[Photograph
above, supplied by Mr. & Mrs. McCormack, is
similar to that on the book cover.]
from DEATH
to LIFE
--------
[Writing from book cover]
On May 14, 1948 after
almost 1,900 years - dating back to the time when
Then there is a reclamation of parts of the land
- cities built or rebuilt and parts of the land transformed from vast
wastelands to fertile farmlands. Are
these things part of God’s restorative promises through His Prophets? There is an inseparable connection of the
Jewish people with their capital city and their land. Both the city of Jerusalem and the land of
Israel are, at times, spoken of in synonymous respect with the Jewish people (Lam. 1: 7, 8; Jer. 22: 8, 9; Ezek. 14: 11-13; Hos. 1: 2; Matt. 23: 37). Thus, one cannot be restored apart from the other. That being taught by most Bible teachers
today concerning events in the Middle East - an on-going restoration of the
people and the land, including
--------
“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity...
From the sole
of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness
in it; but wounds,
and bruises, and putrefying
sores...
Your country
is desolate, your cities are burned
with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence...
How is the
faithful city become an harlot! it is full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers...
Therefore
saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of
And I will
turn my hand upon thee, and purely
purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
And I will
restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou
shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city...
And it shall
come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established
in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations
shall flow unto it.
And many
people shall go up and say, Come ye,
and let us go up
to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach
us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: For out of Zion shall
go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall
judge among the nations, and shall
rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears
into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more” (Isa. 1: 4a, 6a, 7a, 21, 24-26;
22-4).
--------
by
ARLEN L. CHITWOOD
{Page IV}
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it
[‘gain it’]” (Matt.
16: 24, 25).
“...O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken:
Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24: 25b, 26).
“...Destroy this temple [His body, v. 21], and in three days I
will raise it up” (John 2: 19b).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth
his life shall lose it; and he
that hateth his life in this world [hate in the sense of disregarding in relation to
loving] shall keep it unto life eternal [‘life for
the age,’ the Messianic Era]” (John 12:
24, 25).
“It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall also live
with him:
If we suffer [patiently endure under trials and
testings], we shall also reign with him: if we deny him [relative to allowing patient endurance under trials and
testings], he also will deny us [a position with Him during His
reign]” (2 Tim. 2:
11, 12).
The preceding verses call attention to a Biblical principle,
stated different ways ‑ a principle which cannot be violated:
An individual must lose his life to save it, he must die to live, and
suffering must always precede reigning.
Note how this is set forth in the structure of Scripture, as
it relates to the central subject of this book - seen in the title of the book,
and in the subtitles of Chapters II - IV of the book.
Death must precede life (note also Christ’s death, allowing one to possess life), which is why Scripture is structured as
seen in Gen. 25,
Num. 35,
and Isa. 6.
{Page V}
CONTENTS
FOREWORD {Page VII}
I. THE INTRACTABLE MIDDLE EAST PROBLEM
Page 1
II. MIDDLE EAST PEACE - HOW, WHEN?
Page 13
AS SEEN THROUGH THE DEATH OF ISHMAEL IN GEN.
25
III. TIME OF
AS SEEN THROUGH THE DEATH OF THE HIGH PRIEST IN NUM.
35
IV. BLESSINGS AWAITING
AS SEEN THROUGH THE DEATH OF KING UZZIAH IN ISA.
6
APPENDIXES Pages 55-80
YAD VASHEM,
TRIUNITY OF ISAIAH 52-54 Page 75
SCRIPTURE INDEX
Page 81 [Not included]
-------
{Page VI}
By the Same Author -
HAD YE BELIEVED MOSES
MOSES AND JOHN
COMING IN HIS KINGDOM
THE MOST HIGH RULETH
FROM ACTS TO THE EPISTLES
IN THE LORD’S DAY
FROM
LET US GO ON
REDEEMED FOR A PURPOSE
JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
PROPHECY ON
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM
THE BRIDE IN GENESIS
SEARCH FOR THE BRIDE
SEVEN, TEN GENERATIONS
THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE
THE TIME OF THE END
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
SALVATION OF THE SOUL
SO GREAT SALVATION
THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
BROUGHT FORTH FROM ABOVE
THE STUDY OF SCRIPTURE
SIGNS IN JOHN’S GOSPEL
RUN TO WIN
GOD’S FIRSTBORN SONS
BY FAITH
JUDE
RUTH
ESTHER
-------
{Page VII}
FOREWORD
This book, Israel - from Death
to Life, is about
exactly what the title states. This book
is about the current state of the Jewish people (spiritually dead), awaiting
that day when God, through His Spirit, will do a work in their lives - will
breathe into them “the breath of life” (cf.
Gen. 2: 7; Ezek. 37: 1-11) - resulting in their passing “from death unto life” (John
5: 24).
This book approaches the matter centrally from the standpoint
of the
Old Testament types, along
with reference made to the seven Jewish festivals in Leviticus chapter twenty-three.
The types are foundational for a correct understanding of the Word. This is where God began, structuring His Word
to man after a particular fashion; and this is where man must begin if he is to
understand this Word after the manner in which God gave the Word.
And the seven Jewish festivals of Leviticus chapter twenty-three form what one could call “The Prophetic Calendar of Israel.” These festivals are Jewish, and they
foreshadow a sequence of events awaiting
(Though the studies in this book draw centrally from the Old
Testament types and lead into or have to do with that foreshadowed by the seven
Jewish festivals in Leviticus chapter
twenty-three, the festivals themselves are only alluded to and dealt with
briefly, showing how that seen in the types is seen in the festivals as well.
To state the matter one way, the festivals provide the correct
sequence for the events, beginning at a certain point, seen in the types. There is a sequence seen in the types as
well, but not all are seen in any one type.
And to see this sequence in an unquestionably correct manner in the word
picture presented by the numerous types, the festivals must be placed within
the word picture. In short, Scripture must {Page VIII} be compared with Scripture. This is simply one of
the numerous ways that God has structured His Word.
(For information on the seven festivals in Leviticus chapter twenty-three, refer to the
author’s book, Coming in His Kingdom, Appendix II.
Also, the book, Coming in His
Kingdom, deals quite a
bit with that foreshadowed by events in Exodus
chapters three through fourteen, having to do with events which cover the same
time seen in that foreshadowed by the seven Jewish festivals. Thus, the current book,
But, back to the thought that this book draws heavily from
typology, which is a form of Biblical structure and study not even accepted in
some circles today, much less understood in other circles. It was Andrew
Jukes who, over one hundred years ago, said:
“The real secret of the neglect of the types, I
cannot but think may be in part traced to this, that they require more
spiritual intelligence than many Christians can bring to them. To apprehend them requires a certain measure
of spiritual capacity and habitual exercise in the things of God, which all do
not possess...”
Thus, the material in this book, drawing heavily from the way
God has structured His Word - highly typical - may be rejected by some and not
understood by others, with the reason given.
Regardless, the Word must be dealt with
after the manner in which it has been structured; and it must be believed and
received as the final authority on any and all matters of faith.
This is what is required in Biblical studies if one would know
and understand that which God’s Word really has to say. We have nothing more, and we need nothing
more. It is the Word, the Word, the Word,
that which has been “forever ... settled in heaven” (Ps.
119: 89).
* *
*
[Page 1]
CHAPTER I
The Intractable
Thus saith the
Lord,
And I say unto
thee, Let my son go, that he may serve
me... (Ex. 4: 22b, 23a).
(Almost all of the material in this first chapter, save for
comments on recent or current events in the world, can be found in material which the author has written at one time or another
over the past thirty-five years, scattered throughout the books which have been
printed during that time. In this
respect, the short of the matter follows, with not that much explanation or
that many references. The long of the
matter, with explanation and references, can be found
in the books.
This material was put together and sent out in the spring,
2007 because of a number of requests for comments brought about by the
The existing
“
[Page 2]
James Baker was also one of the two men who co-chaired the
Iraq Study Group in late 2006, turning
out an assessment and recommendations - The Baker-Hamilton
Report - on
Was James Baker correct in his assessment of the situation in
the
Were James Baker, Lee Hamilton, and others in this group
correct concerning the recent assessment of the
1) From a Biblical standpoint, the
situation is far worse than the
report indicates.
2) Also, from a Biblical standpoint, the
situation is much brighter than
the report indicates.
And the preceding would require explanation, providing, at the
same time, information to address the whole of the issue at hand.
So, let’s look at it.
A Biblical Base
First, dealing particularly with the intractable problem in
the
A Biblical base is simple and easy to come by. However, it would not be acceptable to the secular world at all. How could
it be acceptable when most of those in the Middle East are Moslems, along with
the fact that the Bible would not be acceptable as a base to work from by any
nation attempting to solve the problem, whether the United States or elsewhere? Even
Allow an example to illustrate the point, part of which bears
directly on the
The One Nation with a God
In 1954, at the urging of President Eisenhower, the words “under God” were added to a line in the United States
pledge of allegiance to the flag, making the pledge of allegiance read, “one nation under God” (the words “under God” [or similar words] have been used in
statements and documents by a number of preceding U.S. presidents, beginning
with Washington, the first president).
But is the
Christians will fight the ACLU and others through whatever
means deemed necessary over this issue.
But does either side really know what Scripture has to say about the
matter?
The Biblical base for this and all the remainder of the
For “one nation under God” a
person would begin with Genesis chapter nine
and proceed from there. This chapter
deals with Noah and his three sons following the Flood, and everyone in the
human race today can trace their ancestry back to Noah through one of his three
sons.
Only one of these three sons - Shem - is said to have a God (v. 26).
Neither Ham nor Japheth had a God; and if either was to receive
spiritual blessings, which can come only from and [Page 4] through the one true God, they had to go to the one son
with a God. As stated in the text, Ham and/or Japheth
had
to “dwell in the
tents of Shem” (v. 27).
That is to say, in order to receive spiritual blessings, Ham
and/or Japheth had to go to and partake of that which God had bequeathed to Shem. Or,
in the words of the explanatory statement by H. C. Leupold in his word studies in the
Hebrew text of Genesis, the expression “implies friendly sharing of his hospitality and so of his blessings.”
This is the manner in which God has established the matter in Genesis, and it can never change.
The lineage from Shem, in the respect seen in Gen. 9: 26, goes through Abraham nine generations later and then through
Isaac,
Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons,
from whom sprang the twelve tribes of
Other descendants of Shem, such as the Arab nations (from
Abraham through Ishmael, or through one of the sons of Keturah, or through
Isaac’s son, Esau), are as the descendants of Ham and Japheth in this
respect. They are to be “reckoned among the nations [Gentile nations].”
With that as a base to work from, one can then understand
verses such as Ps. 72:
18 and Ps.
96: 5. The first verse refers to:
“...the Lord
God, the God of
And the second verse states:
“For all the gods of the nations are idols [lit., ‘nothing’]...”
That is to say, the gods of all the nations (whether they be
idols, demons, or anything else) are “nothing”
in comparison to the God of Israel, the one true and living God.
Psalm 33: 12 is often misunderstood
in the preceding respect:
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...”
That statement is not a reference to any Gentile nation. It can’t [Page 5] be! From a Biblical standpoint, such could not be possible (unless projected out beyond Man’s Day,
into the Messianic Era, during that future time when a Gentile nation would be
able to associate itself with
The statement, contextually, has to do with
God made that quite clear at the outset of His word, in Genesis
chapter nine. And today, with
For a New Testament reference relative to the preceding, note Eph. 2: 12. Christians possess a God, but this is only because of and through a Jewish Messiah Who came through
Thus, from a Biblical standpoint, it is not possible for any Gentile nation to look upon
itself as “one nation under God.” And that one truth really forms the central base for understanding the whole of the
At the centre of the problem is Israel, the only nation on the face of the earth
with a God, a standing which
Israel’s Position Among the Nations
Beyond that,
The Gentile nations today rule under Satan and his angels (in
accordance with that seen in Dan. 10: 12-20). But
Satan knows all these things, and he has been doing and will
continue doing everything within his power to prevent the one nation with a God
from ever exercising her God-ordained position as God's firstborn son. He
knows that should this occur, not only would he have to relinquish the sceptre
but conditions relative to
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; it shall yet come to pass, that there shall
come a people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
And the
inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the
Lord of hosts: I will go also.
Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of
hosts in
Thus saith the
Lord of hosts; In those days it
shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the
nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew,
saying, We will go with you: for we have heard
that God is with you.”
