible is in pointing to the wonderful salvation that God has
provided for us in Christ. Repeatedly we see that when we let the Bible become
its own commentary, difficult and obscure statements begin to become
understandable. It is absolutely essential that we recognize that the whole
Bible is the commentary. If we do not observe this principle, we will end up
with private opinions and interpretations. Indeed, the shame of today's church
is that so much interpretation is based on human logic rather than careful study
of the entire Bible.
In fact, it is in vogue
today in many evangelical circles to declare that when the plain sense of
Scriptures makes common sense, seek no other sense. This principle looks logical
and is the basis for a great deal of interpretation and understanding of the
Bible, but it is altogether contrary to the Word of God. Regardless of how
logical plain or sensible our conclusion concerning a verse appears to be, we
cannot determine the accuracy of our conclusion until we have checked to see if
it is in harmony with everything else in the Bible that might relate to the
verse in question. This requires careful study and long hours of work but it is
the only way that truth can be found.
From the clue phrase, I
will return the captivity, we have discovered that Jer. 29 through Jer. 32
prophesy about the wonderful worldwide salvation program that God would
institute when Christ came to go to the cross. From our vantage point of almost
two thousand years after the cross, we can set how marvelously those promises
have been fulfilled.
Jer. 33 is another chapter
that anticipates God's plan of salvation. This chapter has three verses which
uses the language of returning or bringing again the captivity to assure us that
the whole chapter is speaking of God's salvation program. They are:
Jer.
33:7: And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to
return, and will build them. as at the first.
Jer.
33:11: The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness the voice of the bridegroom,
and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of
hoses: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that
shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause
to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
Jer.
33:26: Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I
will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.
There are other verses in
this chapter which inform us that salvation is in view; for example, verse 8
speaks of cleansing from iniquity and pardon of iniquity, Verse 16 speaks of
Judah being saved.
Even as other pans of the
Bible use names like Israel and Judah to of those who through the Lord Jesus
Christ come to salvation, so, too, in Jer. 33, God uses many types to speak of
those who are to be saved by the coming Messiah. Believers are typified by Judah
(verses 7, 14, 16), by Israel (verses 7, 14), by flocks (verse 13), by the land
(verse 11), by Jerusalem (verse 16), by Levites (verses 18, 21), by the seed of
David (verse 22), by the seed of Jacob (verse 26), and by the seed of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (verse 26). The salvation the believers enter into is typified
by the land of Benjamin (verse 13), by Jerusalem (verse 13), and by the cities
of Judah (verse 13). Christ is typified by a branch (verse 15).
Jeremiah
48 and 49 Relate Believers to Ancient Moab and Ammon
We are patiently going
through the Bible finding meaning to many difficult Old Testament passages by
means of the clue phrase, I will bring again the captivity. In all the passages
we have examined reference has been made to Israel or Judah or Jacob. In every
case, we have seen that the nation God has in view is the nation of believers in
Christ. Those who have become citizens of the kingdom of God are the Israel
which has been brought back from captivity.
In Jer. 48 and 49, we find
that God speaks of Moab, Ammon, and Elam being brought back from captivity. How
does this relate to God's salvation program? The verses in question are:
Jer. 48:47: Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days,
saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Jer. 49:6: And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of
Ammon, saith the LORD.
Jer. 49:39: But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring
again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.
These are significant
verses for they teach that Moab, Ammon, and Elam, enemies of God who have no
direct relationship to national Israel can be saved. Acts 2:9 emphasizes this
glad truth as it speaks of the Elamites who were present when the Holy Spirit
was poured out. Moab and Ammon were born of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, but they
have no blood descent from Abraham and therefore stand as alien as Elam to
Israel. We read in Deu. 23:3 that the
Ammonias and the Moabites were especially cursed of God:
An
Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to
their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD
for ever.
There is more to these
verses than the fact that in spite of god's Old Testament curse on these nations
they can still be saved.
These Moabites, Ammonites,
and Elamites typified those who become believers. Before we are saved, we are
under the curse of God and we cannot come into God's holy presence. But thanks
be to God for the magnificent salvation He has provided in Christ! We who are
cursed (typified by Moab and Ammon) can also be saved.
In addition to Moab, Ammon,
and Elam, God uses other Old Testament nations to typify those who are cursed by
sin and yet who will come to salvation. We will discover these relationships as
we continue our study of the clue phrase, bring again the captivity.
The phrase return the
captivity, or bring again the captivity, is used in two verses in Ezekiel to
underscore the fact that grace will shine through in spite of the total
wickedness and degradation of man. In Ezek. 16, God puts on display the extreme
harlotry of Jerusalem together with that of Samaria and Sodom. Jerusalem was the
capital of Judaea, Samaria of the ten tribes of Israel and Sodom was
representative of the worst of the heathen nations of Canaan. Throughout Chapter
16, God faults them almost unmercifully. But then grace shines through in verse
53, where God declares:
When I shall bring again
their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of
Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives
in the midst of them.
This is the language of the
grace of God in salvation, which can be seen by the closing verses of this
chapters Ezek. 16:60-62:
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and
I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. Then thou shalt remember thy
ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy
younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that l am the
LORD.
The everlasting covenant of
course, is the covenant of grace, the covenant of redemption, which God
established with the seed of Abraham. Thus, we know that salvation can come to
the worst sinner, whose sins are typified by the spiritual harlotry of
Jerusalem, Samaria, and Sodom. How magnificent is the mercy of God!
Egypt
Typified the World which Is in Bondage to Sin
The second place in Ezekiel
where God uses the term bring again the captivity to indicate that His grace
shines through in the greatest kind of sin is in Ezek. 29. In Ezek. 29 through
Ezek 32, God brings His charges and indictments against Egypt. In these verses,
Egypt is a figure or type of the world which is In bondage to sin. Because of th
e world's sin (typified by
Egypt), it has come under bondage to the kingdom of Satan (typified by Babylon).
In this drastic setting of sin and enslavement to Satan, grace shines through.
Ezek. 29:14 declares:
And I
will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the
land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shalt be there a
base kingdom.
Here there is barely a
glimmer of grace, but we know that it is a promise of salvation to the world,
which is sold under sin. We know this first of all by the clue phrase bring
again the captivity. We also know from other Biblical promises concerning Egypt.
In
Isa. 19, God brings indictments against
Egypt, but He promises in verses 19 and 20:
In that
day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a
pillar at the border thereof to the LORD, And it shall be for a signals for a
witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the
LORD because of tile oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great
one, and he shall deliver them.
These beautiful verses
promise salvation to the world, which is in bondage to sin (typified by Egypt),
and are followed by further promises of grace until finally in the closing
verses of Isa. 19, verses 24 and 25, God
promises:
In that
day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in
the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be
Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
In these verses, those who
are in bondage to sin are typified by Egypt. Through Christ they are promised
salvation. Those who are slaves of Satan are typified by Assyria; they are
promised salvation. Those who are in the body of believers are typified by
Israel. Thus grace is promised equally to the most wicked even as it is already
realized in the life of the believer. It is this grace which barely shines
through in Ezek. 29.
The clue phrase bring again
the captivity is also found in Hosea 6:11, Amos 9:14, Zeph. 2:7, and Zeph. 3:20.
In each of these passages, the clue phrase helps us to see that even as God is
prophesying judgment upon the world, salvation is still coming. God's grace will
triumph. Hosea 6:11 illustrates this. The whole chapter is one of doom and
gloom, but then Hosea 6:11 declares:
Also, O
Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my
people.
God is promising salvation
to His people who are typified by Judah. In
Amos 9: 11-14, God declares:
In that
day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the
breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the
days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen,
which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doth this. Behold, the days
come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the
treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine,
and all the halls shall melt. And I will bring
again the captivity of my people of Israel, and
they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the
fruit of them.
The clue phrase bring again
the captivity shows us that this passage is speaking of the salvation that would
flow from the cross. Verse 11 is referred to in Acts 15:16 and is proof that God
had always planned to save Gentiles as well as Jews. As the New Testament church
struggled with the phenomenon that Gentiles were becoming believers, the Apostle
James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared in
Acts 15, verses 13-17:
And
after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren,
hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words
of the prophets; as it is written. After this I will return, and will build
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the
ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after
the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who
doeth all these things.
God is declaring in a clear
way, by quoting Amos 9:11 in Acts 15, that Amos 9:11 anticipated God's New
Testament salvation program.
In Zeph. 2:7, God shows us
that the New Testament believers are typified by the house of Judah.
Zeph.
2:7: And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall
feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening:
for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
Zeph.
3:14-20 is a lovely statement that emphasizes the gracious salvation plan
which God has planned through Christ the Messiah. In these verses, not only do
we find the clue phrase turn back your captivity, but we also discover that the
Lord is called the King of Israel. Indeed, He is the King of all who become
believers in Him. These verses teach:
Sing, O
daughter of Zion; shout, 0 Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out
thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou
shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear
thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the
midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he
will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them
that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly who are of thee, to whom the reproach
of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and
I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get
them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that
time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make
you a name and a praise among all people of the earth when I turn back your
captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
We have looked at every
passage in the Bible where the clue phrase return the captivity or bring again
the captivity is found. Isn't it remarkable that in every case the context shows
that God has in view His wonderful salvation program as it became fully
developed in the New Testament? Indeed, we are seeing that the big story of the
Old Testament is the Gospel of salvation.
We have spent a
considerable amount of time in order to understand many chapters of the Bible by
means of the clue phrases pour out the Spirit and bring again the captivity. We
have done this to demonstrate the principle that the Bible is its own
commentary. By understanding God's usage of ideas and statements concerning
salvation as they are found in the New Testament, and then relating these
concepts to similar
Old Testament statements,
two avenues of truth are brought into view. The first is a more complete
understanding of both the Old Testament statement and the New Testament
statement. The New Testament statement explains the Old Testament statement. The
Old Testament statement embellishes and beautifies the New Testament statement.
The second avenue of truth
opened to us is the tremendous information that the Bible has one major theme in
view throughout its pages: The message of salvation, which was brought into
reality by means of the atonement. The moment we get distracted from this grand
theme as we try to understand a verse, we can know we are departing from truth.
The Bible is God's message of salvation. This is the great story upon which we
should keep our eyes focused.
We will now return to the
study of Ezek. 39. We had begun to study this chapter earlier, but we took a
detour to look at the phrase pour out the Spirit. We will return to this
provocative part of the Book of Ezekiel.
We
Visit Ezekiel 39
Ezekiel 39, like many other
Old Testament chapters of the Bible, is frequently misunderstood by theologians.
We will now discover what God is teaching in this intriguing chapter of His
Word.
In our study of the
Biblical language that relates to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit we saw that
Ezek. 39 must be a prophecy concerning the cross and the sending forth of the
Gospel into the world because verse 29 declares that God had poured out His
Spirit upon the house of Israel.
This conclusion is
reinforced by the statement of verse 25 in which God says that He will bring
again the captivity of Jacob (Jacob typifies all believers in Christ), and have
mercy upon the whole house of Israel.
Does the rest of the
chapter, which speaks of Gog, Meshech, and Tubal, conform to this conclusion? We
will run through a few of the most difficult verses to show that they relate to
the cross and the sending forth of the Gospel into all the world.
Satan Is
Vanquished by Christ
Gog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal, is a reference to Satan, who rules over the nations of the
world. Satan was bound by Christ on the cross so that he could not frustrate
God's plan to evangelize the world. Verse 2 of Ezek. 39 speaks of this: I will
turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee.
Verses 3 through 7 indicate
that Satan's attempt to conquer the body of Christ (the mountains of Israel) is
doomed to failure. Satan was defeated at the cross.
Heb. 2:14 declares:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil.
Because Satan has been
dealt with successfully by Christ's victory on the cross, verse 9 teaches that
the believers, typified by those who dwell in the cities of Israel will burn the
weapons of Satan seven years. This seven-year period identifies with the
seventieth seven of Dan. 9:27. While it is not the purpose of this study to
develop Daniel 9, it can be shown that this seven year period represents the
time from the official commencement of Christ's work as Messiah until Judgment
Day. Christ officially began His work at the time of His baptism when John the
Baptist announced that Jesus was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the
sins of the world.
In Ezek. 39:9, the figure
of burning the weapons of Gog is another way of underscoring that believers go
forth with the Gospel conquering and to conquer. As they bring the Gospel, they
are plundering the house of Satan, which is represented by the name Gog. Every
one who believes in Christ comes forth from the prison house of Satan. God has
been fulfilling this prophecy as the Gospel has gone forth from the baptism of
Jesus to the present time. This entire period is anticipated by the seven years
of Ezek. 39:9.
Verses 11 through 16 employ
a different figure to emphasize that the Gospel will go forth. In these verses,
God is emphasizing that the house of Israel will be burying the enemy, Gog, for
a period of seven months. Verse 12 emphasizes this: And seven months shall the
house of Israel be burying of them, that the may cleanse the land.
The enemy Gog is the
kingdom of Satan. The house of Israel is the whole body of believers who send
forth the Gospel into the world. What does it mean to bury Gog and all his
multitudes? How are the seven months to be understood?
The Gospel which the
believers proclaim is the Word of God. The Word of God is the law of God, which
shows men their sinful condition. As men stand exposed to the Bible in their
sinful condition, they are shown to be under the judgment of God; they are
spiritually dead and subject to the second death which is eternal damnation. In
Hosea 6:5, God describes this aspect of the Gospel by the words: I have slain
them by the words of my mouth. In the New Testament, the same principle is set
forth by the language of Rom. 7:9-11:
For I
was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived and I
died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life I found to be unto death.
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
The Gospel is a two-edged
sword. Those who hear it are under even greater condemnation than they were
before that heard the Gospel because the have been exposed very specifically and
directly to the law of God. Those who throw themselves on the mercies of God and
trust in Christ as Savior will be saved. Those who remain rebellious and refuse
to obey the command to believe in Christ will become even more subject to the
second death, eternal damnation. It is these latter people who continue as the
kingdom of Satan, which is represented by Gog and his multitudes in Ezek. 39. To
use the language of Hosea 6:5 they are slain. Because they are spiritually
killed, the are to be buried. Even as the death of Christ for our sins was
emphasized by the burial of Jesus, so God in Ezek. 39 is using the language of
burial to emphasize the spiritual death of the unsaved. Thus, the Bible uses the
language of burial of the unsaved to underscore the judgmental aspects of the
Gospel.
The seven
Months
What do the seven months
represent? We can understand this figure if we look at two Old Testament feasts
which relate directly to God's salvation program. The first feast is the
Passover, which was observed by Israel in the first month of-the Jewish year. It
anticipated the cross, when Christ was slain as the Lamb of God. The crucifixion
of florist was a death blow to Satan. Heb. 2:14
records:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil.
The crucifixion brought
death to Satan; the crucifixion guaranteed that God's judgment and eternal
damnation would certainly come upon Satan and all his kingdom. Because of
Christ's payment for our sins the Gospel was sent into all the world. Therefore,
the cross marked the beginning of the burial of Gog and his multitudes.
The second feast day that
is of importance in this study is the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of
Ingathering, as it was also called. This feast was observed in the seventh month
of the Jewish calendar, when the nation of Israel celebrated their successful
entrance into the land of Canaan after their forty year wilderness sojourn, and
they celebrated the completion of their harvest. Both of these events
anticipated the completion of the sending forth of the Gospel into the world.
Insofar as this feast was concerned the entrance of Israel into Canaan is a
picture of the completion of a believer's life on this earth. The completion of
harvest is a picture of the completion of the sending forth of the Gospel and
the coming of Judgment Day, which is spoken of as harvest time (Matt. 13:30).
Thus, the Feast of the
Passover, observed in the first month pointed to the cross and the beginning of
Christ's program to evangelize the world. The Feast of Tabernacles observed in
the seventh month pointed to the complexioned the sending forth of the Gospel.
In other words, Ezek. 39 is teaching that the burial of Gog and his multitudes
goes on for seven months, that is, from the Passover to the Feast of
Tabernacles. This figure is pointing to the sending forth of the Gospel from the
cross to Judgment Day. Ezek. 39:11-16, like everything else we have looked at in
Ezek. 39, anticipates God's plan to send the Gospel into the world, starting
immediately after the time of the cross.
Christ to
Endure God's Judgment
In verses
17 to 22 of Ezek. 39, we find additional
language that is somewhat difficult to understand. These verses read as follows:
And,
thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and
to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves and come; gather yourselves on
every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice
upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall
eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth of
rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks,
all of them failings of Bashan. And ye shall
eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice
which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses
and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD. And
I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment
that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of
Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
At first blush, this
passage appears to focus on Judgment Day. The thought presented here is parallel
to Rev. 19, where God describes Judgment Day.
God speaks of this great ev
ent, described as a final
battle in Rev. 19, verses 17 and 18:
And I
saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice saying to all
the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together
unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the
flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of
them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small
and great.
Even though we see the
parallelism between these passages, we know from other phrases, such as I have
poured out my spirit, that Ezek. 39 has in view the cross and the sending forth
of the Gospel into the world. Therefore, we must realize that verses 17 to 22
are also related to the cross. Let us attempt to understand them.
From passages such as Rev.
19 we know that when God uses language depicting a vanquished foe, with the
birds of prey and the wild animals feeding on the corpses of the vanquished,
Judgment Day is invite. Do we also realize there are two Judgment Days?
The Judgment Day with which
we are most familiar is that which is still to come: The Judgment Day at the end
of time, when the unsaved are judged and sent to hell to suffer eternal
damnation for their sins and Satan and all the fallen angels will be cast into
the lake of fire.
The Bible speaks of another
Judgment Day which is of equal significance as the Judgment Day of the last day:
It is the Judgment Day when Christ went to the cross to pay for the sins of all
who would believe on Him. Do you recall that this Judgment Day was also in view
in Joel 2? It was at this Judgment Day that He suffered the equivalent of
eternity in hell on behalf of all who would believe on Him. Thus, it was of the
same intensity as the Judgment Day of the last day. At the cross, the people of
this world who place their trust in Christ were judged for their sins, found
guilty, and came under the wrath of God for their sins; Christ as our substitute
stood before the judgment throne of God on our behalf, but the horror, the
trauma, the awfulness of God's wrath were no less real.
On the Judgment Day at the
end of time, the unsaved of the world, who have no substitute to stand for them
must individually and personally stand before the judgment throne of God to
answer for their sins. They will be found guilty and cast into hell to eternally
pay for their sins. Thus, we see that there is a direct parallel between the
Judgment Day of the cross and the Judgment Day of the last day.
Satan
Judged at the Cross
Satan and his dominion will
be judged and come to an end at the Judgment Day of the end of time. While it
cannot be seen in as dramatic a fashion as it will be seen at the end of tilde
Satan was vanquished at the cross. His kingdom was in a real sense sentenced to
eternal damnation.
How can this be? Satan is
still active in the world. His dominion which consists of all the evil spirits
(fallen angels), together with his slaves (the unsaved of the world), cont
inues to thrive in this
world. This is what we see, but the Bible informs us that it is not quite this
rosy for Satan and his dominion. We read in
Heb. 2:14:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the powered death, that is, the devil.
In this verse, God teaches
us that because Christ went to the cross, Satan was destroyed. In Rev. 13:3 this
same truth is underscored as it speaks of the beast (the kingdom of Satan),
having one of his heads wounded unto death. Those verses show that when Christ
went to the cross, a death blow was dealt to Satan and his kingdom. What does
this mean? We have not seen much physical evidence of this in the world
throughout the New Testament time.
The Cross
Brought Judgment Day to Reality
We must understand that
until the cross, the eternal wrath of God against sin could not be seen as
actual reality. That is, throughout the Old Testament, God threatened eternal
damnation for the unsaved. Those who die unsaved will be resurrected on the last
day to receive this penalty. Indeed. God underscored His studied intention to
bring this to pass as He brought physical destruction of one kind or another
against the peoples of the world. This was also demonstrated by physical death
coming into the world. That fact alone signaled the certainty of God's intention
to bring eternal damnation as the judgment against Satan and his kingdom.
Before the cross, all of
the warnings, figures, and intimations of eternal damnation were present in the
world but no man or angel had actually suffered eternal damnation. Therefore, we
can say that before the cross, eternal damnation while a very serious threat to
the wicked was somewhat hypothetical in nature in that God had not yet
demonstrated eternal damnation to its fullest extent.
When Christ went to the
cross eternal damnation was no longer hypothetical. It became a reality in all
of its stark horror as Christ was punished for the sins of those whom He came to
save. The punishment of Christ guaranteed that all of the warnings of the Bible
concerning eternal damnation for the wicked would be carried out. It guaranteed
that Satan and the fallen angels would be send to hell. When Christ suffered for
the sins of His people, it absolutely guaranteed that every other human being
whose sins weren't covered by Jesus must stand for judgment and be brought into
eternal damnation.
Therefore, the cross in its
own way is as dramatic and horrible as the Judgment Day at the end of time.
Satan and his kingdom have not yet been formally arraigned; they have not yet
personally given an account of their sins before the judgment throne of God;
nevertheless, in a real senses they stand condemned. Their formal condemnation
is guaranteed by the fact that Christ has already suffered eternal damnation for
the ones He came to save.
Now we can see why Jesus
says in John 3:18-19:
He that
believers on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
In these verses, God
underscores the certainty of eternal damnation for the unsaved. Heb. 2:14
declares that Satan has been put to death. The absolute certainty of Satan's
eventual removal into hell to suffer eternal damnation is signified by this
language.
This also explains the
statements of II Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, which speak as if Satan (a fallen angel)
has already been cast into hell.
II Peter
2:4: For if God spared not the angels that simmers but cast them down to hell,
and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
Jude 6: And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Satan is not literally in a
place called hell during the New Testament period. We know this because he is
still the prince of the poster of the air. Nevertheless, by Christ's death on
the cross, Satan is so certainly guaranteed to end in eternal damnation in hell
that God speaks of him as if he were already committed to hill.
Of course, in a real sense
Satan came under the wrath of God from the time he first rebelled against God.
Immediately after Satan tempted Adam and Eve into sin God pronounced a curse on
him and declared that the seed of the woman (Christ) would bruise the head of
the serpent (Satan) (Gen. 3:15), that is, Christ would destroy Satan. The curse
on Satan is also seen in the language of Isa. 14, where God is talking about the
king of Babylon. The King of Babylon is presented as a figure of Satan even as
Babylon is a figure of the kingdom of Satan. In
Isa. 14:12-15, God declares:
How art
thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exactly throne above the stars of God: I will
sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will
ascend above the heights of
the clouds, I will be like the most High.
Throughout the Old
Testament period Satan already stood in a fallen and cursed relationship to God.
But when Christ came on the scene, God's opposition to Satan intensified. When
the seventy returned from sharing the Gospel, our Lord announced in Luke 10:18,
And he said unto theme I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. This
banishment from heaven is reported also in Rev.
12:7-9:
And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place
found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Ezek. 39:17-22 describes
Judgment Day at the cross when God guaranteed eternal damnation for those in the
kingdom of Satan. Verses 21 and 22 however illustrate the wonderful salvation
plan that God has prepared. God's glory will be known among the heathen; that is
God is indicating it is His plan to send the Gospel into all the world. The
house of Israel of verse 22 consists of all believers from every nation. Verses
21-22 declare:
And I will set my glory
among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have
executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall
know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
God Will
Bring Salvation
Ezek. 39:23-29 closes the
chapter by underscoring the wonderful salvation that God will provide. Verses 23
and 24 emphasize that people frown the nations of the world (the heathen) will
recognize that those who are being saved (the house of Israel) were in spiritual
bondage to sin and Satan and under the wrath of God (therefore hid I my face
from them).
Ezek.
39:23-24: And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into
captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid
I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so full they
all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their
transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
Verses
25-29 declare how God will bring salvation to these who have been
captives of Satan.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of
Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my
holy name; After that they have boric their shame. and all their trespasses
whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land
and none made them afraid. 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 the 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.
God will bring salvation
(Now will I bring again the captivity); God will save people out of every nation
(I have brought them again from the people. and gathered them out of their
enemies' lands). He will accomplish this, particularly beginning with Pentecost
(I have poured out my spirit).
We have seen that Ezek. 39
in a beautiful way relates to the salvation God was to provide through the
coming Messiah. We have found that every phrase, regardless of how obtuse and
difficult to understand it might appear to be, began to unfold once we saw that
it relates to God's salvation plan for the world. In this study, we cannot
possibly look at every part of the Bible, but it is hoped that the passages we
have looked at will encourage each one of us to continue to study the whole
Bible and remember to interpret Scripture with Scripture.
We have been laying the
groundwork to find the answer to the future of national Israel from the Bible.
We must let the Bible interpret the Bible, which means that we might have to
give up some long-cherished ideas. We have learned that while we can trust much
of what theologians of the past have taught we cannot trust everything. Each and
every person who studies the Bible and teaches the Bible has feet of clay. None
of us is infallible. This is clearly seen when we fail to let the whole Bible
speak to a verse in question.
In this study, we have
tried to let the whole Bible speak to each verse, and we have found the
wonderful message of salvation even in the most difficult passages. Obscure
passages such as Ezek. 37, Ezek. 39, Dan. 7, and Dan. 8 open up for us and we
see that they, too, are intimately associated with the Gospel of salvation.
We have discovered that we
must let the Bible be its own dictionary. When God uses words like Israel,
Judah, or Jacob we must let the Bible define these terms. We have learned that
these words can have several meanings. depending on the context in which they
are found. Only when we have found this to be true have difficult passages
unfolded for us.
We have not found any
passages that give us reason to believe that God has a glorious future for
national Israel. But does Rev. 20 teach that there is a future thousand-year
period during which Christ will reign on this earth? Will this not be a time
when national Israel will again come to flower? We will look at Rev. 20 in some
detail.
The
Millennium
Any study concerning the
future of national Israel and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ must include a
careful analysis of Rev. 20. This chapter of the Bible presents information on
the millennial reign of Christ, and this millennial reign is one of the most
important hinges upon which eschatological understanding hangs.
