Do The Jews Figure In Bible Prophecy?
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CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call, here is this week’s question: Dear Dave and Tom, Do you feel that the Jew has a place in future events of Bible prophecy with or without having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Tom:
Dave, this seems to concern some people, especially those who really are replacement theologians, or go for that view that certainly God can’t be involved with Israel because they are there in unbelief. They haven’t come to Christ, they don’t believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and they are in control there. So, people wonder about that. How can God possible work with these people? They don’t know Him, and love Him, and are committed to Him, and so on, which we know they are not, Dave, we’ve spent some time there.
Dave:
Well, in general they are not, there are many who are.
Tom:
Okay, right.
Dave:
However, how righteous is America? You see, they have always been this way from the very beginning. We talked about Jacob, he didn’t do away with the idols when Esau is coming to meet him, he said, Hide them, so we can get them again! They had idols all through the wilderness. They worshipped the serpent of brass, they worshipped a golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai after promising God—they heard Him speak with an audible voice, and they said, oh yes, we will obey! No, Jesus said, Which of the prophets haven’t your fathers killed? Well, it’s not because of their worthiness, but we have to distinguish between an individual Jew, or Jews as individuals, and the nation Israel. The nation Israel, there are promises that God would bring them back into their land.
Tom:
Were they conditional?
Dave:
No. We have Jeremiah 23:7, for example, where God, speaking through Jeremiah says: Blessed is the Lord who brought His people out of the land of Egypt. That’s going to be old news, but blessed is the Lord who brought back His people from all the nations to which He had scattered them. So, we have a promise that God would bring these people back. They are under His judgment, no doubt about it, the Holocaust, hated, persecuted, killed, this is what God said through His prophets, but they are under His protection. For example, if you went to Jeremiah 30, verses 10 and 11, this prophet speaking says, well, God is speaking through the prophet: “Though I make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered you: yet will I not make a full end of you: I will punish you. I won’t leave you altogether unpunished, but I am not going to wipe you out.” So, there will be a remnant that will be saved, and the believing Jews—of course, you have to be a believer in Jesus to be in this land during the millennium, but Israel doesn’t have to turn to God in mass right now for God to proceed on this route of full restoration. So, if you went to Psalm 83, where it says: “They will say, we will bring an end to Israel so the name will not even be remembered anymore.” Well, that certainly is happening. But then, Psalm 124, the Psalmist says, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, they would have swallowed us up quick.” Six hundred thousand Israeli farmers, living on kibbutz and they were surrounded by 80 million Arabs, Muslims, determined to destroy them, 60 thousand, poorly trained, had hardly any weapons—they didn’t have tanks and planes which their enemies had—they wipe out the regular armies, trained regular armies with tanks and planes of 5 Muslim nations, aided by other Muslim nations! Tom, it doesn’t make sense. So, if it hadn’t been the Lord was on our side, they would have wiped us out. Well, why would the Lord be on their side? Because He has promised this and He is moving these people to final repentance, Zechariah 13 says, two-thirds of all will be killed. Jeremiah 30:7 says: It calls this time the time of Jacob’s trouble. Jews have not faced anything yet far worse than the Holocaust, but eventually God is going to break their hard hearts. And this evil generation that Jesus said will not pass until all is fulfilled, they will have passed off the scene, and those who are left: Zechariah 12:10, “They will look on me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn.” So, this is where we are going, but can a Jew get to heaven without believing in Christ? No, how can they be blessed?
Tom:
How can God deal with them if they don’t really believe in Him, because they are God’s elect, and it has to do with His purpose and His plan.
Dave:
Well, a lot of them believe in Him. I know a lot of Jews, they believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they don’t believe in Jesus. And there are many who do believe in Jesus. Two dear friends of mine founded the Israeli Christian Officers Group in the military over there. But those who are willing to turn to their Messiah when they see Him, they will be saved. All Israel will be saved, that’s all Israel left alive. The others, they have gone, God’s judgment is upon them, tragically.
Tom:
But prophecy, Dave, that’s God’s deal. That means He’s sovereign, He’s going to work these things out to His glory and to, I believe, the benefit of all who come to Him.
Dave:
And those who are not willing, they are not going to be in heaven, they will be in hell, brutal statement, but these are facts, judgment must fall.