The Nation of Israel in Prophecy
AGGreen
By Fr. Peter Gillquist
"When the Lord was coming to His voluntary Passion,
He said to the disciples on the way:
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man
shall be delivered as it was written of Him.
Wherefore, let us, O brethren,
accompany Him with spotless consciences
and be crucified with Him,
and with Him kill the pleasures of life,
that we may live with Him, hear Him say:
I am not ascending to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer,
but to My Father and your Father, to My God, and your God,
that I may draw you with Me to the Jerusalem
above in the Kingdom of Heaven."
-Matins of Holy Monday
Many Orthodox Christians, especially those with roots in the Middle East,
are bewildered by the degree of enthusiasm with which many American
evangelicals support the modern state of Israel. In addition to reasons
rooted in contemporary geopolitics, evangelical support for Israel is also
based on a particular modern theological view of the Second Coining of Jesus
Christ. It is this aspect of the evangelical perspective that I want to
explore in this short booklet.
ISRAEL AND THE END TIMES
As revealed in the New Testament, Christians have always believed that
Christ could come again at any time, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). Saint Paul cried out, "O Lord, come!" (1
Corinthians 16:22). Saint John in Revelation quotes our Lord Jesus Christ as
saying, "Surely I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:20). The Nicene Creed
teaches concerning the Second Coming of Christ, "And He will come again,
with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom shall have no
end."
But in the mid-nineteenth century, through the teaching of a little-known
former Anglican
clergyman named J. N. Darby, a modern alteration of the historic Orthodox
understanding of the return of Christ began to form.
First, Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal the Lord will
reign for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), this figure is to be taken
literally, rather than as a symbol of eternity. Many modern Christians see
the choice between the literal and symbolic views as a toss-up. But the
Church-wide Council of Ephesus in AD 431 condemned the literal view as
heresy. The council forbade it to be taught in the churches!
Next, the Darbyites came to believe in two comings of Christ. The first
would be a "secret" coming, only for Christians, preceding a period of
tribulation; the other would be a visible coming of Christ before the
thousand-year reign begins. This view, often called the "rapture theory," is
virtually unknown in Church history before Darby.
Ultimately, Darby's followers came to believe that before the secret coming
of the Lord occurs, before the "rapture," the remnant people of Israel must
return to the Holy Land. A huge number of today's evangelical and
charismatic Protestant Christians have bought
into this innovative speculation.
So, unlike the vast ranks of true Christians throughout history, modern
evangelicals have come to embrace the view that today's Israel has a
"manifest destiny" to the land of Palestine. They believe when the Old
Testament teaches that Abraham's descendants will inherit the land, it
refers to the modern political state of Israel. In contrast, Saint Paul,
himself a Jew, teaches, "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). To be a descendant of
Abraham today means you must belong to Christ our God.
Many evangelicals teach that May 24, 1948, the day Israel became a state,
was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Passages such as Ezekiel 36:24
are cited: "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of
all countries, and bring you into your own land." Evangelicals believe this
refers to the end-time regathering of Israel. The Church, however, has
traditionally understood Ezekiel's prophecy as referring to Israel's return
home after the Babylonian captivity in 539 BC.
I spent the first half of my adult life in the evangelical movement. It was
there I committed
my life to Jesus Christ, and for that I am eternally grateful. It was there
that I found I could trust the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, inspired
by the Holy Spirit. It was in my study of church history with fellow
evangelicals that I and a host of others became Orthodox. So today, when
Orthodox believers ask for help in explaining to evangelical Protestants how
we Orthodox Christians see modern Israel in light of the Scriptures, I see
some crucial points that must be made. Let me mention three.
1. The old covenant is over.
The covenant God made with Abraham blessed him and his descendants with the
land of Canaan and set them apart as the people of God. This covenant was
called "everlasting" because it would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who
reigns forever. The Book of Hebrews calls the old covenant "a shadow of the
good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1), for it was a preparation for the new
covenant inaugurated by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for the new covenant-which offers salvation to all, Jew and Gentile
alike- to take effect, the promises of the old covenant had to be fulfilled.
This was done in Christ. Thus, we read that God "has made the first
[covenant] obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready
to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13). Interestingly, the Book of Hebrews was
written about AD 70. That same year the temple in Jerusalem, a last visible
sign of the old covenant, was destroyed. Now, the people of God have in view
the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, as reflected in the Holy Week hymn
at the beginning of this booklet.
