ISRAEL’S SPHERE IS EARTHLY, THE CHURCH’S SPHERE IS HEAVENLY
ISRAEL IS NOT THE CHURCH AND THE THRONE OF DAVID IS NOT IN HEAVEN; IT IS ON EARTH
UNDERSTANDING THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH, YESHUA (JESUS), AND END TIME EVENTS FROM A MESSIANIC JEWISH PERSPECTIVE
This is huge! Before I start, I just want to inform you that I counted over 1.5 billion churchgoers worldwide that go to churches that call themselves Christian that teach the false doctrine of “Amillennialism” and hear nothing on prophecy as they believe all prophecy has been fulfilled in A.D. 70 when Christ came back (but give no evidence that anyone saw Him). These Churches (Roman and Greek Orthodox along with the Protestant churches that came out of the Reformation) also believe in the false doctrine of “replacement theology.” Replacement theology teaches that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan. Amillennialists believe that the many promises made to Israel and the Bible are now fulfilled in the Church, not in Israel. So, the prophecies in Scripture concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are “spiritualized” or “allegorized” into promises of God’s blessing for the Church. They believe the Church is now the new Israel and Amillennialists teach that the Jewish people have no special future and no longer have a special purpose in the plan of God.
Look let me make this crystal clear, the Church does not supersede Israel – the Church is not Israel, nor is Israel the Church. Those who await the promises of Israel to be filled in the Church will wait in vain. Israel was not founded on the finished work of Christ on the cross but on God’s covenant promises to Israel (Deut. 7:6-9), which are still in force and will be fulfilled in the future. Israel was never given the Great Commission. The Church, by contrast, was given the promise and presence of the Holy Spirit with which to fulfil Christ’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Likewise, the promises of God to Israel revolve around the restoration of the kingdom. Promises made to Israel are still going to be kept in the future – God always keeps His promises. We can be sure that all God has said is true and will take place, because of His character and consistency. As one reads Scripture, it is necessary to keep Israel and the Church separate. Once again, Israel’s sphere is earthly (1000-year millennial kingdom on earth) and the Church’s sphere is heavenly (as we, the Church, will be raptured and given new heavenly bodies.) Then, after seven years of tribulation on earth we come back with Yeshua (Jesus) and rule and reign with Him for 1000 years on earth – the Millennium, after which we are transitioned to the Eternal State – a new heaven and a new earth (the New Jerusalem – Rev. 21 and 22).
Throughout biblical history you have this cosmic battle between these two sides: On the one side you have God’s enemy – Satan, the devil. His purpose is to stop, destroy, and thwart all the purposes of God. Then on the other side you have a nation called “Israel”– the Jewish people that God put into the world to accomplish His purpose. From or through these people comes the Bible, the Word of God, and the Revelation of God. Through these people comes the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and through Israel in the future there is going to come an earthly kingdom called the “Millennium” – Yeshua (Jesus) rules and reigns on earth for a period of 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-6). For the past nearly 2000 years believers around the globe have voiced this prayer modelling the one Jesus gave to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What are we asking for with these words? We are requesting that the long-awaited earthly kingdom promised to Israel would be established. So, in this prayer Jesus taught His disciples, which includes us, to pray for the re-establishment of the kingdom of God on earth. For the world again to be under God’s reign, establishing His will on earth “as it is in heaven.” We will not see the ultimate fulfilment of this prayer of Jesus until the Millennium when Christ comes back to earth to reign in power and glory (Psalm 2:6-12; Isaiah 11:4-9; Jeremiah 23:3-6; Zechariah (14:1-9). This future coming “Golden Age for Israel” will validate the prophets’ predictions. God always keeps His word. God made very specific promises to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Millennium will bring about the complete fulfilment of God’s biblical covenants with Israel. So, has God replaced Israel with the Church – Absolutely Not! Israel is not the Church and the throne of David from which Christ will reign is not in heaven; it is on earth (Jerusalem).
Also, before I start, I wanted to inform you that I post to a number of Messianic Jewish Facebook groups. You may ask, “Who are Messianic “Jews?” Without going into lengthy detail, they are simply “Jews for Jesus.” They believe that Jesus, or “Yeshua” in Aramaic is the Messiah, and He died on behalf of the world’s sins. Now, I am not Jewish, but one of my great mentors and teachers on Scripture was an early pioneer and founder of the Christian Jewish Foundation in America founded in 1948. I am so ever grateful to Dr. Charles Halff’s teachings as he made the Scriptures come alive coming from a Jewish perspective – their society, culture, holy days, etc.
So, now let’s continue with this posting on the “Second Coming of the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), and End Time Events From A Messianic Jewish Perspective.”
