The Nation of Israel in Prophecy, by Fr. Peter Gillquist (emphases added)
"When the Lord was coming to His voluntary Passion, He said to the disciples on the way: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered as it was written of Him. Wherefore, let us, O brethren, accompany Him with spotless consciences and be crucified with Him, and with Him kill the pleasures of life, that we may live with Him, hear Him say: I am not ascending to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but to My Father and your Father, to My God, and your God, that I may draw you with Me to the Jerusalem above in the Kingdom of Heaven."
-Matins of Holy Monday
Many Orthodox Christians, especially those with roots in the Middle East, are bewildered by the degree of enthusiasm with which many American evangelicals support the modern state of Israel. In addition to reasons rooted in contemporary geopolitics, evangelical support for Israel is also based on a particular modern theological view of the Second Coining of Jesus Christ. It is this aspect of the evangelical perspective that I want to explore in this short booklet.
ISRAEL AND THE END TIMES
As revealed in the New Testament, Christians have always believed that Christ could come again at any time, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). Saint Paul cried out, "O Lord, come!" (1 Corinthians 16:22). Saint John in Revelation quotes our Lord Jesus Christ as saying, "Surely I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:20). The Nicene Creed teaches concerning the Second Coming of Christ, "And He will come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom shall have no end."
But in the mid-nineteenth century, through the teaching of a little-known former Anglican clergyman named J. N. Darby, a modern alteration of the historic Orthodox understanding of the return of Christ began to form.
First, Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal the Lord will reign for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol of eternity. Many modern Christians see the choice between the literal and symbolic views as a toss-up. But the Church-wide Council of Ephesus in AD 431 condemned the literal view as heresy. The council forbade it to be taught in the churches!
Next, the Darbyites came to believe in two comings of Christ. The first would be a "secret" coming, only for Christians, preceding a period of tribulation; the other would be a visible coming of Christ before the thousand-year reign begins. This view, often called the "rapture theory," is virtually unknown in Church history before Darby.
Ultimately, Darby's followers came to believe that before the secret coming of the Lord occurs, before the "rapture," the remnant people of Israel must return to the Holy Land. A huge number of today's evangelical and charismatic Protestant Christians have bought into this innovative speculation.
So, unlike the vast ranks of true Christians throughout history, modern evangelicals have come to embrace the view that today's Israel has a "manifest destiny" to the land of Palestine. They believe when the Old Testament teaches that Abraham's descendants will inherit the land, it refers to the modern political state of Israel. In contrast, Saint Paul, himself a Jew, teaches, "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). To be a descendant of Abraham today means you must belong to Christ our God.
Many evangelicals teach that May 24, 1948, the day Israel became a state, was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Passages such as Ezekiel 36:24 are cited: "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land." Evangelicals believe this refers to the end-time regathering of Israel. The Church, however, has traditionally understood Ezekiel's prophecy as referring to Israel's return home after the Babylonian captivity in 539 BC.
I spent the first half of my adult life in the evangelical movement. It was there I committed my life to Jesus Christ, and for that I am eternally grateful. It was there that I found I could trust the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was in my study of church history with fellow evangelicals that I and a host of others became Orthodox. So today, when Orthodox believers ask for help in explaining to evangelical Protestants how we Orthodox Christians see modern Israel in light of the Scriptures, I see some crucial points that must be made. Let me mention three.
1. The Old Covenant is over.
The covenant God made with Abraham blessed him and his descendants with the land of Canaan and set them apart as the people of God. This covenant was called "everlasting" because it would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who reigns forever. The Book of Hebrews calls the old covenant "a shadow of the good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1), for it was a preparation for the new covenant inaugurated by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for the new covenant--which offers salvation to all, Jew and Gentile alike--to take effect, the promises of the old covenant had to be fulfilled. This was done in Christ. Thus, we read that God "has made the first [covenant] obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13). Interestingly, the Book of Hebrews was written about AD 70. That same year the temple in Jerusalem, a last visible sign of the old covenant, was destroyed. Now, the people of God have in view the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, as reflected in the Holy Week hymn at the beginning of this booklet.
