Introduction:
Title: Israel, the Church, and the Bible. (Part 1)
Subtitle: The old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment.
Key Idea: This study explores the relationship between Israel and the Church, emphasizing that old Testament prophecies find their ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the New Testament.
About This Study
The relationship between the people of Israel and the Church, as presented in the Bible, is a complex and often controversial subject with many different theological viewpoints. The perspective I will present may be new to some of you, but it is supported by a number of respected theologians. This study is a summary of some topic I have written in my two books in Arabic.
To begin, I want to establish two important ground rules:
- The books of the Old Testament must be understood in the light of the New Testament, not the other way around.
- God's revelation was a gradual process, reaching its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Christ in the New Testament.
First, let's consider the Old Testament prophecies about Christ's coming.
1. The Promise of a Deliverer
From the very beginning, God promised a deliverer who would crush the head of the serpent. Genesis 3:15 states, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This is a clear foreshadowing of Christ's coming to defeat Satan through his death and resurrection, while suffering a “heal wound” himself.
2. The Promises to Abraham
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham because he would become the father of many nations. Genesis 17:4-5 says, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."
The New Testament clarifies this promise in Galatians 3:7-8: "Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:3).
Who is the Seed of Abraham?
This promise to Abraham—that all nations would be blessed through him—appears three times in Genesis (12:3; 18:18; 22:18). The Apostle Paul explains the meaning of these verses in Galatians 3:16: "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ." Despite this clear explanation, many people still mistakenly believe that the blessings would come through the Jewish nation instead of through Jesus Christ.
3. The Promise of a King from David's Line
The Israelites waited for a king from the line of David who would reign forever.
First: This promise was first given to King David himself in 2 Samuel 7:12, 16: "When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom... Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever."
Psalm 89:3-4 reinstate this promise: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'" While King Solomon partially fulfilled this promise, it was ultimately intended to be fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
Fulfillment in Christ
Second: This same promise was also given to the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 55:3-5, God says, "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." This passage clearly shows that Christ, the coming king from David's line, would be the leader of all nations, not just the people of Israel.
Isaiah offers another very clear prophecy about the birth of this king and savior, who will sit on David throne. in Isaiah 9:6-7: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." Here, we find the crucial detail that Christ will reign on David's throne from that time on and forever.
The angel Gabriel repeated this prophecy to the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:31-33: "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."
This makes it clear that Christ, according to both the prophet Isaiah and the angel Gabriel, would sit on the throne of King David and reign forever. The questions that arise, however, are: Did Christ sit on David's throne during his first coming? When and how did this happen? I will answer these questions in our next session.
The prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Third: This prophecy was also given to the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In Jeremiah 23:5, God declares, "The days are coming... when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." Here, Christ is the righteous Branch and the king. Similarly, in Ezekiel 34:23-24, God says, "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them... The Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them." This is another reference to Christ as the one shepherd and prince. It’s clear that God wouldn’t raise King David from the dead to be the shepherd and king.
The promise of a king from David’s line
Key question for Part 2: Did Christ sit on David’s throne during his first coming, and if so how and when?
The significance of Daniel’s Prophecies
Daniel’s prophecies are highly significant, though they have confused many people and led to false assumptions. As the Postponement Theology.
Fourth: Daniel's Prophecies about Christ and the Kingdom of God
I will begin with king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2:31-45, where God shows the king a statue representing four successive kingdoms until the coming of Christ. The head of gold represents the Babylonian kingdom year(606 BC), the chest and arms of silver the Persian kingdom year(539 BC), the belly and thighs of bronze the Greek kingdom year(333 BC), and the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay the Roman kingdom yrar(146 BC).
Fulfillment of the Prophecy
Daniel continue explaining the dream to the king. Then, a rock "not cut by human hands" strikes the statue, smashes it to pieces, and becomes a huge mountain that fills the whole earth. Daniel explains about this rock to the king, in Daniel 2:44 "In the time of those kings, -that means during the time of fourth kingdom (Rome)- the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever."
This is a crucial prophecy about world history from the Babylonian kingdom to the Roman kingdom, at which time Christ would come and establish the kingdom of God. The text says, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed." There is no doubt that Christ came and declared the kingdom of God during the time of the fourth kingdom. Some theologians falsely believe that Christ postponed the kingdom of God until his second coming. The confusion arises because the Old Testament never speaks of two comings of Christ.
The second Prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 7)
Daniel 7 gives another vision of the same four kingdoms, this time represented as four animals: a lion, a bear, a four-headed leopard, and a fourth beast with ten horns. Daniel then writes in verses 13-14: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
This is a clear picture of Jesus Christ's first coming: he ascended to heaven, sat at the right hand of God, and was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. All people, nations, and languages worship him, and his kingdom is eternal. This confirms the promises to Abraham and Isaiah that Christ would be for all nations. Unfortunately, some theologians, clinging to what we call "postponement theology," believe this prophecy will only be fulfilled at Christ's second coming.
In Daniel 7:27, the prophecy continues: "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him." Here, the saints from all nations refer to the Church as the people of God.
Daniel’s Seventy weeks Prophecy
Finally, Daniel 9:24-27 contains another prophecy that gives us the timing of Christ’s coming. This is known as the "seventy weeks of Daniel" prophecy.
Verse 24 states: "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy."
This is a very clear prophecy about the timing of Christ's arrival. All of these facts—finishing transgression, ending sin, atoning for wickedness, bringing in everlasting righteousness, sealing up vision and prophecy, and anointing the Most Holy—point to Christ's coming and the completion of his work. The phrase "your people" refers to the Israeli nation, and "your holy city" to Jerusalem. The "Most Holy" clearly refers to Jesus Christ, who would have all authority.
The seventy weeks represent 490 years (7 x 70). Every week represents 7 years. Many scholars believe the prophecy began in 458 BC. The prophecy is divided into three sections: seven weeks, plus 62 weeks (totaling 69 weeks), and then one final week. The 69 weeks concluded around year 25-26 AD, when Christ began his ministry. The final week was fulfilled through Christ's ministry.
Fulfillment of the Seventy Week Prophecy
Verse 27 describes this final week: "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering." Many theologians believe this is a clear prophecy about Christ, who established a new covenant with many through his blood in the middle of the week, three and half years, Matthew 26:28: Christ speaks about his new covenant. And by completing his work of redemption, put an end to the need for temple sacrifices and offerings. However, some mistakenly postpone this final week until the end of history, just as they postpone the kingdom of God.
Abomination of Desolation
Verse 26 speaks very clearly about the one who would come to destroy the city and the sanctuary: "The end will come like a flood; war will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed." This refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a part of the Greek kingdom, who in 167 BC destroyed Jerusalem and desecrated the sanctuary by offering a pig, an event known as the "abomination of desolation" (described in detail in Daniel chapter 11). The festival of Hanukkah celebrates this event, when the Jews conquered Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Some theologian applyin this prophecy also, to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in year 70 AD by Titus, which Christ also prophesied in Matthew 24.
This is another example of postponement theology, which suggests that the seventy weeks of Daniel will be fulfilled in the end times after a third temple is built in Jerusalem. This belief is based on a false application of Christ's prophecy about the events of 70 AD.
Conclusion:
Key take away:
- Old Testament Prophecies about a coming deliverer, a king from David’s line, and a kingdom for all nations, were all fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
- The “seed” of Abraham is Christ, and the blessings promised to all nations come through him.
- Daniel’s prophecies confirm that Christ established the kingdom of God during the Roman Empire, a spiritual kingdom for all people, that will last forever.
Next time, we will continue this study by examining the New Testament.
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