"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever."
(Jeremiah 31:31-36)
Was this prophesy fulfiiled with the coming of Christ, or will it be fulfilled upon his return? What if this scripture is referring to the final return of Christ? Consider this promise to the house of David and the house of Israel. Consider the ramifications of both ideas. Popular belief would be that this prophesy was fulfilled in Christ, and it is to this thought that much doctrine is based. Consider now the thought that this prohesy will be fulfilled upon His return. How does that influence your doctrine.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 37:11-14 Valley of the Bones - read greater context or the entire chapter for that matter.
Did this happen or will this happen? Was this fulfilled in Christ or will Christ fulfill this prophesy. Is this prophesy conditional or unconditional? I beleive that this is an unconditional promise to the House of Isreal which to my understanding, pertains to the final return of Christ and the raising of the dead to the promised land.....heaven.
Beautiful prophesies of hope and restoration.
Bull's eye!!! Right on the money!
ReplyDeletePopular Christian teaching is that Christ fulfilled all things with his first coming. They say nothing of his second coming. The belief that God would say nothing of Christ's second coming is a stumbling block to the church, classic "Let him who has an ear" moment, a "mystery" in every sense.
I personally and entirely believe that your post hits on the literal key to understanding the bible. I don't say that lightly. This is the understanding of who is Israel, where we are in the prophetic timeline and when is the bible talking about Jesus first coming and when is it talking about his second coming?
Israel was never put back together and neither did they ever possess the land God promised them. It was always an outpost of the Babylonians, Assyrians, Medes, Greeks and Romans right up to and including the time of Christ. The new testament only ever mentions the Jews (those of the tribe of Judah) and when Paul says in Romans 11:1, "Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin." Few realize the tribe of Judah, Benjamin and the Levites were the 3 tribes that made up the House of Judah. The House of Israel was not in the land of their inheritance in Jesus time. They had been scattered throughout the world and have lost their identity to themselves and the world but not to God.
Jesus grave a commission to his Apostles in Matthew 10:5 to 7 – These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of[not in] heaven is at hand.’ And in John 10:16 - I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. And, "Matthew 15:22 to 24 - And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [Please never infer that Jesus commission to send a message to the lost house of Israel means exclusion of salvation to the world who is not Israel because it is not. Grace is available to all who seek it. But I could see how people might think that. But the redemption of Israel must be fulfilled.]
But in the light of this understanding, with your post as a key, suddenly much of the bible is new again. The Old Testament isn’t so old and irrelevant anymore.
Peace.
Alex
New again....again...and again...Its the book that keeps on giving. Praise God almighty!!!!!
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