Webb Israel

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="040c8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B><U>Gerry W. Webb</U></B></div> <div> <B>lives in Delta, British Columbia. This article was written in November 1997.</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Restoration Ministries</B> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" >|</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Restoration Ministries"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1161c900.jpg" border=0 width="540" height="144" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>by Gerry W. Webb</B></div> <div> <B>________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Introduction</U></B></div> <bR> <div> If one listens to Christian radio or television programs on a regular basis, he or she will likely hear some evangelical and fundamental preachers repeatedly making statements about modern Israel and current events fulfilling Bible prophecy.  </div> <bR> <div> These preachers are predominately from the Dispensational and pre-millennial or Futurist school of prophecy.  Many of the Old Testament texts they refer to are either projected into the future without regard for their historical contexts, or else their fulfillment during New Testament times are disregarded.  </div> <bR> <div> However, there are about four passages they use from the New Testament which seem to indicate something yet future for Israel.<B>[1]</B>  These are Matthew 23:39, Romans 11:12,25-26, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 1:7.  But is that what the verses really teach?</div> <bR> <div> I do not believe they do.  In fact, after almost 28 years of studying Bible prophecy after coming out of the Dispensational system, I believe the New Testament teaches the end of physical Israel as a special nation before God, not her restoration.  The "vengeance" or wrath of God finally came upon Israel in 70 A.D. in fulfillment of Isaiah 61:2b, Malachi 4, and many New Testament texts.  It is hoped the unbiased Christian will read this paper and consider its claims.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A.  What Do the Four New Testament Passages Really Teach?</B></div> <bR> <div> 1.  <B>Matthew 23:39</B> records Jesus saying to the Jews: “For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord’” (KJV).</div> <bR> <div> Dispensationalists often use this verse as a prooftext to teach a restoration of the Davidic kingdom for national Israel. Although the context teaches just the opposite (i.e. divine judgment), what does the verse really mean?  Are the Jewish people going to be saved in some future period because they will confess, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord?"  Will their acceptance of Him be because of sight instead of "faith?"  Surely, this is not the way of salvation taught in the New Testament (cf. John 20:24-29; Romans 10:8-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 11:6).</div> <bR> <div> When is this to occur?  If those Jews to whom Jesus spoke never trusted Him as their personal Savior in their own lifetime, they will never be saved in a future time.  Further, no one can ever be saved by the faith of another person.  When Jesus suddenly returns, it will be too late for anybody to repent and be saved.  In my opinion, two more likely interpretations of this verse are: </div> <bR> <div> a) The verse puts the emphasis on faith in Jesus now, not at His physical second coming in the future.  In other words, it may be saying that the Jews will never "see" Jesus as their Savior in the true spiritual sense unless or until they individually confess that Jesus has come from the Father, and is also the One Who will come again.<B> [2]</B></div> <bR> <div> b)  The second view is given by Hans LaRondelle who comments: “These are not words that promise another chance to repent and to be saved at the second coming of Christ. They rather suggest that the Jews who have rejected Him will have to acknowledge at His glorious appearing as Messiah-Judge that this Jesus, whom they now despise, is the true messianic King of Israel. Only then will they see Him again, the Blessed One ‘who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Then they will meet Him as their Judge (see also Matthew 7:21-23). Such a climax exactly fits the series of "woes" in Matthew 23. No perspective on a sudden conversion can be projected onto Christ's solemn forecast in Matthew 23:39 from the immediate or wider contexts in the Gospels.<B> [3]</B></div> <bR> <div> 2.  <B>Revelation 1:7</B> – “Behold, he cometh with clouds: and every eye shall see him, and they <I>also</I> which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.”</div> <bR> <div> Dispensationalists often refer to Revelation 1:7 as teaching that a large portion of physical Israel will believe in Messiah Jesus at the end of a future so-called "Great Tribulation Period" when they see Him whom they have "pierced."  They also say this fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 which says: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him..."  But is this what the text really teaches?</div> <bR> <div> As was said concerning Matthew 23:39, salvation is the result of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, not physical sight (cf. Luke 13:3; Acts 2:37-39; Rom. 10:9-14; Eph. 2:8-10).  This verse is referring to the return of the Lord Jesus with power and great judgment, not to a return that brings salvation.  Not only will all the Jews literally see Jesus (including their ancestors "who pierced Him"), but "every eye shall see him."  The result will be a "wailing" by "all kindreds of the earth." <B>[4]</B></div> <bR> <div> As for Zechariah 12:10, it was fulfilled within a period of fifty days beginning when Jesus was on the cross.  