Many Rabbis teach that there are two Messiahs in the Scriptures – Messiah Son of Joseph (Mashiach Ben Yossef), also called the “Suffering Messiah,” and Messiah Son of David (Mashiach Ben David), also called the “Reigning Messiah.” In reality, there is only one Messiah, Son of David, who appears twice. Because man is sinful, and because God has to judge sin, He sent the Messiah (Yeshua, Jesus) the first time as a servant, to suffer and die as a sacrifice for sin. At His first coming, He was the “Suffering Messiah.” But, according to both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, the Messiah (Yeshua, Jesus) is going to come again; and this time, He will come in power and judgement. This time, at His Second Coming, He will rule as the “Reigning Messiah.”
To understand the scriptural prophecies about Messiah (Yeshua. Jesus), we need to distinguish between the nation of Israel and the Church, which God is using today to reach out to the nations of the world – including His own people, Israel.
Although Israel was called by God to be the light to the nations, she did not recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah at His first coming. And though the first believers were all Jewish, the nation of Israel officially rejected the Lord.
When Israel rejected Yeshua (Jesus) as her Messiah, Satan probably thought that he had defeated God’s purpose. But God will not be bested by the devil. God simply opened up His plan of salvation to the Gentiles. God knew what would happen all along; He is not surprised or taken off guard.
This is important, people need to understand this: When the Church was born, God put Israel aside temporarily – but He did not reject her, nor did He replace her with the Church. The temporary putting aside of Israel was part of God’s great plan to bring people of all nations to faith in Him. (read Romans 11:11-24)
The time of the Church extends from the time recorded in Acts 2 until the Rapture, when Yeshua (Jesus) takes up His bride to heaven, the Church. This is the Church’s great hope. The Rapture will occur just before the Tribulation – the final seven years on earth before Messiah’s return.
The Rapture is for the Church alone – those who have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as there Lord and Savior. For nearly 2000 years, the Gospel has been proclaimed to the nations of the world as well as to the people of the world. This is the Gospel of the grace of God, not the Gospel of the Kingdom, which will be preached in the Tribulation period by God’s protected 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Rev. 7) with the view of entering into the messianic kingdom which will be established at the end of the 7-year Tribulation by our Lord Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah Himself. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14).”
The Gospel today is being proclaimed to every nation in this world that people may come to the Lord, receive forgiveness of sins, and be with Him in heaven. But there is coming a day when the door to this present-day Church Age will be closed. Once the last person that comes to faith in the Messiah, before the Tribulation, the Church will be taken to be with the Lord (Rapture). Then God will begin dealing directly with His nation Israel again in the Tribulation.
After the Rapture occurs, according to Daniel 9, the Tribulation period will start. There will be seven years of tribulation, during which God will judge the world, refine the nation of Israel, and turn His people around so that they trust in the Messiah. Once that happens, God will redeem Israel and bring her to Himself. It will be at that time that Israel as a nation will be at the end of her rope, with no one to help her. Only God Himself in the person of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) will be able to deliver Israel from the attack of all the armies of the earth who will gather together against her. It will be only then that Israel will look upon the Messiah “whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10).”
After the Tribulation judgements, Yeshua (Jesus) will rule this world with righteousness and reign for a thousand years. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming judgement in chapter 34:1-6. Isaiah also specifically prophesied that the Messiah Himself is going to come in judgement and then to reign as King of kings and you can read about this in chapter 63:1-4. The Psalmist also spoke of the Second Coming of the Messiah – “The King of glory” – The Lord of hosts which you can read in Psalms 24:7-10.
The “King of Glory” is going to come to judge and to reign. We do not know when, but it could be soon that the Messiah comes, first for the Church, and then seven years later, after the Tribulation period to judge this world in righteousness.
Matthew also speaks about the Second Coming of the Messiah. He says that Messiah’s coming will be sudden. People will be going along in life in their usual way, and He will come suddenly, as lightning. “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together (Matt. 24:27-28).”
Remember that in these verses we are not dealing with the Rapture of the Church (which already will have occurred and is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). We are talking about the Second Coming of the Messiah. This same Jesus (Yeshua) who was taken to heaven will come back in the same way. He was taken to heaven in a cloud, and He is going to come back from heaven the same way: “… coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64).”
The expression “Son of Man” can only be applied to the Messiah. Daniel, a Hebrew prophet, uses this expression when talking about the Messiah: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, one like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven….. (7:13).”
If you connect this verse with Psalm 104:3 which says, “He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,” and with passages in the New Testament, like Matthew 24 and 25, you will see that the Messiah will come in a cloud with the Shekinah glory, the Son of Man.
