Everything a Christian Should Know About Prophecy

Chapter 3 - Primary Subjects of Prophecy (Continued)

A People Group Known as the Hebrews

The Bible opens with the creation of all things and beginning of life. Soon, the first people, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and as a result of that sin, all of creation was corrupted and death was introduced. By the sixth chapter, sin was so pronounced that God judges all of mankind and saves humanity through only eight godly people (Noah and his family). Then shortly afterwards, mankind is once again judged and the diversity of language begins leading to the breaking up of people into groups that spread around the world (see Genesis 11:1-9).

The first eleven and a half chapters of Genesis gives us a description of how things came into being, explains the separation between God and man due to sin, we see God’s response to disobedience with judgment, and we read about the migration of people that form into various groups and nations. All of which sets the stage for God to focus on one man, Abram, a man living in a very pagan region known as the Ur of the Chaldeans. God called him to leave his home town and head to the land of Canaan. Abram is the first person identified in the Bible as a Hebrew (see Genesis 14:13), the derivation is unknown but is often thought to be derived from the Hebrew words that would describe a person that crossed over the Euphrates River, which Abram and family would have done on their way to Canaan (no direct route from Ur to Canaan available due to mountains, they traveled west to Haran and then south). 

The remaining chapters of Genesis through to the end of the book of Esther follow Abram, later to be named by God as Abraham, and his descendants. Who are later known as the Israelites, or simply…the Jews (derived from the nation named after the tribe and son of Jacob/Israel, Judah). Technically the entire Old Testament is about the nation of Israel and the people known as the Jews, which then sets the stage for the New Testament and the story of the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus.

As mentioned before the entire Bible is about Jesus, but does that mean that Israel and the Jews are no longer part of God’s plan? Some would strongly debate with an equally strong affirmative. Sadly many believers have ignored just how important these people are to God. This refusal of understanding Israel’s role in prophecy has resulted in a plethora of incorrect eschatological interpretations, as many have embraced what is commonly called “Replacement Theology.”

Replacement Theology^[1]

The concept of “replacement theology” is known by many names and has many variations. The definition for this review is one that teaches that the church (the body of Christ, all believers) has replaced Israel in God’s plan and His covenants. Those that adhere to this concept of replacement theology believe that the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, that they forfeited that privilege when they rejected the Messiah. Resulting in the ‘church’ being the “new Israel," and as such, God no longer has any future plans for the nation of Israel. It appears that this theological deception may have originated with the early Christian theologians, Origen and Augustine, who promoted the idea that many of the Biblical prophecies and other portions of Scripture should be allegorized or spiritualized, instead of being interpreted as they were written, to be interpreted literally.  

In summary, replacement theology teaches that the ‘church’ (as a whole) replaces Israel, and that the many promises and covenants made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the church, not in Israel.  Therefore, the prophecies concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are ‘spiritualized’ or ‘allegorized’ into promises of God's blessing for the church. Major problems exist with this view, such as explaining the continuing existence of the Jewish people throughout the centuries, especially with the revival of the modern state of Israel in 1948. If Israel has been condemned by God, and there is no future for the Jewish nation, how does one explain the supernatural survival of the Jewish people over the past 2,000 years despite the many attempts to destroy them? How do we explain why and how Israel reappeared as a nation in the 20th century after not existing for thousands of years? Plus, if God did revoke a promise, what would prevent Him from revoking the promise of salvation through Jesus? These are just a few questions to consider. To justify this deception, much of the Bible is either ignored or revised. Sadly, many do just that and see no problem with that method of interpretation.

The view that Israel and the church are distinctly different is clearly taught in the New Testament. The two terms are never to be confused or used interchangeably. The original covenants, including all of the curses and the blessings, promises and warnings are still valid for Israel, as God will not revoke a covenant relationship that is unconditional.  As described Romans 11:11, the church was "grafted in" to Israel, and is therefore a co-heir to the promises made to Israel.  The covenants and promises given specifically to Israel will be fulfilled for Israel, not to the church nor any other separate entity. The church has not replaced Israel in God's plan. Replacement theology is a deliberate lie that is tragically misleading many Christians into believing an incorrect theology, which often leads to an incorrect interpretation of prophecy. If God's covenant with Abraham is unconditional and eternal, it is still in effect and will always be in effect.

