Most churches today believe that Israel’s existence doesn’t matter in regard to Bible prophecy. The popular message is that the Church is now biblical Israel and that modern-day Israel is no different than any other nation with the same challenges and threats to its existence.
I can think of many reasons why such a dismissal of Israel’s prophetic significance is wholly unbiblical; here are a few of them:
The Lord’s Many Promises to Restore a Kingdom to Israel
The Old Testament prophets repeatedly predicted a future restoration of Israel with a descendant of David reigning over it. In Zephaniah 3:20, the Lord made this key promise to the nation: “’At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says the Lord.”
At no time since the Lord spoke these words through the prophet have the Jewish people occupied such a place of honor among the “peoples of the earth.” It’s been exactly the opposite.
Notice the permanence of the restoration that the Lord promises Israel through the Prophet Amos: “’I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:14-15).
With words that can only apply to Jacob’s descendants, God promises a lasting restoration with many physical blessings. How can these words even remotely apply to the church today apart from doing great damage to the understanding Lord intended for them at the time He spoke them through Amos?
When the disciples asked Jesus if He intended to “at this time restore the kingdom to Israel,” He didn’t chide them for asking a foolish question or deny that it would happen someday. Instead, He told them that their timing was wrong and turned their attention to the task ahead for them (Acts 1:6-8).
The Bible Predicted the Israel that We See Today
What we see in modern Israel aligns perfectly with what the prophets wrote about the nation in the last days. God’s Word predicted that:
- Israel would become a nation again “in one day” (Isaiah 66:8).
- Israel would initially exist in a state of unbelief (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
- The nations would seek to divide the Land of Israel and mistreat the Jewish people (Joel 3:1-3).
- Jerusalem would attract the world’s attention (Zechariah 12:3).
- Israel would build a temple while still in a state of unbelief (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).
- Rather than rely on God for protection, Israel would agree to a covenant with the antichrist (Daniel 9:26-27; Isaiah 28:14-18).
All of the above prophecies align perfectly with what we see today. Israel miraculously became a nation in one day on May 14, 1948, and while many believers live there, the majority of its people still reject Jesus as their Messiah. The passion for building a third temple grows by the day, which the Bible tells us will be in place by the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation when the antichrist will desecrate it.
God’s Steadfast Love Guarantees a Future for Israel
Third, God’s “steadfast love” also verifies that He has not replaced Israel with the church. He cannot renege on the solemn promises He made to Jacob’s descendants.
The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” is chesed. Some Bible versions translate it as “lovingkindness” or simply “kindness.” The full meaning of the word is difficult to convey with just one word or phrase. It denotes the Lord’s enduring covenant relationship with His people, including His never-ending faithfulness and unfailing love for them.
The essence of chesed is a permanent and long-lasting covenant that depends on God’s faithfulness, not that of His people. The Lord never lets go of His own. In the Old Testament, it denoted the permanence of His relationship with the Jewish people. This does not imply that every descendant of Jacob will inherit eternal life, not at all, but that God will never forget His promises to the nation and its people. The Land belongs to them via an “everlasting covenant” (Psalm 105:7-11).
The Good News for Us
God’s steadfast love for His own is exceedingly good news for us. As saints redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we also have a covenant relationship with God. Hebrews 9:14-15 says that Christ “is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”
As such, we also fall under the umbrella of chesed, God’s covenant love for His own. In our case, it’s not with a nation or particular race of people but with all who trust Jesus alone for eternal life.
Just as with Israel, God will never let us go; we are eternally secure. Ephesians 1:13-14 says we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Israel indeed matters to Bible prophecy. We dare not confuse it with the church because it matters in our understanding of Bible prophecy, God, the times in which we live, and our secure position in Christ as justified saints.
God’s love for us is permanent (chesed); He never lets go of His own. He never reneges on His promises to them. Never!
The words of David in Psalm 40:11 apply to all who belong to the Lord: “As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love [chesed] and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!”