And in an effort to prevent the preceding from ever occurring,
Satan and his angels, ruling from a heavenly sphere through the Gentile nations
on earth, have been seeking for decades in the
“Come, and
let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of
In Psalm chapter eighty-three, ten Gentile nations are seen allying
themselves against Israel in the preceding respect, [Page 7] foreshadowing the ten-kingdom confederacy of Gentile nations
which will one day rule under Antichrist and ally itself against Israel in
exactly the same manner.
(For information on the present and future government of the
earth, refer to the author’s book, THE MOST HIGH RULETH.)
And There Is More...
Then, as if the preceding wasn’t already too much for man to
even begin to deal with, there is still more.
There is the matter of
The Slayer, according to the type in Numbers
chapter thirty-five, cannot return to the land of her possession before Christ completes His
present high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and comes forth as the
great King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek (cf. Gen. 14:
18-20; Ps. 110: 1-7; Heb. 5: 6-10; 6: 20; 7: 1-21). And because a remnant has returned before
the time, before Christ
completes His high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, a
major
It is the age-old story of a disobedient Jonah asleep on board
a ship headed away from God’s calling and then finding himself in the midst of
a raging storm out on the sea, a storm so severe that it struck fear in the
hearts of those men on the ship, a storm so severe that it was about to destroy
the ship. That is the picture which
Scripture presents of the dire situation in the
(For information on the preceding, in relation to the antitype
of Numbers chapter thirty-five, refer to Chapter III in this book.)
Then, as if the preceding addition to the existing problem
wasn’t enough, add something else. God
pictures
The present nation of
The former provided
And the latter, resulting centrally from the actions of the Third Reich in Europe
- seeking to produce a Jew-free Europe, slaying some 6,000,000 Jews in the process, in what is called
The
Holocaust - provided the Jewish
people with the catalyst, with that which was necessary among themselves and
world opinion, to bring about events of May 14, 1948.
On this date, the current Israeli nation was born. A remnant of Jews, for the first time since
The fact of the matter though is that the Jewish people have
sought to return through man’s own power and strength during a time in which the nation
remains in disobedience and unbelief
God scattered the Jewish people among the Gentile nations because
of disobedience, to effect repentance. However,
an unrepentant
and a disbelieving remnant returned before the time. A nation resulted, and [Page 9] that nation has grown over the past
almost sixty years to where it comprises a sizeable percentage of the world’s
Jewish population (about two-fifths).
A people described in the words of Isa. 1: 4-6 (“a people laden with iniquity”) presently reside in the
land. And the land itself is described
in the verse immediately following, in verse seven (“desolate
... strangers devour it”).
Numerous verses in Scripture deal with
The same prophecies which deal with Israel’s restoration
also deal with the reason Israel was driven out among the nations (because
of disobedience), along with
that which must occur before God will remove His people from the nations and
place them back in the land - repentance. And the latter has yet to occur.
Thus, in this respect alone, it is not possible that the return of a remnant at a
time before repentance occurs can
be looked upon as God restoring the Jewish people in accordance with the
numerous Old Testament prophecies.
If the present restoration of a remnant to the land is the
beginning of the prophesied Biblical restoration of the Jewish people to the
land, God, within this restoration, would be seen acting contrary to His
revealed Word, not only
relative to repentance but in numerous other realms as well - an
impossibility.
Aside from the fact that the restoration of the Jewish people can
occur only following Israel’s repentance, this restoration must occur in accordance with the chronology
of that foreshadowed by each of the seven Jewish festivals in Leviticus chapter
twenty-three (which means
that it can only follow Israel’s national conversion at the end of the
Tribulation).
This restoration can occur only after Christ completes His
present high priestly ministry in the sanctuary.
This restoration can occur only after Christ has returned at
the end of the Tribulation.
[Page 10]
This restoration can occur only after two days, on the third
day (only after 2,000 years, in the third 1,000-year period, which comprises
the Messianic Era).
This restoration can occur only after the Times of the
Gentiles has been completed.
This restoration can occur only after Daniel’s Seventy-Week
prophecy has been fulfilled (and seven years yet remain to be fulfilled
in this prophecy).
The Complete Picture
Thus, the complete
On the one hand, God’s firstborn son, the one whose right it is to hold the
sceptre, the only nation with a God, is sitting wounded in a place
where the nation is not even supposed to be today, in the midst of Moslem nations, with
the nations raging and the whole situation about to tumble out of control
(cf.
Ps. 2: 1 ff).
And on the other hand, Satan, through existing conditions, is
doing all within his power to destroy
This is why there is a situation rapidly becoming uncontrollable, with
the nations raging, in the
None of the basics behind these things are being taken into
account in the nations’ endeavours to effect
Both bases are spiritual and involve supernatural
powers - one emanating from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
the other emanating from the god of this age.
Man’s best efforts in either [Page 11] supernatural realm would be as powerless as trying to extinguish the
flames of a burning skyscraper with an empty eyedropper.
And even if the nations could operate in the spiritual realm,
the notions couldn’t cure
The
How soon will it be before the
(For information on the times in which we live and the nearness
of that rapidly approaching day, refer
to the author’s book, WE ARE ALMOST THERE.)
Then, There Is Something Else
The preceding outlines the bad news. The preceding shows why a report such as The
Baker-Hamilton Report can’t even begin to touch the problem, as
it exists. And this is not to speak negatively of
the report. Rather, it is simply to say,
from a Biblical base, as previously outlined, that there is an existing problem in
the
But there is good news.
The more the matter deteriorates, the brighter things become in
another respect. The dawn always follows the darkest hour
of the night.
The time is rapidly approaching when the [‘accounted
worthy’ members of His] Church* will be removed, and after that
God will allow conditions to deteriorate to a point, particularly in the Middle
East, where Israel will have no place to turn other than to the God of their fathers. Scripture describes that time as a day “that shall burn as an oven” [Page 12] (Mal.
4: 1),
and Scripture also speaks of conditions deteriorating during that time to a
point where “no flesh” would survive apart from
Divine intervention (Matt. 24: 22).
[* See Luke 21: 36. cf. Rev.
3: 10,
A.V.)]
It will be the story seen in the Book of Exodus all over again - the realization of that
foreshadowed (typified) by events in this book.
That coming day will see the “Sun of
Righteousness”
arise “with healing in His wings” (Mal.
4: 2).
Christ will return,
Then and only then will the intractable problem in the
Then and only then will there be peace in the
“Pray for the peace
of
* *
*
[Page 13]
CHAPTER II
As Seen through the Death of Ishmael in Genesis
25
And these are
the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred
and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered
unto his people (Gen. 25: 17).
(The chapter which follows is an extensive revision of a
chapter in the book, Israel and the Land, written and published in 1979. Parts of the original chapter dealt with
events of the times. Much of this
original material has been retained, for the things occurring in the Middle
East back in those days were very much in keeping with and have parallels to
things occurring in the Middle East today, particularly on-going peace efforts
between the Jews and the Palestinian Arabs [note that the Palestinians are a
displaced people, not a nation per se, i.e.,
they are not one of the nations surrounding Israel].
Events in history often have a way of repeating themselves,
with man, at times, seeming to never learn from the lessons of history, often
repeating the same mistakes. Then, where
these events touch upon or have to do with the things revealed in Scripture,
man invariably pays even less attention, far less.
And the latter is the most major of all mistakes which man can possibly make in this
realm. Events occurring during Man’s Day
have to do with time and possible
change. That which Scripture reveals though is
timeless and unchangeable.
Relative to
When this material was originally written and published in
1979, to illustrate the folly of man’s attempts to deal with the Middle East
situation, events occurring almost two years earlier in that part of the world
were dealt with extensively, which will explain why the chapter begins and
continues as it does.)
[Page 14]
On Nov.
19, 1977 a descendant of Ishmael, representing the largest Ishmaelite nation in
the world, stepped off his Boeing 707 jet onto Israeli soil at
This historic event captured the attention of the world. All of the major news networks sent
representatives into the area. The jet
aircraft carrying Anwar Sadat was filled with reporters. And live television coverage was flashed, via
satellite, from Ben-
Although the world’s news media was able to somewhat capture
the importance of the moment at that time, its commentators have never been
able to properly assess certain things about the current
The outline of
Thus, this not only takes the situation back 4,000 years in human history - beginning with
two sons of Abraham and dealing over the years which followed with the
descendants of these two sons (the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants
of Isaac) - but it places a Divine covenant right in the middle of the matter.
In this respect, any proposed peace between the Arabs and [Page 15] the Jews, such as the one underlying
Anwar Sadat’s trip to Israel in 1977, must be understood not only in the light
of the revealed history of Ishmael and Isaac in Genesis,
but in the light of the Abrahamic Covenant as it relates to Old Testament
prophecies concerning Israel, the Arab nations, and the surrounding
non-Semitic, Gentile nations.
The Arab nations in the Middle East can make their overtures
toward war or peace, Russia to the North can voice her approval or disapproval,
the United States to the West can attempt to exert influence and control over
the situation, and the world’s news commentators can surmise all they want, but
ONE FACT remains: That which is
about to happen in the Middle East surrounding the Arabs and the Jews and the
place which all of the other nations will occupy as these events begin to
unfold has already been pre-recorded.
This entire matter - taking things back 4,000 years in history and moving them forward into the future - was all
foretold by Moses and the Prophets, and NOTHING can alter that which God has
revealed will occur.
The Abrahamic Covenant
Two Half-Brothers
As previously seen, the history of the present
Then, once in the land, God established an everlasting
covenant with Abraham. This covenant
concerned a seed and a
land. Abraham was to have a son, and through
the progeny of this son God would establish a great nation. And this nation was to be the channel through
which God would bless all the Gentile nations.
This nation was to be established in a tract of land in the
[Page 16]
Following the establishment of this covenant we have the
account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who found herself with no children and beyond
the age of childbearing. Sarah, in the
energy of the flesh, surmised that if Abraham were to have a seed to fulfil the
promises of God, this seed would have to come through someone other than
herself. Sarah, thus, said unto Abraham,
“Behold
now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing:
I pray thee, go in unto
my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by
her.” Abraham harkened to Sarah’s voice, took
Hagar, went in unto her, and she conceived and bore Ishmael (Gen. 16: 1ff).
The birth of Ishmael marks the point in history to which all
of the present turmoil in the
In the Genesis account there are thirteen silent years
following the birth of Ishmael (Gen. 16: 16 - 17: 1). Then,
at the termination of these thirteen years God appeared unto Abraham and
revealed that the time had come for His promise concerning a seed to be
fulfilled.
Sarah, who was old and beyond the age of childbearing, was to
have a son. God would return unto Sarah
“according to the time of life” (Gen. 18: 14; 21: 1, 2), and
Sarah would bear Abraham a son in his old age.
This son was to be called “Isaac,” a name
Divinely revealed even before conception, at a time when Sarah was still
incapable of bearing children (Gen. 17: 19).
Then, as well, at this same time (before Isaac was conceived),
insofar as the Abrahamic covenant was concerned, Ishmael was completely rejected (Gen.
17: 18-21).
All things surrounding the birth of Isaac were of Divine
intervention - the opposite of those surrounding the birth of Ishmael
(Ishmael’s name had also been Divinely revealed before birth but only after conception, not before conception, as Isaac’s [Gen. 16: 4, 11]).
The whole of the problem in the
[Page 17]
1) The subject: The Abrahamic Covenant.
2) The points of contention: How the
descendants of the two sons of Abraham relate to and view this covenant.
Those surrounding
Both Anwar Sadat of
(Some of the Arabic nations, taking matters back far enough,
could trace their origin to other sons of Abraham besides Ishmael - to one of
the six sons of Keturah, or to Abraham’s grandson, Esau. However, over centuries of time, extending
into millenniums, the descendants of Ishmael
have come to the forefront in this respect.
For all practical purposes, the descendants of the six sons of
Keturah or Esau have, over time, been assimilated into the descendants of
Ishmael. Thus, in this chapter, the
Arabic nations will be referenced in connection with Ishmael.
Even if Arabic nations could be found today which could trace
their lineage back to other than Ishmael, they would still be looked upon in
relation to the Jewish people and the Abrahamic Covenant exactly the same way
as the Ishmaelite nations in this respect, their origin would really be
immaterial in relation to the subject matter at hand.)
The entire framework for peace which Anwar Sadat proposed was
built around
[Page 18]
Menachem Begin, on the other hand, took a different position
toward ownership of this land. His
attitude toward the land occupied by
However, even though Menachem Begin took this hard line stance
on the matter, he softened his approach in one realm. In keeping with that which Anwar Sadat
wanted, he expressed his willingness to relinquish part of this land in order
to establish peace.
