A study on acceptable time periods and the importance of prayer  (Part 3)

 

~ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! ³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ³⁹For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, “Blessed [is] He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”” Matthew 23:37-39

This is the separation struggle. From the lips of Christ, the very heart of God is pouring itself out. It is the mysterious farewell of the long-suffering love of the Deity. Israel as a nation had divorced itself from God. For many who heard Christ’s words that day, new thoughts were awakened; a new history began.

But before we plunge further into “acceptable time periods,” there is a question that must be answered. …‘Did Israel as a nation really divorce itself from God?’ What is the significance of answering this question? Does it really matter? As we continue to study, we will clearly see that NOT understanding this point will set us up for SERIOUS deception. And at this time in earth’s history we cannot afford to be deceived.

Many believe (millions of Christians and Jews alike) that Israel will be restored once again, the physical temple will be rebuilt, and that a new age will be ushered in. The Jews call it “The Messianic Age.” There will be no more war and suffering, among other things. Of course, the Jews don’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but that the Messiah has not come yet. When he does come, he will be a political leader—not a Savior; that he will be human—not God or some demi-god, and he will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of ALL world government (both for Jews and Gentiles). * Although some views vary between the Jews and many Christians, when it comes to the restoration of literal Israel and its final victory, they all base their beliefs on prophecies found specifically in Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. But—Is the Israel of the Old Testament the same as the Israel of the book of Revelation? Is literal Israel today still considered God’s “chosen nation,” and therefore destined for greatness? Let’s take a look.

~ “And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. ⁸And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. ⁹And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. ¹⁰Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee. ¹¹And shalt say unto them, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; “Even so will I break this people and this city, as [one] breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again:…””” Jeremiah19:7-11

The point of time which this prophecy refers to, CANNOT be the siege and destruction of Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, as many believe, because:

1. In that siege there was not that “straitness” that is described by Jeremiah. Although there was a famine (“all the bread in the city was spent”) and there was great distress; yet they were not so driven by hunger as to eat human flesh, much less the flesh of their own children!
2. The same prophet (Jeremiah) had told those same people that their captivity by Nebuchadnezzar would only last 70 years (read Jeremiah 25:8-11; 29:10-14; 33:10-11, also vs. 5-9), and then they would be gathered again and the city would be rebuilt.

These facts show emphatically that the prophecy of Jeremiah, given by the symbol of the potter’s vessel and the breaking of the vessel, does not refer to the destruction of the city and the 70 year captivity of the people by Nebuchadnezzar. However, the prophecy DOES apply to the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the people by the Romans under Titus in 70 AD:

1. Because AT THAT TIME the siege and “straitness” was so desperate that the frantic people DID actually eat their own children! Read the terrible story, in literal fulfillment of Jer. 18:9, in Josephus, “Wars of the Jews,” book 5, chap. 10; and book 6, chap. 3. (Josephus was a Roman-Jewish scholar and historian who went through the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and lived to tell the tale).
2. This was also foretold by Moses (be sure to read the impacting and detailed prophecy in Deut. 28:47-57). Moses said that this siege would be by “a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand” (vs. 49), which absolutely fixes it to the Romans; for the Jews never had any difficulty in understanding the Babylonians, (Aramaic was the international language of the ancient Near East and is closely related to the Hebrew), while the Latin of the Romans was altogether a strange tongue.

So it has to be that the time Jeremiah is referring to, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the people, was in 70 AD by the Romans. The “potter’s broken earthen vessel” also gives us extra clues.

What happens to a potter’s earthen vessel when it is broken? “Even so will I break this people and this city, as [one] breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again:…”

It cannot be made whole again! If it was a glass bottle or a brass bottle, and it was broken, it could be made whole again by melting and molding it again. But when clay has been baked, nothing can ever be made of it again, even if it is reduced again to dust. An earthen bottle, once it is broken, literally “can not be made whole again.” So, just as an earthen vessel, when broken, “can not be made whole again,” even so the nation of the Jews—since the time they were “broken” by the Romans, “cannot be made whole again.” God has proclaimed it, therefore it must be true—even if it doesn’t seem true. (Once again, we are looking at a nation, not individuals).

