CHAPTER 4
Since Messiah's first coming, countless Jews have enjoyed the promises of the New Covenant—but only the personal ones. The nation, on the other hand, has yet to experience a single promised New Covenant blessing. Does that mean God forgot His promises to Israel? Not at all. For reasons we will discuss, the "national" blessings were consigned to the future.
Looking over the remaining New Covenant promises, one is amazed at the glorious future in store for Israel. Admittedly, after the trials of the last 2,700 years, it is difficult to picture tiny, beleaguered Israel when her "fortunes are restored." Nevertheless, the Bible says it will happen.
1. God will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel. (Jeremiah 33:6-7).
Israel will regain the wealth and prestige it had before God judged the nation. Israel will become the preeminent nation it was in the days of David and Solomon. By contrast, consider the current plight of modern Israel as it struggles to assimilate more than a million Russian immigrants. Estimates for the cost of this program are over 40 billion dollars. To cope with that influx, Israel has had to ask for financial assistance. Such is the climate in which Israel exists today, but the sure word of prophecy reveals the Nation's financial condition will change.
Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings will lead the procession. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish (Isaiah 60:11-12).
Obviously, that is not a passage often quoted in the halls of the United Nations, but shouldn't it be heard occasionally in the pulpits? It is curious that the theme of Israel's New Covenant glory, which is so prevalent among the Old Testament prophets, is almost never taught in the churches.
2. Israel will not be a prey to the nations, and will not endure their insults anymore. (Ezekiel 34:28-30).
It is impossible to deny the presence of at least some degree of anti-Semitism throughout the world. What is to become of this phenomenon when God restores the fortunes of Israel?
In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard God is with you" (Zechariah 8:23).
In assessing the level of insults Israel has endured, consider these facts. (1) Though possessing less than one half of one per cent of the world's population, fully a third of all United Nations resolutions have been directed against the nation of Israel. (2) From 1973 to 1992, the United Nations equated Zionism, with racism. That position is not only an attack on Israel; it amounts to a world-wide rejection of the covenant God made with Abraham. (3) Very few of the world's governments have had the courtesy to put an embassy in Israel's capitol, Jerusalem. So as not to offend the Moslems, the embassies are located in Tel Aviv. Imagine how the U.S. would respond if foreign nations refused to have their embassies in Washington.
3. God will gather the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah from all over the world. He will return them to Israel, where they will dwell in safety. (See Jeremiah 32:37-41).
Doubtless, it is difficult for Israeli citizens to envision a time when they will dwell in safety. After decades of fighting hostile neighbors and terrorists, Israel can scarcely dream about real peace. Nevertheless, according to prophecy, a day will come when they will live in safety. Then no more missiles will be launched against the Pleasant Land. There will be no more invasions by Arab neighbors, and no murdering terrorists will be found in all Israel.
4. The Nation of Israel will exist before God forever. (See Jeremiah 31:36-37).
More than once since 1948, Israel has been on the brink of annihilation. Before the Yom Kippur War of 1973 the Israelis misjudged Arab intentions and strength. A surprise attack on two fronts left Israel with only a few defenders preventing a complete rout at Arab hands. Secular historians marvel that Egypt and Syria were unable to gain victory when it was within their grasp. Of course, those historians wouldn't think of acknowledging the hand of God in Israel's destiny.
The truth from Scripture is that God will never allow Israel to be driven into the sea, as her enemies have pledged. All those "holy wars" are, in fact, unholy affairs. By opposing Israel's right to the land, they have tragically pitted themselves against God and His Covenants. So, unless God forgets His promises to Abraham and his descendants, the enemies of Israel will fail, and they will receive nothing for their efforts but a curse.
5. Jerusalem will never be overthrown again. (Jeremiah 31:40).
Jesus predicted the city would be "trodden down until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled." When the Arabs attacked Israel in 1967, they were, for all practical purposes, defeated in the first two hours of the conflict. That is how long it took Israel to destroy the combined air forces of Egypt and Syria. At that time, even the Israeli leaders were slow to realize the opportunity they'd been given. After almost nineteen hundred years, the beloved city of Jerusalem was under Jewish control.
After its victory, the Israeli military had the power to expel the Muslims not only from the Temple Mount, but from the entire city as well. In fact, the Israeli flag was flying above the Moslem shrine known as the Dome of the Rock. At that time, however, Israel showed remarkable restraint by returning the Temple Mount to Muslim control. Proving how much Israel desired peace, they permitted their sworn enemies to control the most important Jewish site in the world. From Zechariah we know that Jerusalem will be overthrown just before Messiah comes. From then on, however, the city is eternally secure.
6. Messiah will be king over Israel, and He will rule forever. (See Jeremiah 33:15).
According to the Scriptures, Messiah will rule from Jerusalem. From there, justice and righteousness will go out into all the world. What's more, when He comes, the whole nation will be holy to the Lord. We will look more fully into the reign of Messiah in the chapter on the Millennial Kingdom.