The Tribes of Israel^[2]

Jacob had twelve sons and adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own (see Genesis 48:8-20), for a total of 14. That equates to 13 tribes with 14 names, as the tribe of Joseph consists of both Ephraim and Manasseh, who are now sons of Israel themselves. If Scripture refers to the tribe of Joseph, it is either referring to both Ephraim and Manasseh (who would otherwise not be in the listing) or it is used in place of one of them with the other one listed. For example, in Revelation there is a list of twelve tribes that includes Manasseh but instead of Ephraim, the name of Joseph is used (see Revelation 7:5-8).

It is interesting to note that the Bible always lists twelve or less tribes, not thirteen. There appears to always be some purpose or reason as to why one or more tribe name is missing from those lists. For example, in Numbers chapter 26, the Levites did not participate in the census since they were not given an inheritance of land, and in the same list referenced above in Revelation, the tribe of Dan is missing. Whenever we encounter these lists in the Bible we need determine which tribe is missing and why the tribe is missing. It is also interesting to take note of the order of the names listed (for example: chronological according to age, by mother, etc.) Below are some of the listings in the Bible of the tribes of Israel.

Prior to entering the Promised Land

Moses sent one representative of each tribe into the Promised Land to “spy out the land” (see Numbers 13:1). When they returned, ten of the men were convinced that they would be destroyed if they attempted to enter and conquer the land. Due to their lack of faith in God’s promises, God told Moses that He was going to strike them down and disinherit them (see Numbers 14:11-12). Moses interceded for them and God allowed them to live but promised that those that did not trust Him would not enter the Promised Land, only their children would be allowed to enter (see Numbers 14:20-34). Later when they were across the Jordan River from Jericho, we read that this prophecy was fulfilled (see Numbers 26:63-65).

Conquering the Land

When God confirmed and ‘sealed’ His covenant with Abraham (Abram at that time), He told him that his offspring will sojourn into a land and spend 400 years growing into a nation before returning to the Promised Land (see Genesis 15:13). This gave Satan time to make the land unacceptable to God and as spiritually deplorable as possible. Idol worship, sexual rituals and human sacrifice were just some of Satan’s planned corruption and pollution of the land. The Israelites were instructed to conquer the inhabitants of the land, to completely destroy anything and everything that was an abomination to God. Much to the horror of many readers, that included killing all occupants, human and animal alike. The apostle Paul would remind us that, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) In other words, our enemy is invisible, only God knows what is and what is not able to be spiritually cleansed. God told them that the land must be cleaned prior to occupation, if they were not removed they would be “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell” (Numbers 33:55b). The Israelites struggled with the command to drive out the inhabitants (see Numbers 33:50-56) and as a result began to embrace the idol worshiping practices of these people (see Numbers 25:1-3; Joshua 9:1-26; 13:2-7; Judges 1:21, 28-36; 2:11-22). When Moses concluded his second address to the Israelites prior to them entering the Promised Land he told them about God’s blessings if they obeyed and about His curses if they chose to disobey (see Deuteronomy 27:14-28:68). Sadly, they ultimately disobeyed and these prophecies were fulfilled as described. However, God also gave Moses something to offer them the hope of their restoration (see Deuteronomy 30:1-10).

Leaders, Judges, and Warriors

The occupation of the land was gradual, since there were not enough Israelites to occupy and live in the entire land they would need to conquer as their numbers increased. Once the Israelites began to occupy the Promised Land God raised various people to provide leadership for His people. Battles continued as they settled in the land. Prophecies were offered to provide guidance and hope, here are a few of the key prophecies and their fulfillment during this time: 