In fact, the Apostle John quotes a phrase of this text in St. John 19:28-37 and says it was fulfilled.  The other part about the outpouring of the Spirit to Jews in Jerusalem, and the "mourning" (or piercing "to the heart"), was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-41).  The Futurists, however, either disregard John's explanation altogether, or else say it was only partially fulfilled.<B> [5]</B></div> <bR> <div> 3.  <B>Romans 11:12,25-26</B> – Now if the fall of them (i.e. Israel) be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?  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.  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (KJV).</div> <bR> <div> These three verses from Romans need to be linked together within the immediate context of chapters 9 to 11, and also seen within the book as a whole.  (I address them in my larger paper entitled, "The Fullness of Israel," revised March, 1996.)<B> [6]</B></div> <bR> <div> Concerning "Israel," St. Paul makes a distinction between those who are of the "circumcision of the heart," not of the flesh;<B> [7]</B> those who are the true children of Abraham through faith, not physical birth, (cf. Romans 4:1-25; Galatians 3:5-9,22-29); and those who are included in the elect faithful remnant of Israel, not the nation as a whole, (cf. Romans 9:6,27-33 and 11:1-7, with I Kings 19:18; Isaiah 1:9; 10:20-22).</div> <bR> <div> Paul uses two examples in Romans 11 in order to demonstrate that God had not totally cast away His elect people who descended from Abraham.  One example was himself.  Paul was a Christian believer from the tribe of Benjamin (v.1).  </div> <bR> <div> Also, there was still a faithful "remnant according to the election of grace" in Paul's day, just like there was in the time of Elijah (vs.2-7). This elect remnant from Israel included the 8,120 Jewish believers recorded in Acts 1:15; 2:41; and 4:4, (cf. also 5:14; 6:1,7).  The Gentiles were then grafted into the original Jewish Christian Church which was founded on the Day of Pentecost.<B> [8]</B></div> <bR> <div> Paul argues that the salvation of many Gentiles was a way to provoke many Jews to jealousy so that they also would believe (v.11).  The nation as a whole is not seen because Paul envisions the salvation of "<B>some</B> of them" (v.14).  If they do not remain in unbelief, God is able to engraft those individual Jews (or "branches") back into the one "olive tree" of true Israel in every generation (vs.17, 23-24).</div> <bR> <div> Paul goes on to say in verse 25 that "blindness in part is happened to (physical) Israel, until the fulness (or full number) of the Gentiles be come in."  This "blindness in part" concurs with verses 5 to 7 and 9:6 were Paul contrasts the faithful elect remnant of Israel, with the nation of Israel as a whole.  This will continue until Christ returns.  </div> <bR> <div> When the full number of both elect Jews and elect Gentiles come to faith and are brought into "the body of Christ" (i.e. the Church), Jesus will return.  The context says nothing about what will happen after that, except possibly Romans 8:18-22 when there will be a new heavens and a new earth, and we will be given glorified resurrected bodies (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:42-54; 2 Peter 3:7-14; 1 John 3:2).</div> <bR> <div> Apart from what has already been said, what is the meaning of the difficult expression found in Romans 11:26, "And <B>so</B> all Israel shall be saved...(KJV)?"  Part of the problem arises because of the word "so" translated by the KJV.  The Dispensationalists interpret it to mean "then," or "in the future."  In light of the context, this cannot be.  The word is more properly translated "<B>thus</B>" (or "in this way", <U>Strong's</U> #3779), as in the NASB.</div> <bR> <div> In addition, the rest of verses 26 and 27 is a quote from Isaiah 59:20-21.<B> [9]</B>  In other words, the verb "shall come" was originally spoken by Isaiah, not Paul.  To Isaiah, the Deliverer was yet to come "out of Zion," but to Paul, He had already come.  In fact, Paul personally met the Deliverer a few years earlier when he was on the road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9).  Further, this New Covenant from God had been poured out upon 3,120 Jewish believers in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 1:8,15; 2:1-47; 11:12-18; Hebrews 8:6-13; 10:1-25).</div> <bR> <div> The expression "<B>all Israel</B>" needs to be qualified.  It cannot be all-inclusive for all the descendants of Jacob throughout history, because that would include Judas Iscariot and the self-righteous unbelieving Pharisees to whom Jesus said their spiritual father was the Devil (John 8:44).  Also, the text says nothing about a future period called "the Great Tribulation."  So, to whom does it apply, and when shall this "all Israel" be saved?</div> <bR> <div> The context of Romans 9 to 11 indicates that the "all Israel" consists of all the true believing elect "remnant" of physical Israel who put their faith in Messiah Jesus.  It concerns those individual Jews who believe the Gospel.  </div> <bR> <div> As to the time factor, Romans 9:33; 10:9-17; 11:5,14,23-24, and 28-32 indicate it includes every generation from New Testament times until Jesus returns.  God is able to engraft back into the "olive tree" of true Israel any Jewish person who does not remain in unbelief (cf. Jeremiah 11:16-17; Romans 11:24).  God has mercy on both Jews and Gentiles who repent.  In Romans 11:30-32 Paul said the time was "<B>now</B>," which included his own lifetime.<B> [10]</B></div> <bR> <div> Romans 11:27 refers to two other important things: God's New Covenant, and the removal of sin.  I would argue, that if the New Covenant spoken by Jeremiah and Ezekiel has not yet been bestowed upon those to whom it was first promised, i.e., to the houses of Israel and Judah (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Zechariah 13:1), then how can we benefit?  </div> <bR> <div> Many verses from the New Testament, however, can be utilized to show that the New Covenant through Christ's blood <B>was</B> poured out upon the descendants of Israel beginning at Pentecost (cf. Matthew26:28; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 2:1-41; 3:25-26; 5:30-32; 11:15-18; Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:11-10:22).</div> <bR> <div> 4.  <B>2 Thessalonians 2:3-4</B> – “Let no man deceive you by any means: for <I>that day shall not come</I>, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”</div> <bR> <div> This is one of the most difficult passages to understand in all of the New Testament.  In fact, there seems to be no parallel passage like it with expressions such as: "a falling away, man of sin, the son of perdition," and, "sitteth in the temple of God."  </div> <bR> <div> What do the expressions mean, and when was the event to occur?  These two verses need to be understood in the context of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, and 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12.  We must also keep in mind that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter about 54 A.D. while the physical temple was still standing.</div> <bR> <div> The New Testament teaches that Christ is going to return only once in power with great judgment, not twice with an interval of seven years, as the dispensational system teaches (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:4; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:7-14, etc.).  In fact, according to First Thessalonians 2:1-3, both the "falling away" (or apostasy) and the revealing of the "man of sin" are to occur some time <B>prior to</B> "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him."</div> <bR> <div> A number of explanations have been postulated including:</div> <bR> <div> (a) It refers to the "abomination of desolation" spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-22 and Mark 13:14-23 concerning Jerusalem and the Temple in 70, A.D.</div> <bR> <div> (b) It refers to the Papacy and Roman Catholicism after the wedding of church and state under Constantine around 320 A.D. (cf. I Tim. 4:1-3; Rev. 13 and 17).  Many of the Reformers held to this view.  Albert Barnes comments:</div> <bR> <div> “...The question now is on the applicability of the phrase "the man of sin" to the pope. That his rise was <I>preceded</I> by a great apostasy, or departure from the purity of the simple gospel, as revealed in the New Testament, cannot reasonably be doubted by any one acquainted with the history of the church. That he is the <I>creation</I> or <I>result</I> of that apostasy, is equally clear. That he is the grand agent in <I>continuing</I> it, is equally manifest...It would be easy to show that there has been no dynasty or system that has contributed so much to uphold and perpetuate sins of various kinds on the earth, as the Papacy. No other one has been so extensively and so long the patron of superstition; and there are vices of the grossest character which have all along been fostered by its system of celibacy, indulgences, monasteries, and absolutions.</div> <bR> <div> “. . .<B> Sitteth in the temple of God</B><I>.</I> That is, in the Christian church. It is by no means necessary to understand this of the temple at Jerusalem, which was standing at the time this epistle was written, for (1) the phrase "the temple of God" is several times used with reference to the Christian church, 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 3.16, 17; Revelation 3:12; and (2) the temple was the proper symbol of the church, and an apostle trained amidst the Hebrew institutions would naturally speak of the church as the temple of God.”<B> [11]</B></div> <bR> <div> (c) From an Amillennial perspective, since we are now in “the realized Millennium," these verses perhaps refer to a short period of time after this present gospel age when Satan is "loosed" just prior to Christ's return (cf. Revelation 20:7-10).  Satan and his emissaries will then surround the "camp of the saints" and make inroads into "the beloved city," which is a symbol for the true Christian Church (cf. Galatians 4:26; Ephesians 2:11-22; Hebrews 3:6; 12:18-24; Revelation 21:2,9-10).</div> <bR> <div> Whichever interpretation of this passage is correct, we can be sure of one thing, that if this event concerning the "apostasy" and the revealing of the "man of sin" was to occur after 70 A.D., it could not relate to a physical temple in Jerusalem.  In every other passage where the Apostle Paul speaks of the "temple of God," he always refers to it as spiritual, either about the individual Christian's body, or else the Church in general which is its eternal antitype.<B> [12]</B>  Nowhere does the New Testament teach that God wants another physical temple to be built in Jerusalem.</div> <bR> <div> In light of the foregoing explanations of these verses within their context, we can clearly see that the Apostles Matthew, Paul, and John do not refer to any future restoration for national Israel.  We now set out to show that the Bible foretold the end of national Israel; and the vengeance or righteous indignation of God (cf. Num. 16:41-50) finally came upon her in 70 A.D.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>B.  The End of Physical Israel as a Nation Foretold</B> </div> <bR> <div> The following verses from the Bible are only a portion of the texts which refer to the judgment and end of physical Israel as a nation: Deuteronomy 28:15-30:20; Isaiah 35:4-10; 61:2b; 65:1; Jeremiah 3:6-8; Daniel 9:24-27; Hosea 1:1-10; 2:23; Joel 2:31; Malachi 3:1-3; 4:1-6; Matthew 3:1-12; 8:11-12; 11:20-24; 13:10-16; 21:12-24:35; 26:28; 27:45,51; Mark 13:1-23; Luke 3:2-18; 10:10-16; 19:41-48; 20:9-18; 21:5-33; 23:44-45; John 4:21-24; 8:37-47; Acts 2:20; 7:51-53; Romans 2:24-28; 9:2-8,22-33; 10:19-21; 11:7; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Galatians 3:1-29; 4:4-7,21-31; 6:15-16; Ephesians 2:11-22; Philippians 3:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; Hebrews 1:1-3; 6:19-10:22; 12:18-24; I Pet. 2:3-10; Revelation 2:9; 3:9; 11:8.  