McDowell County
Most modern Christians are convinced that Messiah’s mission included nullifying all the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants and replacing Israel with something heretics call the “gentile church.” Even a casual reading of Scripture makes it clear that this is impossible.
In Genesis 12:2–3, God says to Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great…. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Isaiah foretells Israel’s crucial role in breaking sin’s stranglehold on those whom God loves. The prophet says that Messiah will take Israel by the hand and lead her into full compliance with the covenant made with Abraham (42:5–9). Every nation will glorify God as the One who leads out of captivity. Rather than abandonment, Israel is the focus of God’s plan of redemption. No force in the universe is capable of thwarting His intention.
Israel’s role did not—as so many believe—end with the birth or death of Messiah. One of the most important passages in Scripture is Matthew 15:21–28. A Canaanite woman begs Jesus to heal her daughter. He deflects and insists that He was sent “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She goes on to express profound faith in both His Lordship and His power to heal. At that point, Jesus commends her faith and heals her daughter. In so doing, He confirms one of the foundational tenets of God’s plan: faith in Messiah causes one to be “grafted into” Israel.
Israel is referenced metaphorically as God’s “cultivated” olive tree. Romans 11:11–31 says in part: “And you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree.” Believers who have been “grafted in” should never be arrogant toward the native branches of Israel. Gentiles who follow Messiah in faithful obedience are nourished by the roots which God has spent millennia cultivating. Despite outlandish claims to the contrary, Paul never teaches that God abandoned Israel.
Amos 3:7 says, “The Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” Not once does He say that Israel will be cast aside. Moses wrote that Abraham’s family will be used to lead Gentiles into truth. Isaiah assures us that God will complete what He has promised. Ezekiel gives us a detailed preview of what that fulfillment will entail.
Many believers know little about the Book of Ezekiel beyond mysterious, airborne wheels and a valley of dry bones. Ezekiel says much about God’s long-time work to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham. The prophet also provides a thrilling preview of life in the Millennial Kingdom. Chapters 40 through 48 provide vivid details of the final establishment of Israel in the Land of Promise.
Ezekiel was held captive in Babylon after Jerusalem’s fall in 597 BC. Chapter 40 begins a vision that he received during the 25th year of that captivity. He was transported to a place called “the city” and told to “declare to the house of Israel” what he saw. For nine chapters, he reveals God’s plans for the Millennial Kingdom.
He describes the New Temple in expansive detail: its surrounding wall, its side rooms, its outer court, its gates. Burnt offerings will be made in this Temple. Officiating priests will be of the family of Zadok. God’s glory will fill this Temple, and “He will dwell in the midst of His people Israel forever.”
The purpose of this elaborate vision is to make Israel “ashamed of their iniquities.” God’s intent is to cause Israel to “observe all (of the Temple’s) laws and all its statutes and carry them out.” This glorious vision is meant to inspire God’s people to be obedient to His instructions for living. Every believer should know this vision intimately. It describes a marvelous river that will flow from the Temple. Its banks will be lined with trees that bear year-round. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. This river will produce an abundance of fish, and where it enters the sea, salt water will become fresh.
The last portion of this vision details the expansion of the Land of Promise and its division among the twelve tribes. Gentiles who dwell among Israel will be treated as native sons and given inheritance as part of the tribe in whose territory they dwell. The Holy City will have four walls with three gates in each wall. Each gate is for the use of one of the twelve tribes. God’s promised city—where Christ will reign—has no Gentile gate.
Even though this vision meshes perfectly with the Book of Revelation, many Christians insist that Ezekiel’s prophecy is mere allegory because it conflicts with some manmade doctrine they follow. These doctrines are often based on failure to understand what it means for Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Without intimate knowledge of the books of Exodus and Leviticus, it is impossible to understand the Temple sacrifices. It is also impossible to understand the necessity of ritual purity so that Holy God can dwell among unholy people. Obviously, we will still need ritual purity during the Millennium so that Holy God can dwell among us.
God reveals all His plans through prophecy. Not one prophet claims that Israel will be abandoned or replaced. The Apostolic writings make it clear that faith in Messiah and acceptance of His Lordship result in being grafted into Israel. Throughout Scripture we learn that the House of Israel and the House of Judah will be recalled from exile and firmly established in the Land of Promise.
But still, most Christians are convinced that Messiah dropped all of God’s plans and promises and started a new religion. On the Day of Judgment, many will cite their “churchliness.” Unfortunately, Jesus’ response to that claim will be, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
My new book, Ancient Pathway: You Must Be Holy for I am Holy, explores God’s insistence that we live in holy obedience. Available on Amazon.
__________________________________________________
Jim & Beverly Huskins are members of Obedient Heart Fellowship in McDowell County. Beginning July 2, 2022 Obedient Heart Fellowship will meet at 10:00 Each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. Call 828-460-7913 for info.
You can read more good Christian news from Jim HERE.
__________________________________________________