(The Arabic nations all across North Africa and in the
For example, they would see Abraham offering Ishmael, instead
of Isaac, as the sacrifice in Gen. 22.
[The Moslems view the Koran as a continued and final
revelation through Mohammed, with the Koran presenting a number of matters
related to the Old Testament in a later, uncorrupted form].
On the Abrahamic Covenant, the Moslems, from at least one
statement in their Koran, would see this covenant established through Abraham
and his nephew
“And if thou say in thine heart,
How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to
pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not
spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it
presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
In short, the Moslem’s claim that the Jewish title deed to the
land from a verse such as Gen. 17: 8 is
invalid through the test laid down by Moses in Deut.
18: 21. That is, they see the promises in the
covenant as not having come to pass, showing,
to them, that the matter exists only in corrupted statements regarding this
covenant in the Old Testament. Then,
beyond that, as previously shown, their Koran lays the matter out in an
entirely different fashion anyway, in line with their thoughts regarding a corruption
of the Old Testament Scriptures.
Until modern times, the Moslems had ruled this land for
thirteen centuries [except for about 100 years of Crusader domination]; and
because of this, though the Koran states that the land is for “all the people of the world,” they view the land as
belonging to them [though some of the Moslems, in this respect, may look upon
themselves as curators of the land, remaining more in line with the statement
from their Koran].
And the re-emergence of a Jewish nation in the land seen in
the Abrahamic Covenant, established in modern times through man’s Zionistic
efforts, has certainly not helped the Moslem’s outlook on matters. The re-establishment of a Jewish nation in
this land has infuriated the Moslems.
They look upon the Jews as squatters in a land which does not belong to
them, squatters who must be removed, driven into the sea.
Then, a high percentage of those whom the Moslems deem as squatters are self-proclaimed atheists or
agnostics - believing that a God Whom they don’t even believe in has given them
this land through an everlasting covenant.
And in this respect, combined with that seen in the preceding
several paragraphs, is it any wonder that the Moslems, who believe in God
[though the wrong God], view the presence of the Jewish people in the land
after the manner in which they do?
The Moslems are determined to fight an Islamic jihad against
Thus, the battle rages, with man vainly attempting to unravel
something which he doesn’t even begin to understand and attempting to
accomplish this task apart from dealing with any of the central issues [which
would be impossible for him to deal with anyway].)
A Chronology of Events
There are five consecutive chapters in Genesis - chapters twenty-one through twenty-five - which, if
understood in the light of that which has previously been discussed, will provide
the necessary, additional information to not only understand [Page 20] that under discussion concerning
peace between Israel and her Arab neighbours (et al.) but also to provide an
outline covering the whole of subsequent Scripture. Thus, the importance of correctly
understanding these five chapters cannot be overemphasized.
The birth of Isaac is found in Genesis chapter
twenty-one. This is the first of five chapters forming an overall type extending
from the birth of Christ to His millennial reign. And, the place which Ishmael occupies in
these chapters along with what has been previously revealed about Ishmael in
chapters sixteen and seventeen will provide the basic framework for correctly
understanding the place which the Arab nations MUST OCCUPY from the time of
their inception until the Messianic Era. The Prophets also give
additional information concerning the status of the Arab nations - particularly
In the overall type covered in these five chapters in Genesis one finds:
1) The birth of Isaac (ch.
21).
2) The offering of Isaac (ch.
22).
3)
The death of Sarah (ch. 23).
4)
The bride for Isaac (ch. 24).
5)
The remarriage of Abraham and
the subsequent death of Ishmael (ch.
25).
The birth of Isaac typifies the birth of Christ. Divine intervene-tion surrounds the birth of
both.
The offering of Isaac typifies the offering of Christ. In Genesis
chapter twenty-two there is a vicarious
sacrifice. The ram caught in the thicket
died in the stead of Isaac. In the
antitype there is also a vicarious sacrifice.
The Lamb of God, Christ, died in your place and in my place.
The death of Sarah typifies the setting aside of
The bride for Isaac typifies the bride presently being
called out [from amongst family members]* for Christ following the setting
aside of
[* Gen. 24:
3, 4.]
The remarriage of Abraham typifies that time when God will
restore
The nation will be restored to her former position.
If one will get the framework of that which is taught in Genesis chapters twenty-one through twenty-five
straight in his mind and interpret Scripture in the light of this framework, he
will have very little trouble in Biblical interpretation throughout Scripture.
The broad outline of Genesis chapters twenty-one through
twenty-five has been called to your attention to show the place which Ishmael
occupies during the time covered by these chapters. The life of Ishmael spans the entire period. Ishmael died (ch. 25b)
only AFTER the bride had
been called out for Isaac (ch.
24), and only AFTER Abraham had remarried (ch. 25a).
The Ishmaelites
(The things pertaining to Ishmael occurred after the preceding
fashion in the type, and they MUST occur after this same fashion in the
antitype.)
That which is revealed concerning Ishmael in Genesis chapters
sixteen and seventeen will, according to the manner in which Genesis chapters
twenty-one through twenty-five are structured, characterize the Ishmaelites from
the time of their inception about [Page 22] 1,900 B.C. until the time that the kingdom is restored to
Israel, about 4, 000 years later.
We are presently living during the days typified by chapter
twenty-four - the Holy Spirit in the
world calling out a bride* for God’s Son. Ishmael can only remain UNCHANGED until after the events typified by the opening verses of chapter twenty-five, i.e., until after Israel has been restored - placed back in her land, as the wife of
Jehovah, at the head of the nations, within a restored theocracy.
[*
Keep in mind: The “Bride” will
be taken out of the “body” of the
redeemed. See this author’s book “RUTH” and
compare Gen. ch. 24 with Rev. 19: 7, 8, R.V.]
And this cannot occur until after the
present dispensation has run its course, until after the [“accounted worthy” from amongst the regenerate
members of the]
Church has been
removed, until after the seven-year Tribulation has run its course, and until
after
The most revealing description of Ishmael was given before he
was even born, by the Lord Himself:
“And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be
against every man, and every man’s
hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren”
(Gen. 16:
12, ASV).
The dwelling place of the wild ass is in the wilderness (Job 39:
5, 6; cf.
Gen. 21: 20,
21). This description given to a man would
characterize his wild, lawless, nomadic nature. He is
further described as an aggressor: “His
hand shall be against every man,” and as a result, “every man’s
hand” shall be “against him.”
The expression “he shall dwell over against all his brethren” implies not only location but disposition. He
will dwell in the presence of his brethren, and he will be hostile toward his
brethren.
“Apparently, the fellow himself as
well as his descendants will not be of peaceable disposition. We should say, he will carry a chip on his
shoulder and have his finger on the trigger.”
- H. C. Leupold
Anyone who visits an Arabic country along the coast of North
Africa or in the
Arab unity is a myth and has been over the years. Possibly the nearest that the Arab World ever
came to uniting was during the Six-Day War of 1967. But
The Arab World became split down the middle because of Anwar
Sadat’s overtures of peace with
“We are presented with an undeniable
fact. It is impossible to dream of
pushing
But most of the Arab countries - including those without a
country, the Palestinians - desired to continue trying. This was to be expected. This was their nature, which would remain unchanged throughout the
remainder of Man’s Day.
Reflections on Days Following 1977
Another war with
Anwar Sadat’s only hope for improving conditions in
The nature of the Ishmaelites, in accordance with Gen. 16: 12, MUST
remain unchanged throughout Man’s Day.
Anwar Sadat, the leader of the largest Ishmaelite nation [Page 24] in the world, was trying to establish
millennial conditions BEFORE the
time, and this COULD NOT be done.
And the leaders of
According to Isa.
19: 23-25 a highway
will one day extend from
It is interesting to note that before Anwar Sadat went to
Sadat sought to establish millennial conditions between
Anwar Sadat’s motives for going to
Scripture is CRYSTAL CLEAR on this matter!
Also, prophecies concerning judgments which will befall
The last days will evidently witness Egyptian hostility toward
During or immediately following the
coming Tribulation the [Page 25] Nile River will be “dried up,” and the land of Egypt will be made “utterly waste
and desolate” (Isa. 19: 5-9; Ezek. 29: 1-10; 30: 12).
During the Messianic Era the
Then, after forty years the land will be restored and inhabited,
but throughout the Millennium Egypt will be the “basest
of the kingdoms” (Ezek. 29: 11-15). The reason given
in Scripture for this is because of the “violence against the children of
When Anwar Sadat returned from
But Anwar Sadat, in reality, could not hold this title. He was an Ishmaelite, and the time had not arrived for
Ishmael to die. He could have done no
more than effect a temporary, outward appearance of peace, far from any type
real lasting peace.
(In keeping with the Moslem mind-set pertaining to the
Abrahamic Covenant and the Jewish people, Anwar Sadat paid dearly for his trip
to
Just under four years later, on October 6, 1981, he was
assassinated at a military parade in
The Coming Holocaust
In Anwar Sadat’s dealings with
When this man appears on the scene, the
When Antichrist appears, conditions in the
(Note that this man, who will likely be a Moslem himself [with
his “false prophet” being a Jew (Rev. 13: 11ff)], will be “wounded
to death.” He is then
subsequently seen ascending out of the abyss, the place of the dead [Rev. 11: 3; 17: 8-11].
This man will evidently be slain - very likely because of his previous
peace treaty with Israel, as Anwar Sadat was slain for this reason - but then
raised from the dead [as a false Messiah whom the Moslems may associate with
the 12th Imam, which many are looking for].
[Scripture does not explain how the preceding can occur, only
that it will occur. Thus, it is not left
for man to surmise. The simple statement from
Scripture is sufficient].
And the way Scripture is worded [cf. Rev. 11: 7; 12: 1ff; 13: 3; 17: 8-11], the
preceding appears to occur very near but before the middle of the Tribulation,
immediately prior to the time that this man slays the two witnesses in Revelation chapter eleven and turns against Israel
in all his fury in Revelation chapter twelve
[cf.
Matt. 24:
15ff I.
Then, this man, at this time, can only find one major thing
relative to his Satan-driven aspirations -
a fanatical Moslem world ready to follow
him into the depths of the abyss itself if that’s what it will take to remove
the fezi? from the face of the earth, with Matt. 24: 21, 22 describing
the tumultuous conditions which will exist in those days.
“For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor
shall ever be.
[Page 27]
And except those days should be shortened, there should
no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
[
Both the Jews and the Arabs are today desperately searching for
some means to bring about peace in the troubled
As previously stated, something is going to be done, and from
all indications it will be done soon.
But the end result of the type peace which the man about to appear will
bring to pass will make the Holocaust of WWII in
As also previously stated, after only three and one-half
years, this man will break his covenant with
Between the years 1939-1945
Adolf Hitler directed the mass murder of 6,000,000 Jews in
The atrocities committed against Jews in
“WE LIVE!”
A National Homeland Today, But...
The nation of Israel is presently in existence to provide a [Page 28] national homeland for any Jew in the
world, seeking to prevent anything like the Holocaust from ever happening again
by providing a place where a Jewish person could go and find refuge (a major
problem for European Jews during WWII).
And “The Law of Return,” passed by the
Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, in 1950,
grants any Jewish person in any part of the world the right to emigrate to
Israel (though amendments have been added to this law over time because of
problems which have surfaced - criminal elements, etc.).
Regarding the Jews in the land today though, the
Prophets have spoken. The Prophets have stated that the present
Israeli nation in her national homeland will be uprooted once again, and something
like the Holocaust of World War II - but far worse - will THEN happen again.
The nation of
One more furnace remains - the
most terrible of all - and then the long-awaited Messianic Era.
Just as a Jewish nation was reborn in the
(For additional information on that seen in the last several
paragraphs, refer to Appendixes I, II [“The
Holocaust” & “Never Again!” in the author’s
book, DISTANT HOOFBEATS.)
“Pray for the peace of
* *
*
[Page 29]
CHAPTER
III
Time of Israel’s Restoration
As Seen through the Death of the High Priest in Numbers
35
Whoso killeth
any person, the murderer shall
be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any
person to cause him to die.
Moreover ye
shall take no satisfaction [ransom] for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of
death: but he shall be surely put to death.
And ye shall take no
satisfaction [ransom] for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come
again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest [the high priest
(v. 25)]
So ye shall
not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot
be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it
(Num. 35:
30-33).
Numbers chapter thirty-five relates the account of God
instructing the children of
Three of the cities of refuge were to be on the east side of
These cities were set aside to provide a sanctuary for any man who killed another man
through an unpremeditated act. The
Divine decree given to Noah and his sons following the Flood required the death
of the slayer at the hands of man:
“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of
God made he man” (Gen. 9:
6).
