You can watch the video of this talk here.
Introduction
One of the
main things I want to do today at this end times lunch is to help reframe how
we should think about prophecy and the place of Israel in our sanctification. Something
I have observed is that many people become really concerned whenever there is
war in Israel, or the Middle East. This is because people have been trained
over the years to look for the signs of scripture in the events of this world
but I think in the wrong way. I think prophecy does speak to what we see
happening in our world, but not in the way that many Christians are trained to
see.
What I want
to do today is show you how Old Testament prophecy serves our walk with Jesus
Christ and why it is vitally important to apply it this way. Peter the Apostle
frames for us how we should understand prophecy, and how it is useful to our
Christian walk,
“10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who
prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired
carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was
indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent
glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but
you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who
preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into
which angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:10-12).
Peter tells
us that these prophecies about the “sufferings of Christ and the
subsequent glories…” were written not to serve these ancient prophets
but us, “12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves
but you…” That is Christians.
How do these
prophesies serve us? To prepare our minds to live righteous lives. Peter goes
on to say, 1 Peter 1:13-15,
“13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and
being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be
conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you
is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You
shall be holy, for I am holy.”
These
prophecies exist to point us to Jesus, in whom the fullness has come, so that
we can know how we should live and how we should think about sin up until the
second coming of our Lord. The gospel shows us how Christ fulfilled all
righteousness, these old prophecies show us what happens if we reject Jesus and
what happens if we follow him. Jesus showed this to Peter and the other
Apostles (Luke 24:25-27).
So, while
not every prophecy might be explicitly talking about Jesus, for instance some
talk of an anti-Christ, the goal of all prophecy is to point people to faith
and sanctification in Jesus. It should not breed fear, or anxiety, or worry
about the days in which we live, but awe and faith in God. It should breed in
us a confident hope that we are on the right side, the winning side, the kings
side.
So, in light
of this what I want to do today is show you how the prophecies about the fate
of the nation of Israel serves to point us to Jesus. Let’s begin.
The Real Restoration
of Israel - Ezekiel
37:14 says this, “14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall
live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the
Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” The Bible
prophecies a regathering of Israel, however, when we read the prophecies about
the gathering of Israel back to their land, we can see how the current
gathering is more a work of the man than a work of prophecy. But even more
importantly we can see how this applies to our everyday Christian walk and
pushes us to draw closer to Jesus. Let me explain.
A work of
the flesh - When I
say that the modern nation of Israel is a work of man, what I mean is that it
is a work of the flesh seeking to fulfil the things of God, rather than a work
of God to fulfil his own prophecy.
Now before
we go further, let me lay out on the table, that I am a historical premillennial
in my end times view, I believe in a restored nation of Israel, with Christ
ruling from his throne in Jerusalem. I also believe every nation will be
restored to their lands in the Millenium or the New Heavens and Earth because
the nations survive the Old Heavens and Earth and are there at the end of
scripture.
Revelation
tells us that leaves on the tree of life exist for the healing of the nations
(Rev. 22:2), and it is God who determines the boundaries of nations, not man.
God will restore all things, this means he will restore the nations, because
they are part of “all things”. This includes, but is not limited, to Israel.
There are no promises that the physical people of Israel get that the Gentiles
grafted into the tree of Israel, the people of God, do not also get.
It is
because of what these scriptures literally say that we can see that the modern
state of Israel is not yet this fulfilment, it is rather a human attempt to
fulfil God's plan, much like the Kingdom of Jerusalem was in the time of the
crusades. How can we know this? Well, let’s look at this history of this
subject in the Bible.
The Curse
- Firstly, what we
need to do is look at the curses of Deuteronomy 28. There is a lot we could
look at here, but I just want to focus on the concluding verses. Remember, what
I am going to do with this message today is bring it back to your walk with
Christ. This is our end goal, so hold onto that thought as we read. Deuteronomy
28:64-68 says,
“64 And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples,
from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of
wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 And among
these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place
for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart
and failing eyes and a languishing soul. 66 Your life shall hang in doubt
before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your
life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at
evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that
your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. 68 And the Lord
will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you
should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your
enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
When we read
this curse in Deuteronomy 28, we should ask: is it still in effect? Are the
Hebrews scattered around the world? Are they still living in fear?