A foundational teaching from the Bible is that the righteous shall live by faith. This is not some mystical teaching for the elite few. It simply means you must believe God. In other words, take Him at His word (as revealed in the Bible) and direct your life accordingly. Let's examine how the Jews who were living at Messiah's first coming measured up to that principle of faith.
It was no secret that one day God would make a new covenant with Israel and Judah. Jeremiah and Ezekiel had made that clear. In addition, the Jews were aware that someone would be anointed (that is the meaning of the word "Messiah") to bring about all the New Covenant promises for the Nation. Alfred Edersheim in his classic, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, lists over 450 Old Testament passages which the Jews interpreted as having Messianic themes.
To make certain no one missed the Messiah, God gave the prophets incredibly detailed descriptions of Him. Unfortunately, the Jews were not like the church, which loves to dwell on the individual New Covenant promises. Instead, the Jews of that day were focused solely on what God promised to do for the Nation.
As their leaders observed Jesus, they chose not to believe the prophecies about Him. Because He did not have the appearance of a man who would lead the Nation to its former prominence, they ignored their Scriptures and rejected His claim to be their Messiah. In other words, they did not live by faith. The result was that all the national blessings of the New Covenant were delayed for centuries. On top of that, at that time the people brought a dreadful curse upon themselves. During Messiah's trial they foolishly called for His blood to be on their heads, and so it has been these nearly 2,000 years.
According to Zechariah, however, the delay will not last forever. One day Israel "will look upon Him whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son." (See Zechariah 12:10). Then the Jews will accept Messiah, and the "National" promises will be theirs.
Despite scores of prophecies describing Messiah, the fact remains that most Jews didn't recognize Him. It is hard to understand why they did not, because many of the Scriptural references to Him were quite specific. Here are some of the better known prophecies which were fulfilled by Jesus.
The odds against another fulfilling all the Messianic prophecies listed above are beyond comprehension. A mathematician named Peter Stoner calculated the probability that just eight of the better known Messianic prophecies could be fulfilled by one man. The answer was one chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000. To help comprehend the immensity of this number, Mr. Stone suggested an illustration. Place that many silver dollars inside Texas. (They would have to be stacked two feet deep.) Then mark one of the silver dollars and hide it somewhere in the state. The odds against a blindfolded man choosing the marked coin on the first try would be the same as fulfilling those eight prophecies.
Despite that strong mathematical argument, the most compelling evidence pointing to Jesus as Messiah is Daniel 9. According to that prophecy, Messiah would be cut off in A.D. 32. History records no other likely candidates on the scene at that time. So, in order to believe Messiah could come later than A.D. 32. you must ignore Daniel's prophecy altogether.
Before looking into reasons why the Jews rejected Jesus, we need to realize that many of them did accept Him. Remember, all of Messiah's earliest followers were Jews. That is significant because they paid dearly for their belief; they became outcasts from their families and all of Jewish society. Their loses were slight, however, when compared to the resulting calamities for the Nation.
At His triumphful entry into Jerusalem the crowds were loudly acknowledging Him as Messiah. They all cried out, "Son of David." That greeting made the religious leaders, who were known as the Pharisees, furious. They demanded that Jesus silence His followers. Because He did not measure up to their idea of what the Messiah should be, they had rejected Jesus and decided to have Him killed. Unfortunately, most of the Jews were swayed by the Pharisees.
Speaking directly to those who rejected Him, Jesus prophesied that their enemies would "level you to the ground and your children with you, and they will not leave one stone upon another, because you didn't recognize the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:44). Looking forward in history, Jesus saw what lay in store for Jerusalem, and it caused Him to weep. He knew that forty years later the Romans would destroy the city.
The fact remains that most Jews rejected Jesus' claims. There seem to be two reasons Israel rejected Messiah at His first coming. The first springs from the New Covenant promises we've been studying. Imagine being a Jew living under pagan Roman masters. Since childhood you had been taught the New Covenant promises in the Scriptures. You were aware that it was Israel's destiny to be chief among the nations, not slaves to a hated Gentile nation. You also knew that one day God would send the Messiah / Redeemer to restore the fortunes of the Nation.
Then suddenly, a prophet appears in the land. Many are saying he might be the one. It's even reported that He has done great miracles, and healed all sorts of diseases. Then you get a glimpse of Him and his peasant followers. Now be honest. Would He look like the sort of man who could gather an army and throw out the hated Romans? Probably not. And besides, the Jewish leaders were saying Jesus was doing those miracles through the power of Satan. Because the Jewish leaders focused solely on the national promises, they were blinded to the many prophecies Jesus was fulfilling before their eyes. Oh, they were correct to look for one on whose shoulders the government would rest, but their timing was off.
The second reason Israel didn't know the "time of their visitation" may surprise you. It was because God prevented them from knowing! He gave them "a Spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not." That is because He was about to reveal a mystery that even the prophets hadn't seen. Incredibly, God was going to make the New Covenant available to people other than the Jews.