Notice what Matthew says about Messiahs return: “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together (24:28). This is a very interesting expression. When it is time for Him to come, He will come to the location in which the armies of the Antichrist, the counterfeit messiah, are gathered against the remnant of Israel, whom God is going to preserve during the Tribulation period. The carcass here means the remnant of Israel, and the eagles are the armies of the Antichrist. The Messiah will come there to judge the enemies of Israel and to restore the nation of Israel to Himself.
At the end of the Tribulation, there will be a sign of the Son of Man again. The Son of Man and the Son of God are the same Person. All the tribes of the earth will mourn as well as Israel as a nation will mourn. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:29-30).”
The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are going to be the source of all the trouble in those tribulation days. It will be a place called Armageddon, or in Hebrew “Har Meggido.” This place is located right by the Valley of Jezreel in Israel. Many battles took place there throughout Israel’s history. This will be the gathering place of the armies of the Antichrist, and from there they will move toward Jerusalem and then to Boza (Petra) in present day Jordan, where the remnant of Israel will have fled from the Antichrist.
In Revelation 19:11-16 heaven opens and we see Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) getting on His white horse and coming down from heaven with His saints, His army of believers, together with the angels to judge this world and ultimately to reign and rule with a rod of iron.
The event portrayed in Revelation 19 is neither the coming of the Lord as a babe or in the clouds to rapture His Church. This time when Yeshua (Jesus) comes to earth again Zachariah 14:4 says that His feet will “stand on the Mount of Olives.” This is Messiahs Second Coming to earth, and this time He will do so as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will come to victoriously wage war against the beast and False Prophet. He will come to end the seven-year tribulation of God’s wrath (the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgements) on the inhabitants of earth. He will come as the Prince of Peace to reign in peace when He establishes His kingdom on earth for 1000 years (Rev. 20). Speaking of the Millennial Kingdom Zachariah says in 14:9, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be – The Lord is one, And His name is one.”
He suffered and died once. He was the One who did not open His mouth – but at His Second Coming, He will judge this world in righteousness and reign as Lord of lords. I am longing for the day when Israel as a nation will come to acknowledge the Messiah. Yes, one day Israel – not only a few Jewish people here and there, but the nation as a whole will be regathered and regenerated.
In Matthew 24:31, Yeshua (Jesus) said: “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His (Jewish) elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The Lord is going to gather the nation of Israel back to Himself. He will gather His people from all the corners of this world. This is also confirmed in Mark 13:27 – nearly word for word.
The trumpets have to do with the sound that will signify the restoration of the nation of Israel back to the Land, and ultimately back to God. This is exactly what we just read in Matthew, which speaks about the regathering of the nation. One of the beautiful passages in the Bible that speaks of the return of God’s people to Israel at the end of the age is found in Isaiah 27:13. “So it shall be in that day. That the great trumpet will be blown….. And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” This is the regathering of Israel. God’s Word is going to stand forever, and He is going to gather His people back to Himself.
What an assurance God has given! Yeshua (Jesus) is coming soon. He is coming again. It is going to be a sudden appearance accompanied by cosmic changes. Every eye will see Him, and His return will result in the regathering of the people of Israel. This He will certainly do. God always keeps His promises.
In closing, I just wanted to say that Israel has always been God’s vehicle of world redemption (Rom. 9:1-5). In a way, she is God’s microphone, the means by which God speaks to the lost world. Moreover, Israel has birthed all of God’s covenants into the world and has now come back to her ancient homeland, by the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant, to birth the final great covenant of history – the Davidic Covenant. Here lies the ultimate purpose of her modern-day restoration (1948). Yeshua (Jesus) will return to Zion as the root and offspring of David. After the Great Tribulation, the Lord will return and establish His kingdom with the nation of Israel, Yeshua (Jesus) will reign over the whole earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem, and Israel will be the leader of the nations. Also, I should mention that the Church will reign with Yeshua (Jesus) for a literal thousand years (Rev. 20:1-7).
Oscar
Comment:
Replacement theology is an instrument of the powers of darkness to frustrate the purpose of God, by disconnecting the Church from this final great redemptive initiative in history. We, who have studied Church history, have seen how the earliest centuries of the Church era that Satan had deceived virtually the entire Church into believing that Israel is no longer God’s chosen people, and that status has now been transferred to the Church. This deception has freed the so-called (apostate) church to pay no heed to God’s curse in Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless those who bless you (Israel) and whoever curses you I will curse.”
Advocates of Replacement Theology open themselves up to come under this curse. Since Replacement Theology is both blasphemous and existentially dangerous, remaining in a church or a denomination that teaches and believes this error; you should confer with God as it might be time for you to leave – to flee “Babylon.” Why you ask? This curse is reconfirmed in the book of Numbers – “Blessed is he who blesses you (Israel), And crushed is he who curses you (24:9b).” Be forewarned – this promise (curse) of God still stands to this day.
> Oscar Leske