Political Salvation.
I find it necessary to explain what Political Salvation is, because it is a nuanced definition and applies, in particular, to Paul's description of Israel's National Salvation in Romans 11. When I speak of "Political Salvation" I'm talking about a nation's battle for survival as a nation, and not of evangelical Salvation, although that is involved in the process. So when Paul says that Israel will be fully saved he is saying that the nation will survive and prevail against her enemies.
So what role does evangelical salvation play in this? Well, when Christ comes back he will bring the masses of surviving Jews to evangelical faith. This in turn will qualify them to return to God's blessings, promised to those who obey Him. Under the Law, Israel was promised blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. I think it will be the same for Israel when they come to Christ at his return.
They will leave their age of punishment, the Great Diaspora of the NT age, and return to being a nation in favor with God. And they will therefore return to the blessings that come with "favored nation status" with God.
When a nation is saved from destruction, if even because of national repentance, it can hardly be thought that the entire nation will be fully saved in the evangelical sense. That would mean that every individual would get "born again." But nations, when they come to Christ, turn nominally to the Lord, and commit to a national life geared to God's laws.
So Israel will be saved from destruction after Armageddon. And it will be because the nation largely adopts a Christian constitution and nominally embraces Christianity for the society. A good number of "truly saved" Christians will, I think, lead the way, and keep the nation in sync with Christ throughout the Millennium. It was promised Israel that Messiah would come and they would "never again" be brought to destruction, that they would "never again" be oppressed by their enemies.
Dedicating a brief word to my dear friend, Ruth, who died today. An Indonesian woman in her 80s whose family was converted by American missionaries in Indonesia when she was a child, and was raised in Holland. She ended up here in the U.S., and always expressed her gratitude to me for those American missionaries who brought her family and her to Christ. About a month ago she stopped being able to walk and said she only wanted to "go home." She got her wish today. ;(
I find it necessary to explain what Political Salvation is, because it is a nuanced definition and applies, in particular, to Paul's description of Israel's National Salvation in Romans 11. When I speak of "Political Salvation" I'm talking about a nation's battle for survival as a nation, and not of evangelical Salvation, although that is involved in the process. So when Paul says that Israel will be fully saved he is saying that the nation will survive and prevail against her enemies.
So what role does evangelical salvation play in this? Well, when Christ comes back he will bring the masses of surviving Jews to evangelical faith. This in turn will qualify them to return to God's blessings, promised to those who obey Him. Under the Law, Israel was promised blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. I think it will be the same for Israel when they come to Christ at his return.
They will leave their age of punishment, the Great Diaspora of the NT age, and return to being a nation in favor with God. And they will therefore return to the blessings that come with "favored nation status" with God.
When a nation is saved from destruction, if even because of national repentance, it can hardly be thought that the entire nation will be fully saved in the evangelical sense. That would mean that every individual would get "born again." But nations, when they come to Christ, turn nominally to the Lord, and commit to a national life geared to God's laws.
So Israel will be saved from destruction after Armageddon. And it will be because the nation largely adopts a Christian constitution and nominally embraces Christianity for the society. A good number of "truly saved" Christians will, I think, lead the way, and keep the nation in sync with Christ throughout the Millennium. It was promised Israel that Messiah would come and they would "never again" be brought to destruction, that they would "never again" be oppressed by their enemies.
Dedicating a brief word to my dear friend, Ruth, who died today. An Indonesian woman in her 80s whose family was converted by American missionaries in Indonesia when she was a child, and was raised in Holland. She ended up here in the U.S., and always expressed her gratitude to me for those American missionaries who brought her family and her to Christ. About a month ago she stopped being able to walk and said she only wanted to "go home." She got her wish today. ;(
