Israel: The Bookends of Prophecy
Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, was saying Bible prophecy starts with Israel and ends with Israel. Israel is at the heart of Bible prophecy.
My thoughts started churning as I heard his sermon broadcast early that recent morning. I’ve always maintained that God’s “chosen nation” is the one sure signal of where this generation stands on His prophetic timeline. Dr. Jeffress’ statement helped confirm in my thoughts that morning that indeed Israel is inseparable, start to finish, from God’s Holy Word. It’s like bookends framing Bible prophecy from beginning to end.
Israel’s conception–its true genesis—began with the Words of Jesus, who is the Word of God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:1-5).
Jesus, then, gave through Moses what would be the beginning of the nation Israel. He was speaking of His own conception—His Incarnation, coming to Earth from His triune position within the Godhead to provide redemption for fallen humankind.
Jesus said to Satan the following about His one day coming as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
So, Bible prophecy began with the promise of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who would come into the world as a human being.
Again, Moses was given the Word about God’s people who would be chosen to give birth to this God-man.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 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” (Genesis 12:1-3).
We know Abraham and Sarah were then given the child of promise, Isaac. From Isaac came Jacob, who was renamed Israel.
Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Mary, Jacob’s progeny, through the immaculate conception, to become the Savior of humanity, which has been lost since the fall in Eden.
Israel’s history is that of suffering as victim of satanic hatred throughout the millennia. This is because Jesus redeems all who accept God’s grace gift of salvation through Christ’s death on the cross, burial, and Resurrection.
As told in Genesis 3:15, the serpent, Satan, who “bruised the heel” of Christ, would have his head crushed by the Savior, by His redemptive action on that cruel cross at Calvary and His subsequent resurrection to life.
Jesus has overcome sin and death to provide eternal life for every person–all born sinful creatures because of Adam’s sin in Eden.
Christ the Redeemer came into this doomed sphere through Israel. The ongoing war against that nation and the Jewish race continues to play out within Bible prophecy, which tells of a time that will see the world turn against Israel:
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3).
So, Bible prophecy continues to be Israel-centered as we witness the prophet Zechariah’s words playing out even at this moment.
In the near term, it doesn’t get better, but worse…much worse!
Jesus prophesied the degree to which hatred for Israel would progress:
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
The prophet Jeremiah said about this time:
“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” (Jeremiah 30:7).
The Lord, in His Matthew 24:21 description, skips the details of the time from which things become the worst ever right to the end, when the nation Israel will be saved out of the time of great Tribulation.
But Jesus Himself later describes in explicit detail, through twenty-one specific judgments, the time that leads up to Israel being saved out of the great Tribulation. Jesus gave the entire book of the Revelation through the Apostle John–the disciple the Bible said the Lord loved.
Paul prophesies the ultimate position of God’s chosen nation:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).
Israel will be saved out of this terrible time. Zechariah says:
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
So, Israel is at the center of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation. And this is not to say there is a so-called dual covenant with God’s chosen people about salvation from sin. The Jewish people are saved from sin the same way all other people of all other races are saved: by belief in Jesus Christ alone.
The “saving” of Israel means a remnant of the Jewish people will comprise the nation of God’s covenant promises. That is, those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior—Israel’s Messiah—inherit God’s promises for Israel. This remnant of Jewish believers will see Jesus returning from Heaven at the time of Armageddon and will realize He is their Messiah at that stunning moment. This will be the chosen nation and people God planned to establish from the time in Eden.
Israel is the indisputable signal of exactly where the world stands right now. The movement to fulfill all Bible prophecy is streaming more swiftly with each news cycle. All geopolitics are revolving around the nation that began in Genesis 3:15. The time of Jacob’s trouble quickly approaches.
You don’t want to be a part of people within the orbit of those who don’t know Jesus for salvation. Here again is how to go to Christ when He calls–an event that will take place at any twinkling-of-the-eye moment!
“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
—Terry
Israel: It’s of Utmost Importance
What we believe about Israel and its future is of utmost importance.