We will discuss only a few of the crucial verses.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 1. <B>The Purposes for National Israel Have Ended.</B></div> <bR> <div> The purposes for physical and national Israel mentioned in Romans 3:2 and 9:3-5 ended by the time of the resurrection of Christ.  The following Scriptures demonstrate this:</div> <bR> <div> (a) Unto the Jews "were committed the oracles of God" (cf. Acts 7:38). To Israel belonged the adoption as sons (cf. Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 10:15; 14:1-2); the glory (cf. 1 Samuel 4:21; 1 Kings 8: 9-11); the covenants; the giving of the Mosaic Law; the temple service of God; thousands of promises; the patriarchs; and finally, Christ according to the flesh (cf. Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 1:1-2).</div> <bR> <div> From the rest of Romans 9:6-12:5 and 15:3-22 (cf. Romans 2:17-29), we learn two major things: (i) the elect faithful remnant of Israel (i.e., the true "children of the promise"), not the nation as a whole, are the inheritors of the promises; and, (2), an elect number of Gentiles are being made partakers of those promises <B>together with</B> the remnant of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ.<B> [13]</B>  </div> <div> In other words, there is only one “household” of faith (Ephesians 2:11-22), and only one "tree" with some of its natural branches together with many wild branches grafted in. </div> <bR> <div> (b) The "Shekinah glory", or presence of God, had left Israel a long time before. The northern ten tribes of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.  For all her idolatries (i.e. spiritual "adulteries"), God had given Israel a "Bill of Divorcement" and sent her away (Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:6-8).  Beginning in 606 B.C., God used Babylon to chastise Judah for seventy years.  It was a terrible time of persecution called "the time of Jacob's trouble" and the "wrath of the LORD" (cf. Jeremiah11:10-12; 25:8-12; 29:10-14; 30:7; 2 Chronicles 36:5-21; Daniel 9:2).<B> [14]</B>  </div> <bR> <div> A faithful remnant returned later under Ezra and Nehemiah. Jesus came from the line of that physical remnant.  As God in the flesh, Jesus once again appeared as the "Shekinah glory" to Israel.  That "glory" left the Temple in Jerusalem once again on Palm Sunday after Jesus chased out the Jewish money-changers. <B>[15]</B></div> <bR> <div> (c) Jesus ratified or "confirmed" a New Covenant by the blood of His cross (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:11-28; 1 Peter 1:18-23; Revelation 1:5; Zechariah 13:1).  The Old Covenant had been nullified and was passing away (cf. Hebrews 8:6-10:22).</div> <bR> <div> The Gentiles had been "strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12)."  But, because of the shed blood of Christ, they have now been reconciled into one body, and are "fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (cf. Acts 11:12-18; Ephesians 2:11-22; Galatians 3:14,26-29; 1 Peter 2:3-10).</div> <bR> <div> (d) Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law on our behalf (cf. Matthew 5:1-21; Romans 3:9-30; 8:1-4; 10:4; I Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:2-18; 5:21; Galatians 3:10-14; Hebrews 4:15, etc.).</div> <bR> <div> (e) Jesus ended the spiritual necessity of animal blood sacrifices by the once-for-all eternal sacrifice of Himself.<B> [16]</B>  God the Father indicated this by tearing the veil in the Temple from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Luke 23:45).  Jesus also became our eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek,<B> [17]</B> and as a consequence, all Christians have become part of a "royal priesthood."<B> [18]</B>  </div> <bR> <div> By using the Roman army, God put an end to the physical sacrifices in 70 A.D. The Levitical priestly functions also ended when the Temple was destroyed.  Anyone who supports the re-instituting of Old Testament sacrifices actually minimizes, or even denigrates the completed work of Christ on the cross.</div> <bR> <div> (f) The last thing Paul mentions in Romans 9:1-5 concerning the purpose of Israel, is the birth of Messiah Jesus from the physical line of the patriarchs. In fact, in Galatians 4:4-5 he says: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoptions of sons” (KJV).  (Compare Matthew 1:1; Hebrews 1:1-4.)</div> <bR> <div> In order to demonstrate He is the promised Messiah, both Matthew 1 and Luke 3 trace Jesus' birth back to Abraham through David; the one line from Mary, the other from Joseph As the Messiah, Jesus was not only born into the world, but also died, rose again, ascended back to heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the Father until He makes all His enemies His "footstool."<B> [19]</B>  In fact, He is now sitting and ruling from David's eternal anti-type throne which is in heaven.<B> [20]</B>  </div> <bR> <div> Hebrews 1:1-3 declared that God spoke to the "fathers" by many ways through the prophets, but now "in these last days " in His Son.  Jesus' kingdom is basically spiritual and moral in nature, not physical and political (cf. John 18:33-37; Romans 14:17).</div> <bR> <div> Redemption has been accomplished, and is being applied to every believer until Jesus returns. Many of the Jews rejected their Messiah.  There will not be another Messiah (cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).  In addition, no Jew today can prove what tribe he is from because the genealogical records were providentially destroyed with the Temple in 70 A.D.