Israel, A Model (Part 3)

See the series here

A Review

 

The Lord selected Israel to be His model of a righteous nation, first, to all the nations and city states across the vast land of Canaan; and subsequently, to all future nations. He patiently equipped them to perform this role by painstakingly teaching Jacob’s early descendants His ways and requirements. But when the national cohesiveness and fidelity of subsequent generations increasingly waned, they eventually rejected the covenants their ancestors had entered into, and broke their intended special relationship with The Lord. That break initiated centuries long strife between Him and them, culminating in His decision to turn them over to their enemies to be killed and captured as slaves in foreign lands. But The Lord ‘stuck to His plan’ to become a man through a small remnant of that errant people—the remaining core tribes—Judah (with Benjamin’s remnant). Just over 3 decades after His birth as a man, Judah’s national leaders demanded for His crucifixion by Rome. They had considerable public support across, its capital, Jerusalem.

 

Neither the leaders nor general population of Judah ‘connected the dots’ between Heaven’s selection of their (post-Egypt) nation, and The Lord’s birth and crucifixion. The Bible reveals the core purpose of this selection was to serve as (1) a model nation of righteousness among observing nations, and (2) the ethnic group through which The Lord would be born as their Messiah and the Savior of the world. ¹ Thus, Jesus Christ was effectively the intended ‘fruit’ or culmination of their selection—the Seed He had predicted in Genesis 3:15.

 

Just as their centuries-earlier rejection of their selection initiated a long period of strife between Him and them, not by Israel’s causation, but by its representation, the same pattern of rejection spilled across all nations. History reveals the culmination of their rejection (i.e., His crucifixion) likewise initiated a much longer period of strife between Him and all nations! Here’s why…

The First Missed Insight

 

Israel’s reaction was not merely Israel’s—it was humanity’s reaction embodied in a single nation. Sinful human nature assures us that any other nation selected to have an up-close and personal relationship with The Lord, would have done exactly what Israel and Jews did! As such, then John 1:11 has a far greater significance than is traditionally understood:

 

He (Jesus) came to His own, 

and His own did not receive Him.

 

Traditionalists may think this verse refers to Israel and ethnic Jews. Some Bible versions state that He came to His own world/creation, and His ethnic people did not receive Him. Here is the broadest, strategic meaning of that pivotal verse: 

 

He came (a) to the world He had created,

and (b) to a viable, representative sample of humanity

that He had created in His own image.

That sample, and thus, humanity, at large, rejected Him.

 

This broadest possible interpretation of John 1:11 is supported by our 3rd age history, and also by numerous passages across The Bible that indicate the whole world is at enmity with its Creator Who loves humans, but Who hates our sinfulness!

 

Israel’s and Jews’ rejection of their appointment and training as Heaven’s model nation, and their rejection of the revealed Fruit of that appointment, was indeed a representative rejection on behalf of the whole world. It was not merely the rejection of one nation or one ethnic people!!! Ergo, no one should ‘dump on’ Israel or Jews! Rest assured, you and your ethnic group, dear reader, would have done the same, exact thing Israel and Jews did! Period!

 

The Second Missed Insight

 

In circa 95 AD, less than a century after The Lord was crucified, He gave to Apostle John a vision, and commanded him to write and share it—The Revelation of Jesus Christ (i.e., The Book of Revelation). The Lord began and ended that unique book with these phrases: 

 

…to show His servants the things 

that must shortly/soon take place.

(Revelation 1:1 and 22: 26)

 

History suggests plausible correlations between:

--the timing of this vision, and 

--the predicted events in Revelation 6:1-9—The Lord opening the first 4 seals on a  scroll. 

       See: He Twice Said ‘Shortly’

 

The above table tracks a MASSIVE, GLOBAL ramping up of the same kinds of judgments The Lord, in Ezekiel 14:12-23 (circa the 6th century BC), predicted He would use against ‘any land’ in which there was persistent, unrepented sinfulness. He had first revealed this to Moses, in Deuteronomy 28 and 32. Back then, He was faithful to His word.  Note, however, He never said or indicated those judgments would conclude soon! Rather, about a century after His crucifixion and resurrection, and as Earth’s population expanded, He apparently ramped-up and sustained His judgments

that would:

--endure the rest of this 3rd age—history proves this, and 

--be followed by a 42 months of much more intense judgments—Revelation predicts this (the apocalypse). ²

 

Interestingly, roughly 1,000 years after the collapse of the brutal Roman Empire, The Lord raised up the U.K. as the subsequent, largest ever, global hegemon nation. Though it, too, was brutal in many respects, He catalyzed many British Christian missionaries to do what Rome could/would never do, i.e., to trigger the broadest spread of His Protestant Gospel of Salvation across much of its vast empire. Subsequently, He raised up the U.S. ‘to expand that job’. NEXT, during the pending 4th age—the tribulation age, He will raise up 144,000 anointed, Jewish witnesses to finish that job, before He returns for His Millennial Reign as Earth’s global King—the pending 5th age of our history!

 

A Poetic Pause

 

The longest age of Heaven’s Grace to humanity,

Is the longest age of judgments on humanity!

The pale horse and its partner that He sent,

Followed His Day of Pentecost event!

The Spirit of Good, and evil would excel, 

And the kingdoms of Christ and satan would swell. ³

 

Rising and Falling Righteousness—A Pattern

 

As Jesus fulfilled His Genesis 3:15 prophecy to satan ⁴,  through Israel and ethnic Jews, He will also fulfill His prophecy to select a small remnant of Jews to fulfill Israel’s ‘model nation’ appointment. ⁵

 

Note the progressive levels of success across The Lord’s persistent efforts to enhance and sustain righteousness on the Earth:

--Adam and Eve failed.

--After an initial period of success, Israel and Jews failed.

--The Church succeeded, yet in these ‘latter days’ of the 3rd  age, many saints are failing (lukewarmness, backsliding, apostasy, etc.),

--The anointed, 144,000 Jewish witnesses will be the most successful. Their converts will include many 3rd-age saints who will have missed the pending, next rapture, but who will return to exceptional faith in the face of intense persecution during the 4th age. Most saints in that age will willingly be martyred, and will thus, have a special, eternal relationship with The Lord, Who was also willingly martyred for us all.

--The mortal, Jewish population of Israel at the start of The Millennial Reign, WILL LIKELY be the most successful population of sustainably righteous Jews in history! (Ezekiel 39:21-29 and Zechariah 13:8-9) Let’s hope their offspring during that age…

 

…will learn what ancient and modern Israel and Jews,

and errant Christians today, refuse(d) to learn.

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¹ The Savior all peoples who will have lived, died, or will live and die in faith toward the true, un-seen, but ‘revealed’, Almighty God.

² Study to see if you perceive similarities between Deuteronomy 28 and 32, Ezekiel 14:12-23, Revelation 6, and Revelation 8 and 9. The Lord is quite persistent in sticking to His patterns! They serve as His ‘pictures on the box’ of His box of what I call His strategic puzzle pieces. He obviously intends us to perceive His patterns, and thereby understand His strategy for us. If only…

³ See: Revelation 6:7-8, the response on Earth when The Lord, in Heaven, opened the 4th seal on His scroll. This current 3rd age of our history, will be the, thus far, MOST FRUITFUL for both the Kingdom of Heaven, and that of satan.

⁴ The prophecy was to the spirit of satan who had possessed the serpent.

⁵ Only a third of Jewish survivors of the apocalypse will embrace Jesus as Messiah and The Lord God. (Zechariah 13:8-9)