Many Christian theologians wrongly believe today that God has cast off Israel, that the Church has been chosen by Him and will inherit all the unkept promises and unfulfilled prophecies made to His Chosen People. If they are correct, they face an embarrassing problem—to explain away God’s failure with His “firstborn son”, as the Bible calls Israel. A careful examination of the promises and prophecies about Israel in the Bible, together with an unshakable faith in the power of Almighty God, added to modern secular history combine to prove that the apostle Paul was correct in writing that God has not cast away Israel in Romans 11. Events of history, past and future, will gloriously confirm that nothing is too difficult for God. God has not finished with Israel. In fact, He has only begun. The crucifixion of Jesus in 32 A.D. ended the first of three stages of His dealings with them. We have been in stage two since then; God is using His Church to draw out a remnant of Gentiles to His Kingdom; physical Israel has morphed into spiritual Israel which contains Jews and non-Jews. Stage three, after Christ’s Second Coming, will see the new Israel fulfill every promise made by God.
In 70 A.D. Rome left physical Israel homeless, almost extinct, and scattered throughout the world. In 2011 A.D. they have a small fraction of their Promised Land, clinging precariously to existence surrounded by enemies. The future of physical Israel, indeed, is grim, but their final destiny is glorious. Christ will pour out grace on physical Israel, and many will accept Him. As God promised in Exodus 19, spiritual Israel will be a holy nation of priests for Jesus Christ to the world, and they will occupy the whole land that God promised, from the Nile River to the Euphrates River.
The serious Bible student will gain new insights by a careful study of the following scriptures, for they contain prophecies, some already partially fulfilled, revealed by God that show how wayward Israel will become the people He planned for them to be.
1. God promises that Israelites will never disappear from the earth: JEREMIAH 30:10-11
2. By allowing Canaanites to remain in conquered Canaan against His will,, God destroyed the nation Israel in 70 A.D. and scattered the homeless survivors to other nations: NUMBERS 33:50-56
3. God promises nation Israel will reject the Messiah when He comes: ISRAEL 6:9-10
4. God reveals His everlasting covenant of salvation by grace through faith: JEREMIAH 31:31-34
5. God promises a remnant of nation Israel will receive salvation: JEREMIAH 31:7-9
6. God promises nation Israel will be restored to the land, given grace, and accept Jesus: EZEKIEL 36:24-36
7. God promises to call out a remnant of Gentiles for salvation: Hosea 1:2-11
8. God promises that Israel will furnish evangelists for Jesus Christ during the great tribulation: REVELATION 7:1-8
9. God promises to remove nation Israel’s spiritual dullness after the Second Coming: ZECHARIAH 12:10-13
10. God promises Israel will send Christian evangelists to the whole world during the millenial reign of Christ: ZECHARIAH 14:8
11. God promises worldwide revival during the millenial reign of Christ: ZECHARIAH 14:16
12. God promises that His Church will draw out a people from among Gentiles from the time of the crucifixion of Christ (32 A.D,) until His Second Coming (unknown date beyond 2011 A.D.): ACTS 15:14 combined with Romans 11
13. God reveals the last war on earth will occur after Satan us freed from captivity (Revelation 20:3): EZEKIEL 38
Dr. William J. B. Crittenden
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