The prophet Ezekiel explained why God plans to bless Israel in the last days. Is it because they deserve it? On the contrary. God denied there was any merit by the house of Israel. Instead, He would act solely because of His own Name:
"I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord God. "Let it be known to you, be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel" (Ezekiel 36:32).
Israel had been privileged to learn first hand what God expected from His creation. They in turn were supposed to teach the nations what God is like, and how to approach Him. What did Israel do with this revelation? Well, as priests to the nations, the Israelites were complete failures. Their continual rebellion made them of little use to God in that endeavor. In fact, the only lasting accomplishment of the Israelites was that they thoroughly profaned God's name! From the nations' viewpoint, there was nothing in Israel's experience which made them anxious to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To their pagan minds, the mere fact that Israel was overthrown meant other gods were more powerful. In addition, the harsh way God dealt with Israel made Him appear less than appealing. After all, what nation would want to come under the kind of judgment Israel experienced?
From the beginning, however, God had a remedy for Israel's predicted failure. It was another covenant. When it was established, Israel would change, and God would vindicate His Name.
The Scriptures reveal much about how the New Covenant promises for the Nation will be implemented.
1. The period during which the Covenant is applied to the nation is known as "the time of Jacob's trouble."
Jeremiah said the time will have a sound of dread and terror, and there will be no peace. There would never be any time that compares to it (see Jeremiah 30:5-7). The prophet Joel said, "The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it" (Joel 2:11). This period will be characterized by unrelenting troubles. Daniel described it as "a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time" (12:1).
2. The primary object of this period will be the chastening and purifying of Israel.
I will chasten you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished (Jeremiah 30:11).
3. God has a secondary purpose in ordering a period of great calamities as the New Covenant is put in force—the destruction of sinful nations.
The prophet Amos said the eyes of God are on the sinful kingdom, and He will destroy it from the face of the earth (see Amos 9:8). What's more, the nations where the children of Israel were scattered have special punishment in store. "For I will destroy completely all of the nations where I have scattered you" (Jeremiah 30:11). A father may severely punish his disobedient child, but heaven help another who harms him. That is how God views the nations as they plundered and scorned Israel. Although He Himself raised up nations to judge His people, that doesn't relieve them from retribution.
4. Only one third of Israel will survive this time of trials. Those that do survive, however, will become a blessing to all the world.
And it will come about in all the Land [Israel], that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested (Zechariah 13:8-9).
The Jews will survive, but the cost will be staggering. If the time of Jacob's trouble began today, between ten and twelve million Jews would not live to see the glory of the New Covenant. Nevertheless, Israel will survive. Just as Israel was a curse to the nations, she will be saved to become a blessing.
5. God will judge every descendant of Jacob in the world. (Ezekiel 20:33-38).
As He judged their forefathers before they entered the Promised Land, God will judge every descendant of Abraham before he or she is brought into the bond of the New Covenant. Rebels and transgressors will be purged. The Bible doesn't give the standards for determining who are the rebels, but we can make some educated guesses. It is logical that a key piece of evidence will be whether or not the descendants have aligned themselves on God's side or Satan's. For the Jews (descendants of Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, and Levi), it could entail immigrating to Israel. For descendants of the other tribes, it probably means they have refused the mark of the beast (that will be explained in a future chapter).
Today, Israel has a policy called the "Law of Return." It allows anyone of Jewish descent to immigrate to Israel. Millions of Jews, however, are content to remain outside Israel. That will change. When Satan is cast down to the earth, no Jew will be safe until he escapes into the "wilderness prepared by God" (which we assume to be the land of Israel).
6. In that day God will make Jerusalem a problem for the whole world.
In the last days all the nations will participate in a great siege against Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled. At that moment, however, the Lord will come and all the holy ones with Him. Immediately, He will destroy all the armies which have come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:2,3,9; 14:2,5). It is after Jerusalem is delivered that Israel will recognize their God.
Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more (Joel 3:17).
7. A Redeemer will be sent to Israel.
He will be "anointed" for the task of establishing the New Covenant. The word "Messiah" means anointed one, a person appointed for a specific task. For nearly three thousand years Jews have been looking for this Messiah. They believe He will redeem them, restoring the Nation to the glory it knew under King David.
And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob (Isaiah 59:20).
The word "Redeemer" sums up the hopes of the Jews. They look for the one who will redeem them—deliver them from national humiliation and restore them to their former position. During the nations' siege against Jerusalem, Messiah will come. Then He, along with all his holy ones, will rescue Israel. Following that He will be made king over all the earth. (see Zechariah 14:5,9).
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore (Isaiah 9:6,7).
The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that Messiah is the mediator of the New Covenant. A mediator is a middle man who acts to bring two or more estranged parties back together. For Israel, the coming of the New Covenant means there is no way back to God other than through Messiah—no other way to become God's people again—no other way to be cleansed. Because the Sinai Covenant is obsolete, only Messiah can restore them to their former place of God's favor and blessing.