Note: Much of this article is still speculative with me and my hope in sharing it is that there might be more truth brought out concerning it. It is my belief that God has never “broken off” His union with Israel, just His fellowship, which will be reestablished during the final coming of the Lord Jesus.
One of the most important Biblical doctrines which has not been recovered, even within the Reformation is that which has to do with the dispensation of God’s people Israel. Scripture-obscurity is often the cause of misunderstanding various truths but nevertheless, God eventually reveals them to the persistent searcher.
Due to promises concerning Abraham’s grandson Israel (Jacob), God is going to “put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Eze 36:27). It’s clear this prophecy relates directly to the lineage of Abraham by language such as “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (v 24), which has been transpiring since the time of Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948.
It has yet to be seen concerning Eze 36:27, along with its companion-prophecy of Jer 31:31-33 which speaks of undeniable Jewish blood posterity concerning another but final law covenant “with the house of Israel” (v 33). The present position of Israel attests to the fact that these and all related prophecies (except the beginning of their present return to their land) are futuristic, and the Jews whom God will covenant with will be those who are still alive at Christ’s coming.
Those within the prior dispensation who believed (trusted) in God from Adam to Christ are in Heaven, but those who did not believe have perished (Heb 11:31). In the present dispensation since Christ’s coming, all who do not believe in Him perish, for they are “condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
I consider dispensations as periods which have existed in the present life on the old earth, e.g. earthly dispensations, thus, in my opinion the final dispensation is from the initial transpiration of the occurrences within the prophecies of Revelation until the removal of the present old earth. I believe it is during this time period—and principally within the Millennium (Rev 20:4)—where most of the obscurities concerning Israel’s end-time prophecies exist and will then become clear.
My understanding is that it is during the Millennium (thousand years on this old earth) when God will bring to pass Israel’s end-time Scriptural prophecies and declarations, i.e. Eze/Jer, Luke 22:29, 30, etc. I strongly suspect that the remaining nation of Israel who will be alive at this time will not enter into these prophecies until they see the Lord Jesus at His return.
None of the Apostles and disciples were familiar enough with the concept concerning His resurrection to believe in it, that's why they couldn't believe in it until they saw Him (John 20:9, 20), even though this was foretold within the analogies of the OT sacrificial ordinances of the Law, and hinted of by Christ. I believe there is much instruction from what Jesus said, that “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The learning here is contained within the word “blessed,” which I believe designs the intention of a greater glory and position for those who learn to believe on Christ’s resurrection—after His ascension—in order that faith in His resurrection cannot be derived from physical proof. I also do not think the fact of Christ’s resurrection was intended to be clear enough to His followers to attribute fault as to their being dull of hearing concerning His resurrection, which shows me that God did not want to reveal this until ‘ex post facto’, e.g. after He was raised.
It must be realized that though the post-ascension believers did not have the opportunity to see the Lord Jesus in His resurrected body, they do have the advantage of the Spirit of God “confirming” (Rom 8:16; 1John 5:6) everything to them in their faith (which the disciples did not have until after His ascension). The remaining nation of Israel who believe in God but not in His Son (John 14:1) will be the recipients of God putting His “Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Eze 36:27), which will finally bring them to faith in Christ, but the “blessing” of son-ship will not be known among them, only the position of being “people of God” (Jer 32:38-40; Heb 8:10).
This is unlike the position of son-ship and people of God for all who believe in Christ prior to His final return (Rom 9:24-26). He will be seen in the capacity of vengeance (Rev 19:16) but His final glory, which will bring again God’s fellowship with Israel forever will not occur until His final appearing at the “first resurrection.”
- NC
[SIZE=14pt]Israel’s Final Restoration[/SIZE]
One of the most important Biblical doctrines which has not been recovered, even within the Reformation is that which has to do with the dispensation of God’s people Israel. Scripture-obscurity is often the cause of misunderstanding various truths but nevertheless, God eventually reveals them to the persistent searcher.
Due to promises concerning Abraham’s grandson Israel (Jacob), God is going to “put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Eze 36:27). It’s clear this prophecy relates directly to the lineage of Abraham by language such as “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (v 24), which has been transpiring since the time of Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948.
It has yet to be seen concerning Eze 36:27, along with its companion-prophecy of Jer 31:31-33 which speaks of undeniable Jewish blood posterity concerning another but final law covenant “with the house of Israel” (v 33). The present position of Israel attests to the fact that these and all related prophecies (except the beginning of their present return to their land) are futuristic, and the Jews whom God will covenant with will be those who are still alive at Christ’s coming.
Those within the prior dispensation who believed (trusted) in God from Adam to Christ are in Heaven, but those who did not believe have perished (Heb 11:31). In the present dispensation since Christ’s coming, all who do not believe in Him perish, for they are “condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
I consider dispensations as periods which have existed in the present life on the old earth, e.g. earthly dispensations, thus, in my opinion the final dispensation is from the initial transpiration of the occurrences within the prophecies of Revelation until the removal of the present old earth. I believe it is during this time period—and principally within the Millennium (Rev 20:4)—where most of the obscurities concerning Israel’s end-time prophecies exist and will then become clear.
My understanding is that it is during the Millennium (thousand years on this old earth) when God will bring to pass Israel’s end-time Scriptural prophecies and declarations, i.e. Eze/Jer, Luke 22:29, 30, etc. I strongly suspect that the remaining nation of Israel who will be alive at this time will not enter into these prophecies until they see the Lord Jesus at His return.
None of the Apostles and disciples were familiar enough with the concept concerning His resurrection to believe in it, that's why they couldn't believe in it until they saw Him (John 20:9, 20), even though this was foretold within the analogies of the OT sacrificial ordinances of the Law, and hinted of by Christ. I believe there is much instruction from what Jesus said, that “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The learning here is contained within the word “blessed,” which I believe designs the intention of a greater glory and position for those who learn to believe on Christ’s resurrection—after His ascension—in order that faith in His resurrection cannot be derived from physical proof. I also do not think the fact of Christ’s resurrection was intended to be clear enough to His followers to attribute fault as to their being dull of hearing concerning His resurrection, which shows me that God did not want to reveal this until ‘ex post facto’, e.g. after He was raised.
It must be realized that though the post-ascension believers did not have the opportunity to see the Lord Jesus in His resurrected body, they do have the advantage of the Spirit of God “confirming” (Rom 8:16; 1John 5:6) everything to them in their faith (which the disciples did not have until after His ascension). The remaining nation of Israel who believe in God but not in His Son (John 14:1) will be the recipients of God putting His “Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Eze 36:27), which will finally bring them to faith in Christ, but the “blessing” of son-ship will not be known among them, only the position of being “people of God” (Jer 32:38-40; Heb 8:10).
This is unlike the position of son-ship and people of God for all who believe in Christ prior to His final return (Rom 9:24-26). He will be seen in the capacity of vengeance (Rev 19:16) but His final glory, which will bring again God’s fellowship with Israel forever will not occur until His final appearing at the “first resurrection.”
- NC
