30. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
31. (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Deuteronomy 4:29-31KJV
God is a covenant keeping God. He swore an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning a piece of land that they and their descendants were to possess. The land was given to them with no strings attached. However, covenant obedience is required to remain in the land, as I wrote in my first post in this series. You can read it here.
This proves to be a dilemma of sorts. God is bound by a solemn oath made to the patriarchs, yet how can a nation expect blessing if they turn from Him? And so, He has warned them that if they are disobedient, they will be driven off the land, and scattered throughout the nations.
We encounter this in the affair of the golden calf. The LORD desired to destroy the people after they made a golden calf to worship. However, Moses stood in the gap on behalf of Israel. His plea was based upon two points.
1. What would the Egyptians think of God, who brought Israel out of the land of slavery with great power only to slay them in the desert ( Exodus 32:11-12).
2. Remember the covenant that you made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses tells the LORD that He swore by Himself that He would multiply them like the stars of heaven, and give them the land as an eternal inheritance (Exodus 32:13).
God relented and did not destroy them as a nation. Yet, about three thousand were killed that day on account of their sin. God is holy, and as such, He will not let sin go unpunished (Exodus 32:26-35).
This was the dilemma that Habakkuk faced. He understood that God was holy, and the rampant sin of the nation had to be punished. One gets the idea that God's honor is at stake if He just lets sin go. Yet when Habakkuk realizes that God's answer to Judah's sin is the Babylonian captivity, he struggles at first with the idea that a nation "more wicked than they were" could be used as a tool of divine judgement ( Habakkuk 1:1-17). Yet we see Habakkuk submit to God's sovereign will regardless of what may come. He understood that God's honor must be upheld no matter the cost (Habakkuk 3:16-19).
Daniel, in his intercession for his captive people, takes God's side against the nation (Daniel 9:4-29). He recognizes that they have sinned and deserve all of the evil that has befallen them. He recognizes the absolute justice in God's dealings with them, and can only plead for mercy. Again, he also recognizes that God's honor is at stake if Jerusalem as well as the people are not restored, as they are now a reproach before the nations in their desolation (Daniel 9:26).
And finally the apostle Paul agonized over the "scandal" of fallen Israel. The people who had been given the adoption, the glory, the covenants, and the law, the patriarchs, and ultimately Jesus Christ, had fallen into apostasy. Here in Romans 9-11 we read of his great burden over his lost brethren; of their partial hardening; the branches being broken off, yet when we reach the end of these chapters we see that the broken branches will be grafted back in, and all Israel will be saved.
Paul makes it clear that it is Israel in question here. Many scholars throughout history have symbolized Israel or Jacob to refer to the "Church", and Zion to refer to heaven. This is inaccurate however. Throughout scripture, Israel refers to three things: Jacob, who is also known as Israel (Gen 32:28), the ethnic people of Israel, and the land of Israel. Zion is used biblically to refer to the land of Israel, and more specifically as a reference to a hill in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem itself. When these terms get interchanged with the Church or heaven it becomes hard to make sense of a lot of prophecy. Promises made to, and events foretold pertaining to Israel are thought to belong to the Gentile Church, causing a lot of misunderstanding and confusion within the body of Christ.
Paul speaks of the great sorrow he feels for the lost condition of his brethren, the people of his own race (Romans 9:1-4). He has ethnic Israel in view in this treatise that covers the next several chapters. Many theologians use this section of Romans as a proof text for their views on election and predestination. However, they miss the point that God's corporate election of Israel is what is in view here. Ironically many who champion the doctrine of predestination replace Israel with the Church. This is not what Paul has in mind however.
He asks the rhetorical question, "Has God cast away His people?" To which he immediately answers, "God forbid. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew." (Romans 11:1-2).
He goes on to state that he himself is an example of God's grace, and even now there is an election of grace. In other words there are Jews being saved even up to the present time. Yet scripture is not content with a few saved here and there, but looks forward to the day when Israel as a nation has a day of national repentance as they "look upon Him whom they pierced" (see Zechariah 12:10-13:1).
Paul asks another rhetorical question, "Have they stumbled so that they should fall?" And the answer is once again, "God forbid" (Romans 11:11).
Through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles, but God is not done with Israel. They are referred to as branches that are broken off because of unbelief, but yet if they turn from their unbelief God is able to graft them back into the root again (Romans 11:16-24).
25. For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery - so that you will not be wise in your own estimation- that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
26. and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
27. "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."
28. From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29. for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:25-29 NASB
Paul refers to this as a mystery, yet something that we must, and can understand. As I wrote previously, we are now living in what is commonly called the Church age. For almost two thousand years now the majority of individuals who follow Christ have been Gentiles. However, we read here that at a certain point in time, that will be it. Then Corporate Israel, as a nation, will be saved. The blinders will come off, and they will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and turn to Him in repentance. Notice here that one of the purpose statements in Daniel's prophecy is mentioned: to make an end of sin.
We read this in Isaiah 59:20-21,
"A redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the LORD
"As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the LORD, "From now and forever."
This is the entry of Israel as a nation into the new covenant. The Spirit has been poured out upon them never to depart again. In Jeremiah 31:31-37 we read of this covenant initially made with the whole house of Israel. The day would come when they enter into it and receive the Spirit of the LORD to enable them to walk in obedience to Him. In language that holds God to deliver this nation as His people forever, we read that only if the fixed order of the sun, moon, and stars cease, and the heavens above, and the depths of the earth below can be measured, will Israel cease to be a nation before Him. Then and only then will He cast all of them off for what they have done (see Jeremiah 31:35-37).