No church is neutral on the matter of Israel’s place in Bible prophecy. Many pastors say that such matters pertaining to the end times are of lesser significance than other more weighty matters of the faith. In my experience, however, they are the most aggressive in promoting the church as the new Israel and the least tolerant of those who disagree with them on this topic.
Even so, some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” It’s because the place a church assigns to the role of Israel in Bible prophecy is much more than just a matter of theology buried somewhere in a church’s doctrinal statement; it always impacts key areas of its ministry.
It Results in Elders Who Rule Rather than Shepherd the Flock
A few months ago, I posted an article on my blog, 5 Troubling Trends in Today’s Church, in which I detailed the abuses that flow from the kingdom mentality within churches who believe they represent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.
At the top of my list was elders who rule rather than serve the members of the body of Christ. I have witnessed firsthand the harm this causes and have heard many stories from several others who have comparable stories.
The problem with this kingdom mentality is that it so often results in a far different pattern of leadership from what the Lord prescribed in Mark 10:42-45 and Peter later wrote about in 1 Peter 5:1-5:
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (emphasis added)
Jesus’ pattern for church leadership is that of a servant, with those in charge acting as shepherds caring for the well-being of those in their charge. Sadly, the widespread problem of “domineering” elders is not exclusive to churches who regard themselves as the new Israel.
It Places Undue Emphasis on This Life
Another harmful result of denying Jesus’ millennial rule over a restored Israel is that it pushes the Lord’s return to a far distant end of the age event, which more often than not leads to an undue focus on this life. I have often heard this reflected in conversations with those who don’t regard the Lord’s return as an imminent event; they plan as if nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.
This faulty emphasis on things pertaining to this life robs believers of the relief that comes from seeing the corruption and violence of our day as signs of Jesus’ imminent appearing rather than something they hope will somehow go away or get better. I can’t imagine reading the news of our day apart from the comfort I feel in knowing that at some point in the not-too-distant future, the Lord will dramatically intervene in human affairs after He takes me home to glory.
It Ignores the Future Tense of the Gospel
Pastors who regard the church as God’s promised kingdom very often ignore the future tense of the Gospel. I have heard many Gospel presentations that completely ignored the matter of eternal life.
There are varying degrees of how this impacts the Gospel. It’s popular among many in the no Rapture and no Millennium crowd to claim that the Lord’s promise of incorruptible and immortal bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 happens at the moment we believe. I’m always shocked when I encounter this false interpretation of the text.
I recently came across a far more dangerous perversion of the Gospel in a quote from a best-selling author and influential spokesman for the preterists (who believe Jesus returned to Earth in AD 70). He said that Jesus didn’t pay the debt for our sins on the cross but simply made our “salvation possible.”
There’s a subtle misunderstanding of the Gospel that flows from not understanding the role of God’s mercy and steadfast love in keeping His promises to Israel in spite of the nation’s waywardness throughout history. It flows from missing the connection between Paul’s amazing affirmation of our security in Romans 8:18-39 and his declaration of the Lord’s unending mercy toward the nation of Israel (Romans 11:28-32). The message of mercy for both Israel and believers is that we are okay because God loves us, not because of our love for Him.
A key reason why God will fulfill all His kingdom promises to the nation is that He loves Zion and will do all that’s necessary to bring a Jewish remnant to saving faith by the end of the Tribulation. In the same way, our hope of eternity never rests on our behavior but wholly upon God’s love, grace and mercy toward us. Just as with the nation of Israel, our future is secure because the Lord loves us. It never rests on demonstrating our love for Him. Thankfully!
The idea that what a church believes about Israel doesn’t matter is simply not true. Errant beliefs regarding its future often result in elders who abuse their roles as leaders, as well as an undue emphasis on the things of this life. Its doctrinal statement may say that matters of Bible prophecy are of lesser importance than other matters of faith, but upon closer inspection, you will find that its view of Israel defines its ministry in many ways.
-Jonathan