The Kings of Israel and Judah

After the Israelites entered the Promised Land it was divided into tribal territories that were governed by those God-appointed judges and each of the family’s tribal elders. After many years the people wanted to be like the surrounding nations and be governed by a king. “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5) So, God had Samuel anoint Saul as king. Saul, like many kings that will follow after him, began his reign well but soon turned away from God. David was the next king, who was followed by his son Solomon, who ultimately turned against God as he embraced idol worship. Due to his sin, the kingdom was divided into two separate kingdoms after his death. The Southern Kingdom consisted of the tribal regions of Judah and Benjamin which was named Judah, and the Northern Kingdom was made out of the remaining tribal regions, retaining the name of Israel. Some kings were godly men and listened to and obeyed God, they are listed below as being ‘good’ kings. The others that refused to listen to God or embraced idol worship are listed as being ‘bad’ kings (did evil in the sight of God). While the Southern Kingdom had a mix of good and bad kings, all of the kings of the Northern Kingdom were bad. Much of the prophecy during this time period was for reform and to warn these ‘bad’ kings of pending judgment. 

Note, due to similar or identical names, especially between the kingdoms, tracking who said what and what they did, can be confusing. Some diligence is needed when studying. The following is in chronological order, however, no dates are listed as there is a wide variance in opinion as to the years they reigned. 

Royal Bloodline

Early in the Old Testament we learn during Israel’s (Jacob) deathbed blessing of his sons, that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah (see Genesis 49:8-12). Then later we learn that He will come specifically from the line of King David (see 2 Samuel 7:8-16; 1 Kings 2:45; 1 Chronicles 17:7-14; Psalm 89:3-4; 132:11-12; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 33:17-21). As discussed above, many of the kings of Judah did evil in the sight of God. After several years of blatant disobedience, God intervened and cursed one of those ‘bad’ kings, Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah). God told the prophet Jeremiah about this king, “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:30) This is a stunning turn of events, as now how can the Messiah come from the line of David if the line is terminated in a “blood curse?” The answer can be found in Luke’s account of the gospel story. But we should first look In Matthew’s account as he offers the genealogy of Jesus’ through His father on earth, Joseph, beginning with Abraham (see Matthew 1:1-17). Now let’s look at Luke’s genealogy of Jesus which starts with Jesus and goes back to the first human, Adam (see Luke 3:23-38). From Abraham to David the two genealogies are identical, however Luke doesn’t follow the line through Solomon like Matthew does, he traces Jesus’ lineage through David’s second son Nathan (not the prophet). Why the difference? Matthew followed the ‘legal’ lineage of Joseph and Luke followed the ‘bloodline’ lineage of Mary. We need to remember that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not Joseph. Both Joseph and Mary were in the line of David. By going through Nathan, Mary’s lineage avoided the blood curse given to Jehoiachin. 

Judgments on Israel and Judah

The kings and people of Israel and Judah regularly rejected God and His regulations. Looking back in history, one could describe their early existence as a cycle (like a sinusoidal pattern). God’s abundant provision often led to their complacency, which then led to a total disregard and rejection of God and His ways. As God pulled back on His generous provision, and in many scenarios, used an enemy to attack or conquer them, the people, in their suffering, would eventually seek forgiveness from God and He would respond, often through an unlikely leader, and bring relief, followed by the return of their prosperity. Then once that generation passed, the people would sadly forget again, and, in their success and well-being, once again turn their backs on God, and the cycle would begin all over again. Just like the time of the judges, God used prophecy to communicate with His people, except during this time the majority of the prophecies were warnings. Here is a list of several of those prophecies and related fulfillments:

Tisha B’Av 

The Biblical month of Av (also spelled 'Ab') typically begins late July or early August on the Gregorian Calendar. It is a month known for its sorrow, as it was in that month the death of Aaron is recorded (see Numbers 33:38) and its ninth day (Tisha B’Av) is known for a series of historical disasters, which is believed to include the exclusion from the Promised Land (per Mishnah Tractate Ta’anit 4:6),^[3] the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. According to the same Tractate in the Mishnah, “When Ab comes, rejoicing diminishes.”

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[1] Adapted from author’s commentary on the book of Romans.

[2] Adapted from author’s book, “Everything a Christian Should Know About the Torah A Commentary on the First Five Books of the Bible”

[3] Neusner, J. (1988). The Mishnah : A new translation (p. 315). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.