Six times in the first
seven verses of this chapter reference is made to a period of a thousand years.
Nowhere else in the Bible is the phrase thousand years found in connection with
past, present, or future historical events. The only other place in the Bible
where the phrase a thousand years is used is in
II Peter 3:8, where God declares:
But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a
thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
In this context, it is used
to underscore the fact that God's timetable is not ours. What seems slow to us
is quick to God, What seems quick to us could be slow to God.
In the face of this
remarkable absence of Biblical usage of the term thousand years, it is truly
amazing that God would use this phrase six times in the opening verses of Rev.
20. To what period of time could this phrase have reference? It is a future
time? Is it a period of time that is already past? Or does it relate in some way
to the present?
Three
Major Views on Christ's Return
Three major views on
Christ's return are held among conservative theologians: The premillennial
positions the postmillennial position, and the amillennial position.
The premillennialists
believe that there is to be a future one-thousand-year period during which
Christ will reign from Jerusalem over this present world. They believe it will
be a one-thousand-year golden age during which Satan will be bound so that sin
will not be present, and the blessings of an earthly reign of Christ will
abound. Only at the end of the thousand years will Satan be loosed so that he
can again bring nations into the bondage sin; and sin will again raise its ugly
head. This will be followed by Judgment Day, the destruction of this world by
fire, and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth which will continue
forever. It is called the premillennial position because of the belief that
Christ will personally return to this earth before the thousand years (1,000
years = millennium) of Revelation begins. Rev. 20 is one of the principle texts
undergirding the premillennial position.
The postmillennialists
likewise look for a future one-thousand-year golden age. However they believe
this golden age will not come into existence because Christ personally will have
returned to this earth to reign, but rather, because the impact of the Gospel
will have become so pervasive and so successful that every area of human
activity will have come under the rule of the Gospel. Sin will have become
severely restricted and all nations will look to Christ ms their Savior.
Postmillennial parallels
the premillennial position not only in that it is looking for a future
millennial golden age, but also in the sense that it is looking for Judgment Day
and the end of the world to be at least one thousand years in the future. It is
called postmillennial because it looks for the return of Christ after a future
one-thousand-year period.
The amillennialists believe
that the thousand years are a figurative period which indicates the completeness
of God's plan. It does not look for a future golden age for this present
sin-cursed earth, but rather, it looks for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Judgment Day, and the end of the world to occur very soon. It is called the
amillennial position because it does not see a future one-thousand-year period.
Which position is correct?
Only one can be correct. Consequently the other two must be incorrect, and
therefore quite unbiblical. It is our task to carefully study Rev. 20 so that we
might know which is the correct view.
Is the
Book of Revelation Chronological?
Before we begin to make a
careful verse by verse study of Rev. 20 a word must be said about this chapter's
place in the Book of Revelation. There are those who teach that the Book of
Revelation is to be understood as a chronological unfolding of future events
which God has planned for the world. They believe that the events recorded in
any chapter come after the events recorded in the previous chapters. Thus they
teach that the events recorded in Rev. 20 follow in time those events that are
recorded in Rev. 19.
They teach, for example,
that Rev. 4 speaks of the rapture of the church. Since, according to their
thinking, the rapture of the church immediately precedes the final tribulation
period, everything from Chapter 4 to Chapter 20 deals with the final tribulation
period. Thus, Chapter 20, which discusses the binding of Satan for a thousand
years, must be presenting an event that takes place after the final tribulation
period. Those who are familiar with the premillennial position will recognize
these ideas.
This line of thinking can
be shown to be entirely foreign to the Bible for many reasons. Let us look at a
few of these reasons, for in doing so, we will the greatly helped in our
understanding of Rev. 20.
First, it must be
emphasized that if the Book of Revelation is chronological then everything
presented after Rev. 6 must be in relation to the new heavens and the new earth
because Rev. 6:12-17 distinctly calls attention to the collapse of the universe
and Christ coming in judgment. Rev. 6:12-17:
And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth
on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is
come; and who shall be able to stand?
Note the phrases:
the sun became black as
sackcloth,
the stars of heaven fell
unto the earth,
the heaven departed as a
scroll when it is rolled together,
every mountain and island
were moved out of their places.
Since the premillennialist
likes to insist on his literal understanding of each prophetic statement, these
would be excellent verses for him to carefully consider. As a matter of fact,
there is nothing in the Bible that suggests these statements are to be
understood in any way but literally. They teach the same truth as that offered
in Matt. 24:29, 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.
They agree with the
teaching of II Peter 3:10, which informs
us:
But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Note also
Rev. 6:16-17:
And
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of
his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
This language focuses our
attention on the most awful day of the earth's existence: Judgment Day, when God
will judge the unsaved and pour out His wrath upon them by sentencing them to
hell today for their sins. This dreadful day is spoken of in
I Thes. 5:9, where God comforts
believers with this promise:
"For
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ."
Judgment Day is the time and
event spoken of in Rev. 20:11-15:
And I
saw a great white throne, and him that that on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books wore opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
Verse 11 teaches us that
Judgment Day comes at the time the universe is collapsing. Note the phrase,
"from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away."
Incidentally, there are
those who equate the wrath of God spoken of in I Thes. 5:9 with an outpouring of
God's wrath during the final tribulation period. Throughout history, God has
brought His judgment upon the world. Wars, earthquakes, pestilences, famines,
and other natural disasters have fallen repeatedly upon this world. With few
exceptions, the believers in Christ and the unbelievers have experienced trauma.
Additionally, throughout the history of the world, believers have been
especially subject to tribulation because of persecution. How many believers
have been tortured or burned at the stake or fed to lions? Indeed, the Bible
tells believers in John 16:33, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me
ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.
Tribulation is not the
wrath that God has in view in I Thes. 5:9 which the believers are to escape. The
wrath from which we can expect to be spared is the terrible wrath that will come
upon the world of the unsaved. The believers do not come into wrath because
Christ has already paid for their sins. Small wonder, therefore, that we read in
Rev. 6:15-16:
And the
kings of the earth, and the great mean, and the rich men, and the chief captains
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb.
The Book
of Revelation Is Not Chronological
If the Book of Revelation
is to be considered a chronological development of future events then everything
following Rev. 6 would be a discussion of the new heaven and the new earth
because the Bible clearly teaches that the new heaven and the new earth
immediately follow the destruction of this present universe. For example, in
II Peter 3:12-13, God declares:
Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.
The Book of Revelation is
not to be understood in chronological fashion. Each vision is to be understood
on its own merits. Each vision teaches some aspect of God's wonderful and
awesome salvation program. Some visions focus mainly on the kingdom of Satan as
it exists presently or in the future. Some visions relate particularly to Satan
himself. Others are focused on some aspect of the believers' future.
Those who teach that Rev. 4
indicates the rapture of the believers contend that after Rev. 4, the church is
not mentioned again. To them, this is proof that the church has been raptured.
It is true that the word church is not found in the Bible after Rev. 4, but the
word church is not found in the Gospels of Mark, Luke, or John, and it is not
found in I John or II John or I Peter or II Peter or Titus. Does this mean that
these books of the Bible do not relate to the church? Of course, this cannot be.
God does not use the word "church" in these books, but that does not mean they
do not relate to the church. God simply uses words
other than church to speak of the body of believers.
Likewise, in the Book of
Revelation, God uses words other than church to speak of the church. For
example, Rev. 11 speaks of two witnesses. Later, we shall see that these two
witnesses represent the church as it sends forth the Gospel into the world. The
woman of Rev. 12:6 can be shown to be representative of the church. Rev. 13:7
speaks of the saints who are fully overcome by the beast. These saints also are
part of the church. Many other examples could be offered but these are
sufficient to make the point.
Rev. 4 does not speak of
the rapture. It simply declares to us that the Apostle John was caught up in the
Spirit into heaven so that he could receive the ensuing vision. The rapture of
the believers is in no way implied in this passage.
We must understand that we
are under no Biblical Inundate to assume that the events set forth in Rev. 20
follow chronologically after the events of Rev. 19. Rev. 19 is one of several
chapters in the Book or Revelation that call attention to Judgment Day. This
chaptered particularly concerned with the end of the kingdom of Satan as it is
discussed under the figure of the beast and the false prophet of Rev. 13. The
closing verses of Rev. 19 call attention especially to God's final judgment on
the dominion of Satan with the words of Rev.
19:20-21:
And the
beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beasts and them
that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that
sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls
were filled with their flesh.
Rev. 20, however, is
concerned with Satan himself. As we study this chapter, we will find that the
focus is on Satan as he is bound, loosed, and comes into judgment, even as Rev.
19 indicates the final judgment that comes to his dominion.
Satan Is
Bound
Rev.
20 describes a vision that the Apostle John received on the island of
Patmos. The first three verses declare:
And I
saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a
great chain his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a scat upon him, that he should deceive
the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that
he must be loosed a little season.
When these verses are read
superficially. they seem to be easily understood. They apparently teach that the
time is coming when Satan will be bound: He will be cast into a pit. He will be
removed from this earth for a period of one thousand years so that he cannot
cause the nations to sin. Near the end of the thousand years, he will be loosed
so that briefly he can again deceive the nations. The teaching of the preceding
paragraph is accepted by those who hold the premillennial and the postmillennial
positions. Indeed, if we isolate these verses from the rest of the Bible, they
do seem to teach a future literal binding of Satan.
When these verses are read
more closely, we begin to see that the above conclusion has some serious
defects. When we bring the whole Bible to bear on these verses, we discover that
this conclusion is quite unbiblical. We
must have a quite different understanding of these verses.
The first defect we
discover as we attempt to look at these verses literally is the understanding of
the phrase a great chain. Satan appears to be bound with a chain, but Satan is a
fallen angel. He is, therefore a spirit being. How can a literal chained used to
bind a spirit? Immediately we sense that a strictly literal understanding of
these verses is impossible. The chain must be understood in a figurative or
symbolic sense. Therefore, the premillennial and postmillennial positions are
already threatened because they insist on a strictly literal understanding of
these verses.
A second serious defect
inherent in a literal understanding of these verses is related to the term a
thousand years. Verses 2 and 3 teach that Satan will be bound a thousand years
and after the thousand years, he will be loosed a little season. Therefore, we
can know that the thousand years Satan has been bound ends a few years before
Judgment Day. As we continue our study of verse 4, we will discover that it
speaks of believers who reign with Christ for a thousand years, but the duration
of their reign is an altogether different period of time than that of the period
during which Satan is bound.
In fact, we shall see that
the duration of time believers reign with Christ varies from believer to
believer. Thus, the term a thousand years is addressed to many different periods
of time. Therefore, Rev. 20 will be seen tube teaching that there are many
different time spans which are all termed a period of a thousand years.
Therefore, to look upon the term a thousand years as representing a literal
period of time becomes impossible. We will develop these truths later in our
study.
When we let the rest of the
Bible become our commentary, we see even more conclusively that a literal
understanding of these first three verses cannot stand.
Every related passage points to the event of the
binding of Satan as having occurred at the time Christ was crucified, A.D. 33.
Thus, we know that Rev. 20:3 must be speaking of the period from the cross until
a time when the fortunes of Satan are drastically changed from what they had
been throughout the New Testament period.
In light of the problems we
uncovered in connection with the phrase a great chain and in connection with the
uncertainty of a common beginning and ending point of the thousand years, we are
constrained to search the Bible for further help.
The
Binding of Satan
When we search the Bible
for information that relates to the first three verses of Rev. 20 we find two
kinds of verses.
First, there are many
verses that show quite conclusively that the binding of Satan occurred at the
cross. The second group of verses shows quite conclusively that after the cross
and throughout the New Testament period right up to the present day Satan
continues to rule the hearts of the unsaved and continues to persecute and
harass the believers. Thus, we are faced with an apparent contradiction. It will
be our purpose to show that after looking at the verses on both sides this
apparent contradiction is resolved, and, indeed, all of the verses are part of
one grand harmonious whole.
Let us attempt to discover
any other phrases or verses in the Bible that speaks of a binding of Satan. The
first passage we will go to is in the little Book of Jude.
In the Book of Jude, God
reminds us of three historical judgments that took place in the past. The first
of these is spoken of in verse 5:
I will
therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord
having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that
believed not.
This judgment on Israel
took place some 1,500 years earlier than the time Jude was written. The nation
of Israel came out of Egypt in the year 1447 B.C., and during the following
forty years, most of Israel perished in the wilderness because of unbelief. This
was a great judgment of God upon them.
God tells us or another
historical judgment of great severity in verse
7 of Jude, where He warns:
Even as
Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The destruction of Sodom
took place more than 2,000 years before Jude was written. More information about
this judgment is given in Gen.19.
Between these two
historical judgments in the Book of Jude, God reminds us of another historical
judgment. Just as the destruction of Israel in the wilderness is spoken of in
the past tense in verse 5, and the destruction of Sodom is spoken of in the past
tense in verse 7, the judgment spoken of in verse 6 is in the past tense.
The judgment of verse 6 is
not on men, it is a judgment on angels. Since Satan is a fallen angel, we
immediately are interested in this verse. Satan, together with many other
angels, rebelled against God. Notice how parallel verse 6 is to the first three
verses of Rev. 20.
Jude 6:
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day.
Whatever God has in view in
Jude 6, we know that this verse is dealing with fallen angels, of whom Satan is
the head. We also know that it is speaking of a judgment that had occurred prior
to the time Jude was written. We know that this judgment appears to be closely
related to the event described in Rev. 20:1-3. Therefore, we should begin to
wonder if Rev. 20:1-3 is describing an event that was already a fact of history
at the time the Apostle John received his vision.
In II Peter 2, we find a
situation almost identical to that of Jude 6. In
II Peter 2, the Apostle Peter, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is warning about the judgment that will befall
false prophets. As proof that judgment is certainly and surely to befall the
false prophets, God reminds us of three historical judgments. In
verse 5, God recalls the second of these
past judgments by the words:
And
spared not the old world but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.
This judgment took place
more than 5,000 years earlier than the time II Peter was written. The record of
this terrible judgment is found in Gen. 6 and 7.
In
II Peter 2:6. God recalls a third
historical judgment:
And
turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an
overthrow making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.
In the context of reminders
concerning judgment of the past, God speaks of another historical judgment, the
first of three recorded in II Peter 2. Like the judgment described in Jude 6, it
is a judgment on angels. The description of this judgment is given in the past
tense, which indicates that at the time the Apostle Peter was writing, it had
already happened. Moreover, it is described in language surprisingly similar to
the language of Rev. 20:1-3. II Peter 2:4
declares:
For if
God spared not the angels that sinned, outcast them down to hell, and delivered
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
How can it be that Jude 6
speaks of angels (Satan and all the fallen angels), being reserved or kept in
chains of everlasting darkness? How can it be that II Peter 2 speaks of these
fallen angels being cast into hell? Don't these events take place at Judgment
Day? Doesn't the Bible teach that throughout the New Testament period. Satan
goes about as a roaring lion? Doesn't Eph. 6 speak of the rulers of darkness of
this world with whom we wrestle? How can we reconcile these apparently contrary
viewpoints?
The
Binding of the Strong Man
As Jesus anticipated His
death for our sins, He informed us in John
12:31-33:
Now is
the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And
I, if be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said,
signifying what death he should die.
Our Lord indicates that the
prince of this worlds who can only be Satan, is to be cast out Whatever this
means, it implies that there will be an important change in his fortunes as a
result of Christ's death.
God gives us further help
in Matt. 12:25-28, where
Jesus calls Satan and the
other fallen angels devils. He declares in
verse 28: But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God
is come unto you.
In the next verse, Jesus
makes a statement that relates directly to Rev. 20:1-3, He of binding the strong
man in order to spoil or plunder his house. (Spoil is an Old English word for
plunder.) Jesus says in verse 29:
Or else
how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he
first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Who is the strong man whose
house must be plundered? Remember the context has Satan in view. Satan is the
one who is the enemy of Christ. He is the one who has the unsaved of the world
in spiritual bondage. Matt. 12:29 repeats the promise set forth in Isaiah 49.
God is promising the coming of the Savior by the language in
Isaiah 49 verses 24-25:
Shall
the prey be taken frown the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus
saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the
prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that
contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
The mighty in these verses
can only be Satan, who holds the unsaved in spiritual bondage. The deliverer can
only be Christ, who will build His church by taking the spiritual captives away
from Satan and delivering them into the kingdom of Christ. We are told in Col.
1:13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son.
In His magnificent
salvation plan, Christ plunders the prison house of Satan. Every person who has
become saved has been taken from bondage to Satan and become a child of God.
Matt. 12:29 teaches us that before this deliverance could take place, if was
necessary for Satan to be bound.
When Was
Satan Bound?
The logical question might
be raised: When was Satan bound so that captives could be delivered into the
kingdom of God?
Do you recall the
declarations of our Savior as He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth?
Luke 4:18 reports:
The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to
the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that
are bruised.
This verse is a quotation
from Isaiah 61:1-2, a promise of future deliverance for captives. Jesus came to
preach deliverance to the captives. Who are these captives? They are those who
are in spiritual bondage to Satan. The Lord Jesus came to set the captives free.
God teaches in Eph. 4:8: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Who is this captivity that
was led captive? It can only be the believers, who before salvation were in the
prison house of Satan but have been led forth as captives or bondservants of
Christ. Verse 9 of Eph. 4 tells us where Christ had to go to find us and to
accomplish the task of leading us forth as His bondservants. Eph. 4:9: Now that
he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth?
In this verse, the lower
parts of the earth is a synonym for hell just as the phrase bottomless pit in
Rev. 20 is a synonym for hell. Before we are saved, we are subject to hell
because of our sins. Although we have not yet experienced the official judgment
of God, which will come at the end of time we are under God's wrath which will
certainly send us to hell. Thus in a real sense, Christ found us in hell when He
saved us.The phrase, he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth,
has an even more pointed meaning, which is that Christ had to endure hell to
save us. On our behalf, He had to satisfy God's justice perfectly. The wages of
sin is eternal damnation, which every unsaved person must pay. Christ's death,
Christ's payment, which was made on our behalf, had to be the equivalent of our
spending eternity in hell. Only by this sacrifice could He free us from bondage
to Satan. Only then could He plunder the house of the strong man.
Thus, we know that the
binding of Satan occurred when Christ died for us. He died for us and paid the
price that freed us from our sins.
Satan is restrained by God.
Satan cannot frustrate God's plan to bring His elect from Satan's bondage into
Christ's kingdom. The timetable for this agrees precisely with that suggested by
the words of Jude 6 and II Peter 2:5. Now we can see why these accounts of
judgment on the angels are in the past tense; these accounts were written a few
decades after the cross, when Satan had already been bound.
In this regard, do you
recall Jesus' words to Peter in response to the wonderful confession in Matt.
16:16: Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. Matt. 16:18 reports this significant promise: and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The rock is
the Messiah, the Christ who went to the cross to pay for our sins. The gates of
hell - the prison house of Satan where Christ finds us - cannot keep us captive.
Satan
Cannot Frustrate God's Plan of Salvation
Are there other passages
that tie the events of the cross to the binding of Satan? Indeed, there are
passages that show that something drastic happened to Satan because Christ went
to the cross. Heb. 2:14 records:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil.
In this verse, God declares
that by Christ's death, that is, the atonement, Satan was destroyed. He was
dealt a death blow. Hell, eternal damnation, is the death that God has in view
as wages for sin, and hell, eternal damnation, is the death Christ brought
against Satan, This is why II Peter 2:4 speaks of the angels who had sinned as
being cast into hell, in the past tense, and why Rev. 20:1-3 speaks of Satan
being bound and cast into a pit. Satan was bound in the sense that he could do
nothing to frustrate Christ's plan to build His church.
In his letter to the
Colossians, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes of a dramatic
change in Satan's fortunes because of the atonement.
Col. 2:14-15:
Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.
In these verses,
principalities and powers is a synonym for the forces of Satan that threaten the
world. God teaches that they have been spoiled, that is, plundered. To
accomplish this required that the strong man be bound as we learned from Malt.
12:29.
Is Satan
Really Bound?
The questions might be
asked: If Satan is bound, if he is cast into a pit, what are we to do with the
New Testament passages that teach that Satan is alive and well? Is this a
serious contradiction to the conclusions we are making?
Indeed, there is plenty or
evidence to show that Satan actively continues throughout the New Testament
period. Eph. 6:11-12:
Put on
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
I
Peter 5:8 warns us: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
If we isolated these
passages from the rest of the Bible, we would conclude that Satan is as much at
liberty to do his evil work in the New Testament as he was in the history of the
world.
But when we read these
verses in the light of Col. 2:14-15, Heb. 2:14 and Matt. 12:24-25, we know that
because of the cross there has been a great change in Satan's relationship to
mankind. Satan was dealt a death blow at the cross. In principle, he was
destroyed; he was consigned to hell. By looking at passages such as Eph. 6:11-12
and I Peter 5:8 in the light of the rest of the Bible, we learn that Satan can
harass the church, he can persecute, and he can tempt the believers, but he
cannot stand in the way of Christ's plan to plunder his house of those who are
to become believers. In that senses he was bound. There is no contradiction.
I am afraid that some
theologians fall into the snare of allowing Webster's Dictionary or their own
minds to define terms in the Bible. It is tempting to conclude that to be bound
or cast into a pit can mean only that Satan is removed from the scene of human
activity. When we remember that the Bible is its own dictionary and the Bible
defines its own terms, we learn that to be bound does not mean that Satan was
removed frown human activity, it means that Satan cannot frustrate God's plan to
build His church as Christ plunders the house of Satan.
To be cast into a pit does
not mean that Satan was taken out of any further contact with mankind. Rather,
it means that Satan has been made subject to hell.
Because
Satan Was Bound, Salvation Comes to the World
There is another way we can
know that Satan was bound at the time Christ went to the cross.
The binding of Satan by
Christ's atoning work on the cross can be seen in dramatic fashion as we look at
God's program to evangelize the world. The mighty change in the effects of this
program can be seen in the success of the preaching of the Gospel before and
after the cross.
Before Christ was
crucified, there were preachers of the Gospel. John the Baptist, the twelve
apostles, and the seventy of Luke 10 were assigned that task. God Himself was
personally active in preaching the Gospel. Jesus says
in Luke 4:43-44:
And he
said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for
therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
There
was no finer preacher than Jesus who is God Himself. And yet after more
than three years of sustained Gospel declaration, the number of believers was
remarkably small.
The largest numbers of true
believers reported in the Bible are 120 in the upper room (Acts 1:15) and about
500 in Galilee (I Cor. 15:6). A few weeks after our Lord returned to heaven God
returned to again personally address Himself to the tasks of bringing the
Gospel. God the Holy Spirit was poured out.
Then the Apostle Peter
preached one sermon on Pentecost afternoon and three thousand souls were saved
(Acts 2:41). What happened to make the preaching of the Gospel so successful?
Why did it not happen when Jesus, who is just as certainly God as the Holy
Spirit preached?
The difference is that
Satan was bound at the cross. At Pentecost, God began His program to evangelize
the world. Satan's ability to hold the unsaved in spiritual darkness and
bondage, to the degree he had done in the Old Testament was broken at the cross.
Marvelously, ever since the
cros
s, people from every nation
have been streaming into the body of Christ. The first five missionaries to the
Auca Indians of South America were murdered by this benighted people, but
because Satan was bound at the cross, God would not allow them to continue under
Satan's power. Later reports indicated that perhaps one- half the tribe had
become saved.
Isn't it wonderful to see
how many Scriptures can be understood once we have the right understanding of
the binding of Satan?
God Sets a
Seal on Satan.
We read in Rev. 20:3 that
Satan has been cast into a bottomless pit, where God has shut him up and set a
seal upon him. We might think that great pit with a cover on it is like a jar of
fruit which has been scaled with wax or a rubber ring, but to recast into tell
pit means that Satan has been condemned to hell. He has been reserved for hell,
as we learned from II Peter 2:4. At the cross, he was severely limited in his
power to keep men in spiritual bondage.
The seal that God set upon
Satan relates to the fact that the full authority and power of God stand behind
the edict of God that Satan should be reserved for damnation and limited in his
ability to keep man from believing the Gospel. The believers are sealed with the
Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). The
language indicates the absolute guarantee of our salvation. Likewise, the
sealing of the pit absolutely guarantees that Satan will be sent eternally to
hell even though he is now allowed by God to go about as a roaring lion and
deceived many. This is the meaning of the phrase in Rev. 20:3, that he should
deceive the nations no more.
For 11,000 years, only a
trickle of believers came to faith in Jesus Christ. The only nation that
ordinarily produced believers was the nation of Israel, and even in Israel there
were few believers. In the wilderness sojourn from Egypt, almost the entire
nation perished because of unbelief. In Elijah's day there were 7,000 who had
not bowed the knew to Baal. In Jesus day, the largest numbers of believers are
120 and 500, but beginning with Pentecost in A.D. 33, believers have been
flowing into the kingdom of God from every nation.
One
Thousand Years: How Long?
Is the phrase thousand
years of verse 3 to be understood literally as 1,000 calendar years or is it to
be understood in a figurative sense? If we has been living before A.D. 1033, we
might have been tempted to look at this period as 1,000 literal years. But since
2,000 years have passed since Jesus was crucified and the conditions that
prevailed immediately after Pentecost still prevail today, we know that the
1,000 years must be understood figuratively and not literally. Later in our
study, we will look at the 1,000 years indicated in the verses which follow
verse 3, and we will see that when the entire context is taken into account,
there is no possibility that the 1,000 years could refer to a literal 1,000
years.
How are we to understand
the phrase a thousand years? In the Bible, God frequently uses numbers to
signify or symbolize spiritual truth. For example, it can be shown that the
number 4 often represents universality. The number 5, or 50, or 5,000,
frequently represents the grace of God or redemption or salvation. The number 7,
or 70, or 7,000, if it has spiritual meaning, represents the perfection of God's
plan.
