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@ LibertyGal
2025-06-01 04:04:10Many people today believe that the church has replaced Israel and that the promises given to Israel now apply to the church. When we say this, we are calling God a liar.
Can you imagine a groom promising to love and cherish his wife until death do they part and then saying, “I’m keeping my promise by loving and cherishing a new and different wife.”? We would never consider that man to be honest, faithful, and good. If God promised to protect and guide Israel, to have a descendant of David on the throne, and to give them the land, we can only trust Him if He fulfills these promises.
When we say the church has replaced Israel, we make two mistakes. We raise up the church beyond what is right and we put down Israel. We need to be careful because God promised Abraham:
“And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
and He reiterated this promise to Israel during the Exodus:
“He couches, he lies down as a lion,\ And as a lion, who dares rouse him?\ Blessed is everyone who blesses you [Israel],\ And cursed is everyone who curses you [Israel].” (Numbers 24:9) {clarification mine}
When we curse Israel or the Jews, we will be under God’s curse. Now this does not mean that every criticism of a particular action by Israel’s leaders brings a curse. Today’s nation of Israel is led by fallible men like every other nation, so there are mistakes made or corruption by particular leaders. It does, however, mean that generalizations against Israel and the Jews are wrong and of Satan.
Paul specifically warned the church against thinking they had replaced Israel in God’s blessing and love.
If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,\ He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”\ “This is My covenant with them,\ When I take away their sins.” *From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers*; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable**. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. (Romans 11:16-32) {emphasis mine}
Paul warns that although the Jews were pruned away due to rejection of Him and gentiles were grafted into Him by faith, if we reject God’s word, we can be pruned away and if the Jews return to Jesus, they can be grafted back in. He predicts that the Jews will return. “…that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved.” He also says regarding Israel that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Yes, Israel rejected Jesus and was punished for doing so, but they will be called back to God and trust in their Messiah, Jesus. In the end, all the promises of God to Abraham, Jacob, David, and others regarding Israel, will be brought to complete fulfillment.
Both the Old and New Testaments talk about Israel being punished for rejecting God and their Messiah, but that, after the time of the Gentiles, they will be called back to Him.
and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)
After Daniel had been in prayer and repentance for the sins of Israel, the angel Gabriel came with this prophecy about Israel.
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:24-26)
In this prophecy, the prediction of 69 weeks (literally sevens, but meaning groups of 7 years) from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (by Artaxerxes) to the Messiah was fulfilled to the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday.
I always thought it strange that the prophecy predicted 70 sevens and that there was the first 69 sevens (483 years), then \~2,000 years where nothing happens, and then comes the final seven — the Great Tribulation. It didn’t make sense until I realized, the 70 sevens referred to the years of Israel. The time of the gentiles intervenes between the 69th and 70th sevens. This delay happened due to Israel rejecting their Messiah.
When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)
We are now in the time of the Gentiles, the church age, the intermission in the story of Israel. After the church is raptured, the story will return to Israel. The Jews (at least many of them) will finally accept their Messiah. They will suffer through the Tribulation while witnessing to the world and then God will finally fully fulfill His promises to Israel through the Millennial kingdom.
Alas! for that day is great,\ There is none like it;\ And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,\ But he will be saved from it.
‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,\ ‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;\ For behold, I will save you from afar\ And your offspring from the land of their captivity.\ And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,\ And no one will make him afraid.\ For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;\ For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you,\ Only I will not destroy you completely.\ But I will chasten you justly\ And will by no means leave you unpunished.’ \ (Jeremiah 30:7-11) {emphasis mine}
Jacob’s distress is the final Tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses will be saved through the whole Tribulation. Others may become saved and die a martyrs death, but they will then be brought into the millennial kingdom where the Messiah will fill the throne of David and Israel will reach from the River to the Sea.
The Jews have already been saved “from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity” with the recreation of Israel in 1947 and the continual return of Jews to their homeland.
God is working to fulfill His promises to Israel and His work is nearly complete.
“O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the Lord, “For I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, Yet I will not make a full end of you; But I will correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished.” (Jeremiah 46:28)
God promises a “full end of all the nations where I have driven you.” Those nations and people who try to destroy Israel will be destroyed. As Christians we should love what God loves, and despite Israel’s repeated betrayals, God still loves Israel, so we should, too.
May the God of heaven give us a right view of Israel. May we see them as God sees them. May God use us to share the Gospel in such a way as to lead to a harvest of Jews for the Kingdom of God. To God be the glory!
Trust Jesus