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 2. <B>The "Day of Vengeance" of God. </B></div> <bR> <div> (a)  <B>Jesus' Denunciation of the Nation of Israel:</B></div> <bR> <div> Luke 4:14-21 records that Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry and read from Isaiah 61:1-2a.  When He finished reading the phrase, "...To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD", He sat down and said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears". </div> <bR> <div> He stopped short and did not read the next phrase which says, "<B>and the day of vengeance of our God</B>."  When was this to be fulfilled?  I contend it was in 70 A.D., which was in the lifetime of the same generation of those Jews who were instrumental in killing Messiah Jesus.</div> <bR> <div> <B>In fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-6 and 4:1-6, John the Baptist called the nation of Israel to repent in order to flee "the great and dreadful day of the LORD," and the "wrath" which was soon to come upon them</B> (cf. Isaiah 40:3-5; Matthew3:1-12; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:2-22; Acts 13:23-48; 19:4).  John further declared that any "tree" which did not bear good fruit would be "cut down, and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:7-10)."  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Jesus clearly taught that John the Baptist was this prophet "Elijah" who was to come before the Messiah and that terrible time</B> (cf. Matthew 11:1-15; 17:9-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:13,17; 7:18-35; 21:20-24).  The prophecy was fulfilled when John came in "the spirit and power of Elijah" and called Israel to repent.  Changed lives and belief in Jesus as the Messiah are seen as the results of repentance and turning to God (cf. Acts 2:36-39).  Elijah was never meant to come back literally, because it was John who came in his place in order to prepare the way for the Messiah.</div> <bR> <div> Over and over again Jesus warned the Jewish religious leaders about impending judgment against them and the nation of Israel.  Jesus' cursing of the fig tree in Matthew 21:12-20 was a symbol of the end of that nation.  In fact, after telling the parable of the landowner and his tenants, <B>Jesus concluded: "...The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof</B> (Matthew 21:28-45; cf. Matthew 8:11-12; Isaiah 65:1; Hos. 2:23; Romans 9:22-26; 1 Peter 2:4-10)."  </div> <bR> <div> Jesus ends His scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees with the following words: “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, <I>thou</I> that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee... Behold, your house is left unto you desolate . . . There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew23:36-38; 24:2 KJV).</div> <bR> <div> In the parallel passages of Luke 19:41-48 and 21:5-24, Jesus clearly refers to 70 A.D. as "the days of vengeance": “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh . . . For <B>these be the days of vengeance</B>, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. . .” (Luke 21:20-24).</div> <bR> <div> According to Luke 21:31-32, Jesus told the generation to whom He was speaking: "This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."  (Compare with Matthew 3:1-12; 10:23; 23:29-36; 24:15-21,34; Mark 13:30; and Luke 21:20-24; 23:27-28.)</div> <bR> <div> The Old Covenant given by God through Moses concerning the Promised Land had been conditional, and was based upon continual obedience to God (eg. Deut. 28-30).  As a nation, Israel badly failed the test. God had to continually warn her, even after her captivity and restoration. The final warnings came from Jesus and the Apostle Paul.  </div> <bR> <div> Jesus' warnings are mainly found in Matthew, chapters 13, 21-24; Mark 13; Luke 21; and John 8.  In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus foretold of great persecution upon the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  This included "the abomination of desolation" spoken by Daniel the prophet (cf. Daniel 9:26-27; Matthew 24:15-21).  The Jewish Christian believers heeded the warning and fled to the hills and to Petra. </div> <bR> <div> As the capital city goes, so goes the nation.  When Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., the nation also fell.  There is an interesting verse in the midst of Joel 2:28-32 from which the Apostle Peter quotes at Pentecost: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20).</div> <bR> <div> The Dispensationalists say this part of Joel's prophecy is still future because they can see the sun shining when they look out their windows.  When they do this, they disregard both the grammar and the historical context.  The Apostle Peter prefaces his quotation in Acts 2:17-21 by the statement: "But <B>this is that</B> which was spoken by the prophet Joel."  In other words, to Joel these events were to happen sometime in the future (i.e. "afterward," or in the latter days), but to Peter, they had just occurred.</div> <bR> <div> The outpouring of the Spirit had just occurred at Pentecost, whereas the sun had been literally darkened for a period of three hours about 50 days earlier on the day Jesus was crucified (cf. Amos 8:9-14; Matthew 27:45-54; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45).  The Jews to whom Peter was preaching would have experienced that same phenomena.  </div> <bR> <div> Peter did <B>not</B> stop in the middle of his quote to say that part of Joel's prophecy had just been fulfilled, whereas part of it was still future. "That great and terrible day of the Lord" was to happen shortly after the sun had been "turned into darkness."  It actually happened to that generation within 40 years of Peter's sermon. </div> <bR> <div> In a sense, the sun was also spiritually "darkened" over Israel on the day Jesus was crucified.  