Likewise, the number 10, or
100, or 1000, frequently represents the completeness of God's plan. The ten
coins of the parable of Luke 15:8-10 as well as the 100 sheep of the parable of
Luke 15:3-7 represent the completeness of all believers. The 1,000 generations
of Psalm 105:8 represent the completeness of all who are commanded to believe
the Gospel. Similarly, the 1,000 generations of Deuteronomy 7:9 represent the
completeness of all those throughout time who will keep God's commandments.
One
Thousand Years: The Completeness of God's Plan
In like manner the 1,000
years of Rev. 20:3 is not a literal period of time. It symbolizes the
completeness of God's program to evangelize the world during the New Testament
period. When God's plan is complete, that is, when the last one of God's elect
has become saved, the end will come.
Satan was bound at the
cross, but he is loosed during the final tribulation period. While Satan is
still reserved for judgment, his freedom to keep the unsaved in spiritual
bondage during the final tribulation period is so complete that it will appear
that he is the winner. It will appear that hell is no longer a threat to him.
Because this will appear to be Satan's time of victory, God uses language that
makes it sound like Satan has become victorious. God declares that Satan has
been loosed.
As we go on in
Rev. 20, we see that God teaches in this
chapter that even after Satan was bound, he could still martyr believers.
Verse 4:
And I
saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither bad
received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.
In this verse God speaks of
those who have been martyred during this thousand-year period. Let us try to
determine the larger teaching of Rev. 20 as it relates to some other chapters of
the Book of Revelation, and then we will see the chief intent of verse 4.
In Rev. 13, God discusses
the successes of the kingdoms of Satan. The kingdom or dominion of Satan is
represented by a first beast coming out of the sea and by a second beast coming
out of the earth. We will look at this chapter in greater detail later in our
study.
In Rev. 14 God contrasts
the joys of the redeemed with the damnation that will come upon the unsaved.
In Rev. 15 and 16, God
presents Judgment Day under the picture of seven bowls or vials of wrath.
According to Rev. 16:13, God is bringing this wrath on the dragon on the beast,
and on the false prophet. The dragon represents Satan himself. The beast and the
false prophet represent the kingdom or dominion of Satan.
In Rev. 17 and 18, God
again portrays His final judgment on Satan and his kingdom which are portrayed
as a great harlot who rules over the peoples of the world.
In Rev. 19, God describes
the final judgment on the kingdom of Satan. This kingdom is again portrayed
underlie figure of the beast and the false prophet. Both are cast into the lake
of fire (verse 20).
But in Rev. 20, God looks
at Satan. How did Satan fare after Christ defeated him at the cross and bound
him so that Christ could build His church? What will be the end of Satan? Will
his end correspond precisely to that which comes upon his dominion, represented
in Rev. 13 and Rev. 19 by the beast and the false prophet?
The first three verses of
Rev. 20 assure us that Satan was bound so that Christ could build His church.
Verse 4 shows us that while Satan cannot frustrate God's salvation plan he can
continue to persecute believers because verse 4 speaks of those who have been
beheaded. Thus, Rev. 20 teaches that although God tells us that Satan has been
bound and cast into a pit, Satan has not been taken out of the way so that his
presence is no longer felt. Satan can still harass believers and bring them to
violent death.
Believers,
though Martyred, Reign with Christ
Rev. 20:4 informs us that
Satan has not won. While he has done everything he possibly could to frustrate
and destroy the body of Christ, he cannot be the victory. In a visions, the
Apostle John saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and the souls of them that
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.
Many theologians read this
passage superficially and conclude that this is a vision of believing martyrs
who are reigning here on this earth with Christ. In books on eschatology, they
speak of Christ reigning on each.
They argue that the Apostle
John must have been on earth when he saw this vision; therefore, the vision must
have been a scene on this earth. Doesn't Rev. 20:1 state that he saw an angel
coming down from heaven?
The fact is that the Book
of Revelation is a series of visions given to the Apostle John wherein God is
prophesying concerning events in heaven, on earth, and in eternity in the new
heavens and the new earth. Where John was located when he saw a particular
vision is unimportant. In Rev. 4:2 for example, John was in heaven in the
spirit, and God describes a great many things he saw in heaven. Rev. 6:1
continues to describe his vision in heaven as the Lamb owns the first seal. But
the next verse indicates that the Apostle John saw events which are related to
the first seal occur on this earth.
Likewise Rev. 8:12 declares
that he saw the seven angels which stood before God. It is implied that he was
in heaven, but most of the rest of the chapter describes events which take place
on earth.
In the same manner, the
Apostle John's location or vantage point when he saw the events of Rev. 20 is
unimportant. The location of an event described in averse must be determined by
the verse itself; verse 4 of Rev. 20 cannot be speaking of this earth.
The word earth is not found
in Rev. 20:4. No verse in the Bible teaches that Christ Himself will reign from
a throne placed on this sin- cursed earth. I am afraid that these theologians
are reading something into this passage that is not there.
Verse 4 clearly shows us
that the vision is of a scene in heaven. It cannot be looking at this earth
because verse 4 speaks of the souls of them that were beheaded. Let us look very
carefully at this phrase.
In the Bible, God uses the
word soul in two ways. Sometimes the word soul is used to speak of a man as a
whole personality. For example, in the Old Testament, God laid down the rule
that if a man were not circumcision, that soul shall be cut off from his people
(Gen. 17:14). In I Peter 3:20, God declares that eight souls were saved by
water. In both of these references the word soul denotes the whole personality.
It is a synonym for the word person or people. That person (soul) will be cut
off. Eight people [souls] were saved.
God also uses the word soul
to signify the spirit essence of man in contrast to the body. For example,
Matt. 10:28 informs us:
And fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear
him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
In this verse, the soul is
the spirit of man which leaves the body at death, It does not represent the
whole personality but only the spirit essence. One cannot substitute the word
person for the word soul and still have a meaningful verse.
Likewise, in Rev. 20:4, the
word soul represents the spirit of man rather than the whole person. Notice that
it speaks of the souls "of them'' that were beheaded. For example, if we said, I
saw the hands of them who had been beheaded, what did we see? Did we see people
who had been beheaded? Or did we see only the hands of those who had been
beheaded? Of course we saw only the hands.
In similar fashion, the
Apostle John did not see people who were beheaded. He saw the souls of people
who were beheaded. Therefore, he saw disembodied souls.
The logical questions must
be asked: Do disembodied souls have anything to do with this earth? Can the
souls which are seated on thrones reigning With Christ be here on this earth?
The answers are obvious. Believers who are separated from their bodies at death
do not remain on this earth; rather, they go to heaven in their soul existence.
Under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul expresses this truth in
II Cor. 5:6-8:
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.
For believers, death is the
moment when our bodies go into the grave to wait for the resurrection of the
last day, but in our soul existence, we leave our bodies and go to heaven to
reign with Christ. We can go to heaven because from the moment we became saved,
we have been reigning with Christ. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God,
reigning over everything in this world as well as in the world to come.
Eph. 1:20-21 teaches:
Which he
wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his out
right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and
mighty and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come.
When we become believers,
we are raised with Him and we are seated with Him in the heavenlies, as Eph. 2:6
declares: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus.
Believers
Reign with Christ Now
Because Jesus is reigning
in heaven over the world, and because we are seated with Him, therefore we too,
are reigning. While our homeland and throne have become heaven, the assig
nment God has given us as
sons of God, as those of royal blood, is to serve as Christ's ambassadors on
earth. God speaks of our work on this earth in Rev. 5:10: And hast made us unto
our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
When our work on earth is
finished we leave our bodies and go to heaven, where we continue to reign with
Christ.
Returning to Rev. 20, God
is focusing on the fortunes of Satan and we see that while Satan can kill
believers, he cannot really hurt them. Their death at the hands of Satan is that
wonderful moment when they leave this world of woe and continue to live and
reign with Christ in heaven. Therefore, Satan has not won a victory at all when
he persecutes a believer to death. It is no wonder that Jesus says in
Matt. 10:28:
And fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear
him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Moreover, we are not
surprised that Jesus says in Luke 21:16-18:
And ye
shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and
solve of you shall they cause to be put to
death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not
an hair of your head perish.
How marvelous to know that
Satan cannot gain victory over the believers. This is the beautiful truth taught
in Rev. 20:4.
How long will the believers
reign with Christ? Verse 4 declares that it will be a thousand years. Could this
be a literal period of 1,000 years? Obviously not. Some believers died 2,000
years ago and are still reigning with Christ in heaven. Others died as recently
as yesterday and are presently reigning with Him in heaven. Only when we
understand that this thousand years, like the thousand years of verse 3, is to
be understood as the completeness of God's plan for the believers, do these
verses make any sense. Every believer who has died and gone to heaven has a
different starting point from which he began to reign with Christ in his soul
existence. These believers will reign with Christ in their soul existence until
they return with Christ on the clouds of glory on Judgment Day. Under no
circumstances does the context of Rev. 20 allow a literal thousand-year reign of
Christ on earth. Only when it is realized that the thousand years signify the
completeness of God's plan can all of the verses of Rev. 20 be harmonized with
the rest of the Bible.
Verse 3 of Rev. 20 teaches
that Satan was bound formic completeness of God's plan (a thousand years), which
we have discovered to be the period of time from the cross until the beginning
of the final tribulation period. Verse 4 teaches that the martyred believers
reign with Christ in their disembodied souls from the time of their death until
the return of Christ in judgment at the end of the world.
Before we leave verse 4, we
should comment on the phrase which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads. or in their hands.
This statement has particular reference to Rev.
13, where verse 4 speaks of the unsaved worshipping the beast:
And the
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and the worshipped the
beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
The beast causes all of the
unsaved to receive a mark in their right hand or on the foreheads, as verse
16 declares:
And he
causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
In the next chapter, we
will look at this verse to discover the identity of the beast named in Rev. 13,
and who worships him. We will also consider the phrases in Rev. 13 which speak
of fire coming down from heaven, those who cannot buy or sell, and the number
666.
The Dragon
and the Beast
God declares in Rev. 20:4
that the martyrs reigning with Christ a thousand years are those who had not
worshipped the beast nor his image and had not received a mark on their
foreheads or hands. This is a to reference to Rev. 13.
We will look carefully at
Rev. 13 to determine the identity of the beast and also the period of time that
is in view when the Bible speaks of those who have his mark. If Rev. 13 speaks
only of the final tribulation period, then Rev. 20:4 must speak only of the
final tribulation period. If that is so, then our conclusions concerning the
millennium are defective.
Rev. 13
begins with the declaration:
And I
stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having
seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the
name of blasphemy.
Who is this beast? How does
the beast relate to the dragon of Rev. 12:3,
where we read:
And
there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having
seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Why does this dragon have
its heads crowned and not its horns? How does the dragon of Rev. 12 and the
beast of Rev. 13 relate to the beast of Rev. 17:3?
Rev.
17:3: So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman
sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven
heads and ten horns.
Why does the beast of Rev.
17 have neither its head nor its horns crowned? Let us try to bring all of these
passages into focus. Rev. 17:9-10 states:
And here
is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the
woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the
other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
These verses indicate that
the beast with its seven heads represents the rule of Satan throughout time. The
seven mountains refer to seven kingdoms. The number 7 must be understood to
represent the perfection of God's plan to allow Satan to rule. Frequently in the
Bible, the term mountain is a synonym for kingdom. Verse 10 indicates that the
seven heads are seven kings because kingdoms are ruled over by kings.
In these verses, God
indicates that at the time the Book of Revelation was being written, the beast
had already ruled for a considerable period of time. Five kings out of seven had
already ruled. That is, five-sevenths of his rule was already past.
On the other hand,
Rev. 17:12 teaches that the horns
represent the rule of Satan at the end of time:
And the
ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as
yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
In this verse, God shows
that the ten horns represent the kingdom of Satan at some future time. It is a
brief period of time and undoubtedly coincides with the final tribulation
period.
In Rev. 12, the beast is
spoken of as a dragon and is presented with crowns on the heads but not on the
horns. Thus, Rev. 12 focuses on Satan himself, when he ruled principally during
the Old Testament and was not yet bound. This was his condition as he sought to
kill the man child (Christ) who was born to the woman.
In Rev. 13 and Rev. 17, God
does not use the word dragon, He uses the term the beast. Moreover, in these
chapters, the seven heads do not have crowns on them because Satan was bound at
the cross. After the cross, Satan could not reign with the power and freedom he
enjoyed throughout the time of the Old Testament.
But his kingdom continues
to go on. Notice that Rev. 13:1 declares that this beast comes out of the sea.
The sea, like the bottomless pit is a synonym for hell. Satan has been reserved
unto hell by Christ's victory on the cross. We have seen that this is language
that indicates he is a defeated foe subject to Judgment Day, and he cannot
frustrate God's plan to evangelize the world.
His kingdom continues to be
in evidence throughout the New Testament period. This is represented by the
beast of Rev. 13. Even though Satan was vanquished at the cross, his dominion
continues, and so the beast comes from the sea, which represents hell, where
Satan was bound. The heads of the beast are not crowned because Satan could not
rule over his dominion with the freedom and certainty that he had before the
cross.
The ten horns of the beast
are crowned in Rev. 13:1, which shows that at the end of time for a very brief
period, the kingdom of Satan will appear to be as free and certain as its rule
before the time of the cross. Rev. 17:8
describes these changes in Satan's rule:
The
beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose
names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,
when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
The phrase, the beast that
thou sawest was, refers to the reign of Satan before the time of the cross. The
next phrase, and is not, refers to the fact that he was bound at the cross.
The phrase, and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, refers to the loosing of Satan at the
beginning of the tribulation period. This phrase parallels the language and
expresses the same truth that is found in Rev. 9:1, where God speaks of locusts
coming out of the pit. These locusts, with tails like scorpions (verses 3 and
10) are a figure of Satan, who comes with his devilish destruction.
The phrase, and go into
perdition, refers to the final judgment on Satan and his kingdom at the end of
time. The last phrase in Rev. 17:8, and yet is, emphasizes that while in one
sense Satan was bound, in another sense, he continued throughout the New
Testament period. His kingdom continued to be in evidence, but he was not able
to frustrate God's plan to save a vast company of believers.
Because of the intimate
relationship that exists between Rev. 13 and Rev. 17, we can know that Rev. 13
refers to the reign of the kingdom of Satan throughout the New Testament period.
We receive added assurance that this chapter has in view the kingdom of Satan
throughout the New Testament period in Rev. 13:5, which speaks of authority
being given to him for a period of 42 months. Careful analysis of Daniel 9:27
shows that the 42 months symbolize the entire New Testament period.
Rev.
13:3 teaches:
And I
saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was
healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The wounding (Greek slain)
unto death of one of his heads signifies the victory Christ won over Satan at
the cross. This verse reinforces the truth we have already discovered: At the
cross, Satan was bound and reserved for hell. The fact that Rev. 13:3 speaks of
the wound being healed emphasizes that the kingdom of Satan continues to
function throughout the New Testament period; indeed, near the end of time (the
time of the ten horns), he will look as victorious as if he had not been
vanquished by Christ at the cross.
The loosing of Satan near
the end of time is expressed in the language of
Rev. 13:7:
And it
was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
This will be during the
final tribulation period when the true Gospel is gradually pinched off; God's
plan of salvation has nearly ended because most of God's elect have become
saved.
Satan
Rules as Antichrist
In Rev. 13:11, God
describes another beast coming from the earth; And I beheld another beast coming
up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
This beast represents the kingdom of Satan or the rule of Satan when he rules as
Antichrist, as a pseudo-christ. This beast comes from the earth to signify that
his rule is through men. We are made of the dust of the earth and return to the
dust of the earth.
The two horns like a lamb
emphasize that his rule has the appearance of Christ's rule.
II Cor. 11:13-15 speaks of this rule:
For such
are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as
the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
In
I John 4:3, God underscores the same
truth:
And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not
of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Satan, the Antichrist, has
been ruling spiritually since the fall of man. He rules through men who come
with gospels almost identical to the true Gospel. In Rev. 13, God speaks of this
rule by the picture of the beast coming from the earth.
Satan
Rules through False Gospels
Rev. 13:14 tells us that
the kingdom of Satan, functioning as an Antichrist, will make an image to the
beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live. To make an image signifies
the development of gospels other than the true Gospel. The language identifies
with the false religions of the Old Testament, for instance, the worship of
Baal. Baal worship was similar to the worship of Jehovah God; it had priests,
altars, and ceremonies. The name Baal signifies lord. Baal worship was the
worship of a lord but their god was an image or an idol.
This is the picture God is
presenting in Rev. 13. Satan causes men to develop false gospels, which are
similar to Old Testament Baal worship. This phenomenon has been occurring
throughout the New Testament period, but judging from everything we can find in
the Bible, it has been greatly intensified during these end-times, when Satan is
loosed. By means of the false gospels, Satan himself will be worshipped. He will
greatly deceive many people so that when they worship Satan, they will be
completely convinced that they are worshipping Christ. Those who follow false
gospels are, therefore, worshipping the beast and the image.
Rev. 13:13 says that this
beast does great miracles: And he doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. This beast is also
called the false prophet in Rev. 16:13 and Rev. 19:20.
Verse 15 declares that the
beast had power to give life to the image:
And he had power to give
life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak,
and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.
These passages tell us that
Satan will at times, be able to break the silence between the supernatural and
the natural, so that these other gospels will appear to be directly from God. We
know that Satan is allowed by God to break the silence between the natural and
the supernatural insofar as secular activity is concerned. Witchcraft, mediums,
Tarot cards, and Ouija boards testify to this. Therefore, coming as an angel of
light, Satan can certainly work through similar means in the church as he brings
his other gospels. Even as the secular world has seers who believe they receive
messages from God, so in the churches those who come with other gospels will
speak of their revelations, visions, and dreams. By this means, the other
gospels look like they are of God.
Satan
Makes Fire Come from Heaven
In Rev. 13:13, the Bible
discloses that the beast maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the
sight of men. Does this mean that at some point in time Satan will be able to
literally make fire come down from heaven? Allow me to suggest that this
phenomenon is presently taking place in many places in the world, but no, it is
not a literal fire, it is an activity that is the equivalent of calling down
fire from heaven. Let us search the Bible to see how this can be.
In two outstanding examples
in which Satan, through his emissaries, threatened believers, fire came down
from heaven to destroy the wicked ones.
In II Kings 1, we read of
the wicked king of Israel sending a captain with 50 men to take Elijah. In the
face of Satan's open assault on believers, Elijah, who represents believers,
called down fire from heaven and the captain and 50 men were destroyed.
In Rev. 20, we read of
Satan assaulting the camp of the saints by means of the nations from the four
corners of the earth and fire came down from heaven to destroy these nations.
But there was another time
when Satan assaulted the kingdom of God and fire should have been called down
from heaven to destroy him. Instead a different action was taken to show that
Satan should have been destroyed by fire. That action, therefore, became the
equivalent of calling down fire from heaven.
The event was the binding
of Jesus outside the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas and the temple soldiers
came to take Jesus. Satan himself was there, because a bit earlier, he had
entered into Judas (Luke 22:3). Satan was so much a part of what followed that
Christ called Judas a devil (John 6:70-71). Jesus asked Judas and the temple
soldiers, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus then answered, I
am (John 18:4-5).
At that moment, following
the action of Elijah as recorded in II Kings 1, and the action against the
forces of evil as recorded in Rev. 20, Jesus should have called down fire from
heaven to destroy the enemies who would bind Him. But Jesus could not take this
action. He declared to the temple soldiers, this is your hour, and the power of
darkness (Luke 22:53). Christ could not destroy these enemies because it was
necessary that He be bound and go to the cross to pay for our sins. Only then
could He be our Savior.
Jesus showed that He was
willingly being bound and that it was God's will that He be taken, but Christ
could have easily destroyed these enemies. Instead of bringing fire from heaven,
when Jesus said,
I
am, He caused them to reel backward and fall to the ground (John 18:6).
This was a substitute action to show that He had the power to destroy them.
Therefore, we see that to
fall backward to the ground under some supernatural power is the equivalent of
calling fire from heaven. Thus, this could be the manner through which Rev.
13:13 finds its fulfillment. Among the false gospels of our day there is an
extensive phenomenon going on in which many people fall backward by some
supernatural power. Among some, this is called being slain in the spirit. Since
Satan himself cannot literally call down fire from heaven, he follows the lead
of Jesus and causes people to fall backward, which is a substitute for calling
down fire from heaven.
Rev. 13:15 records that
those who do not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Martyrdom for
those who will not deny Christ and agree with a false gospel has been common
throughout time. This was the lot of the souls who had been beheaded as spoken
of in Rev. 20:4.
In all likelihood, this
killing of true believers has its fulfillment in the proliferation of false
gospels during the final tribulation period. We will look at this possibility
more closely when we examine the loosing of Satan from his prison at the end of
God's plan (a thousand years).
The Slaves
of Satan
We read in
Rev. 13:16:
And he
causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
Is this mark on the hand or
forehead a literal mark? Never in the history of the world have unbelievers had
an outward mark. Moreover, the Bible shows us that this mentions of a mark is to
be understood as an indication of ownership. Even as a slave has a brand or some
mark to indicate who owns him, so, too, the slaves of Satan, spiritually
speaking, bear a brand or mark that shows they are slaves of Satan. The mark on
the hand signifies that the will is sold out to Satan. The mark on the forehead
signifies that the mind is sold out to Satan.
That this language of the
mark is to be understood spiritually and not literally is seen in similar
language that relates to the believer. In Rev. 14:1, God discloses that the
144,000, who can be shown to represent the fullness of all believers, have their
Father's name written on their foreheads. What is the name of God the Father? He
has no name and needs no name to distinguish Him from other gods because there
are no other gods. Also, when Christ comes on the clouds of glory, He has a name
which no one can know (Rev. 19:12). All of the names assigned to God in the
Bible are given to tell us something about God. He is the Savior. He is the
Christ, the Anointed One. He is the Word. He is Faithful. He is True. Believers
do not at any time have God's name literally on their foreheads. Rather, God is
instructing us by the language of Rev. 14:1 that the believers are bondservants
of God. They were purchased by the price of Jesus' blood. So, too, the unsaved
are pictured as bearing the mark or brand of their master, Satan.
Who Can
Buy or Sell?
Rev. 13 closes with the
information that no man could buy or sell unless he had the mark or name of the
beast. The Bible shows us that to buy or sell bears no relationship to the
economics of this world. It is not to be understood as literal buying or
selling. To what then does it refer?
In
Mark 11, Jesus speaks of those who
bought and sold in the temple. He cast them out and declares in
verse 17:
And he
taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all
nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Thus, Christ is equating
those who sold and bought with a den of thieves. The reference to a den of
thieves comes from Jer. 7:9-11, where
God informs us:
Will ye
steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto
Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me
in this house which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all
these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of
robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
In this passage, God is
teaching that a den of robbers equals those who are Baal worshipers but who
nevertheless believe they are saved (those who come and stand before me in this
house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered).
We have seen from Mark 11
that a den of robbers equals those who buy and sell. Therefore, by putting Mark
11 together with Jer. 7, we conclude that those who buy and sell denote those
who are followers of other gospels (Baal worshippers), who believe they are
saved. Of course a true believer cannot become snared into a wrong gospel.
Nothing can separate a true believer from the love of God, nothing can snatch
him from his heavenly Father's hand. Therefore, since the believer does not have
the mark of the beast he cannot buy or sell; he is not a slave of Satan.
That is, the true believer
cannot be snared into other gospels, which are spoken of in Rev. 13:12-15. What
a tremendous comfort to the child of God! Regardless of how deceitful Satan may
be as he comes with false gospels that look almost like the true Gospel, the
true believer in Christ cannot be misled. The true believer cannot lose his
salvation.
The concept that those who
buy and sell represent those who are followers of another gospel even though
they think they are saved is further expanded by the Bible's use of the word
merchandise. In John 2:13-16, we have an account similar to that of Mark 11. In
these verses we are told that Christ has driven the money changers and those who
sold oxen and sheep from the temple. Verse 16 informs us: And said unto them
that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of
merchandise.
In this verse, the word
merchandise is used of those who were buying and selling in the temple. The same
word is used in II Peter 2:3, where we
read:
And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth
not.
The context of this verse
discloses that false prophets among the people are bringing damnable heresies.
God speaks of them as making merchandise of the people. In other words, God is
applying the concept of buying and selling or merchandising to those who have
other than the true Gospel; they merchandise in the temple. That is, they try to
snare true believers into their false gospels. But praise God as we learned from
Rev. 13, true believers cannot become involved in this; they cannot buy or sell.
Rev. 13 closes with the
statement of verse 18:
Here is wisdom. Let him that
hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man;
and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The Number
666
What is this number 666?
Unfortunately, we have an erroneous translation in our King James Bible, which
declares that it is the number of a man. The word from which a man is translated
is the Greek word anthropos, which can refer to a single individual but more
often refers to mankind in general.
The same noun is used in
John 5:27: And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is
the Son of man. In this verse the Lord Jesus is called the Son of man. He, of
course, is not the son of a man. He did not have a human father. He was the Son
of mankind. Likewise, the number 666 of Revelation is not a number assigned to a
man but to mankind. Therefore, a better translation of Rev. 13:18 would be, it
is the number of man. That is, it is the number God has assigned to all of
mankind in a spiritual sense.
It is derived from Zech.
13:8-9, where God divides all of mankind into two groups. One group consists of
those who are saved, who in a spiritual sense bear the number 1/3 (one-third).
The other group consists of the unsaved, who spiritually bear the number 2/3
(two-thirds).
Zech.
13:8-9 records:
And it
shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein
shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring
the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear
them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
The one-third refers to
those who have become saved; they have passed through the fire in the sense that
Christ, as their substitute, has endured the wrath of God on their behalf. The
wrath of God is identified with the eternal fires of hell. In Christ the full
penalty of our sins has been paid; we can now stand blameless before God. We are
His people, and the Lord is our God.
