The Restoration of Israel (Part One)

Perspectives from the Poetic and Prophetic Books of the Old Testament (Part One)

Khen Lim




Jerusalem in Early 20th Century (Image source: en.wikipedia.org)

Introduction

The New York Daily News on July 17 2015 reported a case of a Tennessean father being charged for assault but there is a twist. Unhappy that a relative of his had “solicited his two young children” and escape jail time with just three years of supervised probation, he waited for his opportunity to “kick his butt” but only after more humiliation by the alleged sex offender who winked and smiled at him on the street the day after he discovered he could walk away a free man.

The father told the local newspaper, “I did it for my daughters. Would I go to jail for my daughters? You’re…right I would. It’s not right. This guy abused my daughters, and he gets probation?” (Golgowski 2015)

We can empathise with the father and it would be hard for fathers among us to not at least consider doing what he did if we were in his situation. We might not do it but the thought of it would be validated. After all, these are innocent children and we love them. 

With this as a backdrop, now consider the more-than-2,000 years of history where Israel continues to be taunted by its enemies. Israel had weathered horror and humiliation in its past, endured much tragedies like the Holocaust and continue to be hated for simply being Israel. How long more does one wait for God to act to save His children? If the father of two could be so proactive, we imagine that God can too but why take so long to restore His people? Or more importantly, has it actually happened and we aren’t aware of it?

In this paper discussing the fulfilling of prophecies in the restoration of Israel, we must first establish the basis on which the discussion will proceed. To do that, we will briefly consider the different methods of biblical interpretation of which there are broadly three namely, Postmillennial, Amillennial and Premillennial. All of them determine the sequence of events concerning the second coming of Christ relative to the Tribulation and then the millennial period. Postmillennialists subscribe to the second coming of Christ after the Millennial has begun. Amillennialists accepts the second coming of Christ but believes that the Millennium is non-existent or largely symbolic. Premillennialists believes Christ will come for the second time before the Millennium begins.

Illustration 1: Pre-Tribulational (Dispensational) Premillennialism

We not only subscribe to the Premillennialist’ interpretation but specifically, the Dispensationalism model where we hold that the seven-year Tribulation period precedes the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the millennial kingdom. In support of this interpretation, we hold the following positions:

-         We believe that the millennium is a literal period of 1,000 years and not a figurative assertion.

-         We believe in the specific distinction between Israel and the Church and that the latter does not replace the former in God’s plans, which means that the Old Testament promises are never meant to – and will never – be transferred to the Church.

-         We recognise the seven dispensational periods in which there exists a stewardship arrangement between God and man where through man, God sovereignly administers the affairs of His household and man is given stewardship responsibilities (see Illustration 2).

-         We accept that all the seven dispensations are not human-centric but revolve around God in which the ultimate focus is His glory be done on earth.

Illustration 2: The Seven Dispensations

-         We subscribe to the literal interpretation of Scripture particularly when it comes to biblical prophecies so that the meaning of every word has common everyday usage.

-         We take the view that in interpreting Scripture literally, we are able to see prophecies fulfilled such as the case with Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection, all of which have been accurately foretold in the Old Testament.

-         We believe that the millennial period will be when God reverts to the Old Testament covenants and fulfil them for ethnic Israel but only after the modern ‘Church Age’ is over (Rom 9-11).

-         Hence we assert that the millennial period will be one in which the Jews will have dominion over the whole world alongside a restored Jewish Temple and priesthood, meaning they will take physical ownership of the world and they will live, marry but still die albeit enjoying very long and rewarding lives.

-         Christians will reign spiritually with Christ and be given eternal and glorified bodies.

-         Following the millennial period, Christ will once and for all wipe out the final rebellion and replace it with an eternal state with its New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21-22).

Illustration 3: Dispensational Premillennialism at a Glance

Of the seven dispensations, the Grace period (sixth) represents where we are currently at. Also called ‘The Age of the Church,’ this period occurs between the 69th and the 70th week according to Daniel 9:24, beginning with the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 28) and ending with the Rapture of the church (1 Thess 4:13-18). This period will affect the whole world and includes both Jews and Gentiles. Our duty and obligation here is to have faith in Christ (Jn 3:18) while the Holy Spirit dwells within all believers as our Comforter (Jn 14:16-26).

