An audio lesson.
The Jews coming to Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth will NOT be the kingdom of God on earth, nor will it be heaven on earth. Still, “all the families” of Israel will one day become Christians, and it will bring glory and honor and power to the Jews, and the Jews will become a true blessing to the entire world.
As Moses said,
“It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you this day, who Yahweh your God will set you on high above ALL the nations of the earth:”
Deut 28:1 (emphasis added)
Today most nations admire and envy the United States of America. One day ALL the nations will admire and envy Israel. It will be the preeminent nation of this world, and if I am reading prophecy correctly, it will produce a city without parallel in this world … ever!
It has been noted that physical Israel will possess their enemies
“The peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Yahweh for servants and for handmaids: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.”
Isa 14:2
As has been noted, there was a return which began in 538 BC, but the “peoples” did NOT take the Jews to Palestine, and were not after that ruled by the Jews. This has not happened!
One of the issues in prophecy is that the passages talking about the church, and the passages talking about converted Israel, and the passages talking about heaven, ALL OVERLAP EACH OTHER!
Premillenialism is built on confusing these issues.
“10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you: for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor have I had mercy on you. 11 Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive. 12 For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.”
Isa 60:10-12
Not a jot or a tittle of the old law can fail “until all things are accomplished,” Mtt 5:18. So if it hasn’t happened, it must!
of which there are infinite varieties. This is Scripture. As the most completely Christian nation in world history, the Jews will be abundantly blessed by God. They will turn back many of the plans of Mystery Babylon the Great, and the Mystery of Lawlessness, and will become a militant Christian nation, a powerful influence for good world-wide, and will truly become blessing to all nations.
How long will this status last before the end, the Second Coming of Christ? Scripture does not tell us. I suspect it may be quite a while (centuries?) before the final beast of Revelation comes on the scene and demands world-wide worship.
There will still be the need to Watch Mk 13.37, until the final round of conflicts come, which assure the final victory of the saints over all.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.
An audio lesson.
Isaiah and Zechariah speak of a Second Return to Palestine by the Jews, which evidently is that which is still going on in our own time. Many unfulfilled national prophecies about Israel will yet be fulfilled. Israel will become the leading nation on earth, WELL BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. Foreigners will build the walls of Jerusalem.
This was about 538 BC. Most agree that this was the first return of the Jews to Palestine and was prophesied by many prophets. But there were other things also.
Isaiah 14 talks of a return of the Jews to their own land. This was written before they had lost their land. First Isaiah pictures many gentiles becoming Jews.
“For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the foreigner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.”
Isa 14:1
Of course there have been many converts to Judaism, down through history. In New Testament times there was the mass conversion of the Turkish Khazars in the eight century AD, which gave the modern Jews much of their “gentile” blood. Aside from this, though, no mass cleaving of gentiles to “Jacob” has been noticed. Then Isaiah says, before they went into captivity.
“2 The peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Yahweh for servants and for handmaids: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.”
Isa 14:2
This seems to be the context of the foreigners cleaving to Jacob in the previous verse. As has been pointed out, the Jews did return to Palestine beginning in 538 BC. However, the foreigners did NOT bring them to Palestine, as picture in Isa 14:2. The Persians under Cyrus merely allowed them to return back home. Also the Persians never were taken captive by the Jews, and the Jews NEVER “ruled over their oppressors,” that is to say, the Assyrians and Babylonians. So what is this? A failed prophecy? Or does it not speak of the first return which began in 538 BC, but of a second return such as is spoke of Isaiah 11 and Zechariah 10 and other passages.
Micah goes further and says of Jacob,
“They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
And the land of Nimrod in its gates.
He will deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he invades our land,
And when he marches within our border.”
Mic 5:6
Jacob/Israel will rule over Assyria? With the sword? This does NOT picture a spiritual rule of the Jews. This would mean that one day Israel would not only rule present day Syria (which is before you could get to Assyria/modern day Iraq), but also Iraq and more. There are a few of Assyrian descent even to this very day. Many of them became Christians in the early centuries of the Christian age, which is also forecast by Isaiah in other passages. So this pictures an hegemony over the Mid-East by Israel. Well it has not happened yet!
Clearly there are many national prophecies of Israel which have not happened yet.
The premillenialists have also noted many of these prophecies, and in many of these particulars are quite correct.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.
An audio lesson.
The New Testament also points to the Jews repenting and turning to their own Messiah. The “times of the Gentiles” will come to an end. During a time of severe persecution on first Christians, and then on Jews, the Jews will turn to their own Messiah, Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth.
An audio lesson.
Because of their sins, the Jews lost the Vineyard of God’s people to the gentiles. However, Moses Law says that one day all of this will change, and GOD will circumcise the hearts of the Jews and their descendants.
An audio lesson.
The Jews as a nation have been continually unfaithful to the Lord their God. Even Moses spoke of these things, and said it would be worse in later times. Moses promised a special prophet that ALL had to obey. But when this prophet came, the Jews arranged His murder. However, God’s plans did not fail at the cross. They are merely still working.
Isaiah 11 speaks of the times of the Messiah in the early part of the chapter of the times of the Messiah, and indeed of future heavenly times.