In these same verses, God
is using the number 2/3 to signify those who are unsaved and still under the
wrath of God. God emphasizes these proportions in at least two historical
events. We read of the victory of David (who is a great type of Christ), over
Moab in II Sam. 8:2:
And he
smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even
with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep
alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.
Note that two-thirds were
put to death and one-third was spared and became servants of David. The
one-third is a picture of believers who have become servants of Christ. The
two-thirds represent the unbelievers who will be consigned to eternal damnation.
Another historical example
is found in II Kings 1, where we read that on three occasions captains with 50
men came to take Elijah. The first two bands of men were destroyed by fire from
heaven. The third captain and his men pleaded for mercy and were spared. Thus,
in the Bible, the proportions of two-thirds (2/3) and one-third (1/3) stand out
prominently.
How does the number 2/3
relate to the number 666? Indeed, they are the same number. If we divide 3 into
2, which we do to write the number 2/3 as a decimal number, we have the number
.666666666, etc. If we write this number using only the first three digits, we
obtain the number 666.
God
is teaching us that those of mankind who are doomed to destruction are assigned
the symbolic number 666. The only way that number can be removed from
anyone is by that person becoming a child of God.
God is giving us the grand
truth in the closing verses that no one who is a child of God (who does not have
the brand of Satan or the number 666, which shows he is still under the curse of
God), can be snared into a false gospel (can buy or sell). Satan can come with
his most deceitful gospels, by which he rules the hearts of unsaved man, but he
cannot have victory over the saved. The saved are safe in the arms of Christ.
We have learned that Satan
and his kingdom are portrayed as a dragon and a beast. As a dragon, Satan's rule
throughout time is symbolized by the seven heads. Before the cross, these heads
had crowns to signify spiritual rule over the unsaved. After the cross, he no
longer has crowns on his heads. Thus, God tells us that Satan's power over
unsaved men has been broken. This was required so that God could plunder Satan's
house and Christ could build His church.
The dragon was also
portrayed with ten horns which are crowned which pictures the rule of Satan
during the final tribulation period. At this time, his rule is total in the
sense that few will become saved. God's plan for saving the elect out of each
and every nation is almost complete.
We have also learned that
Satan's rule is typified by a beast with two horns which focuses on Satan's
spiritual rule in the world as he comes with false gospels. This rule has been
in evidence throughout the New Testament period but is especially in evidence
during the final tribulation period.
Those who are snared into
these false gospels are spoken of as worshipping the beast and of having his
mark on their hand and on their forehead. Those who do not become snared in this
fashion are those spoken of in Rev. 4. They are the ones who are martyred and
who reign with Christ in heaven until the end of time.
The
Antichrist
Virtually every book that
looks toward the end of time relates in some manner to the
Antichrist. Most theologians
teach that he will be a human being who will come on the world scene at a future
time, and because he will be indwelt by Satan he will have great power and
authority and be a world ruler.
When we read the Bible
carefully, we can discover who the Antichrist is. It is not some world ruler,
rather, it is Satan himself. Let us see why this is so. The verse that helps us
to see most clearly to identify the Antichrist is
I John 4:3:
And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not
of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world.
This verse tells us that
the Antichrist was already in the world almost 2,000 years ago when those words
were written and that the Antichrist will come. Therefore, we can know that the
Antichrist must have been living during the entire New Testament period. Of
course, no human being can fit that description.
But there is someone who
can. That someone is Satan. He is the Antichrist. He answers to every
description in the Bible in which the Antichrist is in view. Christ is the head
of the kingdom of believers, who in turn are called Christians or believers or
prophets. Likewise, Satan, the Antichrist, heads the dominion of darkness. His
followers are called antichrists, or unbelievers, or false christs, or false
prophets.
Because Satan is a spirit
being (a fallen angel), he does his work through men. Principally his work is
thorough false prophets within the church.
Matt. 24:24 records:
For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect.
In
II Cor. 11:13-15, we find this very
pertinent information:
For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works.
Thus, we can know that in
those passages which speak of a future time when great wickedness will occur
under the rule of someone holding great power and authority, it is Satan who is
in view as the ruler. He is the Antichrist. He is called the man of sin in II
Thes. 2 because he was called a man in Isaiah 14:16:
They that see thee shall
narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made
the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.
Verses 12-20 speak of
Satan, who is also called Lucifer. He is called a man because he was typified by
the king of Babylon, who, of course, was a man.
When we recognize that
Satan is the Antichrist, then every part of the Bible falls into place. For
example, we see immediately how the loosing of Satan, which is discussed in Rev.
20, identifies with the other passages that point to the Antichrist.
In the next chapter, we
will learn what the first resurrection is and how it relates to the martyrs
referred to in Rev. 4.
The
First Resurrection
We have been examining Rev.
20 in some detail. We are very interested in this chapter because those who hold
the premillennial view believe these verses teach that during a future literal
period of one thousand years, Christ will return to and reign over this
sin-cursed earth from the city of Jerusalem. Thus far, we have found no evidence
in Rev. 20 or anywhere else in the Bible to support this conclusion. Because
Rev. 20 is so important in the study of prophecy, we will continue to examine it
to make sure our conclusions in the previous chapters of this study are not
negated by other evidence found in Rev. 20 or in any other part of the Bible.
Do you remember that the
martyrs pictured in Rev. 20:4 had not worshiped the beast nor his image and had
not received the mark of the beast? In other words, God is teaching that these
were true believers; they were not slaves of Satan, and they were not involved
with a false gospel.
Continuing in verse 4, we
read that they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. We should look at
the word lived a bit more closely, for it is the same word used in verse 5,
where God speaks of the unsaved as those who lived not Rev. 20:5:
But the rest of the dead
lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.
The word lived, as found in
both verse 4 and verse 5 is the Greek word ezesan. It is a word that God uses to
denote conscious existence. This word can be used in connection with saved or
unsaved people. Acts 26:5, for example, speaks of the Apostle Paul's life before
he was saved, using the words, I lived [ezesan] a Pharisee. It is the same word
used in Rev. 13:14, where we read of the beast which had the wound by a sword,
and did live [ezasan, same root word].
Neither of the above
passages relate to eternal life. They simply emphasize conscious existence.
In Rev. 20:4, when Satan
martyred the saved, they did not die. Oh, yes, in their bodies they were put in
graves, but because they have eternal life, physical death became the marvelous
moment when they left their bodies and continued to have conscious existence.
But now they are living in their soul existence. They are reigning with Christ
in heaven.
They will reign with Christ
a thousand years (that is, for the completeness of God's plan), in the condition
of being absent from their bodies. Throughout the New Testament, believers are
martyred and go to heaven to reign. For all of them, their reign as disembodied
souls will end at the time of the return of Christ, when all believers will
receive their resurrected bodies and from that time on as complete
personalities, will reign with Christ.
The duration of each
believer's reign in heaven will be different from almost all other believers'
reigns. This is because believers arrive in heaven at different times, but for
each believer it will be for the duration of a thousand years, that is, until
the completion of God's plan.
Unbelievers Upon Death Go to a Place of Silence
The Bible declares that the rest of the dead, spoken of in verse 5, lived not
again (that is, they did not have conscious existence), until the thousand years
were finished. Who are the rest of the dead? Since those who are saved have
conscious existence after they die (they go to heaven to reign with Christ, see
II Cor. 5:64), we know that the rest of the dead referred to in verse 5 must be
those who are unsaved. Upon death they cannot go into God's holy heaven.
Instead, they will go to a place of silence (Psalm 115:17), Of course, they will
be resurrected at the end of time to be judged. For them, a thousand years (the
completeness of God's plan) is from the time of their physical death until
Judgment Day. Therefore, a thousand years is a different time span for each
unsaved individual.
Rev. 20:5 is proof that the
unsaved do not go into torment immediately after death. They go into silence to
await their resurrection, when they will be officially judged for their sins.
Only then will they be removed into hell, where they will eternally have
conscious existence and pay for their sins. (Thus after an unsaved person dies,
the next event he will know is his resurrection and standing for judgment to
answer for his sins.) In the account of the rich man and Lazarus described in
Luke 16, where it seems that the rich man is immediately in torment, please
remember that this is a parable. Luke 16:22 informs us that the rich man was
buried, but verse 23 mentions his eyes and verse 24 tells us of his tongue. This
would be impossible if this were a literal description of life after death. Only
by understanding that this is a parable can these and other apparent
contradictions within the story be reconciled.
What Is
the First Resurrection?
God gives us the reason why
Satan is not the victor when he is able to have true believers killed. We read
in Rev. 20, verse 5b and verse 6:
This is
the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him
a thousand years.
What is the first
resurrection? Verse 6 teaches us that five characteristics apply to those who
have experienced the first resurrection.
They are blessed.
They are holy.
Over them the second death
has no power.
They are priests of God.
They will reign with God a
thousand years (the completeness of God's plan).
Who has these five
characteristics? Let us look at the five characteristics, which identify with
those who have experienced the first resurrection to show how each
characteristic relates to those who have become saved.
Those who have experienced
the first resurrection are blessed. The Beatitudes of Matt. 5 are sufficient to
show that the child of God is blessed. In fact, it is a theme that runs
throughout the Bible.
Those who have experienced
the first resurrection are holy. I Peter 2:9 declares that the believers are a
holy nation. Believers are holy because we have been taken out of Satan's
dominion to be set apart to serve God.
Those who have experienced
the first resurrection are not under the power of the second death. Rev. 20:14
indicates that the lake of fire (hell) is the second death. Believers in Christ
are no longer under the fear of hell because Christ, as their Savior, has
already endured hell on their behalf.
Those who have experienced
the first resurrection are priests of God. In I Peter 2:9, God teaches that
those who are saved are a royal priesthood. Rev. 1:6 teaches that Christ has
made us priests.
Those who have experienced
the first resurrection will reign with Christ a thousand years. We learned from
Eph. 1:20-22 that following His resurrection, Christ sat down at the right hand
of God. He was given authority over everything, not only in this age but also in
the age to come. This is the reason why He is our King. In
Eph. 2:5-6, God speaks of those who have
been saved.
Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus.
In other words, we who have
been saved are now reigning with Christ. Our throne is in heaven, which is also
the land of our citizenship (Phil. 3:20-21), but for the time being, we have
been assigned the task of representing Christ on this earth. We have become of
royal blood; we now reign with Christ. We are His ambassadors. Only when our
task on earth is finished will we be called home to reign in heaven, which was
the experience of the martyrs of Rev. 20:4.
Rev. 5:10 emphasizes the
kingly character as well as the priestly nature of the believer: And hast made
us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
We reign now on earth
because we have a heavenly citizenship and our throne is with Christ at the
right hand of the Father. Of course we will also reign with Christ eternally
when God creates the new heavens and the new earth.
We have seen quite clearly
that each of the five characteristics which relate to the first resurrection of
Rev. 20:5 identify with believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The First
Resurrection Is Salvation
What is the first
resurrection? When did we experience it? Do you recall what we read in John
5:24?
John
5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
In this verse, God is
telling us that a saved person has come from death unto life. This can only mean
that before we were saved, we were spiritually dead, but now we have eternal
life. Note the present tense, which teaches us that our eternal life is a
present reality. If we were dead and are now alive, then we must have
experienced a resurrection, which is precisely what
Eph. 2:5-6 teaches:
Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus.
In these verses, God speaks
of Christ being raised. Christ, of course, experienced a very literal
resurrection, but we have been raised with Him. Thus, we, too, have experienced
a resurrection.
How can that be, since the
Bible clearly states that our bodies will be resurrected when Jesus comes again?
The answer is that we are more than just bodies. We are also souls, our spirit
essence, which is the part of us that leaves the body at death and goes to be
with the Lord, even as the souls of the martyrs in Rev. 20:4 could leave their
bodies at death and reign with Christ in heaven. The reason they could go into
heaven at the time they were separated from their bodies (physical death) is
that in their souls, they had experienced the resurrection at the time of
salvation. In their souls, they had become born from above. In their souls, they
had become new creatures (II Cor. 5:17) and old things had passed away.
At physical death, we who
have been saved cannot go into heaven in our bodies. Only after our bodies have
experienced the resurrection will they be caught up in the air to be with our
Savior; this will be the second resurrection for
believers.
The
first resurrection occurred at the moment of
salvation when we received our resurrected souls.
This is why Satan could not
win a victory over the martyrs whom he had beheaded (Rev. 20:4): They had
experienced the first resurrection. Therefore, their physical death at the hand
of Satan's evil men simply marked the marvelous moment when they went home to
heaven, where they will forever live and reign with Christ. Satan had won no
victory at all.
We read about the
resurrection of the soul (the soul is also called the spirit of man), in
I Peter 4:6:
For this
cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be
judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Believers are judged as men
according to the flesh in the sense that their bodies (their flesh) will be
placed in the grave, but in their spirit, in their souls, they live according to
God. That is, they will never die. What a comfort this is to those who have
placed their trust in Christ!
While we are considering
the matter of the first resurrection, we might reflect briefly on the impact of
this powerful experience on our lives.
Before we are saved, both
in body and soul (in our whole personality), we are dead in our sins. We live in
rebellion against God. There is great harmony within our personality as we live
our sinful lives. When we sin, both in body and soul we love that sin. The only
restraint we sense is in our conscience. Our conscience reflects God's law,
which to some degree is written in our hearts (Rom. 2:15). We know it is wrong
to murder, steal, and commit adultery, but as we proceed deeper into sin our
conscience becomes seared. We become more hardened in our sins. As long as we do
not have to face an outside penalty (social stigma, criminal charges, etc.), we
take pleasure in the sins we love. Between our body and soul, there is complete
agreement concerning our way of life.
But when we experience
salvation, a profound change occurs in our lives. No change occurs in our
bodies. In our bodies, we continue to lust after sin. This will be a problem for
us as long as we live. This is one reason why believers long for the return of
Christ because when our Savior returns, believers will receive their resurrected
bodies. This change in our bodies is wonderfully described in I Cor. 15.
Upon salvation there is a
total change in our souls. We are given new resurrected souls in which we never
want to sin again. I John 3:9 declares that that which is born of God cannot
sin. It is in our soul existence that we never wish to sin again. It is in that
part of our existence that we have eternal life.
This change brings
difficulties to us. Before we are saved, both in body and soul there is harmony,
there is agreement. After salvation a struggle begins. In our body, we want to
sin. In our new soul, we never want to sin again. But we must live as a whole
personality with our body and soul integrated with each other.
The
Believer's Tug-of-War
There is a tug-of-war going
on in the life of the true believers. When we live close to Christ and His Word,
our soul is winning, and we turn away from sin. When we take our eyes from
Christ and look longingly at the pleasures of this world, the desires of our
bodies entice us and sin will become a problem.
When we fall into sin, we
experience great internal trauma. We are violating ourselves in our soul
existence in which we never wish to sin again. David, under the inspiration
of-the Holy Spirit, described this trauma in the words of
Psalm 32:3-5:
When I
kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day
and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of
summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not
hid. I said. I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
In other words the true
believer cannot go deeper and deeper into sin nor can he engage continuously in
sin.
The contention between the
desires of his soul on the one hand and the desires of his body on the other
will be severe and uncomfortable. It will not be long until he is pleading with
God for forgiveness and for victory over the besetting sin.
The struggle between the
soul and the body in the life of the believer is set forth so clearly in the
language of Rom. 7:18-24:
For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is
present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good
that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do
that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I
find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I
delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliverer from the body of this death?
Thus, we see that there is
great evidence in our lives that we receive our resurrected souls at the moment
observation. The final proof of this glorious fact is evidenced at death. At
death our bodies are placed in a grave to await the resurrection of the last
day. But our souls do not go down to a place of silence to await the
resurrection. In our souls we are immediately brought into God's glorious
presence. The Holy Spirit guided the Apostle Paul to declare in II Cor. 5:8: We
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.
The reason we can, in our
souls, go instantaneously at death into God's holy presence, is that we
experienced the resurrection of our souls when we became saved.
Returning to Rev. 20, we
read in verse 7: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison. Remember that the term thousand years is a synonym for the
completeness of God's plan. Satan was bound at the cross so that he could not
frustrate God's plan to evangelize the world and save God's elect.
When God's plan of
salvation is nearly completed, that is, when almost all of God's elect have
become saved, Satan will be loosed from prison; he will be permitted to hold the
rest of the human race in great spiritual bondage, which will usher in the
period of time known as the final tribulation.
The Bible has much to say
about the final tribulation. The final tribulation will not be studied in depth
in this book, but a careful study of this period is presented in the booklet The
Final Tribulation, which is available from Family Radio.
We will, however, further
discuss the question of the timing of the rapture. As we look at this question,
we will learn about the fundamental characteristics of the final tribulation
period. We will also examine many Scripture verses that premillennial
theologians use as proof texts to support their understanding of the details of
the return of Christ. Moreover, we will see if there is anything in these verses
that in any way suggest a future glory for national Israel.
In our next chapter,
therefore, we will look at the timing of the rapture.
When Is
The Rapture?
As never before in history,
there is an increasing preoccupation with the subject of the return of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The return of Israel to its land, the tremendous multiplication of
knowledge, the potential for massive worldwide destruction by nuclear war, and
the rapid increase in communication technology (permitting the Gospel to
penetrate everywhere in the world), are some of the phenomena that cause serious
students of the Bible to wonder if the end of time is at hand. Naturally those
who have placed their trust in the Bible as the only reliable source of
information concerning the future will look to the Bible for information
concerning the end-time events. One event that gives great comfort to the child
of God is the rapture of the believers. By the word rapture we have in mind that
moment when the believers in Christ who have not experienced physical death will
be changed into their glorified bodies.
At that time, they will be
caught up in the air to be with Christ, as I
Thes. 4:17 declares:
Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The subject of the rapture
of the church is important for many reasons. One reason is that we must remember
that the time line of history is the unfolding of God's salvation plan. The
church, and by this we mean the various congregations and denominations in which
true believers in Christ are found, is intimately and extensively a part of
God's salvation plan. Since the rapture is the catching up of believers to be
with Christ in the air, it signals the end of the believers on earth. That is,
it indicates the church has come to an end on earth. Therefore, we must learn
when this will be in relationship to the chronology of history.
A puzzling situation has
developed however concerning the timing of the rapture. Some hold that it will
take place 1,007 years before the end of the world. Others believe the Bible
teaches that it will be 1,003.5 years before the end while still others suggest
1,000 years. Then there are those who teach that this grand event will occur
right at the end of time.
One logically wonders,
therefore, if the Biblical teaching concerning the timing of the rapture is
intentionally obscured or is the language of the Bible just extremely difficult
to understand. Of course one would surely wish to understand the Bible clearly
on this question for then one could know more specifically how the believers
will relate to the final tribulation of which the Bible speaks. Moreover, a
clear understanding of the timing of the rapture would greatly help in our
understanding of many other details that relate to the end of time.
Wonderfully, the Bible has
much to say about the rapture. It is not an event that is rarely alluded to in
the Bible. The timing of the rapture in relation to Judgment Day and the end of
time is extremely well documented in the Scriptures. We need have no doubt
whatsoever concerning its place in the sequence of events that relate to
Christ's return.
In this study we will
examine seven different sets of Scriptures that deal with the rapture. As we go
through these Scriptures, we will find seven independent paths that lead us to
the same inescapable conclusion: The rapture of the believers will occur at the
end of time. It will take place at the same time our Lord comes to judge the
world. It will come right at the time when the world is beginning to collapse
and God prepares to destroy it by fire. It will be at the end of the time line
of history.
May we be grateful to our
Lord for the abundance of Biblical information He has provided on this important
matter.
Let us look together at the
first of these seven paths.
The Last Trumpet and the
Rapture
In
I Cor. 15:51-53 we read:
Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on
immortality.
In these verses God is
discussing the fact that not everyone will die. (To fall asleep is Biblical
language signifying death.) There will be those who will instantaneously receive
their resurrected bodies without first falling asleep. This language is clearly
concerned with the rapture, for verse 53 speaks about the believers receiving
their immortal bodies.
Then God tells us when this
event will occur. Note the language, which declares at the sound of the last
trump. This is a time clue. God is effectively saying that when the last trumpet
sounds, the rapture will occur.
Following the Biblical
principle that the Bible interprets the Bible, we must now search the Bible to
find language that relates to the sound of the last trumpet. If such references
can be found, perhaps they will tell us when the last trumpet will sound.
In
Rev. 11:15-18 we read:
And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat
before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We
give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come;
because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the
nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
In this passage God gives us
an outline of the events that will accompany the sounding of the seventh or last
trumpet. At that time the following becomes reality:
The time has come for the
dead to be judged.
The time for the rewarding
of the saints has come.
The time for destroying the
destroyers has come.
In other words, the
sounding of the seventh trumpet signals that Judgment Day has come. It signals
that the time has come for the believers to receive their reward. It is the time
that the forces of evil are to be cast into hell. Therefore, the sounding of the
last trumpet must be at the end of time, for it is at the end of time that
Judgment Day dawns, and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire.
Returning to I
Cor.15:51-53, we will recall that this passage effectively declares that the
rapture of believers is to occur at the sound of the last trumpet. Since we have
seen from Rev. 11 that at the sound of the seventh trumpet Judgment Day occurs,
we can know that the rapture is an event that occurs simultaneously with
Judgment Day.
Sodom's Destruction and the
Rapture
From I Cor. 15:51-53 we
have seen that the rapture is to occur at the time Christ returns to judge
the world. Let us now look
at a second path that helps us to better understand the timing of the rapture.
In Luke 17:28-37 we read:
Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they
sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it
rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall
it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be
upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house let him not come down to take it
away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember
Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever
shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be
two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two
women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And
they answered and said unto him. Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever
the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
In this passage, God is
using the destruction of Sodom as a figure or type of the judgment of the last
day. We will see that the saving of Lot and his family is a figure of the
rapture. God links the rescue of Lot and his family to the rapture in verse 34:
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be
taken, and the other shall be left.
Just before the destruction
of Sodom, God sent heavenly messengers to rescue the family of Lot (Gen. 19). On
the heels of this rescue operation, God rained down fire and brimstone upon
Sodom and the other wicked cities, utterly destroying them.
God declares in
Luke 17:30, Even thus shall it be in the day
when the Son of man is revealed. Thus, Christ links the destruction of
Sodom to Judgment Day.
The parallelism that exists
between the destruction of Sodom and the end of
the world is clearly
evident. Sodom, a wicked city ripe for judgment, is populated by two kinds of
people. There are the wicked, who are to be destroyed, and there is the church
represented by Lot and his family. It is a tiny little remnant in this wicked
city.
So today the world is
mostly populated by those who are altogether rebellious against God. Amongst the
vast population of the world there is the church. It consists of only a tiny
percentage of the world's population.
Then Judgment Day comes for
Sodom. The cup of their iniquity is full. God is to utterly destroy them for
their sins, but just ahead of that judgment, God rescues Lot. So close in time
is the rescue to the poured out judgment of God that Lot's wife is destroyed in
the judgment. So it will also be at the end of time. When the nations have
become ripe for judgment, God will send His angels to rescue the believers from
amongst the unbelievers. Two will be in one bed; one is taken, the other is
left. The one that is taken is caught up in the air to be with Christ, even as I
Thes. 4:17 teaches. The one that is left will stand for judgment even as the
wicked of Sodom were left for judgment.
Thus, Christ is teaching
that the rapture comes simultaneously with Judgment Day. There is complete
agreement between the account of Jesus concerning the destruction of Sodom and
the I Cor. 15 account, which speaks of the rapture coming at the sound of the
last trumpet.
The
Noachian Flood and the Rapture
A third path through the
Bible continues to give us vast assurance that the rapture will occur
simultaneously with Judgment Day. This is found in the language Jesus utters as
He compares the flood and its events to Judgment Day and its events. In
Matt. 24:37-41 we read:
But as
the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the
other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and
the other left.
In this passage, God sets
up parallel language that relates the flood that destroyed the world of Noah's
day to Jesus' return. This parallelism, which indicates that the destruction of
the world in the Noachian Flood was a type or figure of Judgment Day, is also
set forth in II Peter 3:3-7:
Knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And
saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this
they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old,
and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But
the heavens and the earth,
which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
When we look at the flood
account in Gen. 7, we see that seven days before the flood, God gave Noah notice
that the flood would come in seven days. Therefore, Noah and his family were to
go into the ark.
Gen.
7:1: And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for
thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Gen.
7:4: For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days
and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy
from off the face of the earth.
The flood did indeed come
seven days after notice was given; we read in
Gen. 7:10, And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood
were upon the earth.
The Bible then records the
precise date of the flood, together with the information that Noah actually
entered the ark the selfsame day that the flood came. We read in
Gen. 7:11-13:
In the
six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of
the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and
the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days
and forty nights. In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with
them, into the ark.
Thus, Christ teaches that
the peoples of Noah's day continued eating and drinking until the day that Noah
entered the ark and the flood swept them away.
Luke 17:27 reads:
They did
eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day
that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Certainly we can see the
parallelisms that exist between the flood and Judgment Day. Noah and his family
lived in a world cursed by sin. At Judgment Day the believers, a tiny remnant of
people, will exist in a world cursed by sin. When the floods were to begin, Noah
and his family entered into the ark, a haven of safety for them. At Judgment Day
the believers are raptured while the unsaved are judged and removed into Hell:
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left
(Matt. 24:40).
The one taken is like Noah.
Even as Noah went into the safety of the ark, so the believer is caught up to
the safety of Christ. The one left is left for judgment, even as the people
outside the ark were left for judgment.
Once again we see clearly
that the rapture occurs simultaneously with Judgment Day. When Christ rose from
the grave, He showed the resurrection to be a fact by many proofs (Acts 1:3).
Likewise, the Bible's teaching concerning the timetable of the rapture is set
forth in many places in the Bible. We shall now look at a fourth path in the
Bible by which this truth is taught.