The work of redemption had been completed (John 17:4; 19:28-30).  The judgment of the world's sins was laid on Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13), and there was no more need for sacrifices (Hebrews 9:8-10:22).  About seven hundred years before the sun had spiritually gone "down over the prophets" in Israel (cf. Micah 3:5-7 with Isaiah 34:2-10 and Ezekiel 32:2-15).</div> <bR> <div> Although the Pharisees could genealogically prove that Abraham was their physical forefather, Jesus declared that their spiritual father was "the devil" (cf. John 8:37-45).</div> <bR> <div> (b)  <B>The Apostle Paul's Denunciation of the Nation of Israel:</B></div> <bR> <div> The Apostle Paul is no less critical of his countrymen.  In Galatians 4:21-31, he likened unfaithful physical Jerusalem in his day to Hagar and Mount Sinai.  It is no longer "the apple of God's eye (Zechariah 2:8)."  The true Jerusalem is the spiritual or heavenly one which is above (cf. Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:8-16; 12:18-24).  In Romans 2:24-29; Philippians 3:2-3, and Colossians 2:11, he says it is the Christians who are the true Jews because they are the circumcised "of the heart", not of the flesh (cf. Deuteronomy 10:15-17; 30:6; Jeremiah 9:26b).  </div> <bR> <div> In fact, in Philippians 3:2, he calls those fellow Jews who persecuted Christians and had a wrong attitude toward God: "dogs", "evil workers", and those of "the false circumcision" (cf. Titus 1:9-14).  And of those unbelieving Jews who persecuted Christians, Paul further states: “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: <B>for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost</B>” (1 Thessalonian 2:14-16).</div> <bR> <div> (c)  The Apostle John's Denunciation of the Nation of Israel: The book of Revelation is no less critical of the Jews who took pride in the flesh. In Revelation 2:9, St. John states: “...and I <I>know</I> the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (cf. Revelation 3:9; John 8:44).</div> <bR> <div> Finally, according to Revelation 11:8, the city of Jerusalem where our Lord was crucified, is spiritually "called Sodom and Egypt" (cf. Jeremiah 23:14; Matthew 23:35-38; Hebrews 13:11-16).  God's holy city is now the heavenly Jerusalem of which Christians are citizens.<B> [21]</B></div> <bR> <div> As the Creator, only God has the prerogative to execute vengeance (cf. Romans 3:5-6; 12:19).  Providentially speaking, YHWH is still working throughout history.  In 586 B.C., He even used the wicked Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and punish disobedient Judah.  He did it again in 70 A.D. by using the Romans to destroy Jerusalem, the Temple, and Israel as a nation. </div> <bR> <div> This event was the result of the wrath of God, and it is called a period of "great tribulation" (Matthew24:21).  It is described by Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46; 23:1-24:35; Mark 13:1-31; and Luke 19:41-48; 21:5-33.  As we have shown, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul also warned the Israelites of impending doom.  Further explanation and details of this terrible historical event are described by the following:</div> <bR> <div> (1) Barnes, Albert. <B><U>Barnes' Notes on the New Testament</U></B>. One Volume, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, Reprint 1962, pp.111-117, 247-249.</div> <bR> <div> (2) Bray, John L. <B><U>Matthew 24 Fulfilled</U></B>. Lakeland, FL: John L. Bray Ministry, Inc., P.O. Box 90129, 1996.</div> <bR> <div> (3) Clarke, Adam. <B><U>Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible</U></B>. One Volume, Abridged by Ralph Earle, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967, pp.816-820, 886-887.</div> <bR> <div> (4) Josephus, Flavius. <B><U>Josephus</U></B><B><U>. Complete Works</U></B> in one volume, Translated by William Whiston, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, Reprint 1960, "The Wars of the Jews", Books II to VII, pp.481-605.</div> <bR> <div> (5) LaRondelle, Hans K. <B><U>The Israel of God in Prophecy</U></B>. Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 1983, pp.160-206.</div> <bR> <div> (6) Mauro, Philip. <B><U>The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation</U></B>. Revised Edition. Sterling, VA: Grace Abounding Ministries, Inc., 1988.</div> <bR> <div> (7) Woodrow, Ralph. <B><U>Great Prophecies of the Bible</U></B>. Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, 1971, "Part Two: Matthew Twenty-Four", pp.52-100, 124-142.</div> <bR> <div> (8) Woodrow, Ralph. <B><U>His Truth Is Marching On</U></B>. Advanced Studies on Prophecy in the Light of History. Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Assoc., 1977, pp.47-53, 60-65.</div> <bR> <div> (9) Chilton, David.  <B><U>The Great Tribulation</U></B>.  Tyler, TX: Dominion Press, 1987.</div> <bR> <div> The Bible teaches all mankind "have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)."  Theologically speaking, all our sins were laid on Christ at the cross (cf. John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13).  By implication, all mankind are responsible for Christ's death.  The offer of grace from God is still open to anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, who repents of his sins and trusts Christ as his personal Savior.  God Who is Holy and Just cannot allow sin to go unpunished.  If one does not submit before God in this life, he certainly will do so in the next (cf. Romans 14:10-12; Philippians 2:10-11; Hebrews 9:26-28; Revelation 20:11-15).</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Conclusion</U></B></div> <bR> <div> With the evidence given in this paper, I believe I have demonstrated that the New Testament writers clearly taught the end of physical Israel as a nation, not her restoration.  