Some say,
well no, they have been gathered. But 6.9 million Jewish people still live
outside of Israel, the city with the biggest Jewish population in it in the
world is in New York, with 1.7 million Jews. So, they are still scattered. But
what about the living in fear?
Well, look
at this picture (a picture of Israeli women carrying assault rifles while
shopping in Israel). What does going to the shopping centre openly carrying
assault rifles say? Does it speak confidence and safety? Or does it say: we
might be attacked at any moment?
What about
this blog, that I read in church a few weeks ago: does this speak confidence,
or does it sound like what God said in Deuteronomy 28 is still in effect?
“Did you know that that is a category of friend that every
Jewish person has in their mind? Who would I run to? Who would hide me? We
don’t wonder if; we wonder when. Because we know that whether it is indeed us,
or whether it is our brothers and sisters in Israel, or in France, or in
Pittsburgh, it will happen again somewhere. It wasn’t until this last weekend
that I realized that I have lived my whole life treating the world as guilty
until proven innocent. That until you are proven safe to me, I hold you in mild
suspicion. I didn’t even realize that I’ve always done this.”[1]
This is an
important foundation for helping us understand the interaction between
prophecy, this world and our walk in Christ. What God says will happen, will
happen, and we see this prophecy of Moses from Deuteronomy 28 still in full
effect 3500 years later. This is important, because when the gathering is done
by Christ, then these curses will be reversed. So, let’s turn to those
prophecies now.
The
Gathering- What does
God says about the regathering of Israel. We are going to look at four
passages, and I will show you they all say the same basic thing,
Ezekiel
11:17-21 –
"17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I
will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where
you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when
they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its
abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put
within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a
heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey
them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those
whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will
bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”
Ezekiel is
clear, when God brings the people back to the land, there will be a revival
accompanying it. They will remove all the detestable things from the land,
which means idols and symbols of rebellion and truly trust in God, which means
they will believe in his Son, Jesus.
The modern
state of Israel has not done this, they have not repented, they have not turned
to Jesus and their most prominent city, Tel Aviv, is known as one of the most
pro-homosexual cities in the world. This is surely not a work of God.
Ezekiel 37:11-14
–
"11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones
are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and
our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to
them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you
from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you
from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you
shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I
am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
When the
Bible repeats itself, pay attention.
When God
returns the people to the land, this will also be accompanied by a redeemed,
spirit filled people who know their Lord. The Bible keeps repeating this.
This has also
definitely not happened yet. We cannot say that the modern nation of Israel is
populated by a spirit filled, Jesus confessing, faith practicing people of the
Lord.
What is
fascinating is that Ezekiel is just repeating what Moses taught in Deuteronomy
30:1-10,
"30 And when all these things come upon you, the
blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind
among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to
the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I
command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord
your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather
you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If
your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your
God will gather you, and from there he will take you. 5 And the Lord your God
will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess
it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 And
the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring,
so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul, that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on
your foes and enemies who persecuted you. 8 And you shall again obey the voice
of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord
your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in
the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your
ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took
delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep
his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law,
when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul."
When God
brings his people back to the land they will be a law keeping, God honouring,
commandment following, righteous nation of people. This is another way of
calling them a Spirit-filled Christian people.
The only way
to fulfil the law of God is through Christ, the one who fulfilled the law. Man
cannot do that. So, Moses was looking to a time when the people of Israel would
look to Jesus Christ, who is the fulfilment of the law.
Circumcision
of the heart is something we are told in the New Testament the Holy Spirit does
for all believers in Jesus (Rom. 2:29). It is the only circumcision that counts
now that Christ has fulfilled the law.
Ezekiel
36:22-27 - And then there is the famous Ezekiel 36 where God says that he
brings Israel back, not because of their reputation but to vindicate his own
holiness,
“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 the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the
nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great
name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned
among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord
God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take
you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into
your own land 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean
from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And
I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will
remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be
careful to obey my rules.”