The
Resurrection of the Dead and the Rapture
I
Thes.4:14-17 is one of the most frequently quoted passages concerning the
rapture. We shall begin with this passage as we discuss a fourth path that shows
the timing of the rapture. There we read:
For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
The first truth that we
will look at in this passage is the fact that the rapture will occur
simultaneously with the resurrection of our bodies. God indicates that at His
coming He will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. Elsewhere (II Cor.
5:8) God teaches that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
When Christians die, because they were given their resurrected souls at the time
of their salvation, in their souls they can go to be with Christ. In this
condition they live and reign with Him in Heaven.
At Christ's return all
those who have died, that is, who have fallen asleep, and who have been living
with Christ in Heaven, will come with Him, as I Thes. 4:14 teaches. Then the
graves are to be opened and the bodies of those who have died will be
resurrected. At the same time, the believers who have not died will be given
their resurrected bodies. Immediately following this, those resurrected from the
graves, together with the believers who have not died but who have
instantaneously been given their new bodies, will be caught up in the air to be
with the Lord forever. Only the unsaved will remain to face the wrath of God,
which will be poured out upon them because of their sins.
All
Believers Will Go to be with the Lord
Now we want to look more
closely at the fact of the resurrection of these bodies. The Bible teaches the
precise time when these bodies will be resurrected, and since as we have just
seen the rapture occurs simultaneously with the resurrection of the bodies of
the believers, the determination of the time of the resurrection of the bodies
of the believers will also give us the timetable of the rapture.
John
6:39: And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day.
John
6:40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at
the last day.
John
6:44: No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I
will raise him up at the last day.
John
6:54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I
will raise him up at the last day.
The phrase the last day is
quite significant. It is found only eight times in the whole Bible. Since God
chooses words very carefully, we know this phrase has been selected to signify
important truth.
Let us look at this phrase
for a moment. It is used four times in John 6, as we have seen. The other four
references are as follows:
John
11:24: Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.
John
12:48: He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John
7:37: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Neh.
8:18: Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book
of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was
a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
We see that in John 11:24
God is showing us that Martha understood the truth offered in the four verses of
John 6. The resurrection of believers is the last day.
From John 12:48 we discover
that the last day is Judgment Day. It is then that God will have all the unsaved
give account of their sins and remove them into Hell to pay for their sins. Thus
we see that the resurrection of believers, which also is to occur the last day
(John 6:40), takes place simultaneously with Judgment Day. Since we saw from I
Thes. 4:14-17 that the resurrection of our bodies occurs simultaneously with the
rapture, we can know from these verses that the rapture occurs simultaneously
with Judgment Day.
Before we look at the
remaining two references to the last day, let us think a bit longer on John
12:48. If Judgment Day is the last day, then the resurrection of the unsaved
must also be the last day, for Rev. 20:13 indicates that the sea gave up the
dead and death and Hades gave up the dead and all were judged and cast into the
lake
of fire. If this is so, then
the resurrection of unbelievers occurs on the last day, and there must be one
general resurrection of both the saved and unsaved on the last day. Under no
circumstances are we to understand that the believers are resurrected at one
time and the wicked another.
This is precisely what the
Bible teaches. In John 5:28-29 we read:
Marvel
not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.
Everyone will be
resurrected at the moment of Christ's return. No one will be left in the grave.
In I Thes. 4:17 we read that the believers will hear the shout of command. John
5:28-29 shows, however, that the unbelievers too will hear that shout, for our
Lord declares that all that are in the graves shall hear His voice. This verse
cannot possibly be teaching that there are two resurrections separated by one
thousand years, as some would teach. It is speaking of a single time, the hour
(singular) is coming.
John 5:29 does add that
those who come forth from the tombs will go to one of two destinations. Those
who have done good, that is, those who have had their sins covered by Christ's
righteousness, will be resurrected to life. Those who have done evil, that is,
the unsaved those who have not had their sins covered, will be resurrected to
damnation in judgment.
We have compared the
Scriptures that speak of the last day with I Thes. 4:14-17 and John 5:28-29, and
we have discovered that the Bible clearly teaches that the rapture, the
resurrection of believers, the resurrection of unbelievers, and Judgment Day are
events that take place simultaneously on the Last Day, which is the end of time.
Isn't it marvelous how all these verses fit together so perfectly?
We have looked at six of
the eight verses in the Bible that use the phrase last day. The remaining two
are:
John
7:37: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying. If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Neh.
8:18: Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book
of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was
a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
We will look also at these verses to make certain that we check everything that
relates to the term last day.
The Feast
Days Relate to the Rapture
These two remaining
reference are both related to the Feast of Tabernacles. In fact, both verses
speak of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
What does the last day of
the Feast of Tabernacles have to do with the rapture or Judgment Day? We shall
see that it is intimately involved with these subjects.
Let us look at the nature
of the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a feast to commemorate two events. First, it
looked back upon the sojournings of Israel in the wilderness, and second, it was
the time of the completion of the harvest.
In
Lev. 23:42-43 we read:
Ye shall
dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in
booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
These verses teach that it
was a feast that looked back on the wilderness sojourn of Israel before they
entered the Promised Land, the land of rest. So, too, believers today are living
in the wilderness of this world. When Christ comes our rest in Him will be
complete. We are strangers and pilgrims now, but when we receive our resurrected
bodies we will be forever with Christ (I Thes. 4:17). Therefore, we can see how
this feast identifies with Christ's return: It is then that we received our
resurrected bodies. It is then that our salvation is complete. It is then that
our wilderness sojourn is ended.
The second reason for
commemorating the Feast of Tabernacles was the celebration of the end of the
harvest.
In
Exo. 23:16 we read:
And the
feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the
field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou
hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
This is a surprising verse,
for it speaks of the Feast of Ingathering, which is the same as the Feast of
Tabernacles, as the end of the year. The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated
during the seventh month (Lev. 23:39), and the seventh month is many months from
the end of the year. Yet God speaks of it as the end or going out of the year.
When we see how intimately
this feast is related to the end of time, we can see why God speaks of it as the
end of the year. Jesus speaks in Matt.13 of His return at the harvest time.
Matt.
13:30: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in
bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matt.
13:39: The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the
world; and the reapers are the angels.
Since the Feast of
Tabernacles commemorates the harvests thus relating it to the end of the year,
and since Christ speaks of the end of the world as a harvest time, we can see
that a beautiful relationship exists between the Feast of Tabernacles and the
end of the world. No wonder then that the term last day is found in connection
with the resurrection of believers, Judgment Day, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
The following chart shows these relationships:
Feast of Tabernacles
End of World
End of year
End of Time
Harvest time for crops
Harvest time for mankind
End of wilderness sojourn
for Israel
End of wilderness sojourn
for believers
Last day (Exo. 23:16)
Last day (John 6:39-40,
12:48)
No wonder then that in Neh.
8:18 and John 7:37 God uses the terms last day in connection with the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Before we leave the Feast
of Tabernacles, one other important fact should be noted, which links the Feast
of Tabernacles to the last day or the end of time. In the Old Testament, three
times during the year all the men were required to appear before the Lord as
recorded in Exo. 23:14-17:
Three
times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of
unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded
thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from
Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the
firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of
ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy
labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear
before the Lord GOD.
The first feast
was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that began and was identified with the
Passover. This feast began in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first
month (Lev. 23:5), and continued for seven days after the fifteenth day (Lev.
23:6, Deu. 16:1-3). It was the day that anticipated the shedding of Christ's
blood as the Passover Lamb that would take away the sins of the world.
The second
was the Feast of Harvest or the Firstfruits or Feast of Weeks. This feast was
observed seven full weeks from the morrow after the Sabbath, that is, the
Sabbath that occurred during the Passover week (Lev. 23:15-16, Deu. 16:9).
Because this feast day was fifty days after that Sabbath, it was also called
Pentecost. It was a day that anticipated the spiritual harvest that would begin
as a result of Christ going to the cross.
The third feast
during which the males
had to appear before the Lord was the Feast of Tabernacles which was preceded by
the Day of Atonement (the tenth day of the seventh month). The Feast of
Tabernacles continued from the fifteenth day for eight days of the seventh month
(Lev. 23:27, 34, 39). It was a feast day, as we have seen, th
at anticipated the
completion of the spiritual harvest that would result because God provided
salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The awe-inspiring fact that
now faces us is that, while these feast days anticipated and
pointed to the historical accomplishment of the
atonement, on the very same days that the nation of Israel was
celebrating these feasts, God brought to pass the spiritual reality to which
these days pointed. On the Passover in A.D. 33, while the Jews were keeping the
Passover, Jesus hung on the cross as the Passover Lamb.
It was on the Jewish Feast
of Pentecost, the Old Testament Feast of Firstfruits, that the Holy Spirit was
poured out, and the harvesting of souls began. It was at that time that the
firstfruits of the harvest were seen - 3,000 from eighteen nations were saved
(Acts 2).
So we see that two of the
three most important feasts, those specifically emphasized as times when all
Jewish males were to go to Jerusalem, were the occasions when God's program of
redemption was being carried out. The Jewish Passover was celebrated the very
same day that Christ, the Passover Lamb, was slain. The Jewish Feast of the
Firstfruits, Pentecost, was observed the very same day that God poured out His
Holy Spirit and the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest were seen.
That leaves one remaining
feast day, the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering. Surely the
Bible is suggesting that Christ will return in literal fulfillment of this
feast, even as there was literal identification with the two other important
feasts. That is, we can believe that it will be in the fall of the year, at the
very same time of year when the Feast of Tabernacles would have been observed by
Old Testament Israel, that Christ may come again.
No wonder then that God
uses the term last day in connection with the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of
Tabernacles is identified with Christ's return on the last day, just as the
resurrection of our bodies and Judgment Day are identified with Christ's return
on the last day.
We see, therefore, that in
all eight places where the term last day is found in the Bible, it points to the
end of time. It points to the end of this earth's existence, when Christ will
return in Judgment.
The
Tribulation and the Rapture
We have seen thus far from
four separate and distinct Biblical paths that the rapture must be the last day
of this world's existence. It must be an event that coincides with the
resurrection of all humanity and with Judgment Day, but the Bible has more to
say about this. Let us now look at this question from another viewpoint.
In Matt. 24 Christ gives us
an outline of the signs or events that must take place just before the end of
the world. He declares in Matt. 24:21-31:
For then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ or there;
believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they
shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold he is in
the secret clambers; believe it not. For as the lighting cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
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 with power and great
glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other.
As we examine these verses,
we shall see that the rapture not only immediately follows the final
tribulation, which believers must endure, but that it occurs simultaneously with
the end of the world. Thus, it must occur simultaneously with Judgment Day.
In verses 21 and 22, God
speaks of an increasingly great tribulation that must come upon the earth. For
the sake of the elect this tribulation will be shortened. At this time we will
not discuss the implication of this tribulation, but we know it must come. No
other passage in the Bible speaks more plainly of it.
We should ascertain who the
elect are, who are spoken of in verse 22. God uses the word elect, which is the
Greek word eklektos, some twenty-three times in the New Testament.
Some people teach that the
elect refers only to believing Jews on the ground that Matt. 24 relates only to
the nation of Israel and not to the Gentiles. According to this reasoning, Matt.
24 is only for the Jews inasmuch as Jesus was speaking to the disciples who were
Jews. By the same token it could be logically argued then that John 3 has no
reference to Gentiles because Christ was speaking to Nicodemus who was a Jew. On
that basis, only Jews must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Likewise, the Book of
Romans has no import for us today because it was addressed to the church at
Rome; and Isaiah and Jeremiah are of no interest to Gentiles because these
prophets were sent primarily to Israel.
On this basis only certain
books of the Bible are to be considered pertinent and authoritative for New
Testament believers.
We immediately sense the
error of this line of Biblical interpretation. The Bible says that all Scripture
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for teaching, etc. (II Tim. 3:16). All
the Bible is to be studied and obeyed. Matt. 24 is to be read and studied by
Gentiles as well as Jews and just as carefully as John 3 or any other part of
the Bible. When we read Matt. 24 carefully, we see that God is discussing the
whole world. In verses 3 and 13 we read of the end of the world. In verse 14 God
speaks of the Gospel going to every nation. In verses 28-31 He speaks of His
return in power and great glory. He will not return to Jews only. He will return
to the whole world. Therefore, the warnings of Matt. 24 are to the whole world.
The statement of Matt. 24 is as important to Gentiles as I Thes. 4:14 or any
other passage of the Bible.
Returning now to the word
elect found in Matt. 24:22, we find that in the King James Bible it is
translated as chosen or as elect. Examining the twenty-three places where the
Greek word eklektos is used, we see very quickly that the Bible is speaking of
those who are elected of God to be believers. This can be seen in passages such
as:
Matt.
20:16: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but
few chosen.
Rev.
17:14: These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for
he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called,
and chosen, and faithful.
Rom.
8:33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth.
Col.
3:12: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Titus
1:1: Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the
faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after
godliness.
Since the believers are the
elect, and since Matt. 24:22 teaches that the tribulation will be shortened for
the sake of the elect, we see that believers will be present throughout the
tribulation. Thus, on the basis of this verse alone, we have trouble with a
doctrine that teaches that the rapture will occur before the tribulation.
Returning to Matt. 24, we
see that God gives a careful chronology covering the relationship of the
tribulation to the return of Christ. In Matt.
24:29-30 God declares:
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 with power and great
glory.
This tells us emphatically
that the last event that occurs before the return of Christ is the tribulation
spoken of in Matt. 24:21-22. The language immediately after does not allow for
any passage of time between the tribulation and the events spoken of in verses
29-31.
The events that immediately
follow the tribulation include the sun being darkened, and the moon will not
give its light, which indicates that it will be the end of time. The sun and the
moon regulate the passage of time. Time will be no more, for Christ will have
returned. It will be the last day of this world's existence. Then the stars
begin to fall from heaven. This is language of Judgment Day and the destruction
of this universe. God gives us further amplification of this event in
Rev. 6:12-17, where He declares:
And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;And said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his
wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
This can be language only
of Judgment Day. We are not surprised to read of the collapse of the universe.
In II Peter 3:10-13 we read:
But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his
promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
We see that one fact stands
out. This universe will be destroyed when Christ comes again. It must be
destroyed because it is under the curse of sin. Viruses, earthquakes, tornadoes,
and famines are experienced because mankind has rebelled against God. Therefore,
not only was man cursed, but the universe over which man ruled was also cursed.
We read in Rom. 8:20-22:
For the
creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who
hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now.
The creation looks with
eager longing at the revealing of the sons of glory (the believers), because at
that time the universe will be made free from the curse. Immediately after the
unsaved have been judged and removed into hell, the destruction of this earth,
and its redemption and recreation as new heavens and a new earth must take
place.
Therefore, we are not
surprised to read that the stars will fall from heavens and that heaven will be
rolled up when Christ returns. From Matt. 24:29 we know that this immediately
follows the tribulation. A system of teaching that suggests that following the
tribulation Christ will return to this sin-cursed earth to set up an earthly
throne, offers an impossible situation.
We might note the conduct
of the unsaved immediately after the tribulation when the universe is collapsing
and Christ comes in power and great glory. In Matt. 24:30 we read that all the
tribes of earth mourn. In Rev. 6:15-17 we read that all the peoples are in
abject terror, calling to the mountains to hide them and the hills to crush
them. No wonder they are in great terror. It is the great day of the wrath of
the Lamb. It is Judgment Day, at which time they must give an account of their
sins and receive the righteous condemnation of God as payment for their sins.
Now let us look more
carefully at Matt. 24:31, for there God reveals the first things that
Christ will do when He comes
in great power and glory. Note how parallel in language it is to I Thes.
4:16-17, which speaks of the rapture.
First we read in the
Matthew account that Christ will send His angels with a great sound or a
trumpet. I Thes. 4:16 speaks of the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God. Christ then speaks in Matt. 24 of gathering the elect from the four
winds under Heaven. I Thes. 4:17 speaks of those who are alive being caught up
to be with Christ. As we saw earlier, the elect are the believers who are being
raptured from all over the earth. The term under heaven could be translated
simply under the sky. In any case these are the believers living on the earth,
whose commonwealth is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).
So we see that there is
parallel language in Matt. 24:31 and I Thes. 4:16-17 concerning angel activity,
the sound of the trumpet at Christ's return, and the rapture of believers.
Thus, in our study of Matt.
24 we can see clearly that God's timetable for the rapture of
believers is at the end of
time. It is immediately after the great tribulation and coincides with Judgment
Day. How marvelous God is in giving so many proofs concerning the timing of the
rapture.
Thus far we have found five
plain and distinctive paths that reveal that the rapture will be at the end of
time. Let us now look at a sixth path found in the Bible.
The Man of
Sin and the Rapture
In II Thes. 2 we discover
more information that points to the rapture taking place at the end of time. In
this passage God is teaching us that two events must happen before He will be
ready to come for His believers. The first is that the rebellion is to take
place, and the second is that the man of sin is to be revealed. He will be
revealed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, at which time Christ will slay
him with the breath of His mouth. That is, the wicked will be cast into hell.
II Thes.
2:1-9: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us as that the
day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with
you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who
now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that
Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.
Who is the man of sin? If we
see that he is Satan as he works through his emissaries called false prophets
and false christs, we find total Biblical validation. We find in these verses
that he is worshipped as God. Rev. 13:4
speaks of the dragon, who is Satan, being worshipped:
And they
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the
beast, saying Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Thus, the language of II
Thes. 2, which speaks of the man of sin being worshiped, points to Satan as
being the man of sin. How can Satan be called a man? Isn't he indeed a fallen
angel? We shall see that he is called a man because he was typified by the king
of Babylon who, of course, was a man (Isa. 14:4).
In Isa. 14 we read of the
fall of Lucifer. From the context we know that this Lucifer is Satan himself,
but as Isa. 14 discusses the fall of Lucifer, God speaks of Lucifer as a man.
We read
in Isa. 14:16:
They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this
the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; . . .
As Rev. 18 teaches, Babylon
is often used in the Bible as a figure of the kingdom of Satan. Thus, we see the
parallelism that exists. On the one hand we have Babylon, which is ruled over by
the king of Babylon. On the other we have Satan's dominion, ruled over by Satan.
The man of sin, who is
Satan, takes his seat in the temple. To what does taking one's seat refer? Jesus
is seated at the right hand of God and rules over everything (Eph. 1:20-22).
Thus, to take a seat is Biblical language meaning to rule or have authority. The
man of sin Satan, takes his seat or rules in the temple.
The Temple
and the Rapture
To what does the temple
refer? Is there to be a literal reconstruction of the temple? Nowhere in the
Bible do we read of a future reconstruction of the temple. In fact, since the
veil of the temple was rent when Jesus hung on the cross, the temple in
Jerusalem ceased to have significance as a holy place. Rather, the Bible speaks
of the body of believers as being the temple. We read
in Eph. 2:19-21:
Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellowcitizens with the
saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord.
In
I Peter 2:5 we read:
Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
In
I Cor. 3:16 God emphasizes that the body
of believers is the temple. He declares: Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Therefore, the temple is
the church, the corporate body of believers. It is here that Satan will operate
as the man of sin. Thus, we know that before Christ comes again, the man of sin
(Satan), must take his seat (rule) in the temple (the church or body of
believers) where he will be worshipped as God. Since he is a spirit, he cannot
be seen to literally rule amongst the body of believers. He can rule however
through false prophets and pseudo-christs who bring gospels other than the true
Gospel. The Bible speaks of this kind of activity in
II Cor. 11:13-14:
For such
art false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light.
Similarly we read in Matt.
24:24:
For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect.
These verses emphasize the
utter deceitfulness of Satan in this effort. The gospel he brings will be so
much like the true Gospel that even the elect would be deceived if that were
possible.
Note in the Matt. 24 verse
that these false prophets will come with signs and wonders. Satan will come not
only with a gospel so closely patterned after the true Gospel that even the
elect would be deceived if that were possible, but he will also give life and
vitality to it through signs and wonders. Even as Jesus came 2,000 years ago
with signs and wonders when He brought us the true Gospel, so Satan will attest
to the seemingly God-like Jesus-related character of his gospel by coming with
signs and wonders.
II Thes. 2:1-9 also speaks
of signs and wonders. The false prophets who represent Satan will come with
signs and wonders even as verse 9 teaches: Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.
We must realize of course,
that these false prophets have been so deceived that they are convinced that
they are servants of Christ. Satan is the great deceiver, the father of lies
(John 8:44). Moreover, II Thes. 2:10-11 teaches that God Himself blinds these
who come because they refuse to believe the truth.
Thus, we see that God is
declaring in II Thes. 2 that before Christ comes there must be evidence of the
activity of Satan as those who come with signs and wonders and who in fact are
his servants, rule or have authority among the body of believers, where the true
Gospel ought to be proclaimed. These false prophets will be convinced that they
are true prophets of Christ. Because they are coming with a gospel other than
the true Gospel, they will in actuality be causing people to worship Satan. This
is the chief nature of the rebellion that must come before Christ returns. The
church consisting of congregations and denominations all over the world will be
infiltrated and finally overrun by those who bring other gospels. The chief
characteristic of these false gospels, which serves to help us to immediately
recognize this threat is the focus on signs and wonders.
Many who come with false
gospels speak of Christ as Savior, heaven, hell, sin righteousness, the Holy
Spirit, etc., but they are false because they are based on a
uthorities different from
that on which the true Gospel is based. The authority of any gospel structures
and determines the character of that gospel. In
Rev. 22:18-19, God declares:
For I
testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If
any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book
of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out
of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Before these verses were
penned, God declared His Word by the Scriptures available at any time in
history, but in addition, He brought His divine Word by special visitations of
angels, dreams, visions, voices, and unknown languages called tongues. Thus,
Peter or Paul or some of the members of the church in Corinth could receive
direct revelation from God. Then God came to the last chapter of His revealed
Word. When God wrote Rev. 22, utilizing the Apostle John as His scribe, He
indicated that His Word had been completed. Never again could there be a vision
or tongue or voice from God. Thus, the true Gospel is circumscribed by the
Bible. The Bible alone and in its entirety is the articulated, verbalized Word
of God. The Bible alone and in its entirety structures and determines the
character of the true Gospel.
Therefore, anyone who comes
with a gospel based upon the Bible but to which he has added the possibility of
divine truth from other sources such as visions, voices, tongues, dreams, or
so-called infallible utterances of church leaders, is bringing what is by
definition another gospel. The moment we consider anything at all to be as
authoritative as the Bible, we have a gospel that consists of the Bibles plus
the other source of supposed divine truth. The Bible will then be interpreted
not only by itself, but by these other supposed sources of divine truth.
Obviously, doctrines will then be forth coming which will be different from
those that come when the Bible alone is considered to be the Word of God. In
view of the teaching of Rev. 22:18, the supposed extra-biblical sources of
divine truth (visions, voices, tongues, etc.), cannot be of God. Even though
they may be from the recipient's own mind, nevertheless, they are ultimately
from Satan. Those who listen to these other sources are unwittingly serving
Satan rather than God.
Restraint
of Sin and the Rapture
Returning to
II Thes. 2, we read in
verse 7: For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way.
The word letteth is an old
English word for restrain. This passage is thus teaching that the one who
restrains sin will be taken out of the way.
There are those who teach
that the one who restrains is the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit indwells
the believers, they suggest that this verse must be teaching something about the
rapture of the church.
They are correct, of
course, in teaching that the one who restrains sin is God Himself. We need only
recall an event that occurred in Abraham's life. He had left Canaan to dwell in
the land of Gerar to escape a famine. While there, for fear of his life he told
the king of Gerar that Sarah, his wife, was actually his sister. Consequently,
the king of Gerar took Sarah into his palace. Then Abimelech was warned of God
not to touch Sarah because she was Abraham's wife. The king of Gerar responded
by indicating that he had not touched her. Then God declared, in Gen. 20:6:
Yea, I know that thou didst
this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning
against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
This incident serves to
illustrate that God restrains sin. We see God's restraint of sin also through
what the Bible declares concerning the nature of mankind. The heart of man is
desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). The Bible indicates that out of the heart of man
comes murder, adultery, etc. (Matt. 15:19). Only because man experiences this
restraint is he able to live a reasonable life and manifest some virtues, such
as love between parents and children, kindness and loyalty between friends, and
compassion on the underprivileged.
We must note, however, that
this restraint does not take place because of the presence of believers. While
God the Holy Spirit does indeed indwell believers, the Holy Spirit is not
limited to them. He does His work of restraining sin in the world with or
without the presence of believers.
Thus, when God speaks in II
Thes. 2 of taking Him who restrains out of the way, He is not suggesting that
the believers will be raptured, for they are not the restraining power. Rather,
He is indicating that He will remove His hand of restraint to permit wickedness
to multiply. This is indicated by the context, for in these verses God is
speaking of rebellion. Matt. 24 speaks of wickedness being multiplied, and Rev.
20 speaks of Satan being loosed. These passages teach one and the same thing:
The time will come when God will allow the world to become desperately sinful.
He will accomplish this by removing His restraint on unsaved man and Satan and
his angels. They will be more wicked than ever.
In II Thes. 2:1-11, we see
that before Christ returns to receive His own, the man of sin described above
must first be revealed. God then declares in this passage that when the man of
sin is revealed, Jesus will destroy him by the brightness of His coming. That
is, Satan and all the wicked who follow him (the unsaved) will be judged and
cast into Hell when Christ comes. In hell the wicked will be punished by eternal
destruction.
Notice that II Thes. 2:1-3
speaks of the gathering of the believers to meet the Lord Jesus. God is saying
that this gathering together of believers to meet Christ will not take place
until the man of sin is revealed. Since verse 8 states that when the man of sin
is revealed, these wicked will be destroyed (that is, judged and cast into hell)
by His coming, we immediately can see the simultaneous timing of the assembling
together of the believers to meet Jesus (the rapture) and the destroying of
Satan and the wicked (Judgment Day).