There is no need to go back to a literal temple with its sacrifices because it was only a shadow or type of the better things that have come through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4; 8:1-10:25).  </div> <bR> <div> Most of Israel, perhaps two-thirds (cf. Zechariah 13:7-9), not only rejected the grace of God, but their leaders had killed some of God's prophets (Matthew 23:29-38), and they were instrumental in killing God's only begotten Son, Who was also their Messiah.<B> [22]</B>  The purposes for national Israel ended “when the fullness of time came (Galatians 4:4-5)” with the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the conversion of Cornelius’ household (Acts 10).  </div> <bR> <div> God's judgment finally came upon that nation in 70 A.D., forever ending her special status or privilege before God.  Christians who continue to promote the resurgence of physical Israel as a special nation before God, in effect, promote racism, lessen the importance of the Church, and also denigrate the completed work of Christ.</div> <bR> <div> Nevertheless, the true "Israel of God" are those blood-bought adopted children of God who have been "circumcised of heart" by the Holy Spirit.  The ultimate "sons of Abraham" are those of faith, not natural birth (Romans 4:1-25; Galatians 3:5-9; 4:4-7).  Time does not permit me to elaborate on the positive elements of the Gospel in which <B>both</B> believing Jews and Gentiles partake of the blessings of Abraham through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Acts 11:13-18; Galatians 3; Ephesians 1:1-3:12; 1 Peter 2:3-10, etc.).<B> [23]</B>  With the above understanding, I believe the New Testament teaches a positive "fulfillment theology," not a negative kind of "replacement theology" as some critics falsely call it.</div> <bR> <div> The destruction of Jerusalem and ending of Israel as a nation in 70 AD was the historical event spoken in the Bible as “the days of vengeance,” and “the great and terrible day of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 61:2; Daniel 9:26-27; Malachi 4:5; Matthew 3:7-10; 21:33-45; 23:29-24:35; Mark 13:1-31; Luke 21:5-36; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).”  Jesus said this event would come upon the generation to whom He was speaking.  </div> <bR> <div> He also told those people to pray so that they would have strength to escape all those things that were about to take place (Luke 21:36).  In short, God's special purposes for Israel as a nation have ended.  Far from teaching a resurgence of national Israel, the New Testament instead teaches the opposite, her demise.  The Messiah has come.  His name is Jesus.  Salvation is now available to all mankind through Him (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Endnotes</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>[1]</B>  There are three other passages that are often mistaken for a future fulfillment, but I address them elsewhere:</div> <div> (a) Luke 1:30-33 and the Throne of David.  Refer to my paper entitled "The Fullness Of Israel", section VIII entitled, "Is Anybody Sitting on the Throne?"  Revised March, 1996.</div> <div> (b) Acts 3:17-26 and the "times of refreshing."  Refer to my paper entitled "The Last Days," December 1996.</div> <div> (c) Acts 15:6-21.  Refer to my paper entitled "The Tabernacle of David," May 1996.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[2]</B>  Compare Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalm 118:22-26; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 13:35; John 8:23-32; Acts 3:16-26; Romans 10:8-13; Hebrews 9:27-28; 1 Peter 1:8-9; 1 John 4:2.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[3]</B>  Hans K. LaRondelle, <B><U>The Israel of God in Prophecy, Principles of Prophetic Interpretation</U></B>, Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 1983, pp. 160-164. Compare pages 170-185.  (Cf. Isaiah 45:22-23; Matthew 21:43-45; Romans 14:7-12; Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 1:7.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>[4]</B>  Compare: Matthew 25:31-46; Philippians 2:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5; 2 Peter 3:7; Revelation 22:12.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[5]</B>  Refer to the writer's paper entitled, "Implications of Dispensationalism", Delta, B.C., April, 1997.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[6]</B>  Refer also to <B><U>The Bible and the Future</U></B>, by Anthony A. Hoekema, William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 1979, pp.139-147.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[7]</B>  Cf. Romans 2:24-28; Philippians 3:2-3; Colossians 2:11; 3:11; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; 9:23-26.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[8]</B>  Compare Acts 10:34-48; 11:13-18; Romans 9:24-10:20; 11:11-32; 15:9-13; Ephesians 2:11-22; Galatians 3:8,14; Gen. 12:3; Isaiah 60:3; 65:1; Hosea 1:10; 2:23.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[9]</B>  See also Psalms 14:7; Isaiah 27:9; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zechariah 13:1; Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Acts 5:30-32; 10:34-43; 13:16,23,32-43; Colossians 1:12-14; Hebrews 8:6-13; 10:16.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[10]</B>  Cf. Romans 10:12-13; Acts 2:21,36-41; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:2-4.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[11]</B>  Albert Barnes, <B><U>Barnes' Notes on the New Testament</U></B>, One Volume, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Mich., Reprint 1962, pp.1110-1117.  Refer also to: <B><U>The Two Babylons</U></B>, by Revelation Alexander Hislop, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., 1916, 1959.