Prior to 1948, the Jews had almost no governmental authority in the land of Israel since Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. The city was destroyed, and the Jews were scattered, exactly as Jesus had prophesied:
“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)
For almost 2,000 years Jerusalem has been trampled underfoot by Gentiles. The whole land of Israel has experienced many wars and has been controlled by various people groups. It was not until 1948 that Israel became a sovereign nation under the control of Jewish leaders.
Some Christians believe that 1948 was the historical fulfillment of God’s timetable when Jerusalem no longer would be trampled underfoot and “the times of the Gentiles” had been fulfilled. Perhaps that date is upon us, but there is reason to doubt it because Jerusalem, to some extent, is still being trampled underfoot by non-Jewish people. Though Jews hold political control, other people groups—in particular, Arabs in that region—battle for control of the area. In addition, the Muslim temple known as the Dome of the Rock stands where the Jewish Temple stood 2,000 years ago. This Dome of the Rock is the third most holy site for Muslims, but it is an abomination in the sight of Jews.
There is also reason to doubt that the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled because God is continuing to work powerfully among the Gentiles. In fact, there are more Gentiles becoming born-again Christians today than at any time in history (approximately 200,000 per day). The facts do not support the idea that God has shifted His attention from Gentiles to Jews, who for the most part remain hardened to the gospel, with only a small percentage believing Jesus is the Messiah.
When the times of the Gentiles are truly fulfilled, what will happen to the land of Israel? Those who hold to the futurist view believe that God will fulfill His promise to give the land back to the natural descendants of Abraham. They cite the promise that God made to Abraham many years ago:
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Gen. 15:18)
Adherents of the futurist view believe that God will cause the Jews who have been scattered around the world to migrate back to Israel (a migration called Aliyah), and then establish them as a nation that will be a light to the world. The Jews will experience God’s blessings, and they will be elevated as a nation to a position of great authority on the earth.
Adherents of the partial preterist view see a very different future for the Jews and Israel. The Jews will experience a future awakening, but the land will not be brought back under the exclusive control of the Jews. Please allow us to explain.
Futurist teachers often state or imply that Jews are presently migrating from all over the world back to Israel, and so God must be fulfilling His promise to Abraham. It is true that approximately 800,000 Jews have emigrated from Russia to Israel in recent years; however, a large percentage of them have used Israel as a transfer station to gain entrance into the USA. Jews have been migrating in from other locations, as well, but the Israeli daily, Yediot Ahronot, reported on April 4, 2007, that there is actually a net exodus of people from the country. The truth is that there are more Jews in the USA today than in Israel, and the largest population gathered in any one location is in New York City. The idea that Jews are now returning en masse to Israel is simply a myth.
To understand what God intends for the Middle East it is important to point out that God’s promise to Abraham was not only for the land that today is known as Israel. God promised all the land, “From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18). The Euphrates River runs through present-day Syria, Iraq, and Kuwait. The land God promised to Abraham also includes Jordan and Lebanon, along with parts of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. If God is going to give the land promised to Abraham to the modern Jews, as futurist teachers say, then the Jews will have to possess all of the land between the two great rivers.
Yet the Bible clearly tells us of the most significant future transformation that will happen in that region. Isaiah prophesied, saying:
Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. . . . On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. On that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance." (Isa. 19:21-25)
This passage reveals to us how a day will come when the people of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will worship the true God together. When these words were written, Egypt and Assyria were large empires, with Assyria encompassing most of the land promised to Abraham. Isaiah prophesied that a day would come when the people of these three lands would be traveling from one region to another for the purpose of worshipping together.
Isaiah’s prophecy sounds almost too good to be true. The people groups he mentioned have battled with each other for generations. Egypt and Assyria lie at the very foundations of the Arab world, and a large percentage of Arabs are Muslims. Isaiah said that even Arabs and Jews will be worshipping together.
Isaiah’s prophecy also reveals God’s heart for Egypt and Assyria, for God called Egypt “My people” and Assyria “the work of My hands.” To hear God speak this way can be difficult for Christians (and Jews) who think of the Jews as God’s only chosen ones. Of course, God did choose the Jewish people, but it never was His intention to make them the only humans to receive His favor. Rather, they were chosen as a light to the nations. With the same love that God dealt with the Jews, He has always desired to deal with every people group. He loves the world. The Jews were not the only ones chosen, but they were the first fruits of the earth to reveal God’s heart to all people.
Jesus told us of a day when He will gather people from outside of the Jews to Himself.
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10:16)
This is the promise that we are waiting to see fulfilled— one flock consisting of many different people groups.
Where will this happen? All over the world, but most prominently in the Promised Land. God is going to take the most tumultuous region of the world and make it His showcase where different people groups will become one flock with Jesus Christ as their Shepherd.
God is not giving the land that He promised to Abraham exclusively to the Jews. He is going to give it to all of His children. Paul made this clear when he wrote:
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. (Gal. 3:16)
Paul explained how the promises were not for Abraham and his descendants (plural). They were given by God to Abraham and his descendant (singular)—Jesus Christ. Paul further explained how all who put their faith in Jesus will inherit the blessings promised to Abraham.
Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. . . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Gal. 3:7-29)
Paul is giving us the proper way to understand the promises of God to Abraham. To whom does the Promised Land belong? Who are “the heirs of the land between the river of Egypt and the river Euphrates? All who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
What then should we expect for the Promised Land? We know that the Jews must have a significant presence there because Isaiah prophesied that the Jews would worship God together with the neighboring countries. However, it is also true that God is giving the land to His children who have been born of the Seed—Jesus. Therefore, we should expect many people groups to settle in that region. As all of those people bow to the lordship of Jesus Christ, they will be a light to the nations, for that region shall be the most visible place in the earth where various people groups will come together under one Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
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