THE REJECTION OF JESUS AS PART OF GOD’S GREATER PLAN
“Did they (Israel) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to Gentiles…But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Rom 11:11-12)
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." 27 "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'" (Rom 11:25-27)
Although there are understandable reasons for the rejection of Jesus by the broader Jewish nation, scripture acknowledges the hand of providence in working out the plan of God. According to Paul, it was necessary for the Jewish nation to stumble so that riches might come to the rest of the world. This stumbling was caused by the hardness of men’s hearts, which God permitted as part of his greater plan, (Rom 11:25). We are living in the days of the Gentiles, but a time is coming when the physical nation of Israel will take on a more prominent role in the world after “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” (Luke 21:24). The branches representing the nation were broken off (Rom 11:17), but this does not preclude the certainty that these branches will be grafted back into the original root “if they do not persist in unbelief” and “how much greater riches will their fullness bring!”
There are some prophesies that remain unfulfilled and cannot be fulfilled apart from the physical nation of Israel, which Ezekiel prophesized to return (Ezek 38-39). Among them are the four unfilled prophecies cited by Maimonides. Jesus will…
• Build the Temple,
• Gather the Exiles,
• Restore the kingship of David by Reigning on the throne of David in Israel, and
• Send forth the word of the LORD from Israel (Restore the commandments of the Torah).
Moses foreshadowed the coming of Jesus and told the people, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers,” (Deut 18:15). As a pattern of the two appearing of Jesus, Moses twice descended off Mount Sinai. The first time he came and delivered the Torah to a rebellious people who were in the mist of making a golden calf. The second time he descended with a new copy of the commandments, a set of instructions on how to build the tabernacle after a pattern he had seen of the heavenly reality, and a reminder from the LORD to “observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you” (Ex 31:14).
Build the Temple: In scripture the Messiah is referred to as “a righteous Branch sprout(ing) from David's line” (Jer 33:15), “a Branch (that) will bear fruit” (Isa 11:1), and “a shoot…from the stump of Jesse“ (Isa 11:1).. The prophecy, "He will be called a Nazarene" (Matt 2:23), is not literally in scripture, but derives from the Hebrew root word for shoot, “natzer.” According to Zechariah, the Messiah, as the Branch, will construct the temple.
“Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'” (Zech 6:12-13)
The temple Jesus will build is the temple described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-44. This temple is implied by the future celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14:16) and the keeping of the law which will go forth from Zion, (Isa 2:3).
“Did they (Israel) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to Gentiles…But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Rom 11:11-12)
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." 27 "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'" (Rom 11:25-27)
Although there are understandable reasons for the rejection of Jesus by the broader Jewish nation, scripture acknowledges the hand of providence in working out the plan of God. According to Paul, it was necessary for the Jewish nation to stumble so that riches might come to the rest of the world. This stumbling was caused by the hardness of men’s hearts, which God permitted as part of his greater plan, (Rom 11:25). We are living in the days of the Gentiles, but a time is coming when the physical nation of Israel will take on a more prominent role in the world after “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” (Luke 21:24). The branches representing the nation were broken off (Rom 11:17), but this does not preclude the certainty that these branches will be grafted back into the original root “if they do not persist in unbelief” and “how much greater riches will their fullness bring!”
There are some prophesies that remain unfulfilled and cannot be fulfilled apart from the physical nation of Israel, which Ezekiel prophesized to return (Ezek 38-39). Among them are the four unfilled prophecies cited by Maimonides. Jesus will…
• Build the Temple,
• Gather the Exiles,
• Restore the kingship of David by Reigning on the throne of David in Israel, and
• Send forth the word of the LORD from Israel (Restore the commandments of the Torah).
Moses foreshadowed the coming of Jesus and told the people, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers,” (Deut 18:15). As a pattern of the two appearing of Jesus, Moses twice descended off Mount Sinai. The first time he came and delivered the Torah to a rebellious people who were in the mist of making a golden calf. The second time he descended with a new copy of the commandments, a set of instructions on how to build the tabernacle after a pattern he had seen of the heavenly reality, and a reminder from the LORD to “observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you” (Ex 31:14).
Build the Temple: In scripture the Messiah is referred to as “a righteous Branch sprout(ing) from David's line” (Jer 33:15), “a Branch (that) will bear fruit” (Isa 11:1), and “a shoot…from the stump of Jesse“ (Isa 11:1).. The prophecy, "He will be called a Nazarene" (Matt 2:23), is not literally in scripture, but derives from the Hebrew root word for shoot, “natzer.” According to Zechariah, the Messiah, as the Branch, will construct the temple.
“Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'” (Zech 6:12-13)
The temple Jesus will build is the temple described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-44. This temple is implied by the future celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14:16) and the keeping of the law which will go forth from Zion, (Isa 2:3).
The statement of Jesus, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19), was of special interest to those who heard because it was seen as a declaration that Jesus was the Messiah, (Matt 26:61). Many believers read the words of John as prohibiting a temple anytime in the future “because the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple,” (Rev 21:22). However, in this passage John is speaking of the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21:1), referred to in scripture as “the world to come,” (Heb 2:5). This world will appear after the 1000 year reign of Jesus on the earth.
