We need to take a look at scripture in its original form to determine if Israel still holds some kind of special favor with God.
Genesis 17:7 NIV
I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Many pastors today take this to mean that this promise is to last for all time, or ‘forever’ as they say. I’d like to destroy this error in just a few lines.
The word of interest here is “everlasting”. Lets see what the Hebrew word is and how it is defined. Possibly there is a better English word that might more effectively communicate the correct idea. Understand this same Hebrew word is used in many places throughout the old testament.
“Olam”, or “Owlam” is the word shown in the Hebrew bible. Olam is defined in Strong’s Concordance (#5769) as “long duration, antiquity, futurity”. In Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldea Lexicon coded to Strongs #5769, we see it defined as “what is hidden, specially hidden time, long; the beginning or end of which is either uncertain or else not defined.”
Does ‘forever’ seem like the perfect match in English to these definitions to you? As you can see here in both cases the words ‘everlasting’ and ‘forever’ aren’t exactly a perfect match. The idea here in the Hebrew seems to indicate that the covenant would last an unknown amount of time. In English, the word ‘forever’ means that something lasts until time ends or it has no end, but the idea in Hebrew here could very well mean something far far less than that. It could mean a day, a year or scores of years, centuries even.
So What?
To state it plainly. If this is true then, and you believe that Jesus brought the old covenant to an end, you must also conclude that the promises afforded to the Jews where completed by the close of the old testament especially in the light of scripture which so obviously says so:
1 Kings 8:56 – “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. ”
Conclusion
Therefore, there are no prophetic verses the world is waiting on to happen that stem from the old testament. All old testament prophecy is done. The Jews are no longer the chosen people, true Christians are. The land of Israel is of no consequence and the Jewish religious system, as it existed in old testament times, is gone. The Jewish religious system was destroyed by 70 AD when the second temple was destroyed.
This is referred to as "Replacement Theology". It is false.
There is plenty of Old Testament prophecy still coming since it talked about both suffering and conquering messiahs. Jesus suffered at his First Coming and will conquer at His Second Coming.
As Paul explained to Christians in Romans 11, The Jews have experienced a "temporary and partial hardening of their hearts" which will continue until "the fullness of the gentiles has come in." Then God will resume with the 70th week described in Daniel 9 which will be focused on the Jews as "His holy people". And thereby "all Israel will be saved".
Take a look at Ezekiel 48, for example: It describes the allocation of land when Israel is reconstituted under Jesus their Messiah. This was written a couple hundred years after all of Israel (except Judah, Benjamin, and Levi) had been conquered by the Assyrians and dispersed across the world. These are the Lost Tribes of Israel and they have not yet been found nor do they currently even know who they are, so they have not yet been returned to Israel (only the Jews, so far). Thus, a very important prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.
Note that this allocation is different than the one Joshua implemented when they first received the Holy Land. It is still coming. Note the square in the middle of the map. This is where Jesus Himself will rule... in the near future.
Israel and Judah have not been "one stick" together since they broke into two kingdoms when Solomon died back around 900 BC. The reuniting of all 12 tribes of Israel into "one stick" in the Lord's hand has yet to happen.
Stay tuned!
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This is called Dispensation theology. It is full of error, guess work and magical theological ideas that lead to the misleading of others. It is a newer theological idea that was never apart of the early church and it has separated pastors from true theology for many years. There's no biblical basis (or a need) for a church gap of unknown years. Christ died in AD 33, and returned in AD 70 to put an end to the jewish old testament religious system and to destroy the temple. He reigns now over heaven and earth. This is full Preterism. The book of Matthew (24) even says that they would be alive when he returned.
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I agree with you mysteemlife.
People read the bible backwards these days, they already reestablished Israel (land), they try to rebuild the temple and reestablish the Law. Essentially crucifying Christ Jesus all over again...
Dispensationalism (EX:Zionism) is the biggest Obumanation since the Holocaust and the sixteenth amendment to the US Constitution before it.
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38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ reigns... NO FOMO!!! NO FUD!!!
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