And God’s injunction concerning capital punishment for a
capital crime was later reiterated to Moses and is part of the Mosaic Economy
as well (Ex. 20:
13; 21: 12ff.
The command concerning capital punishment for a capital crime
was thus given to Noah and his sons over eight hundred years before it was
delivered to the children of
Although capital punishment for a capital offence has never
been repealed, provision was later made for a man who killed another man
unintentionally. This was the Divinely
established purpose for setting aside the six cities of refuge (cf. Ex. 21: 12, 13). These cities were to be located at places
where at least one city would be easily accessible to any Israelite living in
the
It fell the lot of the near kinsman to fulfil God’s injunction
concerning capital punishment for a capital crime. The near kinsman was to confront
the slayer and, in turn, slay him. God’s
requirement in the matter was blood for blood (Num. 35: 16-21; cf.
Deut. 19:
21).
[Page 31]
God's previous instructions to Noah and his sons remained unchanged within the framework of God’s instructions
to Moses. Something though was added to
these instructions within the Mosaic Economy. Provision was made for the person
guilty of accidental, unpremeditated murder.
And once the Israelite guilty of such an act had taken advantage of that
provision - once the slayer had fled to and was inside the walls of one of the
six designated cities of refuge - the near kinsman, as long as the slayer
remained in this place, couldn’t touch him.
Any individual though who fled to one of the cities of refuge
must, at a later time, be returned to the area where the slaying occurred and
appear before a judicial court. And,
should the testimony at this court prove to be negative - i.e., show that the man had committed the act in a wilful manner -
at least two witnesses were required to testify against the man in this
respect.
If the slayer was found guilty of wilful murder, he would no longer be granted sanctuary
in a city of refuge. Rather, he would be turned over to the near kinsman to be
slain; and the near kinsman, slaying the man, would not be guilty of blood
himself.
But if the slayer, on the other hand, was found guilty
only of involuntary manslaughter,
he would be returned to the safety of the city of refuge to which he had
previously fled (Num. 35: 22-28).
Then there was the matter of a ransom. This
ransom constituted a payment for the life of the one found to have committed
involuntary manslaughter. No ransom
though was provided for the life of a person found guilty of wilful
manslaughter. Rather, he was to forfeit
his own life (blood for blood), apart
from a ransom.
But though the ransom was a provision for the one having
committed involuntary manslaughter, there was a stipulation: The
slayer could not avail himself of the ransom until the death of the high priest (Num.
35: 28, 32).
Once the high priest in the camp of Israel had died and the
ransom had been paid, the individual who had previously been found guilty only
of involuntary manslaughter was then free to leave the particular city of refuge
where he had been provided a sanctuary and return to the land of his
possession. And once this had occurred,
the near kinsman no longer had any claim on that individual.
[Page 32]
In the Old Testament (in the type) it was individual Israelites who found themselves guilty of
manslaughter (wilful or involuntary) and, consequently, in a position where
they would either be slain or be granted protection in a city of refuge. Today (in the antitype) it is
the entire nation of
The nation of
The paschal lamb was given to
Israel today is unclean through contact with the dead body of
God’s Son, with cleansing to be provided on the seventh day - the seventh 1,000-year period, the Messianic Era (Num. 19: 11, 12). But how is
If it was a premeditated act, the nation would have to be cut
off. No ransom could be provided (it
would have to be blood for blood; the
nation would have to pay with its own life); nor, if a premeditated act, could the nation ever be allowed to return to the land of her possession (which would
mean, in the final analysis, that God’s promises to Abraham, beginning with Gen. 12: 1-3, could never be realized).
However, if Jesus was delivered into Israel’s hands after a
manner which would allow the nation’s act of crucifying her Messiah to be
looked upon as unpremeditated murder - i.e., allow the nation’s act to be
looked upon as having been done through ignorance - then Israel could be
granted protection and a ransom could be provided. And beyond that, the nation could one day
avail itself of the ransom, at which time
The Biblical testimony concerning the manner in which the [Page 33] nation’s act must be viewed was given
by Jesus Himself at
Note the words of Jesus:
“...Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do” (Luke 23: 34a).
Then note the words of Peter:
“Ye men of
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be
granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead [lit. “out of dead ones”]; whereof we are witnesses...
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye
did it, as did also your
rulers” (Acts 3: 12a, 14, 15, 17).
Thus, Jesus was delivered into the hands of Israel (cf.
Ex. 21: 13; Acts 2: 23) after
a manner which not only allowed the Jewish people to act after the described fashion
but also prevented them from acting after any other fashion as well. Consequently,
The High Priest and the Ransom
In the camp of
Aaron ministered in the sanctuary in the earthly tabernacle,
with blood, on behalf of the people.
Jesus, on the other hand, is presently ministering in the heavenly
sanctuary, with blood, on behalf of the people - a ministry patterned after the
order of [Page
34] Aaron. And, as evident from Hebrews
chapter five, along with other related Scripture, Christ’s present ministry
after the order of Aaron will not continue indefinitely.
There is coming a day when Christ’s present ministry in the
heavenly sanctuary will end. And the termination
of this ministry, along with certain events which will occur relative to
And these events, as they pertain to the slayer, have to do
with two things in the antitype:
1)
2) A
restoration the Jewish people to the land of their possession.
The word ransom (Num. 35:
31, 32 [translated “satisfaction,”
KIV]) is from a cognate form of the word for “atonement”
in the Hebrew text. The underlying
thought behind “atonement” is to
cover; and that is the some
thought expressed by the “ransom” in this
chapter. This ransom provided a
covering - a covering from view, a putting away, a
blotting out - of the previous capital act (an unpremeditated act).
And once the slayer had availed himself of the ransom, which
could only be after the death of
the high priest, the whole matter was put away. The person was then free
to return to the land of his possession; and the near kinsman of the one slain
could no longer have any claim on him whatsoever, for the matter had been put
away and could never be
brought up again.
(In the type, this ransom was connected with some aspect of
the person and work of the high priest, or of other priests. For example, the slayer could not avail
himself of the ransom until the high priest had died. Then,
this ransom had to do with a covering [with atonement] from
defilement wrought through contact with a dead body. And such a work in Numbers chapter nineteen, where
cleansing from this type defilement is dealt with, was performed by a
priest.
The high priestly ministry of Aaron and his successors in the
camp [Page 35] of
Thus, that being dealt with in Numbers chapter thirty-five -
portending a priestly work - has to do with the cleansing of saved
individuals from defilement [defilement
wrought through contact with a dead body], not with issues surrounding the
death of the firstborn [issues surrounding eternal salvation].
And the Jewish people, for two reasons, find themselves in a position
today where they cannot avail themselves of this cleansing [cleansing from
contact with the dead body of their Messiah]:
1) The Jewish people today are in an
unsaved state.
2) The Jewish people, even if they were
in a saved state today, could not presently avail themselves of the ransom
[cleansing] because of the nature of Christ's present priestly
ministry.
Cleansing from all defilement during the present dispensation
is brought to pass through only one means - through Christ’s
present ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, on the basis of His shed blood on
the mercy seat. Though Christ is not of
the Levitical line, His present ministry is patterned after the order of
Aaron’s ministry; and, because Christ is not of the Levitical line, if God were
dealing with Israel on a national basis today, He could not deal with the
Jewish people in relation to Christ’s present ministry in the sanctuary [else
He would violate that which He Himself established].
The Jewish people, if they were being dealt with in relation
to the priesthood today, would have to be dealt with in relation to that set
forth concerning the priesthood in the Mosaic Economy [as will be seen through
the covenant Antichrist will make with Israel during the coming Tribulation,
when God completes His national dealings with Israel during Man’s Day]. The priest, within the Mosaic Economy, had to
be of the Levitical line. And Christ is not of this line. Christ is from the tribe of
Thus, dealing with the Jewish people in relation to Christ’s
high priestly ministry today would be completely out of the question. They
[Page 36] could not go to Christ and receive
cleansing, for the Mosaic Economy does not recognize a priestly ministry of the
nature Christ is presently exercising [a non-Levitical ministry patterned after
the order of Aaron, a Levite]. And any priesthood which the Jewish
people themselves could enact today, from the Levitical line, would be
completely non-efficacious.
However, note that Christ [though from the tribe of
But, before the Jewish people can enter into the picture as
matters pertain to the priesthood and the ransom, seen in Numbers chapter thirty-five,
Christ must first terminate His present ministry in the sanctuary and come
forth as the great King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek. And, as well, a new covenant [which will
replace the old covenant] will be made with
In the preceding respect, from the vantage point of the
antitype, it is an easy matter to see why the high priest in the camp of
Thus, the ransom for
In that day,
It will be in that day - not before - that
(Insofar as Christians are concerned, Christ’s present
ministry in the heavenly sanctuary will terminate when the [“accounted worthy” members (Rev. 3: 10. cf. Luke
21: 36ff.) of the] Church is removed from the earth into the heavens, at the end of the
present dispensation. However, Christ’s
ministry in the sanctuary will apparently continue for others through the
Tribulation, else the saved among the earth-dwellers would have no High Priest.
Christ though will not come forth as the great King-Priest
after the order of Melchizedek, appearing to
Also, the Jewish people one day availing themselves of the
ransom in Numbers chapter thirty-five would correspond
with the fulfilment of events set forth in the second and sixth of the seven
feasts of the Lord in Leviticus chapter
twenty-three - the feast of [Page 38] Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed the
Passover, and the Day of Atonement.
“Leaven” points to that which
is vile, corrupt
(cf. Matt.
13: 33; 16: 1-12; 1 Cor. 5: 6-8); and the fulfilment of this festival in
the type had to do with a cleansing of the house, a removing of all
leaven from the house immediately following the Passover (cf. Ex.
12: 8-20; Lev. 23: 6-8).
And in the antitype, it is the same. The fulfilment of this festival will
immediately follow the fulfilment of the Passover. It will occur immediately following
But, though all things associated with leaven will
be put out of the house (fulfilling the second festival, the festival of
Unleavened Bread), cleansing cannot
occur until events surrounding the fulfilment of the sixth festival (the Day of
Atonement). Only then will
the nation be able to access the ransom, be cleansed of defilement through
contact with the dead body of their Messiah, and be free to return to the land
of their possession. Only
then can the seventh and last
festival be realized - the feast of Tabernacles, a time of rest at the
completion of the previous six festivals, foreshadowing the time of rest
awaiting the people of God (a
seventh-day rest, a Sabbath rest), the
Messianic Era.
This is where the account of the slayer availing himself of
the ransom in Numbers chapter thirty-five,
following the death of the high priest, is seen being fulfilled in the antitype
(along with the fulfilment of that seen in Numbers
chapter nineteen). Israel in that day will be
cleansed of this defilement, and the house will no longer be leavened.
Accordingly, only in that coming day, only following cleansing from Israel’s
present defilement wrought through prior contact with the dead body of the
nation’s Messiah, will the Jewish people be [in God’s will be then] free to
return to the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and only
then can the Jewish people
realize their [divine and prophetic] calling in this land, with God’s promised [and future] blessings flowing out through Israel to the Gentile nations of the earth
after the fashion which God intended when He called this nation into existence.
(A knowledge of the preceding facts will reveal not only
truths pertaining to Christ’s present and future ministries but also truths
pertaining to
To equate the present restoration of a remnant of the
descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob to the land of Israel with the
fulfilment of any of the Old Testament prophecies dealing with Israel’s
restoration to this land [such as the vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezek. 37] is to
ignore the fact that Israel is the slayer.
And this is an established Biblical fact which cannot be ignored.
The present restoration of a remnant to the land can have nothing
whatsoever to do with the
fulfilment of any of the numerous Old Testament prophecies pertaining to
Thus, the nation cannot presently avail itself of the
ransom which Christ paid to effect
However, a remnant must be present in the land immediately
preceding the end of Man’s Day for certain prophecies pertaining to Israel and
the nations to be fulfilled, though the existence of this remnant has nothing
to do with the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies pertaining to Israel’s
restoration. Thus, the existence of the
nation of
In this respect, the remnant in the land today constitutes the
nation which will shortly make the seven-year covenant with Antichrist. And this remnant will, in turn, later be
uprooted from the land [something which will never occur after the Jewish people have been regathered to the land in
fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy (cf. Isa. 2: 14; Jer. 32: 37-44; Ezek. 37: 19-28; 39: 25-29; Joel 2: 27-32; Micah 4: 1-7)].