Let me offer an illustration to give us a better understanding of this transition of covenants. Some years back, Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns, decided to move his football team to Baltimore. Cleveland struck a deal allowing the city to retain ownership of the name "Browns." They planned on another Browns team playing in their stadium. So Modell called his team the Baltimore Ravens. And today, the new Cleveland Browns are also in place.
Let's say that several centuries pass. The Browns are still playing in Cleveland. But some of Art Modell's descendants have come back to town, and they decide to lay claim to the whole operation. "We were here for years," they announce to the fans. "It's our team, we're the originals, and we're taking over." There'd be one giant ruckus in Cleveland! Heck, even the Pittsburgh fans would come to their aid! Orthodox Christians know that if Israel wants to form a secular state and regroup as a people, they certainly can do so. But they cannot claim to be there by divine intent. Why? Because in rejecting Jesus Christ as God and Messiah, the nation "gave up the franchise" as the people of God. There is no divine mandate justifying Israel's claims over Palestine. Or, as His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP says, "God is not in the real estate business."
The Apostle John wrote concerning Christ and the Jews, "He came to His own [Israel], and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him [Jew and Gentile alike], to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11, 12).
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus "took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins'" (Matthew 26:27,28). The old covenant is complete. It is fulfilled. The new has come, and it is everlasting.
2. The Church is the people of God
The prophet Isaiah, who wrote in about 700 BC, records God the Father speaking of His Son: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, / My Elect One in whom My soul delights! / I have put My Spirit upon Him; / He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:1). Long before the Son of God came to us in human flesh, the Jews were told by God through their own prophets that salvation would no longer be only for Israel. The Gentiles, too, would receive His justice.
And then the Father gives His Son a remarkable promise. "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, / And will hold Your hand; / I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, / As a light to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus Christ Himself would be a "covenant" and a "light" to Gentile believers. It is apparent the beloved Simeon had Isaiah's prophecy in mind when he held the infant Christ in his arms and acclaimed Him as "a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, / And the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:32).
Saint Peter, writing to the early Christians, acknowledges that his kinsmen who disbelieve in Christ have become disobedient to God. But in the Church, to Jew and Gentile alike, he brings great encouragement:
ISRAEL AND THE END TIMES
As revealed in the New Testament, Christians have always believed that Christ could come again at any time, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). Saint Paul cried out, "O Lord, come!" (1 Corinthians 16:22). Saint John in Revelation quotes our Lord Jesus Christ as saying, "Surely I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:20). The Nicene Creed teaches concerning the Second Coming of Christ, "And He will come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom shall have no end."
But in the mid-nineteenth century, through the teaching of a little-known former Anglican clergyman named J. N. Darby, a modern alteration of the historic Orthodox understanding of the return of Christ began to form.
First, Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal the Lord will reign for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol of eternity. Many modern Christians see the choice between the literal and symbolic views as a toss-up. But the Church-wide Council of Ephesus in AD 431 condemned the literal view as heresy. The council forbade it to be taught in the churches!
Next, the Darbyites came to believe in two comings of Christ. The first would be a "secret" coming, only for Christians, preceding a period of tribulation; the other would be a visible coming of Christ before the thousand-year reign begins. This view, often called the "rapture theory," is virtually unknown in Church history before Darby.
Ultimately, Darby's followers came to believe that before the secret coming of the Lord occurs, before the "rapture," the remnant people of Israel must return to the Holy Land. A huge number of today's evangelical and charismatic Protestant Christians have bought into this innovative speculation.
So, unlike the vast ranks of true Christians throughout history, modern evangelicals have come to embrace the view that today's Israel has a "manifest destiny" to the land of Palestine. They believe when the Old Testament teaches that Abraham's descendants will inherit the land, it refers to the modern political state of Israel. In contrast, Saint Paul, himself a Jew, teaches, "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). To be a descendant of Abraham today means you must belong to Christ our God.
Many evangelicals teach that May 24, 1948, the day Israel became a state, was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Passages such as Ezekiel 36:24 are cited: "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land." Evangelicals believe this refers to the end-time regathering of Israel. The Church, however, has traditionally understood Ezekiel's prophecy as referring to Israel's return home after the Babylonian captivity in 539 BC.
