Is the Land of Israel Still a Special Place to God? Part 2

[Scripture More Accurately]

The land from Eden has had a special role throughout history of this earth.

Yet, it is that believers are not subjects of this world, but are children of the God of all creation.

So, what then does the land still have that is important?

It is part of the yet unfulfilled prophetic statements in which the Jews who will be redeemed of every tribe will see fulfilled.

From Augustine (for he turned from teaching the truth concerning the last days) there have been schemes conjured up to replace the direct teaching of the physical return promised in Scriptures and taught by the early centuries of the church.

I would rather trust that the prophetic statements that were so reliable considering the messiah over 2000 years ago, did not diminish in veracity merely because a few days have passed.

The same trickery of the Eden used by the enemy of God, used in the time of testing of the Savior, is certainly being seen in evidence as folks turn from the truths of the Scriptures and have the audacity to pronounce them as allegorical and already fulfilled.

God has given us glorious promises about how He is going to exalt the nation of Israel over all the other nations of the world in the Millennium! It is a disturbing reality that so many believers have accepted faulty teaching that says that there is no future for Israel as a nation.

 

[agedman]

God has given us glorious promises about how He is going to exalt the nation of Israel over all the other nations of the world in the Millennium! It is a disturbing reality that so many believers have accepted faulty teaching that says that there is no future for Israel as a nation.

I am not certain that I totally agree.

"They shall look upon Him who they pierced and mourn..." is certainly going to happen.

That He expressly rules from Jerusalem (which is a sea port in the Millennium) is certain.

However, I do not see the glorification of the Israeli nation, rather Israel the redeem of every land called saints by John. Certainly, the saints are glorified, and at the end for a season, the enemy again is loosed, gathers, and surrounds the city of the saints, but that doesn't glorify the land either. All Israel will be saved may mean all the ones grafted in to the group of believing of OT and NT times, and not the nation Israel as a whole. For of all the nation, there are only 12000 of each tribe that faithfully preach and teach the gospel, how many of the Israeli's are redeemed, we are not given to know, and the same applies to the Gentiles that believe.

I suppose, the best that can be said, is that the land is special to fulfilling the purposes of God and bringing all to a conclusion. To that end, God made certain prophecies concerning the land and people that are yet to be fulfilled.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

I am not certain that I totally agree.

"They shall look upon Him who they pierced and mourn..." is certainly going to happen.

That He expressly rules from Jerusalem (which is a sea port in the Millennium) is certain.

However, I do not see the glorification of the Israeli nation, rather Israel the redeem of every land called saints by John. Certainly, the saints are glorified, and at the end for a season, the enemy again is loosed, gathers, and surrounds the city of the saints, but that doesn't glorify the land either. All Israel will be saved may mean all the ones grafted in to the group of believing of OT and NT times, and not the nation Israel as a whole. For of all the nation, there are only 12000 of each tribe that faithfully preach and teach the gospel, how many of the Israeli's are redeemed, we are not given to know, and the same applies to the Gentiles that believe.

I suppose, the best that can be said, is that the land is special to fulfilling the purposes of God and bringing all to a conclusion. To that end, God made certain prophecies concerning the land and people that are yet to be fulfilled.

We will have to disagree. There are several passages that specify that it will be the nation and its land that will be specially blessed by God.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

God has given us glorious promises about how He is going to exalt the nation of Israel over all the other nations of the world in the Millennium! It is a disturbing reality that so many believers have accepted faulty teaching that says that there is no future for Israel as a nation.

I don't really understand why you should find it 'disturbing.' So long as someone believes that Christ is coming again in glory, I don't fall out with anyone over eschatology. I only think that's it's worthy of discussion on a discussion forum.

I believe that there are several texts which suggest that Israel and the Gentiles will ultimately be treated the same by God, and indeed be joined together; first, negatively:
Jeremiah 9:25-26. '"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "that I will punish all who are uncircumcised with the uncircumcised - Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and al the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart."'
Then positively:
Genesis 12:3. '.....And in you [Abram] all the families of the world shall be blessed.' This verse should be taken with Galatians 3:7. 'Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.' (c.f. also verse 28).
John 10:16. "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."
Acts 15:16 (quoting Amos 9). '"After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name," says the Lord who does all these things.' Christ is the true Tabernacle of David; He is the one greater than the Temple (Matthew 12:6).
Romans 2:28-29. 'for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.'
Ephesians 2:11-22. 'therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh - who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands - that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and Gentile] one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, this making peace, and that He might reconcile them both in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off [Gentiles] and to those who were near [Jews]. For through Him we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit to the Father...........'
Philippians 3:3. 'For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.'

There are doubtless others, but these are some that come to mind.

 

[agedman]

We will have to disagree. There are several passages that specify that it will be the nation and its land that will be specially blessed by God.

I do agree with this for Amos 9 declares it, also.

What I tripped over was the word “exalt.”

Perhaps a word with similar intent as how we are expressing is “restore.”

It is not just the Jews by heritage that reside in that land, but all who are called by His name, the saints.

7When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.9And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heavena and consumed them.

​

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Looking forward to the New Jerusalem is certainly biblical and a glorious hope, but longing for the worldwide vindication that Christ will receive in the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium and for all the other glories that will be ours in that period is also preeminently biblical.

It seems to me that the Lord Jesus received vindication from the Father at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:17); more publicly at His resurrection (Romans 1:4 ); universally at His Second Coming (2 Thessalonians 1:10), and eternally in the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 5:9-10 etc.). It doesn't seem to me that belief in a millennial reign in an earthly Jerusalem is necessary for Him to achieve that.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

It seems to me that the Lord Jesus received vindication from the Father at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:17); more publicly at His resurrection (Romans 1:4 ); universally at His Second Coming (2 Thessalonians 1:10), and eternally in the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 5:9-10 etc.). It doesn't seem to me that belief in a millennial reign in an earthly Jerusalem is necessary for Him to achieve that.

The religious leaders of that nation publicly denied that He was their king; they said that they had no king but Caesar:

John 19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

God the Father is not going to allow that to stand as the final word about His Son from the leaders of that nation. He was born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2), and He will someday be acknowledged specifically by the leaders of that nation as their King.