Again we find total
agreement with all the other passages we have looked at that teach that the
rapture comes at the same time as Judgment Day and the end of the world. We will
look at one more path that emphasizes the same truth concerning the rapture and
its occurrence at the end of the world.
A Thief in
the Night and the Rapture
When we seek an
understanding of the timing of the rapture, we find more than sufficient
information in the Bible to know that it is to occur at the end of time, when
Christ returns to judge the nations. Six different paths in the Bible have been
examined, and each one gives the same teaching. But before we leave this
question we should look at one more path. It too is intimately concerned with
Christ's coming. It too will show us that believers will be here when Christ
returns in judgment.
Repeatedly the Bible speaks
of Christ coming as a thief or as a thief in the night. Jesus says in Matt.
24:43 in the context of discussion concerning His return:
But know this, that if the
goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
God declares in
II Peter 3:10, as He discusses the
destruction of the universe at the end of time:
But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
In
Rev. 3:3, we read the warning:
Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt
not know what hour I will come upon thee.
And in
Rev. 16:15, as God is speaking of the
end of the world, we find:
Behold,
I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest
he walk naked, and they see his shame.
On the basis of these
verses various doctrines have come forth, including those which suggest that
Christ will come silently, and suddenly and quietly Christians will be removed
from the earth. This idea certainly appears to be valid in the light of the
language of Christ coming as a thief in the night.
Is this really so? I Thes.
4:16, which speaks of the rapture of the believers, does not suggest that He
will come silently as a thief. There God speaks of the shout of command, of the
trumpet of God. That is anything but a silent coming.
Wonderfully, however, the
Bible is its own commentary. If we follow the Biblical rule of letting the Bible
explain or interpret the Bible, we can have a correct understanding of the
phrase thief in the night. We shall discover that the Biblical references which
use this phrase are not at all suggesting a silent coming of Christ. Moreover,
we shall discover additional support for the clear teaching of the Bible that
the occurrence of the rapture must be simultaneous with the timing of Judgment
Day.
In
I Thes. 5:1-9 we read:
But of
the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us
watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night;
and they that be drunken are drunken in the
night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of
faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
In this passage we find a
clear reference to the day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night. The day
of the Lord is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ will come on the clouds with
power and great glory. It is the day when He comes as King of kings and Lord of
lords.
In these verses, God
teaches that that day will come as a thief in the night. Is He then teaching
that He will come when no one expects Him?
Certainly this is true for
the unsaved. Verse 3 records:
For when
they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them as
travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
The unsaved are not looking
for Christ to come in judgment. They may not even be looking for His return at
all. They may believe, in their evolution theory-blinded minds, that mankind is
finding answers to problems of living in this world. These answers may falsely
assure them that by exercising careful diligence, mankind can continue a million
years or more on this earth. Certainly they are convinced that insofar as
Judgment Day is concerned, if happens at all, is probably millions of years
away. In their own minds they have concluded that God need not be reckoned with
and they are safe and secure to follow their own lustful pleasures.
If among such people are
those who relate to the Bible somewhat but are nevertheless unsaved, they also
will be quite sure that Judgment Day is of no real concern. After all, they
think, God is a loving God, and He does not wish that any should perish; somehow
God has a marvelous plan for this earth and its inhabitants that will ensure
maximum love for all. In their blindness that stems from their false gospels,
which seems so successful and so God-ordained, they will be certain that there
is still hope for a utopia on this present earth. Again, as in the case of those
who wish to deny God altogether, they will feel that all is secure.
So for the unsaved Christ
will come unexpectedly. As a matter of fact, His coming will be a horrible
surprise for the unsaved, who will discover that they are to stand for judgment.
They will discover that, while perhaps they thought all was well between them
and the Lord, they had been following a salvation designed to their own liking
rather than the salvation designed by the Bible. Christ's coming will be a
moment of truth; they will realize that they had never served Him as Lord. They
had obeyed the Bible only when it was convenient. They had never trusted Christ
as the only one who could save them. Rather, they had been seeking a salvation
based on the grace of God plus their own efforts. They had thought they were at
peace with God and secure in Christ, but it was a false peace and a false
security.
At His coming the terrible
truth will come to them that they never had been born from above.
For all these, Christ's
coming will be as a thief in the night. Notice what will happen to those for
whom His coming is as a thief in the night: Sudden destruction will come upon
them, and there will be no escape.
This is the language of
Judgment Day. Remember what happened to the people of Noah's day. Suddenly they
were deluged with water and destroyed. Remember Sodom. It, too, experienced
sudden destruction. Remember the language Jesus uses as He speaks of Judgment
Day in Matt. 7:13:
Enter ye
in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Jesus warns in
Matt. 24:37-39.
But as
the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.
And in
II Thes. 1:9 God declares: Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
What an awful moment! What
a terrible place to be! No wonder we read in Rev. 6:16 of men calling upon the
rocks to crush them and the hills to cover them. No experience of trauma that
mankind has ever experienced can even begin to approach the sheer terror of
Judgment Day.
The Bible discloses other
news that relates to this momentous occasion. It indicates there are others
present for whom our Lord's coming is not as a thief in the night. These are the
true believers: They are ready for His coming because their sins have been
washed away in Christ's blood. They are not under the dominion of darkness. They
are children of the day (a synonym for Christ Himself). They are children of the
light (Jesus is light). They belong to the Lord.
I Thes.
5:4-5 tells us:
But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye
are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness.
We read in these verses
that the day of the Lord will not overtake believers as a thief. They have
anticipated His coming and are ready for it.
Thus, we see that when
Christ returns in judgment, believers will still be here. Therefore, these
believers could not have been raptured earlier. Since Judgment Day is at the end
of time, we know that is when believers will be raptured. In no sense are they
to experience judgment, even as I Thes. 5:9 declares, For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The wrath spoken of in this
verse is not the tribulation period, as some would suppose. With the sure
knowledge that the rapture will occur simultaneously with Judgment Day, we know
that believers will go through the final tribulation period, but that period is
not the wrath of God that must be visited upon unbelievers as payment for their
sins. The wrath of God is the punishment the unsaved are to experience eternally
as a result of their sins. The true believers in no way are to experience this
because Christ has covered all their sins by His blood.
Rev.
6:15-17 speaks
eloquently of the wrath of God:
And the
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?
This is the wrath from which
the saved are free. Praise God for such a wonderful salvation!
Summary
We have seen from I Thes.
4:14-17 that the rapture occurs simultaneously with the resurrection of
believers, and from John 6, that the resurrection of believers occurs on the
last day. From John 12, and from the last day references to the Feast of
Tabernacles, we have seen that the last day is Judgment Day. Moreover, these
truths agree precisely with the statement of John 5:28-29, which speaks of one
general resurrection at Christ's return.
We have seen that I Thes.
4, when looked at in the light of John 6 and the other passages that tell us
when the resurrection of believers will occur, ties together the rapture,
Judgment Day, and the end of time as events that occur simultaneously.
I Thes. 5 can be understood
very readily when we recognize that there will be a simultaneous occurrence of
the rapture and Judgment Day. While Christ will come as a thief in the night to
bring judgment upon the unbelievers, the believers are ready for His coming. For
believers He will not come as a thief in the night: for believers it will be the
marvelous moment when their salvation is completed, and they will be raptured to
be forever with Christ.
We have studied seven
different paths in the Scriptures that are concerned with the timing of the
rapture. Each path shows us that the rapture of believers occurs simultaneously
with Judgment Day. God has indeed given us ample evidence of this.
Because this truth is
clearly documented in the Bible, all other teachings concerning the details of
our Savior's return should be studied in the light of this Biblical truth. In
fact, as we study the Bible to discover aspects of His return, we should find
that there is continuous agreement because the Bible is perfect in its truth and
trustworthiness.
We have discovered striking
evidence that the time line of history is indeed the unfolding of God's
salvation plan. Thus, the rapture will conclude the salvation plan on this
earth. History will also be concluded and the end of the world will have come.
The big question we all
must face is: Are we ready for our Lord's return? Have we seen ourselves as the
sinners we are? Have we repented of our sins, believing in the Lord Jesus as our
sin-bearer? Have we turned from our sins, earnestly desiring to be obedient to
Christ?
If we have not, we are not
ready for His return. We are still included amongst those who are subject to
judgment. Our condition is indeed dangerous.
Praise God for His love,
that it is still the day of salvation, that forgiveness is available for any who
call upon the Lord! Praise God for such a Savior!
We have been patiently
pursuing the question: Is a glorious future for national Israel promised in the
Bible? In our pursuit of this question, we have examined chapter after chapter
and verse after verse trying to find a clue that relates to this question. In
our study we found information that shows that God had always anticipated an
Israel of God which would be made up of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have also discovered much truth concerning the return of our Savior.
Nowhere did we discover any
information concerning the future of national Israel. In a sense, we are not
surprised. Early in our study, we found that God's promises concerning national
Israel's possession of the land of Canaan have been entirely fulfilled.
Yet we wonder: Israel did
become a nation in 1948. This surprising event surely must have been anticipated
somewhere in the Bible. Doesn't Ezek. 38 relate to national Israel? We haven't
looked at the 144,000 of Rev. 7; they definitely are spoken of as twelve tribes
of Israel. The two witnesses of Rev. 11: Are they Moses and Elijah who must come
back to preach repentance? And since they were citizens of national Israel,
surely their return must say something about national Israel.
Because we desire to leave
no stone unturned in seeking Biblical information concerning the future of
national Israel, we will look briefly at these three chapters.
The Two
Witnesses
Rev. 11 speaks of two
witnesses who will preach for a period of one thousand two hundred and sixty
days. We read in Rev. 11:3-7:
And I
will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two
hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees
and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man
will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies:
and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have
power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have
power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues
as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the
beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and
shall overcome them, and kill them.
Earlier in our study, we
learned that the figure of 42 months or 1,260 days is the whole New Testament
period. It is the last half of the seventieth week of Dan. 9:27. We can be
assured of this because Dan. 9:27 informs us that in the middle of this
seventieth week sacrifice and offering ceased. We know that the moment when
sacrifice and offering ceased was the atonement. As Christ hung on the cross,
the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom. The huge curtain that
separated the holy of holies from the holy place was torn open by God to signify
that the ceremonial law had to come to an end. It had become completed in
Christ.
Even though the Jewish
nation continued for a while to offer burnt offerings and blood sacrifices,
their offerings had no meaning. At the cross, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus
Christ shed His blood as an offering for our sins. There can be no more shedding
of blood as a valid sacrifice. Therefore, we know conclusively that the
beginning of the last half of the seventieth week of Dan. 9:27 had to be at the
cross.
We then read in Dan. 9:27,
concerning the end of the seventieth week that there is to be overspreading of
abominations, until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate. The consummation can be only at the end of time, which is when all
that has been decreed or determined will come to its ultimate fulfillment. Thus,
we know that God typifies the whole New Testament period from the cross to
Judgment Day, as a half a week of years. This equals three and a half years, or
42 months, or 1,260 days. The New Testament is the period of time when the two
witnesses of Rev. 11 preach the Gospel.
Who are the two witnesses?
Rev. 11:3 tells us who they are. They are the two olive trees and the two
candlesticks that stand before the Lord. The olive tree typifies the New
Testament church. Rom. 11 tells us of an olive tree into which we are engrafted
when we become saved. God speaks of two olive trees because the New Testament
church is typified by the number 2. The seventy were sent out two by two. Out of
the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established (Matt. 18:16).
Jesus speaks of the church in Matt. 18:19:
Again I
say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Thus, we see that the two
olive trees points us directly to the church.
The two witnesses of Rev.
11 are typified by two candlesticks. In Rev. 1:20 God informs us that the seven
candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
In
Rev. 1:13 we read:
And in
the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a
garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
These verses clearly teach
us that churches are typified by candlesticks among which Christ walks. Thus,
the two witnesses of Rev. 11 are representative of the New Testament church
which has been commissioned by God to bring the Gospel to the world.
The language of Rev. 11:5-7
leads us to wonder if the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Moses turned the
water into blood when Israel went out of Egypt (Exo. 7); Elijah called down fire
from heaven to destroy the captain with fifty men who came to take him (II Kings
1). But Moses and Elijah also focus on the Word of God. Jesus spoke of the
Scriptures as Moses and the prophets (Luke 16:31, 24:27), and Elijah was one of
the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.
Thus, we may conclude that
the two witnesses (the whole New Testament church) go forth with the Gospel in
the power and authority of Moses and Elijah (the Word of God).
The church brings the Gospel
which has the power to save people, but it also has the power of God to send the
sinner to hell (strike them down with fire from heaven).
Rev. 11 therefore, is not
telling us of a resurrection of some Old Testament prophets at a future time.
Such an idea not only disagrees with the context but it is an impossible idea.
The resurrection of all Old Testament believers will be at the end of time. It
will be at the time when God is ready to destroy this earth by fire and create
new heavens and a new earth. We must conclude that Rev. 11 gives us no help in
discovering anything concerning the future of national Israel.
The
144,000
Does Rev. 7, which speaks
about twelve tribes of Israel, teach that God is going to save national Israel,
and then Israel is to preach the Gospel to the world? This is what some
theologians tell us. But let us look at Rev. 7 to determine what it really
teaches.
In
Rev. 7:1-4 we are instructed:
And
after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth,
holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth,
nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the
east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the
four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt
not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants
of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed:
and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes
of the children of Israel.
When we read these verses
very carefully, we find that God is introducing us to the terrible events that
are further described in Rev. 8 and 9. Note that there are four angels to whom
it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. We read of these four angels
in Rev. 9:13-15:
And the
sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar
which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the
four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels
were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a
year, for to slay the third part of men.
These four angels represent
God's judgment that must come on the church. We can know that the body of
believers (the church) is in view because verse 15 declares that a third part of
men are to be killed. The term third part is a clue phrase that God introduced
into the Bible to speak of believers. We learned that the number 666 in Rev. 13
is the number two- thirds which God has symbolically identified with those who
are under God's judgment. The figures one-third and two-thirds are used in
Zech. 13:8-9, where God declares:
And it
shall come to pass, that in all the land saith the LORD, two parts therein shall
be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the
third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will
try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I
will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
These verses show us that
the one-third represents God's people. They have been brought through the fire.
That is, Christ as their substitute has endured the fires of hell on their
behalf. The punishment these believers deserve because of their sins, eternal
damnation, has been paid. Therefore they can be the people of God.
God's
Judgment on the Church.
Why is God's wrath poured
out on the one-third of Rev. 9:15 if they are God's people? Surely God cannot
bring judgment upon those who have become saved.
The answer to this question
can be found only if we remember that God speaks of His church, His kingdom, or
His people both in an eternal, individual sense, and in a corporate or external
sense. In Matt. 8:12 Jesus speaks of the children of the kingdom being cast out.
This ominous declaration could not include the elect who were chosen by grace
out of national Israel. Rather, it could relate only to the Israelites who were
corporately or externally members of national Israel but who never became born
from above. Because they were identified with the same body to which the true
believers belong, they were called the children of the kingdom.
Likewise, in the New
Testament period the corporate, or external, or visible representation of the
kingdom of God consists of the churches and congregations throughout the world
and throughout the New Testament era which have been reasonably true to the Word
of God. Within them are the true believers who are the eternal church or eternal
kingdom. They remain faithful, and they cannot come under condemnation (Rom.
8:1).
The corporate body is
called the church or the kingdom of God, and the corporate body, the external
church, may be symbolized by the number one-third. This is the one-third that
God is bringing under judgment in Rev. 8 and 9. Note how frequently God makes
reference to one-third in these two chapters (Rev. 8:7-12 and Rev. 9:15).
We will not go into a
detailed study of Rev. 8 and 9, but we will summarize the information God gives
us in these chapters. God is describing judgments He will bring on the corporate
body, the church, because of their growing apostasy. We are warned in
I Peter 4:17:
For the
time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin
at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
The churches and
denominations typified by the number one-third in Rev. 8 and 9 will come into
judgment because they have not remained faithful to the Word of God. Ancient
Israel, which corporately or externally represented the kingdom or God, came
under the hammer of God's judgment because of their sins, and so will the New
Testament church come under the hammer of God's judgment.
But now we are facing a
very real problem. Christ declares in Matt.
16:18:
And I
say also unto thee, That thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Does this teach that Satan
will never be victorious over the church? Indeed, for almost two thousand years,
this promise in Matthew has held true. Christ has been building His church as
people have been and are being saved from every nation. Satan cannot frustrate
God's plan to save His elect.
But finally, when the last
of the elect have become saved God's church will be completely built. Even as
the church became increasingly unfaithful, God was working through it to
complete the task of saving the lost. When the last of the elect have been
brought in, the work of the church in evangelizing the world will be complete.
Then God is going to bring His judgment upon it. The destruction of the church
by Satanic activity is described in Rev. 13:7:
And it
was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
When Will
The Church be Judged?
When will this dreadful
event occur? God tells us in Rev. 7:3:
Saying,
Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the
servants of our God in their foreheads.
In this verse, God tells us
that the judgments of Rev. 8 and 9 cannot occur until the servants of God have
been sealed on their foreheads. To be sealed on the forehead means to be saved.
In Eph. 1:13 we read:
In whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise.
Rev.
14:1 speaks of those who have the Father's name written on their foreheads: And
I looked, and. lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty
and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
In other words, God is
teaching us that the judgment in Rev. 8 and 9 will not take place until all have
been saved who are to be saved. The fullness of the believers must come into the
eternal kingdom of God. All whom God predestinated to become saved must first
become saved; only then will God's judgments, which are preliminary to the final
Judgment Day, be poured out on the church.
The true believers,
however, will have to leave most churches. Jesus declares
in Matt. 24:15-16:
When ye
therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Then let
them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.
True believers are called
Jews in the Bible. Sometimes they are spoken of as Judah, and the homeland of
Judah or the Jews is Judaea. The place where believers gather together as a body
is the church. Therefore, God is instructing the true believers to leave their
congregations (Judaea), when the congregations become overrun with other gospels
(the abomination of desolation). These other or false gospels will be a judgment
of God brought upon the church because of their growing apostasy.
Matt, 24:24 speaks of this sad event:
For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect.
What God is declaring to us
is that as the churches and congregations (which corporately or externally are
the body of Christ and in which the true believers are found) complete the task
assigned to them of bringing the Gospel to the world, the corporate church will
grow increasingly apostate. They will increasingly depart from the authority of
the Bible. As their task of preaching the Gospel nears completion because most
of God's elect are saved, God's judgment comes on the churches.
In Matt. 24 God speaks of
the church coming under false prophets. Rev. 8 and 9 speak of this judgment in
graphic and dramatic language. Rev. 11:8-9 speak of the two witnesses being
killed after their testimony is finished, that is, all of God's elect have
become saved. To use the language of Rev. 7, all of those who are to be sealed
on their foreheads have been sealed on their foreheads.
Rev.
20:7-9, God speaks of the end of the Gospel proclamation and God's
judgment on the church in the following statement:
And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prisons And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the
camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out
of heaven, and devoured them.
The loosing of Satan, the
marshalling of Satan's forces against the camp of the saints or against the
beloved city, all speak of the same event: God's judgment on the church because
of its growing unfaithfulness.
The Twelve
Tribes: Who Are They?
We read in Rev. 7 that the
number sealed included of 12,000 out of each of twelve tribes of Israel for a
total of 144,000. Are these twelve tribes national Israel itself? If we read
these verses superficially, we might think so, but when we read them more
carefully, we know that they can refer only to the Israel of God, which is the
Israel made up of all believers in Christ.
We have seen that those who
are sealed are the believers in Christ. They include a remnant chosen by grace
from national Israel, but not Israel as a political nation.
We have seen that two
tribes, the tribes of Ephraim and Dan, are left out. In order to leave out
Ephraim, God substituted the tribe of Joseph. Since the Bible declares that of
the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim was to have preeminence over Manasseh (Gen.
48:12-20), it is altogether remarkable that in Rev. 7 He would include the tribe
of Manasseh and the tribe of Joseph to avoid including Ephraim. Joseph is seldom
named as a tribe, but to come to a list of twelve tribes, God had to include
Joseph if He wanted to exclude Dan.
Therefore, this cannot be a
listing of national Israel. If these twelve tribes were pointing to national
Israel it would have been bad enough to leave out Dan (for the Bible has some
bad things to say about Dan, Gen. 49:17), but to deliberately avoid naming
Ephraim is another matter. Ephraim was the most important of the ten tribes
during the time of the northern kingdom, Israel. Surely these names are to be
understood in some symbolic sense.
In all likelihood, Dan and
Ephraim are left out because they were tribes most notoriously involved in idol
worship. Jeroboam, the first king over the ten tribes of Israel, set up golden
calves in Bethel (a major city of Ephraim) and in Dan. We read in
I Kings 12:28-29:
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold and said unto them,
It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the
other put he in Dan.
Since the twelve tribe
names in Rev. 7 represent those who are children of God, we can see that Dan and
Ephraim are the poorest examples of fidelity to the Word of God. Historically,
they were leaders in apostasty.
The number 12 is
highlighted. Twelve thousand are to be sealed from each of twelve tribes. Since
each tribe is far larger than 12,000 (national Israel today is numbered in the
millions), then 12,000 could be only a remnant. Thus, it could be only a remnant
from national Israel rather than national Israel itself that God has in view in
this chapter.
Rev.
7:4 clearly shows us that these twelve tribes cannot be national Israel:
And I
heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and
forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Since the tribe of Dan was
an integral part of the nation of Israel, verse 4 could not speak of all the
tribes if national Israel were in view. Only if the Israel of God is being
featured can the language all the tribes of the children of lsrael make any
sense. We will see this more clearly as we look at the number 144,000.
Nowhere does the Bible
speak of these 144,000 proclaiming the Gospel as many theologians teach. The
Bible simply declares that these are the ones who are to be sealed before the
events recorded in Rev. 8 and 9 take place.
How then are we to look at
this 144,000? Let us remember that we have already learned that they must be
sealed (that is they must become saved) before the events or Rev. 8 and 9 take
place. Therefore, they represent the elect of all ages whom God has obligated
Himself to save.
In fact, in Rev. 14, God
speaks again of the 144,000. There He identifies them as those who have been
redeemed from the earth (Rev. 14:3-4) and as those who have the Father's name
written on their foreheads, that is, they are owned by God.
Also, the 12 twelve is
heavily emphasized. When the number twelve is used in the Bible in a symbolic
sense, it is used to symbolize the fullness of whatever God has in mind. In Rev.
21, for example, God speaks of the whole body of believers, which He calls the
bride of Christ, as a city 12,000 furlongs by 12,000 furlongs by 12,000 furlongs
in size. Since people are not a material city, we can know that the number 12 is
highlighted to signify the fullness of all believers. Likewise, in Rev. 21:17,
God speaks of a wall that is 144 cubits. He does not disclose whether this 144
cubits represents the length or the width or the height of the wall; we cannot
know anything about a material wall by the description given. But when we
realize that the 144-cubit wall is the picture of the fullness of all believers,
then the verse has clear meaning for us.
The
Fullness of All Believers
We can know that the 144,000
of Rev. 7 and 14 are the fullness of all believers; they are all the tribes of
the children of Israel (Rev. 7:4). They are the vast company of believers who
make up the body of Christ as it is found in every nation of the world
throughout time. Only when the last of the elect is saved can the events
recorded in Rev. 8 and 9 take place.
These 144,000 are typified
by twelve tribes of Israel because ancient Israel was a great type of the Israel
of God. The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not named probably because they were
leaders in the worship of other gods. They were particularly notorious because
the first king of the ten tribes, Jeroboam, established heathen worship in Dan
and Bethel (I Kings 12:26-33). Bethel was in Ephraim.
Actually, the 144,000 can
be seen beautifully as the fullness of all believers in the statement of
Rev. 7:9:
After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number of all
nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
The Bible speaks of these
believers as those who have come out of great tribulation in
Rev. 7:14:
And I
said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came
out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.
What tribulation is this?
Is this the tribulation spoken of in Matt.
24:21? There we read:
For then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, forever shall be.
The tribulation spoken of
in Matt. 24:21 is a final intensification of the tribulation that believers can
normally expect in the world.
As believers, our sojourn
in this world is one of tribulation. This is so because we are aliens. We are
citizens of God's kingdom, whereas the unsaved spiritually are citizens of
Satan's kingdom. Satan is at war with Christ. Therefore, the believers can
expect tribulation. Jesus says in John 16:33:
These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Rev. 7:14 sums up all of
the tribulation (including the final intensification of tribulation spoken of in
Matt. 24:21) that believers have experienced throughout time as the great
tribulation. (The King James Bible unfortunately omits the article the which
properly belongs there.) Praise God for the wonderful promise He has made in
Rev. 7:15-17 concerning the believers who come out of the great tribulation.
We have looked at Rev. 11
and Rev. 7 and found much about God's magnificent salvation plan but nothing
concerning the future of national Israel.
Does
Ezekiel 38 Tell Us About National Israel?
Does Ezek. 38 teach that
Russia is going to come against Israel and that Israel is going to destroy
Russia? Unfortunately, this doctrine is taught from same pulpits. Let us look at
Ezek. 38 to see if it gives us any clues or insights concerning the future of
national Israel.
Ezek.
38 begins with the disclosure that God is giving commandment to Gog, the
land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Verse 2 records:
Son of
man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech
and Tubal, and prophesy against him.
Who is Gog? Where do
theologians find reference to Russia? The answer to the latter question can be
found in the fact that the Hebrew word for chief in verse 2 is rosh. Since rosh
sounds like Russia, and since Russia has been an enemy of national Israel, many
pastors are convinced that Gog is Russia.
This conclusion is terribly
faulty on at least three counts. First, the word rosh is found over 500 times in
the Old Testament. If rosh is to be understood as Russia, then it ought to be
translated Russia in many of these verses. But rosh simply means top or head or
chief. To try to force this verse to signify Russia because of the word rosh in
it is to abuse Scripture to the highest degree.