I spent the first half of my adult life in the evangelical movement. It was there I committed my life to Jesus Christ, and for that I am eternally grateful. It was there that I found I could trust the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was in my study of church history with fellow evangelicals that I and a host of others became Orthodox. So today, when Orthodox believers ask for help in explaining to evangelical Protestants how we Orthodox Christians see modern Israel in light of the Scriptures, I see some crucial points that must be made. Let me mention three.
1. The Old Covenant is over.
The covenant God made with Abraham blessed him and his descendants with the land of Canaan and set them apart as the people of God. This covenant was called "everlasting" because it would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who reigns forever. The Book of Hebrews calls the old covenant "a shadow of the good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1), for it was a preparation for the new covenant inaugurated by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for the new covenant--which offers salvation to all, Jew and Gentile alike--to take effect, the promises of the old covenant had to be fulfilled. This was done in Christ. Thus, we read that God "has made the first [covenant] obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13). Interestingly, the Book of Hebrews was written about AD 70. That same year the temple in Jerusalem, a last visible sign of the old covenant, was destroyed. Now, the people of God have in view the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, as reflected in the Holy Week hymn at the beginning of this booklet.
Let me offer an illustration to give us a better understanding of this transition of covenants. Some years back, Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns, decided to move his football team to Baltimore. Cleveland struck a deal allowing the city to retain ownership of the name "Browns." They planned on another Browns team playing in their stadium. So Modell called his team the Baltimore Ravens. And today, the new Cleveland Browns are also in place.
Let's say that several centuries pass. The Browns are still playing in Cleveland. But some of Art Modell's descendants have come back to town, and they decide to lay claim to the whole operation. "We were here for years," they announce to the fans. "It's our team, we're the originals, and we're taking over." There'd be one giant ruckus in Cleveland! Heck, even the Pittsburgh fans would come to their aid! Orthodox Christians know that if Israel wants to form a secular state and regroup as a people, they certainly can do so. But they cannot claim to be there by divine intent. Why? Because in rejecting Jesus Christ as God and Messiah, the nation "gave up the franchise" as the people of God. There is no divine mandate justifying Israel's claims over Palestine. Or, as His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP says, "God is not in the real estate business."
The Apostle John wrote concerning Christ and the Jews, "He came to His own [Israel], and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him [Jew and Gentile alike], to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11, 12).
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus "took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins'" (Matthew 26:27,28). The old covenant is complete. It is fulfilled. The new has come, and it is everlasting.
2. The Church is the people of God
The prophet Isaiah, who wrote in about 700 BC, records God the Father speaking of His Son: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, / My Elect One in whom My soul delights! / I have put My Spirit upon Him; / He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:1). Long before the Son of God came to us in human flesh, the Jews were told by God through their own prophets that salvation would no longer be only for Israel. The Gentiles, too, would receive His justice.
And then the Father gives His Son a remarkable promise. "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, / And will hold Your hand; / I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, / As a light to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus Christ Himself would be a "covenant" and a "light" to Gentile believers. It is apparent the beloved Simeon had Isaiah's prophecy in mind when he held the infant Christ in his arms and acclaimed Him as "a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, / And the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:32).
Saint Peter, writing to the early Christians, acknowledges that his kinsmen who disbelieve in Christ have become disobedient to God. But in the Church, to Jew and Gentile alike, he brings great encouragement:
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9, 10).
It doesn't get any clearer than this. St. Peter, in this passage, calls the Church a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and the people of God. These are terms from the Old Testament used to describe ancient Israel. Does this mean God sees the Church as a new Israel? Saint Paul answers that question as he concludes his letter to the Galatians:
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:15,16).
Why would the Apostle Paul call a Gentile church in Asia Minor "the Israel of God"? The answer comes earlier in his letter to the Galatians, when he discusses what it takes to be a true child of Abraham.
"Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham'' (Galatians 3:7-9).
Remarkable! Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we in the Church have become children of Abraham, grafted into Israel, and we have received the blessings that God promised to Abraham. Israel is no longer those who live in a certain geographical place; it is not an ethnicity, it is not a political state. The true Israel continues on through history serving the King of kings, the resurrected and reigning Christ, as the Church. Instead of the earthly Jerusalem, the people of God seek the Jerusalem above.