Let me offer an illustration to give us a better understanding of this
transition of covenants. Some years back, Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland
Browns, decided to move his football team to Baltimore. Cleveland struck a
deal allowing the city to retain ownership of the name "Browns." They
planned on another Browns team playing in their stadium. So Modell called
his team the Baltimore Ravens. And today, the new Cleveland Browns are also
in place.
Let's say that several centuries pass. The Browns are still playing in
Cleveland. But some of Art Modell's descendants have come back to town, and
they decide to lay claim to the whole operation. "We were here for years,"
they announce to the fans. "It's our team, we're the originals, and we're
taking over."
There'd be one giant ruckus in Cleveland! Heck, even the Pittsburgh fans
would come to their aid!
Orthodox Christians know that if Israel wants to form a secular state and
regroup as a people, they certainly can do so. But they cannot claim to be
there by divine intent. Why? Because in rejecting Jesus Christ as God and
Messiah, the nation "gave up the franchise" as the people of God. There is
no divine mandate justifying Israel's claims over Palestine. Or, as His
Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP says, "God is not in the real estate
business."
The Apostle John wrote concerning Christ and the Jews, "He came to His own
[Israel], and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him [Jew
and Gentile alike], to them He gave the right to become children of God"
(John 1:11, 12).
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus "took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave
it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the
new covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins'" (Matthew 26:27,28). The old covenant is
complete. It is fulfilled. The new has come, and it is everlasting.
2. The Church is the people of God.
The prophet Isaiah, who wrote in about 700 BC, records God the Father
speaking of His Son: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, / My Elect One in
whom My soul delights! / I have put My Spirit upon Him; / He will bring
forth justice to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:1). Long before the Son of God
came to us in human flesh, the Jews were told by God through their own
prophets that salvation would no longer be only for Israel. The Gentiles,
too, would receive His justice.
And then the Father gives His Son a remarkable promise. "I, the Lord, have
called You in righteousness, / And will hold Your hand; / I will keep You
and give You as a covenant to the people, / As a light to the Gentiles"
(Isaiah 42:6). Jesus Christ Himself would be a "covenant" and a "light" to
Gentile believers. It is apparent the beloved Simeon had Isaiah's prophecy
in mind when he held the infant Christ in his arms and acclaimed Him as "a
light to bring revelation to the
Gentiles, / And the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:32).
Saint Peter, writing to the early Christians, acknowledges that his kinsmen
who disbelieve in Christ have become disobedient to God. But in the Church,
to Jew and Gentile alike, he brings great encouragement:
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out
of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now
the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy"
(1 Peter 2:9, 10).
It doesn't get any clearer than this. St. Peter, in this passage, calls the
Church a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and the
people of God. These are terms from the Old Testament used to describe
ancient Israel. Does this mean God sees the Church as a new Israel? Saint
Paul answers that question as he concludes his letter to the Galatians:
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails
anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule,
peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God" (Galatians
6:15,16, italics mine).
Why would the Apostle Paul call a Gentile church in Asia Minor "the Israel
of God"? The answer comes earlier in his letter to the Galatians, when he
discusses what it takes to be a true child of Abraham.
"Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And
the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations
shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing
Abraham'' (Galatians 3:7-9).
Remarkable! Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we in the Church have
become children of Abraham, grafted into Israel, and we have received the
blessings that God promised to Abraham. Israel is no longer those who live
in a certain geographical place; it is not an ethnicity, it is not a
political state. The true Israel continues on through history serving the
King of kings, the resurrected and reigning Christ, as the Church. Instead
of the earthly Jerusalem, the people of God seek the Jerusalem above.
3. Jesus told us this would happen!
I know people don't like long biblical quotes in brief essays like this. But
I am asking that you read this passage carefully, because in it Jesus Christ
goes on public record that the heritage of the old covenant Israel would be
handed over to those who by faith embrace Him as the Son of God.
" 'There was a certain landowner [God the Father] who planted a vineyard
[Israel] and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.
And he leased it to vinedressers [the Jews] and went into a far country.
"Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants [the prophets] to the
vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took
his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other
servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
"Then last of all he sent his son [Jesus Christ] to them, saying, "They will
respect my son." But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among
themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his
inheritance." So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed
him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to
those vinedressers?'
"They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease
his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in
their seasons.'
"Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone
which the builders rejected / Has become the chief cornerstone. / This was
the Lord's doing, / And it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I say to
you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing
the fruits of it' " (Matthew 21:33-43).
So often in the New Testament, when the Lord spoke a parable, the chief
priests and Pharisees just didn't get it. But that's not the case here.
Saint Matthew goes on to tell us, "Now when the chief priests and Pharisees
heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them" (Matthew
21:45).
Not only is this passage clear to the Christian Church, it was clear to the
leaders of Israel. The Kingdom of God would be taken from Israel and given
to a new nation, the Church of the living God.
So the Scriptures make the case. The old covenant has been fulfilled; the
new has come. It is the Church that is the people of God, the heirs of the
promises made to Abraham, and the true Israel. And Jesus said it so clearly
that even those who did not want to hear it understood.
For the Bible-believing evangelical, the Scriptures have spoken. Any claim
that the modern state of Israel is somehow a fulfillment of God's prophetic
timetable simply is
not valid. The Kingdom of God is in the hands of others.
OUR MERCIFUL GOD
But there's one last thing. It is not an accident of history that after two
thousand years, the Jews still exist as a people. And while most Jewish
people have rejected Christ as God and Messiah, the Lord has not rejected
them.
His Grace, Bishop KALLISTOS (Ware), in commenting on Saint Paul's letter to
the Romans, says, "The Apostle refuses to regard this act of rejection on
the Jewish side as something final. With far-reaching, unquenchable hope he
looks beyond the present situation to the time when, so he is convinced, the
whole of Israel will finally turn to Christ."
As Orthodox Christians, we must say with the Apostle Paul, "Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved"
(Romans 10:1).
Being a Christian is being a martyr. One glorious day, all this conflict
will be settled. God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more
crying, no more pain. For now, it is with great tribulation that we enter
the Kingdom of God. In the midst of our trouble, the Lord is still on His
throne. And so we cry, "Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto
ages of ages. Amen."
Fora thorough explanation of how the Orthodox Church views this and other
related issues, read A Second Look at the Second Coming by T. L. Frazier,
available from Conciliar Press.
Conciliar Press
P.O. Box 76
Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076
(800) 967-7377 or (831) 336-5118
-Call or write for a free catalog-
Digim...@starpower.net
didn't add in that last section, because if he didn't, I was going to
;-) The Jews WILL accept Christ when the time comes...and it IS coming
soon...I CAN give you foreshadowing prophecy about Isreal as a Nation
and the 2nd coming of Christ. BTW, if EVERYTHING was fullfilled, there
would be no need for Christ to come again...we are actually seeing
prophecy unfolding right before our very eyes...when the fig tree
blooms know that summer is near ;-)
AGGreen
this happens.
***I can hear the Jews now..."aw s--t, we got it wrong the last time..."
Al
<Digim...@starpower.net> wrote in message
news:1164155923....@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Digim...@starpower.net
nation of Israel will say "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of The
Lord"!
AGGreen
saying this!
***I should not have mentioned myself in this context. Fuggedaboutit! (I am
65.)
Al
<Digim...@starpower.net> wrote in message
news:1164183798.8...@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Digim...@starpower.net
will be fine! For some reason I thought you were my age (44). Man that
is cool, you grew up in the 50s! What was that like???
Seriously, I will pray for your health! I am serious about the Carlson
Fish oil (in a brown bottle at Vitamin Shop and keep refrigerated) if
you are allowed to take it. We have had our battles Al, but I consider
you a net friend and would miss you :-)
AGGreen
<Digim...@starpower.net> wrote in message
news:1164235485.3...@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Take some Carlson Fish oil and a whey protien shake everyday and you
> will be fine! For some reason I thought you were my age (44). Man that
> is cool, you grew up in the 50s! What was that like???
***The dawn of Rock and Roll, baby!! Alan Freed...the first R&R DJ on the
radio in NYC. I still have my Elvis 78s on the Sun Records label. My first
car was a '49 chapped and channeled Merc two-door coupe. It was nosed,
decked, had California skirts, Lakes pipes, floor shift, and...yes...fuzzy
dice hanging from the rear view. Color: Emerald green. It was a real pick-up
car. The cops hated it when I took the caps off the Lakers.
