THE PROMISE
Thousands of years ago God promised the Jews (who are the only heirs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) the large strip of land between the river of Egypt and the great Euphrates river. (See Ezekiel 47:13-23 for the borders of Israel during the millennial reign of Christ.) This promise was UNCONDITIONAL and was made to Abraham for ETERNITY:
Gen. 15:18
18 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: (KJV)
Gen. 17:1-9
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 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. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. (KJV)
Today, some people are teaching that the nation Israel no longer has a part in God's plan; that it is the church who is Israel, a "spiritual" Israel. But such doctrine directly conflicts with God's unconditional promise to Abraham, and makes Him out to be a liar. In the epistle to the Romans, it almost seems as if the apostle Paul anticipated this error:
Romans 11:1, 2, 25-29
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 25 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.
26 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: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (KJV)
The writer of Hebrews added:
Heb. 6:13-19
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (KJV)
Heb. 11:8, 9
8 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. 9 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: (KJV)
Usually, in order to explain away such obvious and plainly-word truth, advocates of this teaching say that we should not follow a literal and common-sense approach to exegesis of Scripture. Instead, they promote the "spiritualizing" or "allegorizing" method of interpretation. But this is wrong for two basic reasons:
1. Since God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33), the Bible should be read and interpreted in the exact same manner as any other book! Give a plain, literal interpretation to a passage unless the context very clearly indicates otherwise or a literal interpretation does not make any sense whatsoever. To do otherwise makes it possible to argue a question mark after every statement in the Bible! Under such circumstances, how could God even hold man accountable on Judgment Day? If one was totally consistent in his epistemology, how could he even communicate intelligibly or function in reality following such guidelines?
2. The Bible is full of examples where the sensical literal mode of interpretation is followed. For instance, hundreds of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled literally, (11) thus establishing a definite precedent in which to emulate. Jesus chided the generation of His day for their failure to recognize the prophetic signs of the time (Matt. 16:1-14); a primary reason for this failure was their refusal to interpret literally the prophecies concerning His First Coming, more than 300 specific predictions which Jesus fulfilled with His life, death and resurrection. (12) Therefore, I think wisdom and intellectual honesty mandate that we avoid such error when interpreting prophecies concerning His Second Coming.
However, God's covenant with Israel repeating the promises made to Abraham are conditioned on complete obedience to Him:
Deut. 29:1
1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. (KJV)
Deut. 30:1-20
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 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. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (KJV)
A study of Jewish history will show that everytime the Jews slid into religious apostasy they were punished. Twice they were even dispersed from their homeland, Palestine! And since for the last several centuries the Jews (as a nation) have NOT been obedient to God, the promise of THE COVENANT has NOT been in effect!
But God is going to force the Jews into complete and total obedience in accordance with the terms of their ancient covenant. This certainly will not be an easy matter when you consider the history of the Jews' rebellious nature. Such a drastic change in attitude on the part of the Jews will necessitate a very earth-shattering experience! That is the purpose of the Second Crisis, a military crisis!
THE FIRST CRISIS (13)
The nation Israel exists under three separate and distinct relationships: Palestine, God, and the Messiah. In view of the Jews' extremely rebellious nature, a return to these same three relationships will have to involve three steps, each one a crisis!
The first crisis has already taken place! For centuries the Jews lived in foreign lands -- relatively happy and prosperous. It took something as drastic as the mass-murders of Hitler to instill within them the necessary desire and determination to forge a new living in a barren waste-land such as Palestine had been for so many centuries. This was the BEGINNING of the fulfillment of the following prophecy:
Ezekiel 34:11-13
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 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. 13 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. (KJV)
So far, only some of the Jews have returned to "the promised land," Palestine! Such a partial return was necessary in order to prepare the land so that it could "support" a mass return of ALL Jews! (Keep in mind that God works within the framework of His creation whenever possible. For example, God did not drop an ark down from the sky for Noah, but instead, instructed Noah to build his own ark.)
Ezek. 36:8
But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. (KJV)
Obviously this prophecy has already been fulfilled! Land that had lain waste for centuries suddenly began responding to the various agricultural projects of the newly-arrived Jews, thereby causing a desolate land of rocks and desert-sand to begin blossoming forth, just as it was foreseen to do. (Ezek. 34, 35, 36).