In the middle of the Tribulation, when Antichrist breaks his
covenant with Israel, the nation of Israel, as we know it today, will be uprooted
from their land; and the Jews dwelling in the land at that time, who do not
escape to places of safety out among the nations [Matt. 24: 16-20; Rev. 11: 6, 14; ref. Appendixes I,
II,
“The Woman in Revelation” and “A Place in the Wilderness,” in the author's book, MYSTERY OF THE
WOMAN], will either be slain or be sold as slaves throughout the
Gentile world [cf. Joel 3: 6; Luke 21: 20-24; Rev. 11: 21.
During the last half of the Tribulation there will be no
Jewish nation in the
During this time, the entire world - particularly the centre
of Antichrist’s kingdom in the Middle East [including the land of Israel as we
know it today] - will become like Nazi Germany during the final six years of
the Third Reich [1939-1945, though it will become far, far worse]. And when the Holocaust of that coming day
reaches its darkest hour, Messiah will return, and He Himself will effect the
prophesied regathering of the nation [Matt. 24: 15-31; Luke 21: 20-27].
Christ must first complete His present ministry in the sanctuary
and return to earth as the great King-Priest after the order of
Melchizedek. Only then can
My Son, A Priest
There are two quotations from the Old
Testament in Heb. 5:
5, 6, [Page 41] and both are Messianic in their scope
of fulfilment. There is first the
quotation from Ps. 2:
7,
“Thou art my son, today have I begotten thee” (v.
5).
And then there is the quotation from Ps.
110: 4,
“Thou art a priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek” (v. 6).
These two quotations are used together, referring to one and
the same time. They refer to that time
in the second Psalm when God states,
“Yet have I set my King upon my holy
hill of Zion” (v. 6).
And they refer to that time in the one hundred tenth Psalm
when God states,
“The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
Both quotations in Hebrews
are from Messianic passages in the Old Testament, leaving no room to question
the time of their fulfilment. “
1) Psalm
2: 7
Psalm 2: 7 is quoted three places
in the New Testament. It is quoted by
Luke in Acts 13: 33,
and it is quoted twice by the writer of Hebrews (1: 5; 5: 5).
The words, “Thou art my Son,” form an allusion to 2
Sam. 7: 14
in the Davidic covenant: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son...”
And to view the second Psalm
from the perspective of the Davidic covenant, this Psalm reveals the fulfilment
of God’s threefold promise to David in 2 Sam.
7: 12, 13:
1) David was to have a Son (v.
12).
[Page 42]
2) David’s Son was
to sit on his throne (vv. 12, 13).
3) The kingdom,
under this Son’s reign, was to be established forever (v.
13).
Accordingly, God’s promise to David, rather than being
fulfilled through his son, Solomon, finds its fulfilment through his greater
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
1) He is the One to Whom God will give “the throne of his father David.”
2) He is the One Who will “reign over the house of Jacob forever.”
3) He is the One Who will possess a kingdom of
which “there shall be no end” (Luke 1: 31-33).
This is exactly what is in view in Acts
13: 33, where Ps. 2: 7 is quoted
for the first time in the New Testament.
Acts 13: 34 goes on to
state, “And as concerning that he raised him from the dead...” That is, concerning
Jesus one day occupying the throne of David
and reigning over the house of Jacob, fulfilling God’s promises in the Davidic
covenant, God raised Him from the dead. And the some verse concludes with the statement, “I will give
you the sure mercies of David [lit., ‘I will give
you the holy things of David’ (which, contextually, con only be a reference to things
surrounding the Davidic covenant)].”
Psalm 2: 7 must likewise be looked upon as Messianic in its two usages in the
Book of Hebrews. In the first chapter the verse comprises one
of seven Messianic quotations which
make up most of the chapter, and it is used here in connection with the
parallel quotation from the Davidic covenant in 2
Sam. 7: 14
(v. 5). And
in the fifth chapter of Hebrews the
verse is used in connection with that future time when Christ will come forth
from the sanctuary and exercise the Melchizedek priesthood (vv. 5, 6).
2) Psalm
110: 4
Melchizedek is mentioned eleven times in Scripture - two times
in the Old Testament (Gen. 14: 18; Ps. 110: 4) and nine times in the [Page 43] Book of Hebrews
(chs. 5-7). And
the manner in which Melchizedek is presented in the Old Testament will govern
the manner in which he must be viewed in the Book of
Hebrews.
Melchizedek first appears in Scripture when Abraham was
returning from the battle of the kings (Gen.
14: 18, 19). Melchizedek was “king of
Meeting Abraham, following the battle of the kings, he brought
forth bread and wine and blessed Abraham, saying, “Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth” (vv. 18, 19).
It is evident that Melchizedek’s
actions in the type during the days of Abraham were Messianic in their scope of
fulfilment in the antitype.
Immediately prior to Christ’s death at
This could only be an allusion to one thing - that future [millennial] day when Christ will come forth in the
antitype of Melchizedek as he is presented in Gen.
14: 18, 19, with
bread and wine to bless Abraham and his
descendants, both heavenly and earthly (cf. Gen.
22: 17, 18). And this is an event which will occur following the battle of the kings (cf. Rev. 19: 17-21).
The one hundred tenth Psalm, where Melchizedek is referred to the
only other time in the entire Old Testament, as previously seen, is also
Messianic in its scope of fulfilment. It
must be, for this is the way Melchizedek is presented in Genesis, and there can be no change when one comes
to the Book of Psalms.
The Son is told to sit on the
Father’s right hand until such a
time as His enemies are made His “footstool” (v. 1). Then,
after His enemies hove been made His footstool, He is going to rule “in the midst”
of His enemies (v. 2). He
is going to “strike through kings” and “judge among the heathen [Gentiles]”
in that coming [millennial] [Page 44] day of
His “power” (vv. 3,
5, 6), a
day when He will be revealed as the great King-Priest in
Genesis 14 and Ps. 110 must be understood in the light of
one another (actually, Ps. 110 draws from Gen. 14), and Heb. 5-7 must be understood in the light of both Old
Testament references. Thus, all eleven
references to Melchizedek in Scripture can only be looked upon after one
fashion ‑ as Messianic in their scope of fulfilment.
(Concerning the absence of the mention of a sanctuary and shed blood in connection with Melchizedek, this
would not be the case as matters are seen in the antitype, in that future day,
when Christ comes forth as the great King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek
and a new covenant is made with the House of Israel. Covenants are, at times, associated with death
and shed blood in Scripture,
as is the new covenant [cf. Gen.
15: 9-21; Jer.
34: 18; Matt. 26: 28]. There
is an allusion to this in Heb. 7: 21, 22:
“The Lord sware and will not repent,
Thou are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament [‘covenant’].”
Then, when Christ deals with
Thus, in the preceding respect, one could find death
and shed blood, along with a sanctuary, associated with the Melchizedek
priesthood. But that is strictly future, it involves [the nation of]
* *
*
[Page 45]
CHAPTER IV
Blessings Awaiting
As Seen through the Death of King Uzziah in Isaiah
6
In the year
that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood
the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he
covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried
unto another, and said,
Holy,
holy,
holy,
is the Lord of
hosts: the whole earth [land]
is full of his
glory.
And the posts
of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,
for mine eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one
of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken
with the tongs from off the altar:
And he laid it
upon my mouth, and said,
Lo, this hath touched
thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Also I heard
the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I
send, and who will go for us? Then said I,
Here am I;
send me
(Isa. 6: 1-8).
King
Uzziah ruled over
[Page 46]
During King Uzziah’s reign, the day came when he took it upon
himself to do that reserved for the priests alone, those from the tribe of
Levi. Though not of the priestly tribe,
he sought to burn incense upon the altar in the
He was opposed by Azariah the priest, along with eighty other
priests. And because he had transgressed against the Lord, he was struck with leprosy; and he remained a leper, “cut off from the house of the Lord,” until the day of his death (2 Chron.
26: 1-21; cf. Lev.
13: 46).
Isaiah chapter six, drawing from this incident and experience in
Uzziah’s life, has to do with “Uzziah” as a
type of [disobedient and apostate]
As seen beginning the Book of Isaiah,
“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity...
From the sole
of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness
in it; but wounds,
and bruises,
and putrifying sores...
Your country
is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land,
strangers devour
it in your presence...” (1:
4a, 6a, 7a).
Then, later in this opening chapter, extending into the next
chapter, matters are presented where
This is exactly the same story told through the experiences
and death of King Uzziah in chapter six. In the year that King Uzziah died - the
death of a leper (who had been cut off from the Lord’s house), typifying the
end of Israel’s sickness (the end of Israel being cut off from those things
which the Lord has reserved for the nation) - the same thing is seen
that was seen toward the end of chapter one and the beginning of chapter two.
Following
“The Whole Earth [Land] Is Full of His
Glory” (v. 3)
Isaiah chapter six deals, first and foremost, with
[* See
also Ezekiel chapter 36.]
Even today, with
Blessings which God has reserved for the nations through
That is the time seen in the latter part of Isa. 6: 3 - “...the whole earth is
full of his glory.” The word “earth”
in this verse is a translation of the
Hebrew word, eretz. And this word can be understood and
translated as either “earth” or “land.” This is
the word used in Gen. 1: 1, properly
translated “earth.” This is also the word used today to refer to
the
Again, bear in mind that Isaiah chapter six is about
In fact, to think of the
matter in the latter respect, as the verse reads in almost any English version,
can easily be shown to be incorrect. For
example,
[Page 48]
The fulness of God’s Glory will be seen in a restored land
indwelt by a restored people through whom God will view and then deal with the
nations. And any type association with
this Glory outside the land of Israel can only be seen in that day through the
Jewish people as they traverse the earth as God’s evangels or move about in
some other type capacity (e.g., a governmental capacity, for Israel will hold the sceptre in that
day). Romans 9: 4 would make this very clear.
(Since parts of the preceding are based on a corrected
contextual translation and understanding of eretz in verse three,
note a similar and related mistake which the translators have made with this word
in Jeremiah chapter four, resulting in the
same type confusion.
In verses 20-28, where the heart of that under discussion is
dealt with, the word eretz appears in verses 20, 23, 27, 28, in almost any English translation the word is
rendered “land” twice [vv.
20, 27]
and “earth” twice [vv.
23, 28]. The whole of the chapter is dealing with
In verse twenty, through the use of two Hebrew words seen back
in Gen. 1:
2 ‑ tohu wavohu [“without form and void”] -
that which had happened to the land
of Israel is likened to that which had previously happened to the entire
earth. One had resulted from
The earth had become “without form and void,” with
a view to eventual restoration and regality; the
Then there is the matter of the
[In short, anytime you find the words “earth” or “land” in English texts of
the O.T., it would pay to check the context, for the word eretz can be understood and translated either way].
The same would be true of the word ge in the Greek N.T. This word, as eretz in the Hebrew text, is also used for both “earth” and “land.”
[Page 49]
For example, note the second Beast in Rev.
13: 11,
who comes “up out of the earth.” Again, this is the way almost any English
translation will read. But are the
translations correct?
As seen from eretz in Jer. 4: 23, it can be easily shown from the context that
the word ge should be translated and
understood as “land” in Rev.
13: 11, not
“earth.”
Note that the first Beast comes up out of the “sea”
[v. 1].
The “sea,” in Scripture, is used in a dual
metaphorical respect as a reference to the lands of the Gentile nations and to the place of death [cf. Ex. 14: 21-31; Dan. 7: 3; Jonah 1: 12 - 2: 10; Rev. 13: 1; 17: 1, 15; 21: 1, 4].
In Rev. 13: 1, the
usage has to do with the nations, which could be any or all of the earth’s
lands, except for one part, the
Thus, when the first Beast arises from the “sea” [which could encompass any of the lands occupied by
the Gentile nations, though other Scripture narrows it down to the land of one
nation (land covered by the ancient Assyrian kingdom; Dan.
8: 8, 9)], and the second Beast arises from another part
of the earth, another land, one is left without an option. This man can only arise from the
In the same respect, note that the word ge has
also been translated “earth” in the next two
verses, when Israel and the land are
centrally in view, very evident in vv. 13ff.)
“Thine Iniquity Is Taken Away, and Thy Sin Purged” (v. 7)
In Isa.
6: 5-8, exactly
the some scene is depicted as set forth in the opening two chapters of the book
-
This is the story presented in the Book of Exodus, beginning with the Jewish people being
persecuted while dwelling in a Gentile land.
And the complete story is subsequently told in
Exodus, the remaining three books of Moses, and Joshua
- an
account which takes the reader from the people of God being persecuted in a
Gentile land to their dwelling in their own land within a theocracy.
[Page 50]
It is the same story depicted time after time in repeated
occurrences throughout the Book of Judges. Time after time the same scene is repeated in
this book.