Gather the Exiles: Shortly before his death, Moses spoke these words to the people of Israel.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. (Deut 30:1-5)
The gathering of the people back to the land of Israel is one of the great expectations of the Jewish people as reflected in the daily Amidah prayer, “Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the ensign to gather our exiles, and gather us from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, O Lord, who gathers the dispersed of his people Israel.” The gathering is also one of the great expectations of scripture.
'Thus says the Lord GOD, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 'They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'" (Ezek 28:25-26, 11:17, 20:23, 36:24)
'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (Jer 29:14)
The concept of gathering is expressed in scripture as a shepherd gathers his lambs.
“For thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.’ As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep…I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land,’” (Ezek 34:11-13)
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. (Isa 40:11).
The gathering of the people into the land of Israel remains an everlasting promise from God to the nation, a promise Jesus alluded to when he said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling,” (Matt 23:37). Scripture tells us of a future time when Jesus will “send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven,” (Mark 13:27). As a result of this gathering, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God,” (Luke 13:29).
Reign on the Throne of David: When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about the child he said, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end,” (Luke 1:32). There are thrones in heaven and there are earthly thrones; David’s throne existed on the earth and the promise of the prophets was for one who would sit on the throne of David forever, as long as this present earth endures. “David…was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne,” (Acts 2:30). There are many prophecies in the Hebrew text relating to the Messiah sitting on the throne of David. Here are just two…
"For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel’" (Jer 33:17-18). And the passage we all learned as children…
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isa 9:6-7)
Send Forth the Word of the LORD from Israel: The days are coming when the people of the world will stream to Israel to hear the word of the LORD spoken by the Messiah sitting on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah said it best…
"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isa 2:2-4)(Micah 4:1-2)
Although believers have already received a partial fulfillment, the coming days of Jesus’ earthly reign as king will be the greatest fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah.
“No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jer 31:34)
“All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace.”
(Isa 54:13)
The LORD preserved the Jewish nation as a separate and distinct people to accomplish His plan in the last days. Had the LORD allowed the nation to assimilate with the Gentile world, Israel would have ceased to be a separate and distinct people, (Isa 1:9). From the days of Egypt, every time the nation began to dissolve into another group of people, the LORD brought persecution upon the Jewish nation. The Holocaust may have been the most recent example of a history marked with persecutions and inquisitions against the Jews in foreign lands including England and Spain. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust, one-third of the entire world Jewish population, but out of that lost the physical nation reappeared, a sign that the plan of God is moving toward its conclusion. (to be continued...)
Gather the Exiles: Shortly before his death, Moses spoke these words to the people of Israel.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. (Deut 30:1-5)
The gathering of the people back to the land of Israel is one of the great expectations of the Jewish people as reflected in the daily Amidah prayer, “Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the ensign to gather our exiles, and gather us from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, O Lord, who gathers the dispersed of his people Israel.” The gathering is also one of the great expectations of scripture.
'Thus says the Lord GOD, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 'They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'" (Ezek 28:25-26, 11:17, 20:23, 36:24)
'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (Jer 29:14)
The concept of gathering is expressed in scripture as a shepherd gathers his lambs.
“For thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.’ As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep…I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land,’” (Ezek 34:11-13)
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. (Isa 40:11).
The gathering of the people into the land of Israel remains an everlasting promise from God to the nation, a promise Jesus alluded to when he said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling,” (Matt 23:37). Scripture tells us of a future time when Jesus will “send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven,” (Mark 13:27). As a result of this gathering, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God,” (Luke 13:29).
Reign on the Throne of David: When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about the child he said, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end,” (Luke 1:32). There are thrones in heaven and there are earthly thrones; David’s throne existed on the earth and the promise of the prophets was for one who would sit on the throne of David forever, as long as this present earth endures. “David…was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne,” (Acts 2:30). There are many prophecies in the Hebrew text relating to the Messiah sitting on the throne of David. Here are just two…
"For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel’" (Jer 33:17-18). And the passage we all learned as children…
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isa 9:6-7)
Send Forth the Word of the LORD from Israel: The days are coming when the people of the world will stream to Israel to hear the word of the LORD spoken by the Messiah sitting on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah said it best…
"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isa 2:2-4)(Micah 4:1-2)
Although believers have already received a partial fulfillment, the coming days of Jesus’ earthly reign as king will be the greatest fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah.
“No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jer 31:34)
“All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace.”
(Isa 54:13)
The LORD preserved the Jewish nation as a separate and distinct people to accomplish His plan in the last days. Had the LORD allowed the nation to assimilate with the Gentile world, Israel would have ceased to be a separate and distinct people, (Isa 1:9). From the days of Egypt, every time the nation began to dissolve into another group of people, the LORD brought persecution upon the Jewish nation. The Holocaust may have been the most recent example of a history marked with persecutions and inquisitions against the Jews in foreign lands including England and Spain. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust, one-third of the entire world Jewish population, but out of that lost the physical nation reappeared, a sign that the plan of God is moving toward its conclusion. (to be continued...)
Scott
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