2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
• Introduction to Prophecy
• Israel: A focal point in End-Times prophecy
• The LORD will Never abandon Israel
• Unconditional Covenants
• A New Covenant: The Church is grafted in
• Key Differences
End-Times prophecy is a fascinating and exciting subject, because as watchmen {and watchwomen alike} we are eager for the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Bible is a book of prophecy
The LORD is outside our dimensionality of time and He authenticates His Word by declaring the end from the beginning, which is something man cannot do. And He reveals His plans to believers.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Jesus alone fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies and the chances of one man fulfilling merely 48 of these prophecies would be the same as 10 to the power of 157 {The number "1" followed by 157 zero's}. This is proof way beyond mathematical comprehension that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Now there are exactly 7,000 years of human history outlined in the Bible, starting from an estimated Creation date of 4003 BC. We know what has happened in the past because the Bible tells us. And we know what is coming.. because the Bible tells us. But in order to fully understand bible prophecy, we MUST understand that there are two groups of people in the bible that are led to salvation - They are the nation of Israel {God's chosen people} and the church {body of believers}, and God has a plan for each of them.
Israel was always set as an example to prove to the world that the Lord God is revealed through this chosen nation. If Israel was obedient to the Lord, then they would receive supernatural blessings and protection for the world to notice. If they chose to disobey, then they would go through hardships and the world would see that God withdraws His protection from them. God also said He would bless those who bless Israel, and curse those that are against Her.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The fact remains that after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, Israel ceased to be a nation. Yet they exist today just as prophesied (The nation of Israel was officially born May 14, 1948). This is undeniable proof in and of itself that prophecy has been fulfilled during our very generation! Not only has their entire origin and history been recorded, their whole future is laid out for us in great detail making the nation of Israel a focal point in End-Times prophecy.
When prophecy is fulfilled, one simply has to acknowledge that the bible is true and is indeed the word of God.
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure..
See also Isaiah 42:9, 48:2-8; 1 John 3:20
The nation of Israel has been temporarily cast off. A partial hardening has come upon them because they rejected their Messiah and this will continue "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". This simply means that there is a waiting period until a divinely set number of Gentiles are saved before God redeems Israel.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
See also Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25-27; Colossians 1:26-27; Revelation 21:9
Israel's rejection of Jesus was a huge blessing for the Gentiles, however the restoration of Israel will be even more so because "all Israel shall be saved."
Romans 11:11 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.
Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob..
See also Ezekiel 37:21-23; Daniel 12:1; Acts 5:31; Romans 11:26-32
God will show mercy on Israel even though they were unfaithful to Him. Jeremiah 3:6-23, Ezekiel 39:25-29; Zechariah 10:6
God is a husband to Israel (See Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32) and will remain faithful to her for His holy names sake. Isaiah 48:8-11; Ezekiel 20:33-44, 36:16-25, 39:25-26
The LORD will NEVER abandon Israel. He would sooner change His laws that govern night and day, earth and sky before rejecting His people:
Jeremiah 33:24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. 25 Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; 26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.
See also Isaiah 45:17; Jeremiah 31:35-37
Israel will be restored. There remain four 'Unconditional Covenants' God made with Israel which must still be fulfilled. These can best be described as agreements made by God that require no effort on their part {His oath is final for confirmation}. This means God will uphold His end of the deal and will keep His promises.
Hebrews 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
These covenants will ultimately be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.
1. The Abrahamic covenant: Abraham was given a promise that his descendants would one day become a great nation and eventually possess a promised land. Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-21, 17:1-14; Acts 3:25
2. The Land covenant: There would one day be a regathering of Jews from all corners of the world and they will return to take re-possession of their land. Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Jeremiah 32:37; Ezekiel 36:22-28
3. The Davidic covenant: Promised a place of their own to dwell in forever, namely: An eternal house, eternal throne, eternal kingdom and an eternal Messiah. Jesus must still be seated on the future throne of David to rule over the Kingdom of Israel. 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Psalms 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Mark 10:47
4. The Everlasting covenant: One day God will put His law in the minds of Israel and will write it on their hearts. They will be His people, and He will be their God. This includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing and a peaceful existence in the promised land. The covenant will see its ultimate fulfilment during the Messianic Kingdom and in Heaven for all eternity. Jeremiah 32:36-44; Hebrews 8:10-13
See also Deuteronomy 4:29-31; Jeremiah 30:1-9; Ezekiel 20:33-44, 36:24-25; Joel 3:17-21; Zechariah 12:10; Luke 13:34-35
The gentiles are brought into the blessing of a New covenant as they now have the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift, by grace through faith. They will be given a new heart and a new spirit {the Holy Spirit will indwell them}.
This is good news because now we are no longer under the curse of the law! Jesus fulfilled the law completely by removing the need for daily sacrifices through His own perfect sacrifice on the cross (See Galatians 3:10-29).
Jesus is the mediator of the New covenant which DOES NOT do away with any of the 'unconditional covenants' (The promises given to Israel will remain). Rather, it establishes a better covenant with better promises..
Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
See also Jeremiah 31:31-40; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Acts 10:34-48; Romans 11:25-27; Ephesians 2:8-22, 3:1-13; Hebrews 9:15, 10:16-18, 12:24, 13:20
Saved Gentiles are "Grafted In" and we as believers have become One in Christ. Those who believe the Gospel of Salvation {both Jew and Gentile} (1 Corinthians 12:13) will be adopted into the family of Israel to be fellow heirs in God's Kingdom (Israel is described as an Olive tree, whereas the Church is compared to a wild olive tree branch that has been "graffed" in)..
Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye 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: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
See also Zechariah 4:11-14; Romans 11:11-24; Ephesians 1:6-7, 2:8-22, 3:1-13; Galatians 3:29; Revelation 11:4
Jesus is the "head" of the church (Ephesians 5:23). The church as an organization represents the visible "body" of Christ to their local community, however the church as a body is a unique organism. John 14:16-17; Acts 2:1-4, 15:13-18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 1:17-23, 5:21-23; Colossians 1:18
The church is the Bride of Christ. Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:6-10, 21:9, 22:16-17
A brief comparison between Israel and the church.
| Israel {the Jewish nation} | The Church {body of believers} |
| God's chosen people | Adopted into the family of Israel |
| Born at Exodus | Born at Pentecost |
| Led by Moses | Founded by the Lord Jesus Christ |
| Signs and Material prosperity | Faith and Spiritual blessings |
| Salvation by Faith + Works of the law/OT Sacrifices (as a temporary means to atone for sin) | Salvation by grace through faith alone (not of works) |
| Earthly citizenship | Heavenly citizenship |
| God deals with the Jews physically | God deals with Believers spiritually |