This was God’s designed means to bring His people to
repentance in order that He might send a deliverer and subsequently deal with
them in relation to their calling and position as His firstborn son.
Then, a continuance through the Old Testament Scriptures (as
in Isaiah chapters one, two, and six) would show exactly this some thing
throughout. And, accordingly, this is
the way it is all brought to a conclusion at the end of the Old Testament, in
the closing two chapters of Malachi.
In that respect, how would one expect the New Testament to
open, continue, and close? It could only
be the
same way, for the New is
simply an opening up, providing a further explanation, of that already seen in
the Old.
The New Testament begins very near the end of the 2,000-year
period which God has allotted to deal with
The events of Calvary though - climaxing
Seven years yet remain in which God will deal with
[Page 51]
The Church, the new creation “in Christ,” from which the bride for God’s Son is being taken, was
brought into existence in Acts chapter two.
But the Book of Acts relates centrally an account other than God dealing with
the Church, forming, in a respect, a fifth gospel. Throughout this book, the offer of the
kingdom is left open to Israel, conditioned, as previously seen in the four
gospels, on the nation’s repentance (e.g., Acts 2:
37, 38; 7: 51-60; 28: 23-29).
The Church is seen throughout the Book of Acts as the vessel
which God used to continue the offer of the kingdom to
The opening four chapters of the Book of Revelation deal
centrally with events immediately following the present dispensation - the
removal of the Church (chs.
1a, 4a),
the appearance of Christians before Christ’s judgment seat (chs. 1b-3 [chs.
2, 3 also
present a history of the Church during the present dispensation]), and
subsequent events having to do with findings and determinations made at the
judgment seat (ch.
4b).
Chapter five has to do with the search for One worthy to break
the seals of the seven-sealed scroll introduced in the chapter. This scroll contains the redemptive terms (judgments) for the forfeited inheritance
(the
heavens and the earth, occupied and controlled by Satan, to be occupied and controlled by God's
three firstborn Sons).
Then chapters six through nineteen deal with
That is centrally what the Book of Revelation, beginning with
chapter six, is about. God, through the
severity of Gentile [Page 52] persecution existing in that day, will bring His people to the place where
they will be left without a choice, other than to turn to the God of their
fathers (cf. Matt. 24: 15ff; Luke 21: 20ff).
And, since that is what these chapters are about, it would
indeed appear strange if
Then Israel is seen throughout chapters eleven through
fourteen and seventeen into twenty, with Israel brought to the place of
repentance, followed by cleansing, in chapters seventeen through the opening
verses of chapter nineteen, with a view to Gentile world power being destroyed
(ch. 19b) and the kingdom being ushered in (ch. 20a).
The judgments in chapter six, chapters eight through ten, and
chapters fifteen and sixteen are designed to bring
(For a more detailed exposition of the preceding, refer to the
author’s books, “The Time of the End” and “Middle East Peace - How? When?”
On the harlot woman in Rev.
17-19a, proper
exposition is not difficult at all if one compares Scripture with Scripture and
recognizes that metaphors and symbolic language are being used extensively, not
only in these three chapters but throughout the book as a whole. Though
the latter has been generally recognized by expositors over the years, most
have failed to compare Scripture with Scripture. And the results of attempts to identify the
harlot apart from comparing Scripture with Scripture have, understandably, been
quite varied - usually seen as a false religious system of some type, but sometimes seen as a
governmental system.
And interpretation of the preceding nature is, in itself, tragic. Loose
dealings of this type with Rev. 17-19a completely
destroy the ending which God built into the last seven years of the Jewish
dispensation as it is presented in the Book of Revelation, an ending seen
throughout the Old Testament and a number of places in the New Testament
outside the Book of Revelation.
To illustrate the point, note how simple the interpretation is
regarding the harlot woman if one remains solely with Scripture, allowing
Scripture to interpret itself.
In Rev. 17: 18, the
woman is clearly identified in so many words: “The Woman which thou sawest is that
great city...”
The expression, “that great city
[‘that’ or ‘the,’ the same word appears in the Creek text]” is used nine times
in chapters eleven through eighteen. In
the first usage in chapter eleven [v. 8], “the great city”
is clearly a reference to
Then, in chapter fourteen [v.
8] and chapter sixteen [v. 19] “that great city” is identified as
Thus, the reference in all three verses can only be
And the destruction of this harlot woman (17:
16, 17; 19: 1-3) has to do with the end of
Again, note the simplicity of Biblical interpretation
of Scripture is allowed [Page 54] to interpret itself. And the preceding is only one of several ways that the harlot
is clearly
identified in these three chapters.)
“Here Am I; Send Me” (v. 8)
A central reason God called
A first fruit of the nation will be saved and go forth during the Tribulation, resulting in “a great multitude [converts among the nations], which no man could number” (Rev. 7: 9ff; cf.
Rev. 7:
1-8; 14: 1-5).
Then during the Millennium, with the conversion of the entire
nation, the main harvest will follow. The entire nation will go forth bearing
witness to the Gentile nations, relating the message of their Deliverer, the
Great King-Priest Who will be seated on David’s throne in their midst.
They will go forth in the antitype of Jonah who was delivered
from the sea after two days, on the third day (cf. Jonah 1: 17; Matt. 12: 39, 40; Luke 24: 7, 21, 46). They, as well, will be delivered from that
typified by the sea (the nations, and the place of death) after two days, on
the third day (after 2,000 years,
on the third 1,000-year period [Hos.
6: 2]).
(“The sea,” as previously seen,
is used in Scripture in a dual metaphorical sense - the place occupied by the Gentile
nations and the place of death [cf. Ex.
14: 21-31;
Dan. 7: 3; Jonah 1: 12 - 2: 10; Rev. 13: 1; 17: 1, 15; 21: 1, 4]. Both
usages are seen in the Book of Jonah, covering the complete history of the
Jewish people.)
As Jonah, following his deliverance, went to the Gentiles with
God’s message, resulting in the conversion of an entire city to which God had sent him,
With the ministry of 144,000 Jews over three and one-half years resulting in “a great
multitude, which no man could number,” think what an entire nation going forth for
1,000years will be able to accomplish!
And this is exactly what will occur in
the coming day when a repentant and
converted nation states, “Here am I; send me.”
* *
*
[Page 55]
Appendix I
The Beginning of God’s Promised Restoration?
Or, Is This Jewish Presence in the
Land Something Else?
Because of
continued Israeli disobedience extending over centuries of time, in the eighth
and seventh centuries B.C., God, remaining true to His Word, uprooted
the Jewish people from their land and drove them out among the nations (Lev.
26: 21ff;
Deut. 28:
15ff, with the Times of the Gentiles then
ensuing. And He
drove them out among the nations for a purpose. It was there, among the
nations, in subjection to the nations during the Times of the Gentiles, that God
had decreed He would deal with His people relative to repentance, followed by
restoration (Lev. 26: 40ff; 2 Chron. 7: 12ff).
In short, the disobedient Jewish people would be driven out among the nations and not be removed until
they had repented. God drove them out among the nations to effect repentance through persecution at the hands of the nations, and He
would not restore them to their land until His purpose for removing them had
been realized.
With that being the case, how could remnants of Jews return at
two periods in history? Following the
seventy-year Babylonian captivity, three remnants, over time, returned to the
land from Babylon (between 538 and 444 B.C., forming the nucleus for a remnant
still there over four hundred years later when Christ was on earth); and the
other has returned during modern times (forming the present nation of Israel,
over 6,000,000 strong).
[Page 56]
Since God drove His people out among the nations to effect repentance, why has God allowed these remnants to
return prior to repentance?
The answer, in both instances, is evident:
There had to be a remnant in the land in connection with
Christ’s first coming, and there has to be a remnant in the land in connection
with Christ’s second coming. But, just
as the remnant in the land at Christ’s first coming was driven back out among
the nations, so will it be with the remnant in the land in connection with
Christ’s second coming.
The remnant presently in the land,
though comprising some two-fifths of world Jewry and a recognized nation, is
going to one day be uprooted and driven back out among the nations. They have to be, if for no other reason than the fact that they have to be in the place
where God has decreed that He will deal with the
Jewish people relative to repentance.
And, according to Scripture, this is exactly what will occur
in the middle of the coming Tribulation when the man of sin, the Beast, the
Antichrist, breaks his covenant with Israel and seeks to destroy the nation
from off the face of the earth (Matt. 24: 15ff; Luke 21: 20ff).
The nation of
(Refer to the second part of this appendix [pp. 59-61] for comments on how God could deal with a remnant in the
land relative to “repentance” at Christ’s first coming but cannot
deal with the remnant presently in the land relative to “repentance” preceding
Christ’s second coming.
That which was done on the former [God dealing with a remnant
in the land relative to “repentance”] is
in complete
keeping with God's Word, but
for the same thing to occur on the latter [God dealing with the remnant
presently in the land relative to “repentance”]
would have God acting contrary to His Word - an impossibility. A marked difference exists between the two.
And “repentance,” of
necessity, will have to occur prior to God sending His Deliverer [the One
Whom Israel rejected and crucified 2,000 years ago], for Israel’s repentance is that which
God requires prior to acting in this manner [cf. Ex. 2: 23-25; 17ff; Lev. 26: 39-42; 2 Chron. 6: 24-27; 7: 12-14].)
[Page 57]
Jonah, a Type
This is set forth in type in the Book of Jonah, relating the
story of a disobedient Jewish prophet, running from the Lord, along with that
which then occurred.
Jonah had been commanded to go to
Once out on the
Then, it was in the sea that God both protected Jonah from
destruction and dealt
with him relative to repentance. God prepared “a
great fish” to swallow Jonah to protect him from destruction, and God then dealt with him relative to
repentance while in “the
belly of the fish.”
Repentance occurred after two days, with God then raising Jonah up on the third day and placing him back in the land of
Israel (Jonah 1: 17
- 2: 10).
(Note how Scripture deals with the expression “three days and
three nights,” found in Jonah 1: 17 and referenced in Matt.
12: 40. Scripture deals with the
matter quite differently than man often does in his Western way of
thinking. Scripture
deals with the matter in the sense of any part of a day forming the whole of that
day, along with the corresponding night period; and Scripture even references the expression found in Jonah 1: 17 and
Matt. 12:
40 two other places in the O.T. where the
matter is clearly dealt with after this fashion [1
Sam. 30: 1,
12, 13; Esther 4: 16 - 5: 1; cf.
Gen. 40: 12-20; 42: 17, 18; 2 Chron. 10: 5, 12; Matt. 27: 62-64].
Thus, Jonah had to be raised on the third day, as Christ not only had to be but was
raised on the third day as well
[Luke 24: 7,
21, 46]. To be raised after a full three days and
three nights [72 hrs.], within man’s [Page 58]Western way of thinking, could only be a resurrection no sooner than
the fourth or fifth day within the way Scripture handles the matter.
Since Christ was raised on the first
day of the week [our Sunday, on the Feast of First Fruits], the
day of His crucifixion, from a Biblical standpoint, cannot be open to question. The
first day of the week was the third day from the sixth day of the previous week
[our Friday]. “Friday”
was the
first day, “Saturday” the second day, and “Sunday” the third day. The
matter is really that clear and simple if one allows
Scripture to interpret itself.
Christ, as Jonah, was in the place of the dead “three days and three nights,” exactly
in line with the way Scripture handles the matter in the O.T. And to handle the matter any other
way [e.g., a Wednesday crucifixion, as
some attempt to do, having Christ raised on the fifth day] is completely out of
line with Scripture.
And not only is the preceding the case,
but all these attempts to align Jonah 1: 17 and Matt. 12: 40 with our
Western way of thinking destroy the septenary structure of Scripture. Dating
from the crucifixion, all three of God’s firstborn
Sons [Christ, Israel, and the
Church following the
adoption] are going to be raised up to live in God’s sight on the third day, the
third 1,000-year period.)
“The sea”
where Jonah was cast is used in Scripture in a metaphorical manner to signify the
nations; and Jonah being on “the ship”
instead of in the sea in the first part of this account could only be seen in
the same symbolic manner to show Jonah in the land of Israel rather than out among the nations, i.e., as being on the ship was the only
place removed from the sea, being in the land of Israel would be the only place
removed from the nations.
Because of his disobedience, Jonah eventually found himself in
the
sea, which is where God dealt
with him relative to repentance. Within the framework of
that which the type is about - Jonah as a type of
And this is where Israel has been for the past 2,600 years - in
the sea, scattered among the nations (i.e., aside from remnants in the land),
experiencing persecution at the hands of the nations, with
God using the persecuting nations to ultimately bring Israel to the place of
repentance.