3. Jesus told us this would happen!
I know people don't like long biblical quotes in brief essays like this. But I am asking that you read this passage carefully, because in it Jesus Christ goes on public record that the heritage of the old covenant Israel would be handed over to those who by faith embrace Him as the Son of God.
3. Jesus told us this would happen!
I know people don't like long biblical quotes in brief essays like this. But I am asking that you read this passage carefully, because in it Jesus Christ goes on public record that the heritage of the old covenant Israel would be handed over to those who by faith embrace Him as the Son of God.
"'There was a certain landowner [God the Father] who planted a vineyard [Israel] and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers [the Jews] and went into a far country.
"Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants [the prophets] to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
"Then last of all he sent his son [Jesus Christ] to them, saying, "They will respect my son."
But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance." So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?'
"They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.'
"Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone which the builders rejected / Has become the chief cornerstone. / This was the Lord's doing, / And it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be aken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it' " (Matthew 21:33-43).
So often in the New Testament, when the Lord spoke a parable, the chief priests and Pharisees just didn't get it. But that's not the case here. Saint Matthew goes on to tell us, "Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them" (Matthew 21:45). Not only is this passage clear to the Christian Church, it was clear to the leaders of Israel. The Kingdom of God would be taken from Israel and given to a new nation, the Church of the living God. So the Scriptures make the case. The old covenant has been fulfilled; the new has come. It is the Church that is the people of God, the heirs of the promises made to Abraham, and the true Israel. And Jesus said it so clearly that even those who did not want to hear it understood.
For the Bible-believing evangelical, the Scriptures have spoken. Any claim that the modern state of Israel is somehow a fulfillment of God's prophetic timetable simply is not valid. The Kingdom of God is in the hands of others.
OUR MERCIFUL GOD
But there's one last thing. It is not an accident of history that after two thousand years, the Jews still exist as a people. And while most Jewish people have rejected Christ as God and Messiah, the Lord has not rejected them.
His Grace, Bishop KALLISTOS (Ware), in commenting on Saint Paul's letter to the Romans, says, "The Apostle refuses to regard this act of rejection on the Jewish side as something final. With far-reaching, unquenchable hope he looks beyond the present situation to the time when, so he is convinced, the whole of Israel will finally turn to Christ."
As Orthodox Christians, we must say with the Apostle Paul, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved" (Romans 10:1).
Being a Christian is being a martyr. One glorious day, all this conflict will be settled. God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more crying, no more pain. For now, it is with great tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of God. In the midst of our trouble, the Lord is still on His throne. And so we cry, "Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen."
For a thorough explanation of how the Orthodox Church views this and other related issues, read A Second Look at the Second Coming by T. L. Frazier, available from Conciliar Press.
Conciliar Press
P.O. Box 76
Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076
(800) 967-7377 or (831) 336-5118
For the Bible-believing evangelical, the Scriptures have spoken. Any claim that the modern state of Israel is somehow a fulfillment of God's prophetic timetable simply is not valid. The Kingdom of God is in the hands of others.
OUR MERCIFUL GOD
But there's one last thing. It is not an accident of history that after two thousand years, the Jews still exist as a people. And while most Jewish people have rejected Christ as God and Messiah, the Lord has not rejected them.
His Grace, Bishop KALLISTOS (Ware), in commenting on Saint Paul's letter to the Romans, says, "The Apostle refuses to regard this act of rejection on the Jewish side as something final. With far-reaching, unquenchable hope he looks beyond the present situation to the time when, so he is convinced, the whole of Israel will finally turn to Christ."
As Orthodox Christians, we must say with the Apostle Paul, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved" (Romans 10:1).
Being a Christian is being a martyr. One glorious day, all this conflict will be settled. God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more crying, no more pain. For now, it is with great tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of God. In the midst of our trouble, the Lord is still on His throne. And so we cry, "Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen."
For a thorough explanation of how the Orthodox Church views this and other related issues, read A Second Look at the Second Coming by T. L. Frazier, available from Conciliar Press.
Conciliar Press
P.O. Box 76
Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076
(800) 967-7377 or (831) 336-5118
1 comment:
Thank you for posting this. Xristos Anesti!
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