As I have stated before, if God cannot fulfill His word concerning the salvation of Israel, and their permanent dwelling in the land promised to their forefathers, can we be sure of our salvation? I don't mean to be flippant here at all. God, who cannot lie, has made some promises concerning Israel. As a holy and trustworthy God, He must, and will fulfill His word.
The Bible is filled with these promises of restoration. I always say "By the mouth of two or three witnesses let a matter be established."
God will act to vindicate the holiness of His great name. We read in Ezekiel,
22. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
23. " I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the LORD GOD, "When I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.
24. "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
25. "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from your idols.
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26. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
28. "You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God."
Ezekiel 36:22-28 NASB
Notice the language of the new covenant in this passage of Scripture. The new heart and spirit; God's Spirit living within, causing obedience to His laws. Notice how this ties in with the land. Now walking within covenant faithfulness to God, they return to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The great "scandal" is over. God has been vindicated in the sight of the nations. On the one hand, he did not totally destroy a nation as Moses feared would happen when they made the golden calf. He was concerned that the Egyptians would take notice that God brought a people out of bondage only to destroy them in the wilderness. And God was true to His covenant promise concerning Israel's status as His people, and their right to dwell permanently in their land. Any controversy over the land of Israel will be ended in that day.
They will live in the land forever, and not only that, but the LORD Himself will live in their midst, vindicated in the sight of all the nations.
25. "They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.
26. "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.
27. "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
28. "And the nations will know that am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."
Ezekiel 37:25-28 NASB
All of these passages that I have quoted are all speaking of prophetic events yet to come. While on the one hand the new covenant was inaugurated by Jesus during His last passover supper the night before His arrest and crucifixion, corporate Israel has not entered into it yet. As Paul stated in the above passage, a partial hardening is now in effect until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. To be sure, there have been many Jews saved throughout history, even many now today, but their day of national salvation is yet to come.
Ezekiel 38 -39 describe the invasion of a Middle Eastern and North African coalition led by an individual referred to as "Gog." This is the Antichrist's invasion of Israel three and one half years into a covenant he has confirmed with many ( Daniel 9:27). After a time of intense tribulation, this individual is destroyed at what is referred to as the battle of Armageddon. This is the context of Ezekiel 39 where we read this,
21. "And I will set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgement which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.
22. "And the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God from that day onward
23. "The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword.
24. "According to their uncleaness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them."
25. Therefore thus says the LORD GOD, "Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.
26. "They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
27. "When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations.
28. "Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.
29. "I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the LORD GOD."
Ezekiel 39:22-29 NASB
At this present time Israel is living in the land given them by God. After nearly two thousand years they returned from the nations where they had been scattered by the Romans in 70 AD, and then again in 135 AD. But it is obvious that they are not living securely in the land at this time in history. Ezekiel 38:8-12 mentions a period of time when Israel will live in security without walls or gates. You can't say that is true right now. This initial security that leaves them "defenseless" is a result of a covenant that is broken by the Antichrist whose armies cover the land like a cloud (Ezekiel 38:16). So there is one more great scattering to come before Israel's final restoration. The passage quoted above refers to the peace and security that Israel finally receives after the destruction of the "beast." There will be one final regathering of the nation back to their own land. This time the nation is turned back to the Lord their God. They have looked upon the one they have pierced and mourned for Him. They have had their national day of atonement, and have made their peace with God (Zechariah 12:1-14). A fountain of cleansing has been opened up for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zechariah 13:1), and the iniquity of the land has been removed in one day (Zechariah 3:8-9). They have experienced the new birth, the receiving of a new heart and Spirit.
As Gentile believers, we have had access to that very same fountain of cleansing by the offering of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins. However, this verse makes it very specific in its application to ethnic Israel. We must not make it symbolic and therefore confuse the meaning. Once again, Israel means Israel; Jerusalem means Jerusalem, and here the house of David is referring to corporate Israel, and not the predominantly Gentile Church. There are many who get this wrong. Again as Paul admonishes in Romans 11:25, "I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery-so that you will not be wise in your own estimation- that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in..."
"Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God.
"Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins."
Isaiah 40:1-2
We read in Isaiah 60:1-22 of a glorious time yet to come when Jesus will reign from Jerusalem,
1. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2. "For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and his glory will appear upon you.
3. "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."
Isaiah 60:1-3 NASB
This will be the ultimate security. The world will experience peace; the wolf will lay down with the lamb as nations beat their swords into pruning shears (Isaiah 2:4-1-5, 11:6-10).
The ultimate answer to the anguished pleading of Daniel can be summed up in Isaiah 60:18-22,
18. "Violence wii not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.
19. "No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory.
20. "Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon wane; for you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over.
21. "Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.
22. "The smallest one will become a clan, and the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time."
Here we find the fulfillment of Daniel's seventy week prophecy. It covers the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the arrival of the Messiah and His crucifixion, a long period of wars and desolations up to to the present time. We are now waiting for a covenant that perhaps recognizes Israel's right to live in their land, and allowing them to build a temple and begin the daily sacrifice. This is something that has not occured since 70 AD. Then comes the abomination of desolation which begins a time of tribulation unlike anything that has ever happened before. This will lead up to the return of Christ, the salvation of Israel as a nation, their regathering to the land of promise, and usher in the final Jubilee, as we enter the millenial age.
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