It’s perhaps the most significant question one can ask today regarding biblical prophecy. The inquiry draws a line in the sand with each group holding fast to what they believe.
The question is this: Will the Lord restore a glorious kingdom to Israel during Jesus’ thousand-year reign upon the earth?
Most pastors today would answer “no” to that question. They believe God rejected the nation of Israel after the Hebrew people crucified His Son. As a result, the Father transferred his physical kingdom promises for Israel to the church, albeit in a spiritual sense.
This is replacement theology. Because these pastors believe that the church has replaced Israel in God’s prophetic program, they see no scriptural significance in the reemergence of Israel as a nation. As a result, they do not believe we live in the last days, nor do they recognize the signs of the rapidly approaching Tribulation period.
On the other side of the line stand those of us who believe that God’s covenants with Israel remain in effect to this day. We believe that Israel’s miraculous reappearance as a nation is highly significant for understanding the last days; it has opened the door for the fulfillment of a host of other biblical prophecies that we see coming to life.
I absolutely believe the latter group has the words of Scripture on their side. Once a pastor or teacher messes with God’s Word by dismissing the clear intent of prophetic passages, which is necessary to hold to any version of replacement theology, it opens the door to apostasy as others follow their lead in ignoring the clear intent of other biblical texts.
I believe it’s dangerous to hold to any view of the end times that dismisses God’s promises regarding a restored Israel in the last days.
1 comment:
It will not be a kingdom for Israel. It will be a kingdom for all nations. Jerusalem will be the seat or throne. After the thousand years and for what ever reason Satan is released to cause mayhem, then a new Heaven and Earth will be the reality for eternity.
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