[Page 59]
The picture in Jonah though doesn’t
cover the entire 2,600 years, just the last 2,000. The account forms a dual type of both Christ and
Thus, the account deals with the last 2,000 years of Man’s Day
(two days, the present dispensation) and merges into the 1,000-year Lord’s Day
(one day, the third day, the Messianic Era).
For two days (for 2,000 years, beginning with the crucifixion)
God’s Dealings with Israel
At Christ’s First Coming, Second Coming
At the time of Christ’s first coming, a remnant was in the
land. And
Christ dealt with this remnant relative to repentance while they were still
in the land.
And this would seemingly be contrary to
not only God having driven the Jewish people from their land in order to deal
with them but the type as seen in the Book of Jonah as well. As will be shown though, such is not the case
at all. It couldn’t
be the case, else God would be acting contrary to His Word.
In the same respect, Since Christ dealt with the prior remnant
in the land, could God not leave the present remnant in the land and deal with
them relative to repentance while still in the land? And the answer to
that could only be a resounding, “No!” There is a major, marked difference in conditions
pertaining to the two remnants which would prevent
such from occurring.
1) At the Time of Christ’s First
Coming
The remnant in the land when Christ came the first time was in
the land under Gentile rule.
That was the situation in
Thus, because the Jewish people found themselves under Roman
rule in their own land at Christ’s first coming, He could deal with them relative
to repentance while in the land. Then, once they had rejected both the
offer and re-offer of the kingdom, God allowed Titus with his Roman legions to
come in, uproot His people, and scatter them throughout the nations, with
the same end in view.
2) Immediately Preceding Christ’s Second Coming
The situation today though is quite different. The remnant in the land today exists apart from Gentile rule. Thus, God cannot deal with them
relative to repentance while still in the land, unless, of course, He brings
Gentile powers into the land and subjugates his people (as 2,000 years ago when
Rome ruled).
But, as previously seen and as Scripture
clearly states, this is not what is going to happen. God is going to bring matters to pass in
the only other way which He can and remain true to His
Word.
God, remaining completely in line with His Word - whether the
type from Jonah or other related parts of His Word - is going to uproot
His people from their land and scatter them among the nations. Only then can He deal with them relative to
repentance.
The Israelites have returned to the
land in an unrepentant and disbelieving state through a Zionistic movement, not through God restoring His people in
accord with His numerous promises, for such [Page 61] a restoration can occur only following repentance and belief Israel today is
as Jonah on board the ship, with a tumultuous sea (the nations raging), though
the nations raging in complete fulfilment of Ps.
2: 1ff
will not be seen until the Tribulation.
The only recourse is as seen in Jonah. Israel must be driven back out among the
nations, where God will protect them, deal with them, and
bring them to the same place which He brought Jonah -
repentance, belief, restored to the land, and
then taking God’s message to the nations.
(As seen in the type, the sea was tumultuous as long as Jonah
was on board the ship. “Jonah” was the catalyst. And
once he had been cast overboard into the sea, where God could deal with him
relative to repentance, the sea
quit raging.
In the type, the sea quit raging once Jonah had
been cast into the sea; and, in complete keeping with the type, one could only expect the turmoil among
the nations to cease as well once
However, the opposite will seemingly occur for the
turmoil will continue, becoming even greater among the nations at
this time. But, though
And this anti-Semitism will be of such a
severe nature that after 2,600 years of Gentile dominance and rule, the Jewish
people will ultimately be left with no recourse other than to repent, calling
upon the God of their fathers for deliverance.
For additional information on the typology of Jonah, refer to
Chapters II, III ‑ “The Turbulent
* *
*
[Page 62 blank: Page 63]
Appendix II
The Place Israel Occupies in God’s Economy
Solely
from a Biblical perspective, what place does
Note Deut. 32: 10b and Zech. 2: 8b as somewhat parallel
verses to begin dealing with the matter, again, solely from a Biblical
perspective:
“ ... He [God] kept him
[
“...he that toucheth you [
In short, God views all affairs occurring in the human race
through one means alone, through
Now, let’s approach the matter from a
different standpoint. Apart from Israel,
even with the nation’s present state of unbelief and disobedience, the Gentile
nations all find themselves in exactly the same position relative to an
association with the one true and living God - estranged from God, “without God in
the world” (Eph. 2: 12b).
[Page 64]
And that should be simple enough to
understand, for, according to Gen. 9: 25-27 as the starting point - to begin explaining Eph. 2: 12a relative to Christians and Ps. 96: 5 relative to the Gentile nations - not only is
Israel the only nation on the face of the earth with a God, but “the gods of
the nations” are clearly stated to be, “idols [lit., ‘nothing’
(compared to the one true and living God), or ‘demons’].”
How can the preceding be true as it pertains to the thought of
“demons” relative to the nations? The answer to that is in the latter part of Daniel chapter ten. In the closing part of this chapter, the
government of the Gentile nations is seen from two
perspectives - earthly and heavenly.
In the earthly realm, individuals in the human race occupy positions of
power and authority.
In the heavenly realm, angels
occupying positions of power and authority in the kingdom under Satan (demonic
beings) rule from the heavens through those occupying positions of power and
authority on earth (Dan. 10: 12-20; Eph. 3: 10; 6: 12).
Note where this places the Gentile nations in relation to
possessing a God during the present day and time when they, because of Israel’s
unbelief and disobedience, can’t go to the one nation in possession of a God.
They are left with the only god available, as their
rulers occupy positions of power under demons.
They are left with “the god of this world
[‘age’ - one age, covering Man’s 6, 000-year
Day]” (2 Cor 4: 4).
(For additional information on both
Now, put just these two parts of the picture together and one can easily and clearly see how and why God views all
activity occurring among the nations after only one fashion - through
[Page 65]
1)
2) And the nations, unlike
And the preceding is exactly what God has done since the call
of Abraham 4,000 years ago,
continues to do today, and will always continue to do (or, this, as well, would
have to be seen in the lineage from Adam to Abraham throughout the twenty
generations during the first 2,000 years of human history [e.g., Noah and his family]).
God has to do things in this manner, for
(As an example of the bowels of Abraham, note in Gen. 10: 5, 25, 32; 11: 5-8; Deut. 32: 8 that God divided the nations and set their
boundaries following the Flood, during Peleg’s day, “according
to the number of the children of Israel.” And God did this
before Abraham was even born [Peleg’s death preceded Abraham’s birth],
centuries before
Or, note the beginning of the sojourn of
the seed of Abraham thirty years before Abraham even had a seed [cf.
Gen. 15:
13, 14; Ex. 12:
40, 41; Gal. 3: 17, 18; ref.
the author’s book, WE ARE ALMOST THERE, Ch. VI].)
Remove
However, leave
But, again, this con be brought to pass
only one way, as revealed in the Word - through
(Clarification needs to be made about
Christians in the preceding respect.
[Page 66]
Unlike the nations, but like
Then, exactly in accord with Deut.
32: 10b
and Zech. 2:
8b, God views Christians through
Putting all of this together, note
the present situation in the
To introduce the picture of the existing situation, in the
light of that which has already been presented, let’s
drop back some 3,500 years in Jewish
history, to Moses’ day.
Moses, during his forty-year rejection by the Jewish people,
was tending sheep on the far side of the desert when a burning bush captured
his attention. “The
angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses out of the midst of the fire, the bush
burned continuously but was not consumed, and “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush...” (Ex. 3: 2-4).
It is evident from the context - “I have seen the affliction of my people which are in
Exactly the same thing is seen over
900 years later in the book of Daniel. Three Israelites, representing the nation as
a whole, were cast into a fiery furnace, heated seven
times hotter than normal. Then, a fourth
person is seen in the fire with them. And these three
Israelites emerged completely unharmed, without the smell of fire on their
garments, without even a hair on their heads singed (Dan.
3: 19-27; cf. Dan.
6: 16-24).
[Page 67]
Again, God viewed matters during Daniel’s day from the same
Vantage point seen during Moses’ day.
Then, bringing this down into modern times, where was God when
6,000,000 Jews were slain during the twelve-year reign
of the Third Reich? The answer, of course,
is seen in Exodus
and Daniel.
God was there, in the midst of His people, viewing the persecuting
Gentile nation from that vantage point. And though 6,000,000 Jews perished, the nation itself
lives.
Note one of the many promises which
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and every tongue
that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn... (Isa. 54: 17a).
So, where does that leave the world with the current situation
in the Middle East - with
As this is being written (August,
2014), here’s the picture in the
The Palestinian Arabs, ruling in
Even though the nation exists in an unrepentant and
unbelieving state, God still resides in their midst and views the Gentile
nations through
[Page 68]
(In this respect, note the inseparable association of God [manifested in the flesh] with
One’s attitude toward and treatment of Israel [individuals or nations] - whether negative or positive - is an
attitude toward and treatment of the One in Israel’s midst, the
God of Israel, the one true and living God.
“
Then there is the matter of individuals trying to effect peace
between
These individuals really need to check the Book and find out
not only who they are dealing with but what they are
dealing with. The Middle
East situation which man is vainly seeking to deal with has its roots in 4,000
years of Jewish history and can [at some time in the future]* only be dealt with by the One in Israel’s midst (cf. Ps.
139: 1ff).
[*Psalm 2: 8,
R.V. See also (Psa. 139: 7b, 8, R.V.)
relative to the holy dead, presently confined in “Sheol”
and awaiting the Resurrection “out of dead ones”
(Luke 20: 35.
cf.
Phil. 3: 11; Rev. 20: 6, R.V.).]
Though an Israeli nation exists in the
And, with
this in mind, how does God view the Gentile nations where these Jews are
scattered? The answer, of course, is
evident. It has
already been given in the two verses quoted at the beginning of this
chapter. God resides in the midst of His
people and views these nations through the Jewish people in their midst.
The whole of the matter is really that
simple, in the
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts” (Isa.
55: 8, 9).
* *
*
[Page 69]
Appendix III
Yad Vashem
“
A MEMORIAL TO THE JEWISH VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST
Even unto them
will I give in mine house and within my walls ‘a place and a name’ better than of sons and of daughters:
I will give them
an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Also the sons
of the stranger, that
join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants,
everyone that
keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant.
Even them will
I bring to my holy mountain, and make
them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt-offerings
and their
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house
of prayer for all people (Isa. 56:
5-7).
“Yad Vashem,” transliterated from the Hebrew text of Isa. 56:
5 (meaning, “
And “Yad Vashem,” as well, is not only a memorial to the Jewish
victims of the Holocaust but also a research centre, fully documenting all
aspects of the Holocaust. The Jewish
people not only want their own people but the world at large to know about and
never forget that which occurred in Europe throughout the twelve-year reign of
the Third Reich (1933-1945), both immediately preceding and during WWII
[Page 70]
The Hebrew word yad in Isa. 56:
5, translated “place”
(KIV, NKIV) or “memorial” (NASB, NIV), is
actually the Hebrew word for “hand,” though it
could take on other related meanings within different contexts. In this passage, the way yad
is used, the thought of both “hand” and “place” appear to come into use together.
That is, the thought contextually has to do with
Then, there is one other matter. The two words, yad vashem in
Isa. 56: 5,
appear in a Messianic passage. These
two words actually describe the place which Israel will occupy during
the coming Messianic Era - an
elevated place above all the nations (no longer the tail, but now the head),
with at least one form of Israel’s
name in that day seen in Mal. 3: 12:
“And all nations shall call you ‘blessed’ ...”
Thus, the Israeli people, years ago, chose a name for their
Holocaust memorial from a Messianic
passage of Scripture, actually
describing the Jewish people yet future, not today.
But, aside from the preceding, there
would be a marked parallel between how the two words depict both that
seen today and that
which will exist [during the coming millennial ‘age’] yet future.
1) Today
The Holocaust memorial - aptly named Yad Vashem in one respect - came into existence in
1953, as the nation had previously come into existence in 1948, out of the
ruins and devastation produced by WWII.
As a “phoenix,” both the nation and the
memorial arose out of the ashes of this war.
The memorial has to do with the dead, 6,000,000 of them; but the memorial was built by the living, which has grown to another
6,000,000 in the land today. And they have a message for all those who died:
“We Live!”
[Page 71]
2) Yet Future
Yad Vashem in Isa.
56: 5, as
previously shown, actually has to do with a
description of the Jewish people during another time, yet future. It has to do with a time following a future
Holocaust which the Jewish people are about to enter into and experience.
During this future time, the Jewish
people forming the present nation of Israel in the Middle East are going to be
uprooted from their land and driven back out among the nations (either fleeing
to “the mountains” in Matt.