God is going
to bring them back and sanctify them. Again, this agrees with every other
passage on the topic we have looked at.
God tells us
that this sanctification, this revival, will happen the day he does his return,
“33 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your
iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall
be rebuilt” (Ezekiel 36:33).
Has Israel
been cleansed of its iniquities? No, this is evident. It is not a God honouring
nation, anymore than our nation is. Therefore, this has not been fulfilled. What
we see there today is then a work of the flesh.
The Bible
does prophecy a return of the Israelites to the land. But for this to be
fulfilled it requires 9 conditions to be met, that God gives, for this to be a
true fulfilment, in detail:
1.
The Lord will gather these people (this must mean the full 12 tribes
right?),
2.
From all of the countries where they have been scattered,
3.
He will give them the land of Israel (without qualification, so all of
it),
4.
They will remove all idols and abominable practices from the land,
5.
They will have renewed hearts,
6.
They will be Spirit filled believers,
7.
They will fulfil God’s laws, because they are Spirit filled,
8.
They will worship God alone, as he is their God, and reject all forms of
false worship,
9.
This means they will praise the name of Jesus, and worship the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit as God.
In other
words when this prophecy is fulfilled Israel will be a fully spirit filled and
revitalized Christian nation that honours and worships the Father and comes to
him through the Son, and who are empowered in this by the work of the Spirit.
Can anyone,
and I mean anyone, honestly say that the modern nation state of Israel fulfills
these conditions? No, of course not.
But what is
even more important is that we should ask this question: how does this impact
our daily walk with Jesus Christ?
How does
this impact us? In
some ways hypothesizing about prophecy is pointless, if we handle it wrong. But
if we handle it right it builds our faith in Christ. There is no use trying to
figure out when this true return will be fulfilled. It might be tomorrow, it
might be in 1000 years. But there is something vital in this for your our walk
of faith. And it comes by asking some questions:
What brought
on the curses for Israel, according to Moses? Rebellion and rejection of the
commands of God.
What brings
on the blessings and restoration? Repentance and turning back to Christ.
This shows
us that the Hebrew nation which rejected God serves as a warning to all who
hear the word of God. This is precisely how the Apostles applied these Old
Testament prophecies and warnings: 1 Corinthians 10:9-12,
“9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them
did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and
were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an
example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the
ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest
he fall.”
These things
“happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our
instruction…” Notice how Paul says the same thing as Peter: these Old
Testament accounts and prophecies were written down for Christians to be
instructed on how to live for Jesus.
Peter
preaches this in Acts as well, Acts 3:22-23, “22 Moses said, ‘The Lord
God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall
listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who
does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’”
God warns
all of us who do not listen that we will suffer the same fate.
Seeing God’s
judgement on his people for rejecting him should build in us a holy fear and
awe and should slay arrogance and self-righteousness. Which is exactly what
Paul says in Romans 11:19-22,
“19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so
that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of
their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but
fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare
you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those
who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his
kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off” (Romans 11:19-22).
When you
look at prophecy and see indications of it happening in the world today, it
should not make you fear what is happening in the world and think: are we about
to live through the end times? Or, am I going to be stuck in the tribulation?
What it
should make you do is fear the Lord, so you have the beginning of wisdom. It
should make you examine yourself to see that you are in the faith. It should
make you slay rebellion and self-righteousness. And it should motivate you seek
to bear the fruit of repentance, so that you can walk in assurance and faith.
Physical
Israel plays a part in this: we see in the way the Jewish people have lived
since the destruction of the temple the true vindication of God’s word. As the
eminent Christian historian Philip Schaff said, “We see in the Jewish people
both God’s mercy and wrath. Wrath, that they clearly live under his judgement
in trials in this world. But mercy, because he is preserving them for a final
day of redemption.”
This should
cause us to be ever more confident in the word of God. Because if a prophecy
from Moses 3500 years ago can be so evidently being fulfilled before our eyes?
How much more should we trust in the words of Jesus, to whom Moses said we
should believe? Let’s pray.
[1] Source:
Josh’s Blog: Because Sound Bytes Are Stupid.
No comments:
Post a Comment