>
> Seriously, I will pray for your health! I am serious about the Carlson
> Fish oil (in a brown bottle at Vitamin Shop and keep refrigerated) if
> you are allowed to take it. We have had our battles Al, but I consider
> you a net friend and would miss you :-)
***I'll be okay as long as I take the meds...Toporol, Plavix, Altace, and
Lipitor...and carry the nitro tabs with me at all time. Advancing arthritis
gives me the most fits.
Al
Digim...@starpower.net
was always eating fish so it must be good stuff ;-) You need to take
CoQ10 if you are on Lipitor. Check out the Rosedale diet. Do you have
CHF or just high BP and cholesterol?
Man I wish I grew up in the 50s! I love American Grafitti, Hollywood
Knights and American Hot Wax, all very cool movies! That is the closest
I can get I guess <G>...
Happy Thanksgiving Al!
AGGreen
<Digim...@starpower.net> wrote in message
news:1164280240.9...@l39g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>I am telling you, the Carlson fish oil is incredible stuff Al! Jesus
> was always eating fish so it must be good stuff ;-) You need to take
> CoQ10 if you are on Lipitor. Check out the Rosedale diet. Do you have
> CHF or just high BP and cholesterol?
***I have neither, although BP and cholestrol were on the high side of the
normal range. My total cholestroy has gone from 197 to 156, and the bad
cholestroy number has dropped from 158 to 77. Blood pressure is now
averaging 115/40.
***I'm going to ask for a change from Lipitor to Zocor. The former has no
generic equivalent and so the co-pay is quite high.
Zocor on the other hand accomplishes the same thing and has a generic that I
would only pay $2 for.
***What is CHF?
>
> Man I wish I grew up in the 50s! I love American Grafitti, Hollywood
> Knights and American Hot Wax, all very cool movies! That is the closest
> I can get I guess <G>...
>
> Happy Thanksgiving Al!
***We're having a low-fat, low salt Thanksgiving with all the trimmings.
Thank goodness I'm not restricted from drinking beer or wine!!
***Thanksgiving Blessings to you, too.
Al
Alec
And a happy Thanksgiving to you both. Al, Digi is giving you excellent
dietary advice. I'm 59, excellent numbers on all blood tests even
though I live a sedentary life and eat pretty much as I like -- but,
fortunately, I don't much like red meat. So, no medications at all,
except for the occasional Aleve when arthritis kicks up in my knee. My
wife put me on a supplement regime nearly 15 years ago that includes
omega-3s (fish oil), etc., and I know it's made a big difference. I'm
in markedly better health than other family members of my generation
who do not follow the supplement regime. You really should check it
out, Al.
AGGreen
"Alec" <Dush...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1164402013.7...@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
***At this point I wouldn't do anything without cardiologist approval, but
it's worth a mention at my next exam. BTW, the doc told me to flush the
naproxin sodium (Aleve) and the ibuprofen down the toilet. The former, he
said, is too dangerous for those 65 and over...been known to produce heart
attacks and stroke. Except for the full strength aspirin I must take each
day, I'm only allowed Tylenol for headaches and aches and pains.
***Also, I take triple strength glucosamine and condroitin, as well as large
doses of calcium with vitamin D (which is needed for the body to absorb the
calcium). Both are taken under medical direction. My arthritic knees, finger
joints and lower spine have benefitted greatly.
Al
Digim...@starpower.net
blood (make platlets less "sticky"). I would definitely ask your Doc
before taking any supplements. I told a woman where I work who has
arthritis to take Carlson fish oil and a whey protien shake each day
(Whey is high in L-Glutamine which is what your immune cells need) and
within 1 week her symptom subsided.
AGGreen
seems to take my blood to clot, I'm not sure I need more "thinning" than
what the drugs are now doing! <G>
***Your advice sounds pretty good, but like some of your "theology," it
needs my very close scrutiny. ;-)
Al
<Digim...@starpower.net> wrote in message
news:1164446725.5...@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Digim...@starpower.net
into it for yourself and always seek the truth! Just tryin to help is
all... :-)