Second, as we continue to
look at Ezek. 38 we will find that political warfare is not in view at all. The
warfare of the Bible is the warfare between the kingdom of God and the dominion
of Satan. In the Bible God is not concerned with political nations such as the
United States or Russia. God is concerned with the
spiritual warfare between God and the wicked.
Third, the Bible tells us
who Gog is. The Bible is its own interpreter, and in seeking understanding of a
verse or phrase, we must search the Bible for help. The Bible helps us to
understand Ezek. 38:2 in Rev. 20:7-8:
And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea.
In this statement, God
informs us that Gog and Magog are the nations from the four quarters of the
earth; they represent all of the nations of the world. Russia does not
constitute all of the nations of the world, and Russia cannot be in view in
Ezek. 38.
All of the nations of the
world take part in the conflict of Ezek. 38, as can be seen in the names
recorded in this chapter. Every original national name is recorded in the table
of nations found in Gen. 10. Meshech, Tubal, and Magog were sons of Japheth
(Gen. 10:2). Persia (also called Elam, Isa. 21:2), Ethiopia (also called Cush),
and Libya (also called Phut), are named in Gen. 10:6, 22. Gomer and Togarmah of
verse 6 were the son and grandson of Japheth (Gen. 10:2-5). Sheban and Dedan of
verse 13 were descendants of Ham (Gen. 10:7). Tarshish of verse 13 was a
descendant of Japheth (Gen. 10:4). Those nations represent the whole world.
With whom are these nations
from the whole earth at war? Ezek. 38:11
records:
And thou
shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that
are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having
neither bars nor gates.
What nation exists in the
world without bars or gates? What nation is at rest and dwells safely? Does
national Israel? Surely not. It is an armed camp ready to do battle at a
moment's notice. Does any political nation dwell safely? We know that in this
world of terror and hatred, no political nation dwells safely.
There is one nation that
does dwell safely. It is not a political nation, but this nation is a real and
substantive nation nevertheless. This nation is the nation of believers in the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is a nation that is sprinkled throughout the political
nations of the world. This nation is safe - not from physical violence - but
from the wrath of God. This nation is at rest because it has found rest in the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only nation that meets all of the requirements of
Ezek. 38. It is the land brought back from the sword (verse 8), that is, it is
no longer at war with God. It is gathered out of many people (verse 8);
believers are found throughout the world. It is my people of Israel (verse 16);
believers are God's people. The believers are the Israel of God.
Ezekiel 38 Points to
Judgment Day
We can now begin to
understand the teaching of Ezek. 38 which presents the identical truth found in
Rev. 20:7-9, where we read:
And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the
camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out
of heaven, and devoured them.
God is teaching that near
the end of time, Satan will be loosed, that is, during the final tribulation
period, Satan will increasingly control the hearts of the unsaved and fewer and
fewer people will become saved. Satan will marshal the nations of the world
against the camp of the saints (also called the beloved city) to destroy them.
This
will not be a physical battle. This is a
spiritual battle taking place right now.
It will be Satan coming
with false gospels to destroy true worship of God. This will be the chief
characteristic of the final tribulation period. Satan will overrun churches and
congregations with his gospels that feature sings and wonders (Matt. 24:24).
This will be a judgment
brought by God against the church. Ezek. 38:4
states:
And I
will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth,
and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of
armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling
swords.
Note that God takes the
action. God brings judgment on the churches that have become increasingly
apostate. God utilizes Satan for this dreadful task even as He used the wicked
nations of Assyria and Babylon to destroy ancient Israel. Satan will not be the
final victor. When Satan thinks he has won, God will bring him into judgment.
Rev. 20:9 discloses:
And they
went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about,
and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured
them.
Fire from heaven is a
figure to indicate God's judgment. Satan and all of the wicked of the world will
come into judgment.
Ezek.38
speaks of the same conclusion to the fortunes of Satan and the wicked of the
world in verses 18-23:
And it
shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of
Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my
jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there
shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea,
and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping
things that creep upon the earth. and all the men that are upon the face of the
earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and
the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will
call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD:
every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him
with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his bands, and
upon the many people that are with him an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire, and brimestone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify
myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know
that I am the LORD.
This is the language of
Judgment Day; it gives us assurance that Satan will not be the final victor. As
we approach the end of the time, it will appear that Satan is winning. False
gospels, particularly those that feature signs and wonders, prosper. In fact,
they trouble many congregations. The Bible is becoming less and less their
ultimate authority. The salvation program being preached may be logical and seem
loving and reasonable in the eyes of men, but it is not the salvation plan of
the Bible in which the whole counsel of God is presented. The true believers
will become increasingly lonely. They will wonder how it can be that the cause
of Christ will have become so ineffective.
Then Judgment Day will
come. Satan will not win. The believers headed up by Christ will be vindicated.
O glorious salvation! O glorious and loving God who is faithful to all of His
commitments!
We have seen that Ezek. 38
gives no clues concerning the future of national Israel. In the next chapter, we
will look at a few other verses that are often employed to teach there could be
a glorious future for national Israel.
Romans 11
In this chapter, we will
look at Rom. 11:25-26. We are trying to find any verse that conceivably could be
promising future blessing for national Israel. Our interest is in truth, and we
can know truth only if we humbly submit to the entire Bible as our authority.
Most of the passages we
have studied thus far are among the most important being offered as proofs that
God still has a blessed future for national Israel. In every instance, when we
looked at these passages very carefully, and let the Bible be its own
interpreter, we saw that they did not have national Israel in view. Rather, in
every instance, we found that they were making promises that concern the Israel
that consists of each and every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ regardless of
the political nation in which they were born or lived. Wonderfully, the Israel
of God, which has constantly been in view, has believers in it from national
Israel as well as from the Gentile nations.
Almost miraculously after
almost 2,000 years of non-existence, Israel was brought together again as a
nation in 1948, and exists as a nation today. This event has to have great and
important meaning. Surely it might appear that this is related to some future
blessing for national Israel.
Let us search the Scriptures
to learn what they say concerning the future of national Israel. We learned that
God promised in Gen. 15:18-21 that Israel would inherit the land of Canaan. We
also learned from Joshua 21:45 and Neh. 9:7-8 that God has fulfilled all of His
promises to national Israel.
But Israel returned to the
land of Israel. Surely the Bible must have something to say about this. The
Bible does intimate that Israel would again be a nation. To find this
information, we will have to look at verses that are not ordinarily looked upon
as proofs concerning a future for national Israel.
Romans 11
Speaks of National Israel
Romans
11:25-26 discusses national Israel as opposed to the Gentiles of the
world:
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.
Many theologians read these
verses and are convinced that they teach that God is promising great blessing
for national Israel. They seem to think: Doesn't this passage declare that while
blindness is now upon national Israel, the time will come when all Israel will
be saved? And since this great event has never happened in the past, surely it
will happen in the future. The fact that Israel is again its own land surely
anticipates a future spiritual restoration of national Israel.
While these ideas might
appear attractive for one reason or another, they are not even suggested by
these verses. In fact these verses teach us exactly the opposite; namely, that
there will never be spiritual restoration of national Israel.
In
Rom. 11:7-9, God is teaching that
national Israel is divided into two parts. We read:
What
then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath
given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that
they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a
snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them.
The one part, which
consists of the elect, is a very small part of the nation. Rom. 11:5 speaks of
the elect as a remnant; Even so then at this present time also there is a
remnant according to the election of grace.
In Elijah's day, this
remnant was included in the seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to
the image of Baal (Rom. 11:4). It also included the Apostle Paul (verse 1) in
his day. The other part of national Israel consisted of those who were blinded
which included the major part of national Israel at any time in its history.
Today, we see the division
of national Israel into these same two parts. While there is a trickle of
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ among the blood descendants of Abraham,
sadly, the vast majority remain in unbelief.
God again makes reference
to the part of Israel who remains in unbelief. He tells us how long this
condition of blindness will prevail in national Israel in Rom. 11:25, where we
read, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the
Gentiles be come in. This statement not only tells us how long this blindness
will continue on the one part of Israel but it also implies that during the same
period a remnant chosen by grace will continue to come in. As we continue our
study, we will see what a blessed promise this is to those who are Abraham's
descendants.
How long will this
blindness continue? Verse 25 declares, until the fullness of the Gentiles be
come in. The phrase fullness of the Gentiles would have to include every Gentile
in the entire world chosen by God to be saved. If the fullness of the Gentiles
had come in, that would mean that nowhere in the world could there be even one
more person who, as one of God's elect, must still be saved. God's salvation
program for the world would have come to an end. Thus, this verse teaches that
as long as there remains even one Gentile in the world to be saved, we can
expect that the greater part of national Israel will remain in blindness.
This means that Israel as a
nation will never turn to the Lord because
Matt. 24:14 teaches:
And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come.
Many theologians envision
an eschatological program in which at some time in the future national Israel is
supposed to evangelize the world. Rom. 11:25 definitely teaches the
incorrectness of such an eschatological scheme. God declares emphatically and
specifically that we must recognize, sorrowfully, that as long as one Gentile
anywhere in the world remains to be saved, the greatest part of national Israel
will remain in spiritual blindness.
All Israel
To Be Saved
Doesn't Rom. 11:26 promise
that all Israel shall be saved? Indeed, it does. But who is all Israel? Israel
has existed as a people for about 4,000 years. All blood descendants of Abraham
are part of national Israel. Surely no one who lived in previous generations and
died in unbelief can be saved, and yet they are just as much a part of Israel as
the blood descendants of Abraham who are living today. Therefore, if all Israel
is to be saved and yet a vast part of national Israel lived and died without
becoming saved, then we have to look for a meaning of the term all Israel other
than that which includes every blood descendant of Abraham.
The key word is all. When
we use the word all in ordinary speech, we normally use it in an all-inclusive
sense. That is if we were told that all the people in a particular room were
wearing shoes, we would rightly assume that no one in that room had bare feet.
But when the Bible uses the
word all, the meaning is conditioned by the context in which it is found. For
example, in Acts 2:17, God declares that He will pour out His Spirit on all
flesh. Does this mean that every person in the entire world will experience the
pouring out of the Spirit? No, it does not. We know from other parts of the
Bible that only those who become believers in Christ experience the pouring out
of the Spirit. God is effectively teaching in Acts 2:17 that He will pour out
His Spirit on all flesh whom God intends to save. Only God's elect will
experience this wonderful event, at the time of salvation. In this verse the
word all does not mean the whole human race, rather, it includes all in the
human race whom God planned to save.
In
I Cor. 15:22, God states: For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
From information given
elsewhere in the Bible, we know that the first all includes each and every human
being who ever lived on this earth. The Bible tells us in Rom. 3:10 that There
is none righteous, no, not one.
If the second all of I Cor.
15:22 included each and every person in the entire human race, God would be
teaching universal salvation by means of this verse because the phrase be made
alive means, in this context, to be saved. But universal salvation is not
suggested anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the Bible offers many statements that
show us that hell will be heavily populated. The only way we can look at this
verse so that it harmonizes with everything else in the Bible, is to realize
that it teaches, so in Christ shall all be made alive (all whom God intends to
make alive, that is, God's elect). Again the all is conditioned by other Bible
truth.
Let us return to Rom.
11:26, where God declares, all Israel shall be saved. We know from verse 25,
which we have examined in detail that at any time in the history of Israel,
right up to the time when even one Gentile in the entire world remains to be
saved, most of Israel will remain in unbelief. Therefore, all Israel must refer
to all Israel who are to be saved. That is, even as all flesh of Acts 2:17, and
all be made alive of I Cor. 15:22 refer to the totality of God's elect who are
to be saved, so in Rom. 11:26 the term all Israel must refer to the totality of
God's elect who are to be saved from within national Israel. We should,
therefore, read this verse this way: And so all Israel (who are the remnant of
the election of grace) shall be saved.
But aren't we missing
something? Doesn't Rom. 11:26 teach that after the fullness of the Gentiles
comes in then all Israel shall be saved? Cannot all Israel refer to all who are
national Israel living at the time the fullness of the Gentiles will have come
in? Couldn't there be a massive turning of national Israel to Christ after the
last of the Gentiles who are to be saved have become saved?
SO Does Not Mean THEN
As a matter of fact, many
theologians change the word so in Rom. 11:26 to the word then or the word after.
You can check any number of books that teach the premillennial view and find
that this is the case.
The word so which in its
Greek form is found more than 150 times in the Bible is never translated "then"
or after. In a few places it is translated in this manner, but it is never
translated to indicate chronological events. Rom. 11:26 in no way suggests that
after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in then all Israel will be saved.
Rather, it teaches that blindness will continue on the major part of national
Israel right to the end. This means that there will always be that other part of
national Israel: the remnant according to the election of grace. As long as one
Gentile remains to be saved, there is the remnant, the trickle of God's elect,
in national Israel who will be saved. And so, that is, in this manner, all
Israel who are to be saved will be saved.
We see that
Rom. 11:25-26 teaches exactly the
opposite of that which is taught by many people. Not only is it not teaching a
future glory for national Israel, but in fact the passage teaches the sad fact
that there will not be a future glory for national Israel. These verses bring us
precisely the same truth that we discovered previously. They reinforce our
conviction that we correctly understand the Bible insofar as God's dealings with
national Israel are concerned.
Before we leave these
verses, we should comment on the last half of
verse 26 and all of verse 27, where we read:
. . . 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.
Whether they realize it or
not, those who teach that Rom. 11:25-26 are proof texts that there will come a
time when all of national Israel will become saved are effectively teaching two
salvation programs. The first is that which has been in effect until the present
time, wherein believers come one by one into the kingdom of God; and the second
is a program wherein a whole nation will come in. According to their
understanding of Rom. 11, the whole nation cannot come in until the deliverer
shall come out of Zion who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob and shall take
away their sins.
Some even believe that the
deliverance of Rom. 11:27 is a political deliverance. This idea is also
altogether without possibility in view of the phrase when I shall take away
their sins.
In other words, according
to the understanding of some theologians, the Savior must still come to save
national Israel. Apparently, the fact that Christ has already come as Savior was
not sufficient for them. This teaching in a real sense denies the atonement. Why
is this so? Does the Bible in any way teach two salvation programs: one for all
believers throughout time, including the remnant chosen by grace from national
Israel who have lived any time during the last 4,000 years, and the other for
the whole nation of Israel that might exist at some future time?
Surely the Bible does not
teach two salvation programs. When Jesus came as the Savior, to whom did He
come? Did He come to the Chinese? To the Egyptians? To the North American
Indians? Indeed not. He came to national Israel. Jesus was a Jew. He was born in
a Jewish city, Bethlehem. He grew up in a Jewish city, Nazareth. He was baptized
by a Jewish prophet, John the Baptist, in the River Jordan which flowed through
the land of the Jews. He preached for more than there years in Jewish cities
such as Capernaum, Jericho, Bethany, and Jerusalem. All of His disciples were
Jews as were His personal friends, such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
Indeed Jesus has already
come as the deliverer from Zion to take away the sins of those He came to save
out of national Israel. Because He came as the deliverer to take away sins, we
rejoice that it is possible that individuals out of national Israel as well as
out of every other political nation of the world can be saved. To suggest that
Jesus must still come to save national Israel is to deny all that the Bible
teaches concerning the first coming of Christ.
Moreover, to teach that God
has a different plan of salvation for a future generation of national Israel,
whereby they as a whole body will be saved, is to deny a fundamental principle
wherein God declares He isn't a respecter of persons. We read in
Acts 10:34-39:
Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness,
is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know,
which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the
baptism which John preached: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil: for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things
which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and
hanged on a tree.
These verses are quoted to
show that not only is Christ not a respecter of persons, but also to emphasize
that Jesus came to Israel as the Redeemer.
While we are considering
the matter of Christ's first coming and how it relates to national Israel, we
will look again at Acts 5:31, which says: Him hath God exalted with his right
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of sins.
This verse beautifully and
clearly reinforces the concept we have been discussing: Jesus did come to Israel
to be their Savior.
The idea of a future
salvation for national Israel as a corporate body is not supported in any way by
Romans 11.
What about Act: 1:6?
Does
Acts 1:6 imply that there is to be a
future restoration of national Israel? This verse records one of the final
questions the disciples asked Jesus before He returned to heaven. We read:
When
they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at
this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Surely the disciples were
still looking for a future restoration of national Israel; this was the dream of
the Jews in Jesus' day. We read in Luke 17:20 that the pharisees wanted to know
when the kingdom of God should come. In Luke 19:11, God tells us that the Jews
were apparently looking for some kind of political kingdom. We read: because he
was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should
immediately appear. Notice Jesus' answer to the pharisees in
Luke 17:20-21:
And when
he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he
answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither
shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within
you.
Jesus is teaching that the
kingdom of God is not to be one of observation, that is, one that can be viewed
as an outward body. The kingdom of God is within each believer. The kingdom of
God is not like political kingdom, it is a kingdom made up of all who have
become believers in Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that we cannot see
the kingdom unless we are born from above, and we cannot enter that kingdom
unless we are born of water and the spirit.
When the disciples asked
Jesus in Acts 1:6 about the timing of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel,
Jesus answered in Acts 1:7-8:
And he
said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth.
The phrase the times or the
seasons, relates to the end of time when the sun and the moon cease to exist.
We read in
Gen. 1:14:
And God
said Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from
the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons and for days and years.
Incidentally, the
participle for (for you to know the times or the seasons), should have been
translated of. It isn't of you to know the times or the seasons. That is you
will not have knowledge concerning the end of the world through information
coming from within yourselves.
Thus, in Jesus' answer to
the disciples, He is effectively saying to them, It is not of you when the end
of time will come, at which time the kingdom will have been restored to Israel.
God uses the same phrase, times and seasons, in
I Thes. 5:1-2:
But of
the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night.
In this passage, God is
effectively declaring that it is not necessary for God to write to us concerning
the timing of the end, for the day of the Lord (Judgment Day), will come
as a thief in the night;
that is, for the unbeliever, Judgment Day will be when he least expects it. Of
course for the believer, His coming will not be as a thief because the believer
is always prepared for His coming. I Thes. 5:4:
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.
A Thief in
the Night and the Rapture
When we seek an
understanding of the timing of the rapture, we find more than sufficient
information in the Bible to know that it is to occur at the end of time, when
Christ returns to judge the nations.
Repeatedly the Bible speaks
of Christ coming as a thief or as a thief in the night. Jesus says in
Matt. 24:43, in the context of His
discussion concerning His return:
But know
this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would
come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken
up.
God declares in
II Peter 3:10, as He discusses the
destruction of the universe at the en
d of time:
But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
In
Rev. 3:3, we read the warning:
Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt
not know what hour I will come upon thee.
And in
Rev. 16:15, as God is speaking of the
end of the world, we find:
Behold,
I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest
he walk naked, and they see his shame.
On the basis of these
verses, various doctrines have come forth, including that which suggests that
Christ is to come silently, and suddenly and quietly, Christians are to be
removed from the earth. This idea certainly appears to be valid in light of the
language of Christ coming as a thief in the night.
Is this really so? I Thes.
4:16, which speaks of the rapture of the believers, does not suggest that He
will come silently as a thief. In this verse, God speaks of a shout and of the
trumpet of God, which is anything but a silent coming.
Wonderfully, however, the
Bible is its own commentary. If we follow the Biblical rule of letting the Bible
explain or interpret the Bible, an understanding of the phrase thief in the
night can be found. We shall discover that the Biblical references that use this
phrase are not at all suggesting a silent coming of Christ. Moreover, we shall
discover additional support of the clear teaching of the Bible that the
occurrence of the rapture must be simultaneous with the timing of Judgment Day.
In
Thes. 5:1-9, we read:
But of
the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, a
s
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all
the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor
of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ.
In this passage, we find a
clear reference to the day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night. The day
of the Lord is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ will come on the clouds with
power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). It is the day when He will come as King of
kings and Lord of lords.
In these verses, God
teaches that that day will come as a thief in the night. Is He teaching that He
will come when no one expects Him?
It is certainly true that
none of the unsaved will expect Him. Verse 3 records:
For when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Those who relate to the
Bible somewhat but are nevertheless unsaved, will be quite sure that Judgment
Day is of no real concern. After all, they think, God is a loving God; He does
not wish that any should perish, and somehow God has a marvelous plan for this
earth and its inhabitants that will ensure maximum love for all. In their
blindness that stems from their false gospels, which seem so successful and so
God-ordained, they will be certain that there is still hope for a utopia on this
present earth. As in the case of those who wish to deny God altogether, they
will feel that all is secure.
So for the unsaved, Christ
will come unexpectedly. As a matter of fact, His coming will be a horrible
surprise, for those who are not saved will discover that, while perhaps they
thought all was well between them and the Lord, they actually had been following
a salvation designed to their own liking rather than the salvation designed by
the Bible. Christ's coming will be the moment of truth. They will realize that
they had never served Him as Lord. They had been obeying the Bible only when it
was convenient. They had never trusted Christ as the only one who could save
them. Rather, they had been seeking a salvation based on the grace of God plus
their own meritorious efforts. They had thought that they were at peace with God
and secure in Christ, but it was a false peace and a false security. At His
coming, the terrible truth will come to them that they never had been born from
above. For all these people, Christ's coming will be as a thief in the night.
Notice what will happen to those for whom His coming is as a thief in the night:
Sudden destruction will come upon them, and there will be no escape.
This is the language of
Judgment Day. Remember what happened to the people of Noah's day. Suddenly they
were deluged with water and destroyed. Remember Sodom. It too, experienced
sudden destruction. Remember the language Jesus uses as He speaks of Judgment
Day in Matt. 7:13:
Enter ye
in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Jesus warns in
Matt. 24:37-39:
But as
the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.
And in
II Thes. 1:9, God warns: Who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power.
What an awful moment! What
a terrible place to be! No wonder we read in Rev. 6:16 of men calling upon the
rocks to crush them and the hills to cover them. No experience of trauma that
mankind has ever experienced can approach the sheer terror of Judgment Day.
The Bible discloses other
information that relates to this momentous occasion. For instance, the Bible
indicates that our Lord's coming will not be as a thief in the night for true
believers. The true believers are ready for His coming because their sins have
been washed away in Christ's blood. They are not under the dominion of darkness;
they are the children of the day (a synonym for Christ Himself). They are
children of the light (Jesus is light); they belong to the Lord.
I Thes. 5:4-5 tells us:
But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye
are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness.
These verses tell us that
the day of the Lord will not overtake believers as a thief. They have
anticipated His coming and are ready for it.
Thus, we see that when
Christ returns in judgment, believers will be here. Therefore, these believers
could not have been raptured earlier. Since Judgment Day is the end of time, we
know that is when believers will be raptured. In no sense are they to experience
judgments even as I Thes. 5:9 declares: For God
hate not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The wrath spoken of in this
verse is not the tribulation period, as some would suppose. With the sure
knowledge that the rapture will occur simultaneously with Judgment Day, we know
that believers will go through the final tribulation period, but that period is
not the wrath of God that must be visited upon unbelievers as payment for their
sins. The wrath of God is the punishment the unsaved are to experience eternally
as a result of their sins. The true believers in no way are to experience this
because Christ has covered all their sins by His blood.
Rev.
6:15-17 speaks
eloquently of the wrath of God:
And the
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?
This is the wrath from
which the saved are free. Praise God for such a wonderful salvation!
The
Restoration of Acts 1
Returning to Jesus answer
to the disciples' question in Acts 1, Jesus then commands them to be His
witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth. Why does He give this answer to
their question concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel? Remember how
Jesus answered the pharisees in Luke 17:20-21:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. . . . behold, the kingdom of God
is within you.
Surely Christ is saying to
His disciples in Acts 1:8 that the kingdom of God will be built as the Gospel
goes into all the world. By the end of time, the restoration of the kingdom will
be complete; that is, God's salvation program will be complete in every sense of
the word.
God speaks of restoration
because the world began as a perfect world, but because of the rebellion of man,
this world, including mankind, came under the curse of God. Christ came as the
Redeemer, and God not only is building a kingdom of believers for Himself, but
He also plans to restore this creation. This is taught in
Rom. 8:21:
Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The completion of this
restoration will be at the end of time when Christ comes on the clouds of glory.
God speaks of this restitution in Acts 3:19-21:
Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send
Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth
of all his holy prophets since the world began.
In verses 24-26, God tells
what He has in mind as He emphasizes that this restitution was prophesied by the
prophets.
Acts
3:24-26: Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as
many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children
of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying
unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in
turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Please note that these
verses speak entirely of God's wonderful salvation program that has been
continuing for the last 2,000 years.
Thus, we see that the
disciples undoubtedly were at first looking for glory for the nation of Israel
of their day. Very significantly, once we get past the ascension of Christ,
never again do we find in the writings of the apostles any reference to a
physical literal kingdom of God in this present world. The only place we see any
expression or outward representation of that kingdom is in the church, the
congregations, and denominations that consist of believers from every nation.
Moreover, after the ascension of Christ, we find no implication that at some
future time God will again deal with national Israel as his chosen people.
Sorrowfully, again we must conclude that we have found no Biblical evidence of
future spiritual blessing for national Israel as a political entity.
Blessed is He that Cometh in
the Name of the Lord
Another verse that has been
used to teach that national Israel will some day turn to Christ is
Matt. 23:39:
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.
Because we want to face
anything and everything in the Bible that might possibly suggest that in the
future, national Israel could respond to Christ as Savior, we will look
carefully at this verse.
The setting for this
statement is Jesus' indictment of Israel for their continued unbelief.
Verses 37 and 38 record:
O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate.
This ominous accusation is
followed by verse 39 where our Lord says that they would not see Him again until
they would say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Three questions must now be
raised: (1) Who comes in the name of the Lord? (2) When will He come? (3) Do
only believers declare that one is to come in the name of the Lord, or can
nonbelievers also say this? Let us briefly examine these three questions.
The answer to the first
question: Who comes in the name of the Lord?, comes from the Old Testament.