The Bible also predicted the continual opposition of the Arabs. But God promised He would destroy them for two reasons: their "perpetual hatred" of the Jews and their intense desire to occupy ALL of Palestine and drive the Jews into the sea in the process.
Ezek. 35:1-15
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3 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. 4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 5 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: 6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. 8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. 9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: 11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12 And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. 13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them. 14 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. 15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (KJV)
"Mount Seir." "Idumea." The Arabs are descendants of Esau and Ishmael. Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Abraham's second wife, Hagar. (Gen. 16). Esau was a brother of Jacob, thus making him a grandson of Abraham. Furthermore, one of Esau's wives was a descendant of Ishmael. (Gen. 28:9). In prophecy, the Arabs are identified through names associated with Esau. (Deut. 2:4,5). Likewise, Edom also is a name that is applied to descendants of Esau. (Gen. 36:8).
"Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred." Since the time of Esau, the Arabs have harbored a hatred for the Jews. In recent decades, they have fought several wars, punctuated by periods of tense and angry relations. Critics of Israel sometimes accuse them of being a militaristic state, but obviously its very existence and survival depends on eternal vigilance and strength. Most recently, this "perpetual hatred" has been exploited by the P.L.O. in the form of the Palestinian uprising, or intifatah, which began in December of 1987. (14) Although the Israelis have reacted with a high degree of restraint compared to many other governments, (15) the net effect has been a gradual, but severe deterioration in their image and reputation throughout the world -- even in the United States which traditionally has been its only major supporter and friend. At the moment, it seems very likely that the stage is being set for a very major crisis that will result in the appearance of Antichrist.
"These two countries." Right now the land of Palestine is divided into two parts. The Jews, of course, occupy Israel, and the Palestinian Arabs claim the West Bank. It seems incredible, but despite the Arabs possessing huge chunks of land throughout the Middle East area, they want tiny Israel as well.
"We will posses it." For the moment, the Palestinians and the P.L.O. are pretending that they want only part of Israel, namely the West Bank region. But according to 700 Club news reports, media broadcasts to the Arabs sing a different tune. Apparently, they are quite willing to take half of the "loaf of bread" now, and get the other half later. It is reported that informants cooperating with the Israelis verify that this is the strategy being discussed in private sessions of the P.L.O. and Palestinian leadership. (16)
"Whereas the Lord was there." God's promises to Israel included a prosperous and productive land. (Deut. 28: 1-14). If Palestine was fruitful and bountiful, it was because Israel was being blessed by God. But, whenever the Jews have been absent from the land, it has been basically rocks and desert sand, indicating that God was not there. Accordingly, when Jews first began arriving in Palestine in the early part of this century, it was a fairly desolate desert land; very few Palestinians were even living there. Certainly there was nothing prosperous about the land. But all of that changed with the arrival of the Jews because God blessed their activities and initiatives. (17) Now, more than ever, the Arabs want to possess it.
Ezek. 36:5, 8, 10, 11
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea (Edom; southern Jordan; the Palestinians) which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to CAST IT OUT FOR A PREY.
But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; FOR THEY ARE AT HAND TO COME...And the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded...And I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD. (KJV)
This passage most definitely establishes a partial return of the Jews who cause Palestine to become prosperous once again after centuries of waste and decay. They are then "cast out for a prey" by the Arabs, but with the help of God they soon recapture Palestine and become even more prosperous than before! Please note that the end-result of this severe military crisis (The Second Crisis) is the acknowledgment of God on the part of the Jews! (cf. Ezek. 35:5)
THE SECOND CRISIS
"Because thou...hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity." As previously noted, Moses foretold a mass return of the Jews in a prophecy several thousand years ago in which he predicted that only AFTER the Jews repented and turned back to God could they ALL return to Palestine. (Deut. 30:1-10). This fact alone explains why God is going to allow a drastic military crisis of an extraordinary nature to evolve in Palestine at the very same time another upsurge of anti-Semitism throughout the world intensifies. It is the only way possible to force the Jewish people into complete and sincere repentance! Their condition will become so serious that even mass extinction will appear to be very imminent; they will seem like a valley of "dry bones"! (Ezek. 37:2). In fact, the unexpected restoration of Israel as a nation, after having been "cast out for a prey," will resemble a resurrection from the grave itself! (Ezek. 37:1-14). |