<B>  </B><B><U>Great Prophecies of the Bible</U></B>, by Ralph Woodrow, "Part Four: The Antichrist", Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Assoc., Riverside, CA., 1971, pp.148-200.  <B><U>Babylon Mystery Religion</U></B>, by Ralph Woodrow, 1966, 1978. <B><U>POPERY, the Foe of the Church, and of the Republic</U></B>, by Joseph S. Van Dyke, Peoples Publ. Co., Penn. 1871.  <B><U>Antichrist: An Exposition</U></B>, by Ian R.K. Paisley, Martyrs Memorial Productions, Belfast.  <B><U>A Woman Rides the Beast, The Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days</U></B>, by Dave Hunt, Harvest House Publishers, 1994.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[12]</B>  Cf. Jeremiah 31:33; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:15-20; 15:46; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 6:16; 1 Peter 2:5.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[13]</B>  Compare Matthew 21:43-45; Ephesians 2:8-3:12; Galatians 3:1-29; Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 11:10-12; 55:5; 65:1; Hosea 1:10; 2:23.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[14]</B>  Refer to <B><U>Great Prophecies of the Bible</U></B>, by Ralph Woodrow, "Jacob's Trouble - Future or Fulfilled?", pages143-147.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[15]</B>  Cf. Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:15-19; Ezekiel 43:1-9; 44:1-3; Zechariah 9:9-10.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[16]</B>  Cf. Lev. 17:11; Isaiah 53:1-12; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:23-26; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:9-17; Hebrews 7:20-28; 9:1-10:22; 13:20.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[17]</B>  Compare Zechariah 6:9-15; Hebrews 4:14-5:10; 6:20-8:13.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[18]</B>  Compare Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 61:6; Malachi1:11; 1 Corinthians 5:8; Romans 12:1; Hebrews 4:16; 13:15-16; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[19]</B>  Compare Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; 28:18-20; Luke 1:68-69; 2:7-35; John 1:14; Acts 2:22-40; 1 Corinthians 15:16-28; Philippians 2:5-11.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[20]</B>  Cf. 2 Samuel 7:13,16; Psalm 2:1-12; 11:4; 110:1-6; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:24-36; Hebrews 1:1-13.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[21]</B>  Cf. Galatians 4:26; Ephesians 2:6; Phil. 3:20 (NASB); Col. 3:1-4; Hebrews 11:16; 12:18-24; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 3:12; 21:1-27.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[22]</B> Cf. Matthew 27:25; Luke 24:20; Acts 2:22-23,36; 3:12-18; 4:10; 5:27-32; 7:51-54; 10:38-40; 13:26-30; I Thess. 2:14-16.</div> <bR> <div> <B>[23]</B>  Refer to the writer's larger paper entitled, "The Fullness Of Israel", Delta, B.C., Revised March, 1996.  Refer also to, <B><U>Israel Today: Fulfillment of Prophecy?</U></B>, by Louis A. DeCaro, Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1979; and,<B> </B><B><U>The Once and Future Israel</U></B>, by R.B. Yerby, Swengel, PA.: Reiner Publications, 1978.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Bibliography</U></B></div> <bR> <div> Barnes, Albert. <B><U>Barnes' Notes on the New Testament</U></B>. One Volume. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, Reprint 1962.)</div> <bR> <div> Bray, John L. <B><U>Matthew 24 Fulfilled</U></B>.  (Lakeland, FL: John L. Bray Ministry, Inc., P.O. Box 90129, 1996.)</div> <bR> <div> Chilton, David. <B><U>The Days of Vengeance. An Exposition of the Book of Revelation</U></B>. (Tyler TX: Dominion Press, 1987.)</div> <bR> <div> Chilton, David. <B><U>The Great Tribulation</U></B>. (Tyler, TX: Dominion Press, 1987.)</div> <bR> <div> Clarke, Adam. <B><U>Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible</U></B>. One Volume, Abridged by Ralph </div> <div> Earle. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967.)</div> <bR> <div> DeCaro, Louis A. <B><U>Israel Today: Fulfillment of Prophecy?</U></B>  (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1979.)</div> <bR> <div> Hoekema, Anthony A. <B><U>The Bible and the Future</U></B>. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1979.)</div> <bR> <div> Josephus, Flavius. <B><U>Josephus. Complete Works</U></B> in one volume, Translated by William Whiston. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, Reprint 1960, "The Wars of the Jews", Books II to VII.)</div> <bR> <div> Kimball, William R. <B><U>What The Bible Says About The Great Tribulation</U></B>. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.)</div> <bR> <div> Koestler, Arthur.  <B><U>The Thirteenth Tribe</U></B><U>.</U> (Cavaye Place, London SW109PG: Pan Books Ltd., 1977.)</div> <bR> <div> LaRondelle, Hans K. <B><U>The Israel of God in Prophecy</U></B>.  (Berrien Springs, Mich: Andrews </div> <div> University Press, 1983.)</div> <bR> <div> Mauro, Philip. <B><U>The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation</U></B>.  (Sterling, VA: Grace Abounding Ministries, Inc., Revised Edition, 1988.)</div> <bR> <div> Webb, Gerry W. "The Fullness of Israel," an essay.  (Delta, B.C., revised March 1996.)</div> <bR> <div> Webb, Gerry W. “Date-Suggesting and Grant R. Jeffrey,” an essay. (Delta, B.C., April 1996.)</div> <bR> <div> Woodrow, Ralph. <B><U>Great Prophecies of the Bible</U></B>. (Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, 1971, "Part Two: Matthew Twenty-Four".)</div> <bR> <div> Woodrow, Ralph. <B><U>His Truth Is Marching On</U></B><B>.</B> Advanced Studies on Prophecy in the Light of History. (Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, 1977.)</div> <bR> <div> Yerby, R. B. <B><U>The Once and Future Israel</U></B>.  (Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1978.)</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>