Psalm 118 is a Messianic Psalm, that is, it anticipates the coming of Christ. We
read in Psalm 118:26: Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have
blessed you out of the house of the LORD. By this verse, we are assured that
Christ Himself is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
The second question: When
will He come? At the time Jesus was speaking in Matt. 23, He had already come
triumphantly into Jerusalem as King (Matt. 21:1-9). At that time the multitudes
had acclaimed Him as King, and declared in
Matt. 21:9:
And the
multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the
son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the
highest.
Matt. 23 reports events
which followed His triumphal entry. Therefore, His declaration in verse 39 that
the Jews would not see Him again until they would say, Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord, must relate to some future event. In fact, almost
immediately after He said these words of Matt. 23, Christ went to the cross. And
then, except by His closest friends and the five hundred of Galilee (I Cor.
15:6), He was not seen again. The next time He is to be seen by the nation of
Israel and by the world will be at the end of time when He comes with power and
great glory.
Does this imply that the
nation of Israel will have become saved before the end of the world because
surely the words, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, must come
from the lips of those who have become saved?
The Bible clearly shows us
that it is not necessarily those who are saved who are to acclaim Jesus with
these words. As we have seen when Jesus rode into Jerusalem the Sunday before
His crucifixion, He was being proclaimed King. Matt. 21:9 records that it was
the multitudes who cried: Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord. Luke 19:37-38 speaks of them as the multitude of
disciples, but this multitude of disciples was not saved. Oh, yes, a few of them
were saved; as many as 120 in the upper room at the time the Holy Spirit was
poured out were saved. But to be called a disciple does not necessarily imply
salvation.
In John 6, we have an
example of disciples who were unbelievers. Jesus is discussing very frankly with
His followers the nature and character of His atonement. His words disillusioned
many who followed Him, and we read in John 6:66: From that time many of his
disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
The disciples who turned
away from Him obviously were not saved. Likewise, the multitudes of disciples
who cried out at the time Jesus entered into Jerusalem were not necessarily
saved. A few days later, the multitudes were shouting, Crucify Him. Most of them
were disciples only as long as Jesus looked like a political king who would free
them from Roman rule.
Therefore, we conclude that
the prophecy of Jesus set forth in Matt. 23:39 is not to be fulfilled by
believers shouting, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. It is to
be fulfilled at the last day when Christ comes with power and great glory, when
all the peoples of the earth will acknowledge Him as King. We read in
Phil. 2:9-11:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
At the end of time, the
peoples of the earth, including all of the blood descendants of Abraham who have
remained in unbelief, must acknowledge Christ as King because He will have come
to rule over them and judge them. Can you see that Matt. 23:39 has the same
import as Phil. 2:9-11?
The above conclusion is in
harmony with every other truth we have discussed in this book. To suggest that
Matt. 23:39 is somehow teaching a glorious future for
national Israel would
contradict the many passages we have studied.
We have found no promise of
future glory for the nation of Israel. Indeed, we have found no clear reference
to a future of any kind for Israel. Is this the end of our study?
No! God does say something
about the final future of national Israel. We will look at that in the next
chapter.
Our study of the Bible
concerning national Israel and its future must appear frustrating to those who
are fondly looking for a glorious future for national Israel. Indeed, it would
be wonderful if we could identify some verses in the Bible that point to such a
glorious future. After all, no nation has suffered like Israel has suffered. No
nation has experienced traumas so repeatedly and terribly. Our hearts go out to
this country, and we would greatly rejoice if we could know that national
blessings were on the horizon. How we agonize to find some hint in the
Scriptures that might suggest future spiritual blessing for this beleaguered
nation.
We have looked at virtually
all of the major statements of the Bible that many theologians relate to future
glory for Israel, and we have not found one statement that suggests such
blessing. We wonder if there is any statement in the Bible that gives us even
the slightest clue concerning the nation of Israel.
Surely it was an event of
the greatest importance when in 1948, after almost 2,000 years, Israel again
became a nation amongst the nations of the world. Surely such a significant
event was anticipated somewhere in the Bible.
Indeed, the Bible does
offer statements that relate to Israel of our day. Rom. 11:25-26 is one such
statement, where God predicts that the major part of national Israel will remain
in unbelief right up until the end of time. He also implies that a remnant
according to the election of grace will come out of national Israel.
We can see the perfect
fulfillment of these prophecies in God bringing Israel back into its land as a
national body. We have an exceeding superior vantage point of almost 2,000 years
of history, during which time there was never the slightest deviation from a
literal fulfillment of these prophecies. During this entire period, there was
never a time when more than a remnant of Jews became believers; there was never
a time when there was a national Jewish mind to turn to Christ as Savior.
But God has put Israel on
display as a nation again and these prophecies remain precisely accurate. We
must recognize, sadly, that today in the nation of Israel there is not the
slightest intention to turn to Christ as Savior. By raising up Israel as a
nation in our day, God demonstrates His total faithfulness to His prophecy in
Rom. 11.
The Fig
Tree Is Given One More Opportunity
There are other Scriptures
that point to the Israel of our day. Let us look at these to discover what they
say about the future of national Israel.
Jesus gives us the parable
of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9:
He spake
also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he
came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of
his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree,
and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said
unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung
it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down.
Since this is a parable, we
wonder who or what the fig tree represents. According to the parable, it is a
fig tree that does not bear fruit. Therefore, it cannot be the New Testament
church because Jesus said the New Testament church would do greater works than
Jesus did. When we examine Scripture to learn what works these might be we
discover that they relate to bearing much fruit. We must remember that the work
of Jesus was not only to be the Gospel by going to the cross to pay for our
sins, but also to preach the Gospel.
We read in
Luke 4:43-44:
And he
said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for
therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Then in
John 14:12 Jesus declares:
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also; and greater works than these shall he do: because I go unto my Father.
Jesus came to preach the
Gospel, and He also assigned this work to the New Testament church when He
commanded in Mark 16:15: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature, and in John 20:21: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I
you.
But in John 14:12, Christ's
prophecies concern the success of the New Testament church. The success of the
church is seen dramatically in that 3,000 people were saved at Pentecost.
Therefore, the fig tree
definitely does not relate to the New Testament church, and nowhere in the Bible
does God relate Egypt or Syria or Moab or any other heathen nation to a fig
tree.
The Fig
Tree: National Israel
National Israel, however,
is another matter. We read in Joel 1:7:
He hath
laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare and cast
it away; the branches thereof are made white.
In this passage, God
definitely has national Israel in view. Ancient Israel was under God's judgment
because of its rebellion against God and so God speaks of Israel as a fig tree
that has been barked. To remove the bark from a tree will certainly kill that
tree. So a barked tree signifies that the nation of Israel was under God's
judgment.
Likewise in Jer. 24:10, God
presents Israel using the figure of a fig tree and speaks of the nation of
Israel's obedience to God. Those who are obedient to God are likened to good
figs, whereas those who are disobedient to God are likened to very bad figs.
Figs of course are the fruit of a fig tree. Therefore, God is likening national
Israel to a fig tree that produces either bad fruit or good fruit.
We have Biblical evidence
that the fig tree does refer to national Israel. The rest of the parable of the
fig tree set forth in Luke 13 agrees with this conclusion. Again and again
Israel rebelled against God. In the wilderness they were destroyed because of
unbelief. After they entered the land of Canaan, first the ten tribes were
destroyed by the Assyr
ians in 709 B.C. because of
the spiritual harlotry of Israel; and in 587 B.C. the remainder of Israel was
destroyed by the Babylonians.
Again in Jesus' day, the
spiritual climate was so rebellious that the Jewish leaders made sure that Jesus
was crucified. Finally that nation was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Roman, Titus.
Three times, God has dealt
with Israel in a massive way. Ordinarily, when God spoke three times that was
the end of the matter; there was no more to say. Jesus prayed three times about
the removal of the cup, but He had to drink it. The Apostle Paul prayed three
times about the removal of the thorn in the flesh, but it was not removed. He
was simply told that God's grace was sufficient. So, too, God had come to Israel
looking for fruit three times, but each time. Israel was found to be in
rebellion against God. Therefore, when God destroyed Israel in A.D. 70 by the
Roman, Titus, that should have been the end of Israel.
God's
Mercy on Israel
God in His overwhelming
mercy has given Israel another opportunity. The fig tree is cultivated one more
time. In 1948, Israel again became a nation amongst the nations of the world, an
event unmatched in the history of the world. Never has a nation been driven from
its homeland and dispersed among the nations only to return to its homeland
almost 2,000 years later, an intact nation. This is the beautiful fulfillment of
the promise made in the parable of the fig tree recorded in Luke 13:6-9. Israel
is being tested one last time.
Unfortunately, as a nation,
Israel is not bearing spiritual fruit, and therefore, in accordance with the
parable of the fig tree, it will be cut down. That is, it will be destroyed as
it was in the wilderness, as in 587 B.C. and in A.D. 70. Sadly, the destruction
that is coming will be the end of national Israel, Later in our study we will
look at this more closely.
We see, therefore, that in
Romans 11, as well as in Luke 13, God speaks on the subject of national Israel
of today.
Are there other statements
in the Bible that relate to national Israel of today? Indeed, there are.
In Isaiah 6, we read of the
commissioning of Isaiah to be a proclaimer of the Gospel to Israel of his day.
When he was prepared to go forth with the Gospel, he was told in
Isaiah 6:9-12:
And he
said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye
indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their eyes
heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I,
Lord, how long?
And he answered, Until the cities be wasted
without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly
desolate, And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking
in the midst of the land.
These terribly negative
words wore written more then seven hundred years before Christ. Already in that
day God was underscoring the principle emphasized in Rom. 11:7 that except for a
remnant chosen by grace, the rest of Israel would remain blinded. This
relationship of Isa. 6 to Rom. 11 is proven dramatically; Rom. 11:8 quotes Isa.
6:9 in support of the proposition that most of Israel remained in unbelief even
during the Apostle Paul's day.
According to the language
of Isa. 6, how long is Israel to remain blinded? Until the cities be wasted
without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate
(Isa. 6:11). This sounds like the condition of blindness would continue until
the end of time. It cannot refer to any desolation experienced by Israel between
the time of Isaiah and the New Testament period when God was writing the Bible
through the Apostle Paul, because not only Rom. 11:8 quotes Isa. 6 in support of
the continuous unbelief of Israel. Jesus quotes the same verses in Matt.
13:14-15 and the Apostle Paul quoted them again in Acts 28:25-26, near the close
of his ministry.
The Fig
Tree: Cursed Forever
In Mark 11, Christ alludes
to the sad future of national Israel in very specific language. He does so in
connection with a fig tree, which we discovered earlier relates to national
Israel. Mark 11:12-14:
And on
the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig
tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon:
and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was
not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter
for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Why did Jesus come seeking
for figs when it was not the time for figs? Jesus, who is eternal God, who
created the world, knew it was not time for figs. Why does it say that He was
hungry?
Only when we see that this
fig tree represents national Israel and that Christ cursed the fig tree to teach
something about national Israel does the cursing of the fig tree have any
meaning. Let us examine this passage very carefully to discover the deeper
spiritual meaning it conveys.
Verse 12 declares that
Jesus was hungry when He came seeking fruit from the fig tree. Did Jesus have an
earnest desire that national Israel might bear fruit, that is, that they would
respond to Him as Messiah? Indeed, He did. Christ declares
in Matt. 23:37-38:
O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate.
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
and prophesies the impending doom of Jerusalem
in Luke 19:41-44:
And when
he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst
known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee,
that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round, and
keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground and thy
children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another;
because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
While it is not God's
sovereign plan to save a great number from national Israel, nevertheless, God
has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). The desire of God is
the obedience of His creatures. Only because God has elected some of mankind to
salvation and then inclines their wills and hearts to Him does anyone become
saved.
This then is why the Bible
records that Jesus was hungry when He came seeking figs and yet obviously He
knew there were no figs. He is expressing His desire that national Israel would
respond to the Gospel even though He knew that they would not turn to the
Gospel. How could He know they would not turn to the Gospel? Verse 13 of Mark 11
records that it was not time for figs. Jesus knew of God's curse on national
Israel recorded in Isa. 6. In Matt. 13:14-15, He quotes this passage as the
reason for the adamant unbelief of Israel in His day. When Jesus came to the fig
tree, which had leaves so that from a distance it looked like it might be
bearing fruit, He knew full well there would be no figs. Likewise, as we look at
Israel in the days of Jesus. it looked very much like it should bear spiritual
fruit. The leaves were there. It was a nation in its own land, a remarkable fact
considering the terrible devastation of Israel in 587 B.C. by the Babylonian
empire.
But it was a nation that
could not be expected to bear spiritual fruit. Because of their constant
unbelief and rebellion down through the centuries, God pronounced the curse of
Isa. 6:9-12, that they would be blinded (except for the remnant chosen by grace
spoken of in Rom. 11:5).
It was not the season for
fruit. And so Christ's curse of the fig tree was a reiteration, an underscoring,
of the curse given in Isa. 6.
Now the question arises: In
the record of the cursing of the fig tree, is there any clue as to how long this
curse would apply, that is, how long national Israel as a nation would not bear
spiritual fruit? We learned from Isa. 6 that this could be the condition of
national Israel all the way to the end of time.
In Mark 11:14, we discover
that God is declaring that it is His expressed intention that national Israel
would never again bear fruit. Mark 11:14: And Jesus answered and said unto it,
No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Forever! Never again would this fig tree bear fruit. Never again would national
Israel bear spiritual fruit. It is no wonder that today we see national Israel
so opposed to Jesus as Messiah.
Can you see that in Mark 11
we have in another form a repetition of the words of Isa. 6? Can you see the
perfect agreement between Mark 11 and Rom. 11:25? In the Rom. 11 passage God
declares that blindness would continue on the major part of national Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, that is, until the end of time.
A Blessed
Remnant from the Fig Tree
How wonderful is the
assurance of Rom. 11 that a remnant chosen by grace will come from national
Israel into the body of Christ! It is wonderful to know that this remnant will
continue to come in as long as anyone in the whole wide world is being saved.
We have seen that God does
indeed speak concerning the future of national Israel in Isa. 6:9-12, Luke
13:6-9, Mark 11:12-14, and Rom. 11:25-26. Are there other passages in the Bible
that offer us further information concerning the future of national Israel?
There are at least two
additional passages that have something to say concerning national Israel near
the end of time. We will now address ourselves to these passages.
In
Mark 13:28-29, we read:
Now
learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall
see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
The context of Mark 13 is
that of the return of Christ at the end of time. In the verses immediately
preceding verses 28 and 29, Christ indicates that He will come with great power
and glory. The timekeepers, the sun and the moon, will cease to function
(because time will have come to an end), and the universe will be collapsing
(the stars will fall from heaven).
The Sign
of the Fig Tree
In Mark 13:28-29, our Lord
gives us a clue as to how we might know when this will occur. He declares that
even as the appearance of leaves on the fig tree signals that summer is close at
hand, so when we see all these things, we will know that Christ is ready to come
again.
What things does God want
us to see that tell us that Christ is ready to come? In verse 14, Christ has
spoken of the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. In verse 22,
He declares that false prophets and false christs will arise with signs and
wonders. In an earlier chapter of our study, we saw that these verses refer to
the spread of false gospels throughout the world to such a degree that it will
be almost impossible to find a church that is still true to Christ.
Jesus also makes reference
to the fig tree in leaf. If He had used the figure of an apple tree or a walnut
tree, we would conclude that all of the events named in the earlier verses of
Mark 13 are typified by an apple tree or a walnut tree in leaf. When those
events were occurring, we would know that Christ's return was close at hand.
But Jesus used the figure
of a fig tree. We have already seen that the fig tree typifies national Israel.
Thus, one of the events that would signal that summer was at hand was the
rebirth of national Israel. Therefore, effectively Jesus is saying, When you see
national Israel again appear as a viable nation among the nations of the world,
you will know that summer is at hand, that is, you will know that Christ is at
the very door. Significantly, in verse 28 Jesus teaches: Now learn a parable of
the fig tree. In other words, the fig tree typifies something (we know it can
only be national Israel), even as in every parable the elements named in the
parable typify some aspect of God's salvation program. So we can be very certain
that we are on target as we conclude that God is pointing to national Israel
becoming a nation again. When it became a nation, we would have a tremendous
sign that the world was very close to the return of Christ.
Please note that Jesus does
not speak of the fig tree in fruit. Like the event of the cursing of the fig
tree of Mark 11, He is referring to a nation that has a standing amongst the
nations of the world.
The return of Israel to its
land in 1948 was prophesied in Mark 13. Although we see the fig tree in leaf
(Israel is again a political nation), regretfully and with great sorrow, we do
not see it in fruit. There is no national interest in Christ as Messiah.
According to Mark 13:28-29,
the event of Israel's return to its land in 1948 means that we must be very near
the end of time. Christ must be at the very doors.
Israel To
Be Destroyed
Anther passage that may be
speaking of the national Israel of our day is
Luke 21:20-24, where we read:
And when
ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and
let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in
the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all
things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with
child, and to them that give suck, in these days! for there shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 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.
Most theologians of the
past have looked at these verses in the light of the destruction of Israel by
the Roman armies in A.D. 70. This conclusion appeared to have considerable
validity in view of the fact than for almost 1,900 years it looked like Israel
would never be a nation again. It is true that the context of these verses is
within the end times, because immediately following verse 24, the language is
definitely pointing to the return of Christ. Nevertheless, the destruction of
Israel in A.D. 70 appeared to be so final that it was altogether reasonable to
conclude that the destruction in A.D. 70 is in view in these verses.
Then Israel returned to its
land in 1948. That extraordinary event immediately assures us that whatever
these verses of Luke 21 teach, they cannot refer to the destruction of Israel in
A.D. 70 because verse 24 teaches, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. The phrase the times of
the Gentiles can have reference only to the nations of the world. Only when the
end of time has come will the times of the Gentiles (the nations) have been
fulfilled.
Therefore, when the
Jerusalem of these verses is trodden down, it will remain trodden down until the
end of time. Since Israel became a nation again in 1948, its destruction in A.D.
70 cannot be in view here.
What, then, do these verses
teach? Surely they have reference to an event that has not yet taken place. When
we examined many Old Testament passages in previous chapters, we discovered that
Jerusalem often refers to the literal city of Israel. We also saw that it can
with equal validity refer to the body of believers who have become Jerusalem,
the city of God, which I believe in its first meaning and teaching is the
Jerusalem God has in view in the ominous statement of Luke 21. It is God's
purpose that the body of believers is to be surrounded by false gospels so that
finally the true Gospel will be almost silenced. Indeed, today the assault on
the true Gospel is massive and intense. False gospels abound and I believe we
are now in the final tribulation period. This sequence of events is surely in
view in Luke 21.
There is also a slight
possibility that Jerusalem in this context is additionally referring to the
literal city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem does identify with national Israel and
today is occupied by national Israel. Jerusalem is surrounded by enemies that
seek to destroy it. The unrelenting hatred of the Arab nations toward Israel is
as intense and bitter today as it has ever been in the history of these nations.
The Biblical reason for the
destruction of Israel certainly exists. In the parable of the fig tree in Luke
13, the fig tree was to be given one more opportunity to bear fruit. If it did
not bear fruit this time, it was to be cut down. Israel at this time does not
bear spiritual fruit. Therefore, we can expect that it will be cut down; it will
be destroyed.
Even before Israel entered
the promised land, God warned them of destruction, as in
Deu. 8:19-20:
And it
shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods,
and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall
surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so
shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD
your God.
Again, when Israel was in
its flower during the reign of Solomon, God warned Solomon in
II Chron. 7:19-22:
But if
ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set
before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I
pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this
house which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will
make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. And this house, which is
high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall
say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it
shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which
brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and
worshiped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon
them.
In
Jer. 18:9-11 God repeats the warning to
Israel:
And
at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice,
then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. Now
therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a
device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way,and make your ways
and your doings good.
In these warnings, God
clearly indicates that the nation of Israel has no prerogatives. They will be
destroyed for their sins as readily as any other nation. As we see Israel
continue to the present day in rebellion against God, as they reject Christ as
their Messiah, we can only expect their destruction. Oh, how dreadful! Oh, if
only they would repent and turn to our Savior for mercy!
God has established the
principle that all they that take the sword shall perish the sword (Matt.
26:52). Today, Israel is an armed camp. I'm afraid that Israel's trust is only
in its might. Their successes in the last few decades have given them the idea
that somehow they are invincible but those who live by the sword will perish by
the sword. Those who trust in their armies eventually will be overthrown by
someone with greater armies. How can Israel continue its present course of
action and not be destroyed?
We must remember, of course
that not only national Israel is subject to the wrath of God for its sins. Every
nation eventually will experience destruction. Destruction will come on all the
nations, including Israel, on the last day. Then all the unsaved of the earth
will stand for judgment. At that time, the destruction that will be experienced
by each and every unsaved person will be far more serious than physical
destruction - it will be the destruction of eternal damnation.
How desperately the world
needs Christ. Without Christ, there is no possibility of escaping this awful
judgment.
Who Will
Destroy Israel?
Interestingly, the Bible
appears to give some clues as to who might destroy national Israel. We read in
Ezek. 35:1-7:
Moreover
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying. Son of man, set thy face against
mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand
against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste,
and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. Because thou
hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel
by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their
iniquity had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare
thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: since thou hast not hated blood,
even blood shall pursue thee. Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut
off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
The context of these verses
has in view the enmity that exists between Mount Seir (verse 2) and Israel
(verse 5). This enmity ends with the destruction of Israel by Mount Seir. Mount
Seir in turn comes under God's judgment (verse 7).
Who is Mount Seir and which
Israel does God have in view? Let us first determine who Mount Seir is. In
Deu. 2:4, we read:
And
command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your
brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of
you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore.
In this verses God
identifies Mount Seir with children of Esau. God makes this point four more
times in this chapter (verses 5, 8, 22, and 29). God surely does not want us to
miss this truth. The next question that logically follows is: Who are the
descendants of Esau insofar as the nations of the world are concerned? The Bible
tells us in Gen. 28:9 that Esau married a daughter of Ishmael:
Then went Esau unto Ishmael,
and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's
son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
In this marriage the blood
line of Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar, and Esau, the grandson of Abraham,
were joined. Thus, Esau and Ishmael together became the progenitors of the Arab
nations, who rightly claim sonship with Abraham.
The curious fact is that
tension and enmity between the Ishmael-Esau line and the Isaac-Jacob-Israel line
existed from the very beginning. When Isaac was a child Ishmael, his
half-brother who was thirteen years older, mocked Isaac so that great anxiety
was produced in the life of Sarah, Isaac's mother. We read in Gen. 21:9-10:
And Sarah saw the son of
Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said
unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman
shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Even before the twin sons
of Rebecca, Esau and Jacob, were born, this enmity was in evidence. God declares
in Gen. 25:22-23:
And the
children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I
thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two
nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy
bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the
elder shall serve the younger.
Surprisingly, the enmity
between these two lines has continued throughout history. It continues to this
very moment. Thus, the language of Ezek. 35 appears to be completely
appropriate. Verse 5 of this chapter is
especially significant. There we read:
Because
thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of
Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that
their iniquity had an end.
This verse appears to
suggest the destruction of Israel by Esau (the Arab nations) in the time that
their iniquity had an end. However, because we have now approached so closely to
the end of time and Israel has not been destroyed by physical war, we should
realize that Ezek. 35 must be understood spiritually.
There is a spiritual
dimension to this passage, as we noted a spiritual dimensional Luke 21:20-24. We
learned from Luke 21:20-24 that Jerusalem could refer to the body of believers,
and the enemy that would destroy the church, that is, the enemy that would
almost silence the true Gospel during the final tribulation, is the false
gospels spawned by Satan. Because these other gospels are so close to the true
Gospel, and therefore completely interrelated with the true Gospel, it is the
church destroying the church. The unsaved within the church who insist on
following gospels which feature signs and wonders (Matt. 24:24) will become so
dominant that true believers will be driven out of most churches (Matt. 24:15);
the era of the church sending the Gospel into the world has nearly come to an
end.
The same sad truth is
surely implied in Ezek. 35. The two antagonists, Esau and Israel, are types or
figures of those within the church.
Esau is a picture of the
unsaved. Even as the unsaved within any church claim a relationship with Christ
and insist they are sons of the kingdom of God, so Esau and his descendants (the
Arab nations) claim sonship from Abraham and a heritage in the land of
Palestine. Even as the saved within any church are the true children of Christ,
and the true citizens or God's eternal kingdom, so Israel was chosen of God to
be His people and inhabit the land of Canaan.
We find clear and
conclusive information in the Bible that the fig tree, that is, Israel, as a
national entity, will never come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Except for a
remnant chosen by grace, we must conclude sorrowfully that Israel will remain
hardened in its rebellion against Christ. How we praise God for the remnant that
continues to come into the body of Christ!
Conclusion
We have patiently examined
anything and everything in the Bible that could possibly relate to national
Israel and its future. We have seen in a very striking fashion that all of the
Old Testament passages that refer to a future Israel, future Judah, or future
Jacob, find their fulfilment in Christ Himself or in His body, the Israel of
God. We discovered that the Israel of God is in every way just as tangible,
real, and substantive as national Israel. We found that it is an Israel made up
of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is made up of people from every
political nation. Wonderfully, it includes a remnant chosen by grace from
national Israel. Thus a blood descendant of Abraham can be saved just as readily
as any Gentile.
We also saw that the Bible
predicted national Israel's renewed existence as a national entity, which
occurred in 1948. The Israelis' return to their land has signalled that the end
of the world has come very near.
Could it be that many
citizens of national Israel will recognize their imperative need of Christ as
Messiah? Likewise, could it be that many Gentiles will recognize that God always
keeps His promises? May they clearly understand God's declaration that the wrath
of God will be poured out on all the unsaved. To escape that wrath, could it be
that they would flee to the cross.
Oh! that
there might still be a great harvest of souls both from national Israel and from
the other nations of the world!
To Him be all glory and
power and praise. Amen
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