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”
Isa 11:6
There is much more to study and to say here, but notice that Isaiah speaks of a SECOND return (say around the year 700 BC), before the first one started in 538 BC. The Jews are pictured as scattered all over the world, and Isaiah says,
“It shall happen in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, who shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.”
Isa 11:11
Some have said, that this is referring the times of Zerubbabel and Ezra and Nehemiah; and the first return was when Israel had her Exodus out of Egypt. But NO! This second return in Isaiah 11 is also from Assyria and many other nations, including from “the islands of the sea.”
So Isaiah clearly forecasts a second return of the Jews to Palestine, from, evidently, the scattering among the nations after the scattering of the Jews by Assyria and Babylon in the 8th, 7th, and 6th centuries BC.
Written after the first return of the Jews to Palestine, and while the Jews are still working to establish themselves in Palestine, Zechariah says that once more God will once more scatter the Jews among the nations. The following quote from the WEB says God will “sow” the Jews among the nations, and THEN they will remember their God.
“I will sow them among the peoples;
And they will remember me in far countries;
And they will live with their children, and WILL return.”
Zech 10:9 (emphasis added)
A second scattering/sowing of Israel among the nations? It has to talking of the time of the revolts in 70 AD, and the Bar Kochba revolt of the early second century AD when the Jews ended up being forbidden to return to Jerusalem. Then Zechariah tells of a second return.
“I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt,
And gather them out of Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon;
And there won’t be room enough for them.”
Zech 10:10
Is this speaking the return that began in late 19 century AD and continuing even into our times. It certainly looks like it. The last half of that verse, that there will be so many of them that they will run out of room, clearly hasn’t happened YET!
Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.
“When you are in distress, and all these things are come on you, in the latter days you shall return to Yahweh your God, and listen to his voice:”
Deut 4:30 nf
“For though your people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.”
Isa 10:22 WEB
Many destructions have pursued the Jews, but one that overflows with righteousness is yet to come.
Zechariah speaks about when sin will be purged from Israel. Zechariah says,
“It shall happen that in all the land,” says Yahweh,
Two parts in it will be cut off and die;
But the third will be left in it. ”
Zech 13:8 WEB
That hasn’t happened yet! This is evidently after the first regathering of Israel, in the time of Ezra when Zechariah was prophesying (around 520 BC). And it is after the second scattering of Israel in 70 AD, and the second regathering which is going on in our times, for Zechariah says.
“I will scatter them among the peoples;
And they will remember me in far countries;
And they will live with their children, and will return. ”
Zech 10:9 nf
But there is a difference when this destruction overflowing with righteousness happens, when evidently it is two-thirds of the Jews who die world-wide. Of the third that is left it says,
“I will bring the third part into the fire,
And will refine them as silver is refined,
And will test them like gold is tested.
They will call on my name, and I will hear them.
I will say, ‘It is my people;’
And they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’””
Zech 10:9 WEB
My big surprise in researching was to discover that this time stress on the Jews begins with a world-wide severe persecution of Christians, described in Zechariah 12. It will be the Jewish survivors of the time of great stress who will make the big difference world-wide!
They are called “all the families which remain,” in Zech 12:14. Jeremiah says it is the people who were “left.”
“Thus says Yahweh, The people who were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest”
Jer 31:2
They are called those who escape in Isaiah 66.
“I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them to the nations, … who have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.”
Isa 66:19
The Jews will lead the completion of the Great Commission of preaching the gospel to the entire world.
“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Mtt 24:14
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are the WEB World English Bible, a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901
nf is my own translation based on the WEB.
The Old Testament says that if the Jews were faithful to God, and His Christ, they would be first among the nations.
“It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you this day, who Yahweh your God will set you on high above ALL the nations of the earth:”
Deut 28:1 WEB
Also it was clear that if Israel was not faithful to the Lord their God, that the Jews would be dominated by the gentiles, the nations of the world, Deut 28:15ff, 36-65, etc.
“They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish;
They are a perverse and crooked generation.”
Deut 32:5 WEB
When Israel rejected their own Messiah, they were only doing what was anticipated by God and all their prophets. So Jesus said,
“ 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Hell?”
Mtt 23:32 nf
This is discussed in several gospel passages. Jesus says that when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, that they will know its desolation is near, Lk 21:20. The Christians did know that, and escaped the siege some forty years later. Then Jesus points to the horrors of those days and also a distant turnaround among the Jews.
“They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, UNTIL the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Lk 21:24 WEB
So there WILL BE a time in the future when domination by the gentiles, that is to say the nations of the world, will end.
The answer is given in Romans chapters 9-11. However you can read tens of thousands of pages of commentary and never notice the clear answer and summary. Paul has talked in detail about the wickedness and unbelief of his fellow Jews. He cautions us gentiles, especially in Romans 11 to not be arrogant against the Jews. They are the natural olive tree into which we as gentiles (the nations) as wild olive branches have been grafted, Rom 11:17-22. Paul tells us of the Jews,
“They also, if they don’t continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ”
Rom 11:23 WEB
We should not be ignorant Paul says
“… 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. …”
Rom 11:25-26 WEB
He is contrasting physical Israel with the gentiles.
“Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?”
Rom 11:12
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are the WEB World English Bible, a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901
nf is my own translation based on the WEB.