Except for the first eleven chapters of Genesis and the book of Job, God speaks directly to faithful Jews in the rest of the Old Testament. God speaks to the Jews about the righteousness that He put into them when He created the human race. Deuteronomy 6:25; I Samuel 26:23. Jews who adhere to this righteousness will faithfully attempt to obey God's Law and Moses' law, and when they inevitably fail, they must further obey God by offering sacrifices of animals to humbly demonstrate to God their faith that the sacrificed animals prophecy that only God can take away their sins. Leviticus 18:5; Genesis 3:15 and 21. God promised the Israelites that those who faithfully practice Judaism will live forever. Leviticus 18:5; Deuteronomy 4:40; Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 12:28; Deuteronomy 33:29; Romans 11:26-29. Jews who fail to even attempt to keep God's commandments, God will cut them off from Judaism, and they will fall to the level of the Gentiles. I Samuel 3:14.
In I Chronicles 17:9-15, 17-22, and 28:8, God promised that all faithful Jews will be citizens of a recreated nation of Israel that will last forever. The prophet Nathan in these verses spoke directly about King Solomon but indirectly about the coming Messiah. Nathan prophesied that King Solomon would build the first Temple, but the Messiah would build the third Temple of the eternal nation of Israel. Nathan also prophesied that the Messiah would rule recreated Israel forever. Clearly, God gave these promises to faithful Jews and not to the Church which will be at home with Him in heaven. This truth is further reinforced by Paul's prophecy in Romans 11:26-29.
In Isaiah 60:11-16, Isaiah prophesied that the recreated nation of Israel will rule over the recreated Gentiles. God will resurrect both the living Israelites and the living Gentiles from the regions of the dead following the Tribulation period. Revelation 20:5. God will recreate the new nation of Israel when He recreates the heaven and the earth. Revelation 21:5. In the history of Old Testament Judaism, faithful Jews who attain to some level of faith in a coming, suffering Messiah, God will elevate them to a salvation by grace, and they will live in heaven with Christ. All Jews who fail to even attempt to practice Judaism, God will demote them to the level of the Gentiles, and God will resurrect them with the living Gentiles.
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel prophesied about God's resurrection of faithful Jews and of His recreation of the eternal nation of Israel. In Ezekiel chapter 46, Ezekiel prophesied that the Messiah, called the prince, will come to worship with the faithful Israelites on the Sabbath and the day of the new moon. In the new Temple that the Messiah will have built, the faithful Jews will offer all the Old Testament animal sacrifices to honor the Messiah for His personal sacrifice and resurrection that has saved all men on three levels. The recreated living Gentiles will worship at the door of the gate of this Temple. John 1:29; Romans 11:26-36; I Corinthians 15:22; I Timothy 4:10; Revelation 21:1-7.
No comments:
Post a Comment