24:16, “the wilderness” in Rev.
12: 6, 14 [two ways of metaphorically depicting world
kingdoms, the nations], or
being “led away captive into all nations” in Luke 21: 24).
And out among the nations, the Jewish people
will experience something similar to but far worse than that which they
experienced in
And out
of this time a nation will arise and the true Yad Vashem will be seen. As following WWII.
as a “phoenix,”*
the [Israeli] nation, in connection with the fulfilment of Isa. 56: 5, will arise out of the ashes of that which is about to occur.
[*NOTE. ‘A phoenix’ is used here from ‘Egyptian mythology: a beautiful bird, the only one of its
kind, believed to live for hundreds
of years, then burn itself on a pyre,
rising again from its ashes young again
to live for another cycle.’]
3) The Post Assyrian, Nebuchadnezzer, Hitler, the Future Assyrian
The Israelites in Egypt during Moses’ day, persecuted by the
past Assyrian, were pictured as a bush that continuously burned without
being consumed, with God in the midst of the bush (Ex.
3: 2-4).
Thus, persecuting
The Israelites during Daniel’s day were pictured through
Nebuchadnezzar having three of their number cast into a fiery furnace which had
been heated seven times hotter than normal, with a fourth Person seen in the
furnace with them (which could only have been the same Person in the midst of
the burning bush in Ex. 3: 2-4). And the three Israelites emerged from the furnace without a
single hair on their heads singed, their clothes un-burnt, and apart from even
the smell of fire or smoke upon their bodies (Dan.
3: 19ff).
During Hitler’s day, through his efforts to produce a Jew-free
Then when the future Assyrian appears, some 9,000,000 Jews will be slain worldwide in about half the time as died in
4) If One Wants to Do
Away with
If one wants to destroy or see God do away with Israel, he
will need to change both laws which God has established and decrees which He
has made (e.g., note Isa. 54: 17; Jer. 31: 35-37; 33: 20-26).
Those in the past should have asked about the matter or read
the Book. They found out the hard way.
And the same could be said for the one
about to appear. His end will be the
same. His
end has already been foretold time after time in the Book.
Never Again, but...
Relative to the Holocaust, or anything like the Holocaust, the
Jewish people have a saying today:
“Never Again!”
That is, the Jewish people are determined to
never let anything like this happen again. The
Jewish people are determined to never again let any group of people, any
nation, or any group of nations, do something such as was done to them in
And this would undoubtedly be the main
reason for
With a view to the past, dating back
3,500 years, with a particular emphasis on the recent past in modern times, how
else could one expect the Jewish people to react (e.g., the Jewish people’s present reaction to the U.S. Secretary of
State trying to bring about a peace agreement between them and nations openly
proclaiming [Page 73] that they have one goal - to drive Israel into the sea)?
(In the light of Scripture, efforts by anyone attempting to
bring about peace between
Until then, no power on earth can do a thing about effecting peace in
the troubled
But, as previously shown, that which the
Jewish people have determined to never let happen again will happen again. And, when it does happen again, the sufferings experienced by
the Jewish people in
The latter will so far exceed the former, or any other period of Jewish persecution dating all the way
back to the inception of the nation during Moses’ day in
The Future Holocaust
Israeli Repentance, Then...
Why will this future Holocaust occur? And what will be the
end of the matter? The answers to both
questions are very simple, and they have to do with two inseparably
interrelated things:
1) Israeli disobedience.
2) God driving the Jewish people out among the Gentile nations to effect repentance through persecution at the hands of these
nations.
The Prophets [of God] have spoken, this is what they have
to say, and God’s Word given through the Prophets cannot fail of fulfilment.
[Page 74]
The future Holocaust will be of such severity that the Jewish people - after 2,600 years
of Gentile dominance, with the Jewish people scattered among the nations - will
be brought to the place of repentance.*
[* And this
same truth will apply to all disobedient and unrepentant disciples of Christ,
who
will not have been “regarded worthy
to escape all these things being about to occur and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36ff).
cf.
Rev. 3: 1-3 and 3: 15-19, R.V.)]
That, in short, is “the why”
of the future holocaust, along with its “intensity”;
and, as well, that, in short, will be “the end of the
matter.”
After the Jewish people have been
brought to the place of repentance through the severity of the future
Holocaust, Christ will return, bring about Israel’s national conversion,
regather the Jewish people from the nations back to their land, destroy Gentile
world power, make a new covenant with Israel in a restored theocracy, and
subsequently work through this restored nation pertaining to purposes seen in
their calling in the beginning.
A repentant, converted, and restored Israel will then hold the
sceptre and occupy a position at the head of all the Gentile nations; the
nations will be blessed through Israel; and Israel will then carry the message
of the one true and living God to the nations worldwide.
Then, the entire Jewish nation and the world at large will, at long lost, realize that set forth by the words yad vashern in Isa. 56:
5.
(For additional information on the preceding subject, refer to
Appendix IV
in this book, “Triunity of Isaiah
52-54.”)
* *
*
[Page 75]
Appendix IV
Triunity of Isaiah 52, 54
SUFFERINGS, FOLLOWED BY GLORY
Israel, Israel’s Messiah, Israel’s God
Isaiah chapter fifty-two presents the
sufferings of both
Sufferings, as seen in Isaiah chapters fifty-two and
fifty-three, MUST ALWAYS PRECEDE GLORY, as seen in chapters fifty-two and
fifty-four.
There can be
no such thing as glory (inseparably
associated with regality) apart from preceding
sufferings.
This is true of God’s three firstborn Sons (Christ,
Isaiah chapter fifty-three - forming a commentary on the
sufferings introduced in chapter fifty-two - has, over the
centuries, been either ignored by the Jews or seen by their Rabbis as
The Jewish Rabbis though, contrary to common thought among
Christians, are not entirely wrong; but
they are far from being correct. And the Christian commentators, seeing only the sufferings
of
Thus, there is a triunity seen
throughout these three chapters in both the sufferings and the subsequent glory.
[Page 76]
Isaiah chapter fifty-three, as will be shown, is somewhat like the
Book of Jonah, having to do with sufferings,
followed by glory, with both encompassing not only Israel’s Messiah but also Israel and
Israel’s God.
In the Book of Jonah, the centre
of attention in this respect is directed toward
In reality, Isaiah chapter
fifty-three forms both a confession and a declaration
which
Sufferings of Messiah
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted
and extolled, and be very high.
As many were
astonished at thee; his visage
was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
So shall he sprinkle many
nations: the kings shall
shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see:
and that which
they had not heard shall they consider (Isa. 52:
13-15).
Isaiah chapter fifty-three centers on
(Note that Christ was the Paschal Lamb [1 Cor. 5: 7]. This Lamb was given to Israel, and ISRAEL
ALONE could slay this Lamb, an act clearly attributed to Israel in Scripture
[Ex. 12: 1ff; Acts 2: 23, 36; 3: 15; 4: 10; 5: 30; 7: 52])
The Jewish people in Isaiah
chapter fifty-three had previously been seen in Isaiah chapter forty-three in their role as God’s
witness to the nations:
“Who hath believed our report?...
He is despised and rejected of men...
But he was
wounded for our transgressions...”
[Page 77]
The Jewish people are the ones whom God has chosen to carry
His message to the nations. And, during the coming Messianic Era, after they have been
dealt with during and immediately following the Tribulation, they will then
fulfil their role in this respect.
Note the literal and more accurate translation of this verse
from two Hebrew word study books:
“Just as many were astonished at thee: so disfigured,
his appearance
was not human, and his form not like that of the
children of men” (Keil & Delitzsch).
“As many were shocked at thee - so marred from man
his look,
and his form
from the sons of man” (Alexander).
God allowed His Son to suffer to the extent described in this
verse for a single, solitary reason - in order that His plans and purposes
regarding man, brought into existence in the beginning, in Gen. 1: 26-28; 2: 7, might ultimately be worked out and realized
(cf.
Rom. 11: 29).
And this would not only involve the
suffering and death of His firstborn Son, Jesus (after the previously described
fashion), but also the suffering and death of His firstborn son,
Then, this would ultimately be followed by the resurrection
from the grave of both Sons, occurring after two days, on
the third day (John 2: 18ff. 11: 6ff.
Sufferings of
Shake thyself
from the dust; arise, and sit down,
O Jerusalem:
loose thyself
from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of
For thus saith
the Lord, Ye have sold
yourself for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without
money.
For thus saith
the Lord God, My people went down
aforetime into
Now therefore, what have I here saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for naught? They that rule over them make them to howl [lament replacing joy], saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed (Isa. 52: 2-5).
The Jewish people, down through centuries and millenniums of
time, have suffered like no other nation. And
apart from Divine intervention and preservation, this suffering nation would have
passed out of existence long ago, at some time in the distant past.
Why has God allowed His people, His firstborn son, to suffer
in this manner? Where was God when they
were enduring these untold sufferings? And, Why has God brought about this nation’s continued
existence under such circumstances?
Their sufferings and continued existence result from:
1) Their identity.
2) Their breaking the covenant which God made
with the Jewish people through Moses at Sinai (Ex. 19: 5, 6ff).
The Jewish people form the nation which God called into
existence to not only be His witness to all of the other nations but the people
through which God would also bless these nations as well. And the covenant has
to do with the rules and regulations governing the Jewish people in the
theocracy.
Both blessings and curses are seen in
connection with the covenant, reiterated in Leviticus
chapter twenty-six and Deuteronomy chapter
twenty-eight.
If the Israelites obeyed the covenant, keeping God’s Sabbaths,
they
would be placed at the head of the nations, with
the nations being reached and blessed through them. However, if the Israelites
disobeyed this covenant, not keeping God’s Sabbaths, exactly the opposite would
occur. The nations would
not be reached and blessed,
along with the Israeli nation finding itself at the tail of the nations.
And the latter is exactly what occurred, with God taking different measures
over centuries of time to effect correction (about seven and eight centuries).
[Page 79]
But finally, when
The purpose for the Times of the Gentiles is to
bring about correction, to bring about the son’s correction through
Gentile persecution. And matters will
continue in this respect with persecution becoming more and more intense with
the passage of time, UNTIL correction is
achieved, UNTIL
The preceding will account for the intense nature of the WWII
Holocaust in
And this is where Isaiah chapter fifty-three can also be seen applying to the
Jewish nation. There is an evident
resonance of the statements in this chapter describing Jewish suffering in
that coming day as well - “despised,” “rejected,”
“wounded,” etc.
Sufferings of God
For he said, Surely they [“the house of
IN ALL THEIR AFFLICTION HE WAS AFFLICTED, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in
his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old
(Isa. 63: 8, 9).
Now, two related questions...
Where was God when His firstborn Son, Jesus, was being rejected, humiliated, and ultimately crucified?
Then, Where was God at different times over the centuries,
extending into millenniums -3,500 years of time, extending from the brickyards
in Egypt to the Holocaust of WWII, into today - when His firstborn son, Isrciel, was /is being persecuted - severely [Page 80] at times - at the hands of the Gentiles?
On the first question, God was there, being rejected, humiliated, and
ultimately crucified in the person of His Son.
The Passover, 33 A.D., was the day God died, raising Himself from the
dead on the third day (Acts 2: 24; 13: 30). It was
God Who suffered and died. It was the
blood of God which paid for
man’s redemption (Acts 20: 28).
On the second question, the answer is, in reality, the
same. God was
there / is here, in the midst of His
son, inseparably identified with the son in all of the rejection,
humiliation, and suffering, experiencing all of this right along with His son -
“In ALL their affliction he was afflicted” (Isa. 63:
9; cf. Ex.
3: 1-8; Deut. 32: 10; Dan. 3: 10-28; Zech. 2: 8 [ref Appendix II
in this book, “The Pupil of God’s Eye”]).
God was in
And God is presently there / here and
will be there in the future Holocaust about to overtake His people, in
exactly the same manner (cf.
Matt. 25: 31ff.
He has been there over centuries of time and will continue to
be there, withholding His hand of deliverance, UNTIL that day when His people repent.
THEN, AND ONLY THEN, will He step in and put
a stop to all of it (cf. Isa. 55:
8, 9).
These Divine actions are the extremes to which God has gone and will go to not only effect man’s
redemption but to have a people who will both carry His message to the nations
and through whom He can then bless these nations.
God Himself has endured millenniums of sufferings, extreme
sufferings at times,
in order to bring man back into the position wherein man can realize the
purpose for which he was created in the beginning.
THE END
For this book, and many others by
Arlen L Chitwood, contact:
www.icmbooks.co.uk