Van, This may be somewhat off topic, but have you ever noticed that there is nothing new under the sun? The dealings with Israel, both with Moses and Jesus is the exact same. Both were attempting to get Israel to the promised land. Both came up short at the first attempt because of unbelief. Then God assigned 40 years in both cases during which time he waited for a new generation because he cursed the generation that initially refused entrance. You could call this an unpardonable sin for those two generations if you wanted to find a term that would describe them. The important thing is that after the 40 years of probationary wandering, they did enter into their rest under Moses.
I am not saying the following is true, and I am just musing, but consider that the real test of entering into rest as a people and as the nation of Israel was in Acts 7, where the rulers officially rejected the gift of the Holy Ghost, which was 7 years after God had sent him in Acts 2? The dispersion, and death of the nation, occurred in 70 AD, which was 33 years later, the length of time that Jesus was on the earth before his crucifixion. This would mean that 7 years are left on the Moses model if indeed Moses is the physical type for the spiritual fulfillment. This just happens to be the number of years that Daniel says are allotted for the tribulation of the nation when God will purge all unbelievers out with intense fire and leave this nation as silver refined 7 times, the number of judgements he has allocated to the anti-christ in the Revelation, which covers a period of 7 years , to do the job, the last 3 1/2 years being full of darkness and extreme pain.
Well, of course for any of this to even be a possibility, the nation of Israel would have to be in existence while it is happening and we know from history that there indeed was a dispersion in 70 AD and the citizens of this nation were driven from their land into all the nations of the world and have been persecuted in those nations since then and others have occupied their land. They would have to be brought back into their land and become a nation again for this to happen. If being separated from their land was a national death would not it require being brought back to the land and would that not be a national resurrection. If that were to happen then one would have to take Ez 36 and 37 more serious. Would, or could, a resurrection of Israel be within the pervue of the providence of God.
Wait, they are a nation now, after nearly two millennia of being buried in the graveyard of the nations. They are not a saved nation but they became a nation in 1948. It is a fact. I am reminded of a prophecy in Romans 11 about this. Look.
Speaking of Israel as a people, i.e. the people of God,in the context, as opposed to gentiles, Paul continues,
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Life from the dead? That is a resurrection in any ones book. This has to mean that God wants us to think of casting away as being a death. One cannot have a resurrection if he does not have a death. Of course death means separation and that it all it means.
Well, I am still musing but it looks as if Israel has become a nation again and is awaiting that last 7 years to begin in the time table of prophecy when God will finish what he started with Israel.
Casting away = separation = death.
Life from the dead = resurrection = reconciliation
The subject = Israel as a people, a nation.
Moses - Israel in the wilderness for 40 years, then rest.
Jesus - Israel in the wilderness for 33 years so far + 7 = 40, then rest.
The epistle to the Hebrews tells us that God would have finished these 7 years beginning in 70 AD if Israel would have continued into their rest and would not have fallen back.
What do you think so far about my musing?
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