Some may ask – ‘What about all of God’s promises to Israel; promises of restoration and victory? Where do all these fit in with Jeremiah’s broken vessel scenario?’

A careful study of the bible reveals that God’s promises are conditional. In other words, the promises of God are dependent on the choices of the people. Both blessing and curse were set before them, depending on obedience or disobedience.

~ “And if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, [and] wilt keep My statutes and My judgments: ⁵Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, “There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.”  ⁶[But] if ye shall at all turn from following Me, ye or your children, and will not keep My commandments [and] My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: ⁷Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:”  1 Kings 4-7

 Another passage that emphasizes this same thought is Deuteronomy chapter 28 (read it carefully). And in Jeremiah we find clearly stated:

~ “[At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; ⁸If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. ⁹And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; ¹⁰If it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.” Jeremiah 18:7-10

That is the fixed principle on which His blessings and threatenings depend. And this is true—not only of nations, but of individuals as well! Speaking to Eli, the Lord said:

~ “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, “I said indeed [that] thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before Me for ever”: but now the LORD saith, “Be it far from Me; for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.””  1 Samuel 2:30

God’s “chosen” will continue to enjoy His favor only on condition of continued obedience.

There is no mystery as to why the hundreds of specific Old Testament promises were never fulfilled to Israel. They utterly failed to meet the conditions of obedience. Otherwise, they would have inherited the earth, been delivered from all their enemies, and Jerusalem would have become the worship center for all nations!

So, WHO IS THE ISRAEL OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION THEN? Will God’s promises fail just because the literal descendants of Abraham were unfaithful? No. The New Testament is saturated with passages revealing who the new Israel is!

~ “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: ¹⁰Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9,10

 Peter here is talking about those who before “were not a people,” but “are now the people of God,” and here we see the “new nation” that replaces the old nation. Those who accept the Messiah (Jesus) become His “holy nation” and will receive the promises made to Abraham!

~ “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

~ “…For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: ⁷Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. ⁸That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”  Romans 9:6-8

 ~ “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.”  Romans 2:28,29

 True Israel will be characterized by circumcision of the heart, which is…

 ~ “… putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”  Colossians 2:11

 In other words, all who ACCEPT CHRIST and are BORN AGAIN are the truly circumcised—and the only true Jews!

We do not have the time or space to go through all the passages that speak on this particular point, but we can see that there was no failure on God’s part at all—the promises were simply transferred to the true spiritual Israel, which is made up of true believers in Christ everywhere. But some may ask: “what about Ezekiel’s temple that was never built?”

Ezekiel portrays a magnificent temple that would be built. Even other prophets (like Amos) elude to this building (read Amos 9:11). Many today apply this promise to a future construction of a physical temple. Once again, the New Testament gives us answers even explaining how the prophecy of Amos is fulfilled spiritually!

~ “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. ¹⁵And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, ^{16 “}After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:”” Acts15:14-16  

Notice how the Old Testament temple prophecies are applied to the living church! The physical temple has now become the spiritual temple of the church, made up of Gentiles and all true believers. No one should now be looking for any restored, literal temple to be built on this old, sinful earth. The body of Christ’s church is now the temple.

~ “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”  1 Corinthians 3:16

And we are the lively stones of that spiritual house!

~ “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5

As long as we have our eyes fixed on a false reality, we will suffer SERIOUS deception.

We cannot ignore Jesus’ prophetic words concerning literal Israel.

~ “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”  Matthew 21:43

~ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! ³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ³⁹For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, “Blessed [is] He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”” Matthew 23:37-39    

~ “Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. ⁴³For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, ⁴⁴And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” Luke 19:42-44

 ~ “…because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ²¹For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest He also spare not thee.” Romans 11:20,21 

Israel as a nation had divorced herself from God. The natural branches of the olive tree were broken off because of unbelief; and although we stand by faith, nevertheless, we need to “fear” lest we fall in unbelief and cut ourselves off as well.

~ “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…” Daniel 9:24

God had allotted a probationary time of “70 weeks” for the Jewish people to see what they would do about the Messiah. …To us also is allotted a probationary time…“To everything there is a season;”  a time that is given for us to understand and know and be saved. Let us not pass it by.

~ In our next study – “acceptable time periods.”

*Judaism 101 – For an easy read and glimpse into the Jewish mindset: http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm