At three different times in the life of Abraham, God made him the promise, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) The same promise couched in these identical words was later given to Isaac, and after his death it was prornised to his son Jacob. (Genesis 26:4; 28:14) This wonderful promise that God made to the patriarchs was heaven’s most precious gift — a “seed,” “He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed WHICH IS CHRIST.” (Galatians 3:16)

Due to the metaphorical nature of the Old Testament prophecies, many of the predictions of the prophets were misunderstood because they were improperly interpreted. In apostolic times, the Jews had interpreted the utterances of the prophets as though the predictions were PLAIN SPEECH; such a thing was a great error and led to complete misunderstanding. Because they were looking for a king who would sit upon a material throne in the city of Jerusalem, they failed to recognize the TRUE KING OF ISRAEL when He appeared. Filled with materialistic ideas, they expected the fulfillment of every promise of Jehovah to concern merely this physical realm; because of these human suppositions, they could not see beyond the world of matter and their corporal senses; being carnal, they had little or no conception of the blessings of the Spirit. Plenty of cattle, a full stomach, and rest from enemies was their idea of paradise; the hope permeating all of their religious doctrine was that God fully intended to abundantly provide for these carnal desires.

Christ Jesus and His teaching or doctrine is what we call Christianity; outside of CHRISTIANITY there is no promise or hope for any people. Apart from the New Testament there is no explanation of the prophecies of the Old, and since the advent of Christ, any effort to use the predictions of the Old, to prove God’s blessing upon a people other than Christians, be they Jewish or Gentiles, will fall to pieces. Attempting to prove that the Jews “after the flesh” have a special salvation, or a deliverance outside of Christ, is to declare the grossest of error, which cheapens Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross. “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

The epistles of Paul make clear the fact that God’s people are those who “walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” In the eyes of the Lord, a carnal Hebrew is just as lost as a carnal Gentile. As a matter of fact, a carnal Hebrew is worse off than a carnal Gentile because the curse of God is now upon their race. In the book of Romans, natural Israel is spoken of as “vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” (9:22) it is also said that they, having once been “branches,” were “broken off,” and that now they are “blinded.” (11:7,19) The apostle makes it plain that “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they called children ... They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God.” (9:6-8) Religious, Hebrew hypocrites told Jesus that they were children of Abraham, but He denied their claims, and stated that they were children of the devil. (John 8:33-44) Abraham is not the father of those dead in sins, but he is “the father of all them that believe.” (Romans 4:11)

“The bondwoman and her son” are likened to physical Jerusalem and natural, carnal Hebrews, and the Scripture emphatically states, “CAST OUT the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman SHALL NOT BE HEIR with the son of the FREE woman.” (Galatians 4:30) No race of people has ever had a record of infamy such as national Israel. “They killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us,” wrote the apostle Paul to the Thessalonian church. (1 Thess. 2:15) If any man doubts that the Creator is extremely angry at religious snakes, let him read Luke 21:22-24. Here are promised “days of vengeance,” “distress and wrath,” which are to continue until the very end of time, “Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

Israel Rejected

Many times the Lord severely punished Israel in order to save the nation from bitter wrath. Their history is one of ups and downs — they rebelled, then God punished; in anguish they cried unto the Lord and again His mercies were turned upon them. Backsliding and repenting became the order of the nation. They never seemed to learn that peace and prosperity were to be found in the Lord alone. During one of the times of bitter trouble, the prophet Isaiah prayed, “Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever ... Thy holy cities are a wilderness ... Jerusalem is a desolation ... wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord?”

Take notice of the answer that the Spirit of God gave to this praying son of Jacob, “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people ... a people that provoketh me to anger continually ... your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together ... blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom ... But ye are they that forsake the Lord ... Therefore will I number you to the sword ... Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall LEAVE YOUR NAME FOR A CURSE unto my chosen: for the lord shall slay thee, and CALL HIS SERVANTS BY ANOTHER NAME: that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth.” (Isaiah 65:2-16)

God’s people once were called Jews, their temple was known as the Jewish temple, their religion was the “religion of the Jews,” and their king was slain “KING OF THE JEWS.” The name Jew is not a blessing, but a “curse” according to the words of the prophet. God’s people are now known as CHRISTIANS — this is “the new name.” God’s “CHOSEN PEOPLE” are CHRISTIANS, not JEWS nor Gentiles. When Christ broke down “the middle wall of partition,” those who once were “strangers and foreigners” became “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:14,19)

The Future

What is the future of the Hebrew nation? Two vastly different schools of prophetic thought attempt to give us the answer. One school states that the Lord is forever through with the Hebrew people as a nation. The other extreme view is that the present Zionist movement is the beginning of the earthly thousand-year reign of Christ with Jerusalem as the capital and the Hebrews as the subjects of His kingdom. The following Scriptures will prove that both of the above views are wrong, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25) Take note, “blindness in part” lasts “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” In this same chapter of Romans, the writer states that God is able to graft Israel back into the vine, and he also makes the promise that “if they abide not still in unbelief,” they (Israel) shall be grafted in (11:23)

Christ Jesus is THE VINE. (John 15:1) Natural Israel was broken off from the Christ vine, and there is every indication that they will be grafted back into HIM. “If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15) If the father killed the fatted calf to celebrate the return of one wayward prodigal, what will the celebration be at the return of a whole nation of prodigals? The words of the Prophet Isaiah predict the return of the Hebrews, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people ... and He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth ... And there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” (Isaiah 11:11-16)

The prophet Jeremiah predicted the return of Israel and placed it in the “latter day,” for at that time “the ark of the covenant” (the old covenant) should not be spoken of any more, neither shall they remember it, nor shall it come into mind. “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding ... in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord ... neither shall they visit it, neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem THE THRONE OF THE LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it ... In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 3:14-18)

Take particular note that the prophet did not say that THE THRONE OF THE LORD would be in Jerusalem. He said the city would be called by that name. When the city turns to Christ, it shall then be the mouthpiece of the Lord, and THE LAW OF JESUS CHRIST shall go forth. He, by the mouths of His prophets, will COMMAND the nations and rule them with a rod of iron, “He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers.” (Revelation 2:26, 27)

It is a simple matter to predict the reaction of all the ungodly, worldly people to this new order, this new world-dominating government, “Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together : (The United Nations) against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3) When world conditions have become such that “the house of David shall be as God,” then LOOK OUT, and LOOK UP, for the end of all things is very near. Men of our generation have hated the Hebrew and have murdered a number of millions of them without a cause — WHAT WILL HAPPEN when they turn to Christ and practice true apostolic Christianity to the chagrin of the hypocritical, professing Christians? These people will OBEY EVERY COMMAND OF CHRIST. “Here are they that KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12)

“The Lord shall save the tents of Judah FIRST.” (Zechariah 1 2:7) The RESTORATION of apostolic order and Holy Spirit POWER shall be brought about by the NEW BORN HEBREWS as soon as the “blindness in part” is lifted, and then the Spirit of the Lord shall speak through human lips and Christ Himself shall RULE ALL NATIONS BY THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY. God’s people will dictate to the whole world, and those who refuse to listen to THE ORACLE of God will suddenly be struck down, consternation and terror will dominate the hypocrites. They will not endure this for any length of time, but will gather themselves together to utterly destroy the “camp of the saints.”

“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” (Rev. 20:9)

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matt.24:29-3 1,34,35) After the earth is “dissolved” and the heavens have been “rolled together as a scroll,” then God will create a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

(Reprinted from Number 368, July 1994 issue of “The Testimony of Truth” with permission from “People of the Living God”)

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