“That this restoration of the kingdom again to Israel will involve the in gathering of God’s chosen but scattered nation, the Jew: Their reinstatement in the land of their fathers, when it shall have been reclaimed from “the desolation of many generations”, the building again of Jerusalem to become “the throne of the LORD” and the metropolis of the whole earth.” —Article XXII
The nation of Israel figures very prominently in God’s purpose with the earth and man upon it. The restoration of the kingdom to Israel in the very land promised to Abraham has already been considered in the previous article. The work will also involve the regathering of God’s ancient people, the Jews, to the same land bequeathed to Abraham.
The Hope of Israel
The plan to restore the people of Israel to their land finds firm support in the covenant which the Lord made with King David (see Article XXI). At the time when God fulfills His promise to David to raise up a descendant who would establish his throne and kingdom in perpetuity, He would also place His ancient people in a land, secure and safe from their enemies. The son promised David would reign over them from Mount Zion in peace and righteousness. “Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as before time.”
This expectation of having their kingdom restored, and of enjoying the blessings brought to them by the Messiah constituted what Paul styles, “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20). When the apostle stood before king Agrippa and made his eloquent defense of the faith, he confessed, ” . . . I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews,” (Acts 26:6-7)
Israel Preserved
The purpose of God necessitates the national restoration of the Jews to the land of Israel, and can only be accomplished when the Kingdom of God has been established. The prophets abound with references to this event, and are so numerous that we must be selective for sheer lack of space. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of Israel’s return to the land in such terms as to preclude any misunderstanding of their meaning. In the 30th to 32nd chapters of the book bearing his name, the prophet outlines the exact means by which this is to be effected. The Jews were to be preserved as a race, though dispersed among the Gentile nations: “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished” (30:11). The reason for the preservation is stated clearly and emphatically; “Hear the word of the LORD, 0 ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock” (31:- 10). Here is a proclamation for all nations and for all time. Though it would appear to a casual observer that God had completely forsaken and abandoned His people because of their sins, yet He fully intends keeping His word to David. “Therefore fear thou not, 0 my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, 0 Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid” (30:10). It will be noted how closely these words resemble those of the Davidic covenant quoted above. Natural circumstances are completely against the keeping of this prophecy. The preservation of a people in exile and under oppression and cruel persecution from those who are determined to annihilate them is virtually impossible from a human point of view. Yet, this is precisely what has taken place in the case of the Jews. Perhaps no other race of people have been so savagely pursued and put to the sword by their enemies as has natural Israel. The death of 6,000,000 Jewish men, women and children during the awful period of World War II vividly testify to the biter hatred and inhuman devices brought to bear upon God’s ancient people. The prophet, Amos bears similar testimony to the preservation of Israel as a race, though exiled from their land and scattered among the Gentile nations; “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among the nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth” (9:8-9).
A New Covenant
Though the sins of Israel had caused them to go into captivity, and though they are spoken of as an incurable bruise and a deadly wound, nevertheless, the LORD will effect a cure that will cleanse them from all unrighteousness: “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous . . . All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased . . . For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof” (Jer. 30:12, 14, 17-18).
The terms employed by the prophet to describe the state of fallen Israel are figurative and refer to (1) her dispersed and unorganized condition (having been destroyed politically, and militarily, and having had her formal worship terminated by the destruction of the temple); and (2) her moral condition. Sin is like a deadly disease of the soul which, if not tended will lead to death. If Israel is to be restored to (moral) health, her sins must be dealt with. The only way that the sins of God’s people can be done away is through forgiveness. This is the manner in which Israel’s iniquities will be covered. God intends to make with them a new covenant, the outstanding characteristic of which is its power to take away their sins. “Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel. and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts ,and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:31-34).
The new covenant which God will make with Israel is one which will insure that nation’s complete restoration to divine favor. Their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah was foreseen and foretold by the voice of the prophets. This resulted in their being scattered among the Gentile nations after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. Since the word of God given through the prophets cannot fail, the establishment of the new covenant with Israel must await the return of Christ from heaven. Thus the prophet declares, “Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place (see verse 36), and I will cause them to dwell safely And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me” (Jer. 32:37-40). Only then, when he has gathered them back to the land, will His law be written in their hearts, a figure denoting the complete acceptance on the part of Israel of the Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments.
“All Israel shall be Saved”
The new covenant, in reality, anticedes the (first) Mosaic covenant by many centuries. It is established on the basis of the Abrahamic covenant given 430 years before the law, but not brought into force until its confirmation resulting from the death of Jesus, the covenant victim (Gal. 3:17). Insofar as Israel is concerned, the covenant will indeed be new, inasmuch as they have never relinquished their hold on the Mosaic. The actual incorporation of this covenant into Israel’s national life, therefore, must await the appearance of the Messiah in Jerusalem, as Paul indicates: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom. 11:25-27).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One