To date, this ‘Age of the Church’ has lasted more than 2,000 years and we don’t know when exactly it will end. We do, however, know that when it ends, Rapture of all born-again believers will come; this is when God will remove all His people from the world. This means all living believers along with those who have died will now meet up with Christ in the air. From thereon, we will be together with Him for all eternity (1 Thess 4:13-18). To understanding that more succinctly, consider Paul’s comforting assurance in 1 Thess 5:9: “For God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The issue of Rapture is not without controversies but by subscribing to the Pre-Tribulational Dispensationalism understanding, we don’t just accept that it will occur before the tribulation but in Daniel 9:27, we also know that there is a seventieth “seven” (seven years) that we are still waiting for. Here, Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy sevens (Dan 9:20-27) talks about the restoration of Israel. This is a period in which God will focus intently on His people. However this may or may not preclude the Church but a possibly better question might be whether the Church actually needs to be on the earth by then.

Following the Rapture, Tribulation begins and with that comes seven years in which God’s judgement will prevail. The Book of Revelation reveals much in detail about this dark period where God would pour out His wrath upon the world. The Dispensationalism Premillennialism interpretation fits in very well, helping us to understand that Christ will deliver us first before the wrath begins, (Rev 3:10) which resonates with Paul’s earlier words. All of these including the meaning of 1 Thess 5:9 and how we view Rev 3:10 lend well to the Pre-Tribulation position of all dispensationalists (Archer Jr. 1996).

In the final dispensation called the Millennium,¹ Christ Himself will rule on earth for 1,000 years. This is the time when Jews will finally see prophecy fulfilled where Christ will return and rule as King and High Priest. This Millennial Kingdom will only accept membership comprising born-again believers and the surviving remnants left behind post-Tribulation. In other words, those who are unsaved and unbelieving have no privilege to enter and be part of the kingdom. During this time, Satan is also bound.

Final Judgement² is when all the ungodly and unbelievers will ultimately be destroyed (Rev 20:11-14). The old world as we know it will be enflamed and burn to its destruction. Revelation 21-22 tells us that the New Heaven and New Earth will commence following the end of the world.

Background behind the broken Israel

Bible readers know that the restoration of Israel is well documented throughout the poetic and prophetic books of the Old Testament. In abundance, we find God’s healing of the land where He will restore His covenant people just as Hosea found and restored the lost Gomer (Hos 11-14). In that sense, a broken Israel will now be returned as a single Elect with all twelve tribes intact and with a royal priesthood secured in a holy nation (1 Pet 2:9).

Israel’s traumatic history underpins God’s plan for a full and grand restoration in the time that is to come. This history has been constantly punctuated by acts of disobedience and defiance but it is its idolatrousness that proved too much for God to tolerate. The beginning of its destruction began right after the reigns of David and Solomon (c.922BC) when Rehoboam took the kingship to govern from the south, in Judah (1 Kgs 14:21). By then the glory of Israel had long departed. Its military strength had been sapped and financially, the nation was depleted. More devastatingly, paganism via Solomon’s hundreds of wives had pierced the spiritual fabric of the nation at large. Israel’s spiritual integrity had now been compromised.

In serious economic decline, Rehoboam instituted tough reforms in the form of punitive taxes and greater servitude exacting them on the northern kingdom, which found this hard to cope with. Jeroboam took the matter to represent the northern kingdom and hoped for some compromise to lighten the burden of his people. Without the wisdom of the elders, Rehoboam relied on a younger council and rebuffed Jeroboam’s overtures thus signalling the beginning of the end of a once-mighty Israel (1 Kgs 12:9).

The failure to reconcile spelled the end of Israel’s unity. The split divided the nation into two disparate kingdoms. Up north, Israel, had 10 tribes.³ Down south, Judah had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin.⁴ The covenantal relationship was broken and considerably weakened. Both kingdoms laid exposed and vulnerable to external threats, the first of which came in 722BC when the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom and bundled the 10 tribes away, never to fully return. About 140 years later, roughly around 586BC, the southern kingdom was wrestled by the Babylonians but in 528BC following the edict of Cyrus, the Israelites were able to return to rebuild the temple.

22 years later⁵ under the reign of Zerubbabel, the returning Judah finally completed the rebuilding of the temple. In 457BC, they rediscovered the Torah, prompting a revival that began under the prophet Ezra who himself successfully led their post-exilic return from Medo-Persia. Twelve years later, under the prophet Nehemiah, the gates securing access to Jerusalem were erected and its protective surrounding walls were finally in place and thus the sovereignty of this Holy City could now be safeguarded. Finally the self-ruling city-state was back on its feet.

While the southern kingdom was reprieved, the ten tribes from the north were not. For them, they were cut off from God. As a result, they took no part in the rebuilding of the national kingdom in which their southern brothers were largely responsible for. Assyria had successfully scattered and mingled them with the heathen nations.⁶ Their visibility was all but gone from view but their enmity with the Judah had not only lasting effects but could be the founding pillars of anti-Semitism.

Background behind the prophecy of all humanity

When discussing the restoration of Israel, we don’t just consider how the nation and its people had come this far to require God to rescue and reinstate them. We also believe in a far bigger picture where the Old Testament prophecies must be examined in view of God’s purposes for the whole of humanity and indeed, the whole earth. This is what we believe to be the total perspective in which the roots begin with Genesis 1-11.

The first book of Scripture sets the tone for the rest of the Bible. Here, we define the agenda that takes the shape of a triangular relationship – God, humanity and the earth – upon which lies the entire biblical fabric. Then the Genesis 11 story takes a hard turn to the left with the Tower of Babel. However rather than just focusing on Nimrod reaching God on his own terms, there is a bigger picture as to how the people were disobeying Him by preferring to stay rooted in one place rather than be a “blessing for all nations,” which He declared via His covenant with Abraham (Gen 18:18-19). This was why God deliberately ruined their plans and instead, caused linguistic chaos that made the people gibberish before dividing and scattering them across the face of the earth.

Illustration 4: The Triangulation of Relationships Showing the Bigger Humanity and Smaller Israel Models

When it comes to God’s later covenant with Abraham, we see the same triangulation at work except this time, it is God, Israel and the land on a relatively smaller scale. Yet we see the same quest – God’s election of Israel and the promise of land are to be set in the context of how He plans to bring salvation to humanity and the recreation of all the earth; certainly not ends in themselves but most assuredly, means to a greater end as we can see from the above illustration.

God’s dedication to restore Israel must therefore be viewed as a subset of His commitment to save humanity. And because of the pre-existing bigger picture that God is also working on, the eschatological perspective of the Old Testament must not be examined only from the confined aspect of what it means to Israel and its people but instead it must also include the far larger sphere of Gentiles worldwide.

Zech 2:11 says, “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people.” The part that says ‘many nations’ is the extension of humanity from beyond the Jews to include Gentiles. This is not something that the Early Church Fathers developed in order to propagate and justify the inclusiveness of the Gentiles but instead it is a testimony to the hardwiring of the ‘genetic code’ of Israel from the beginning. Support of this view in the New Testament are given by John the Baptist (Lk 3:8), Paul (Rom 2:28, 9:6-33) and also Jesus Himself (Jn 8:33-44).

Endnotes

1 Also called the Reign of Christ

2 Also called the ‘Final Rebellion’

3 Ostensibly the northern stronghold has different identifying names beyond Kingdom of Israel such as Samaria or Ephraim or just the Northern Kingdom.

4 More commonly referred to as Kingdom of Judah.

5 Approximately 516BC

Bibliography

Archer Jr., Gleason L. Three Views on the Rapture - Pre-, Mid- or Post-Tribulation. Edited by Stanley N Gundry. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996.

Golgowski, Nina. “Tenn. Dad Facing Criminal Charges after Beating up Man Who Solicited Girls, Aged 4 and 7.” New York Daily News. July 17, 2015. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/tenn-dad-arrested-beating-man-solicited-girls-article-1.2296160 (accessed September 15, 2015).

(Part 2 continued next week)