When the Lord Jesus comes to establish his universal reign, the Scriptures reveal that his seat of power is to be “the throne of David” (Luke 1:32), placed in Jerusalem, “the city of the great king” (Mat 5:35). But just as in the natural order of things, a king rules firstly over his own countrymen, (his “first dominion”), and then by victorious warfare, he subjugates other peoples under him, whose lands then become added to his dominion, so this will be the case with the reign of the Lord’s Christ. Although his reign is to be global, his “first dominion” is said to be Israel (Mic 4:8), as Gabriel testified: “The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32,33). And in that day Jerusalem, being the centre of global authority and the home of the King of the World, shall be held in honour and praise by all other nations – the Great King shall require it to be so, for it is written; “the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted … the sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of Yahweh, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Is 60:12-14).
The fellow countrymen of the Lord Jesus, the descendants of Abraham through Jacob, are God’s people whom He “hath not cast away” (Rom 11:2), and it is through them that the Lord has chosen to effect his purpose. He called them out of Egypt, as “a nation from the midst of another nation” (Deut 4:34), in remembrance of His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 2:24), that they might be a model people, “for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory” (Jer 13:11). To Israel were given The Law, a set of standards far higher than the crudities of any human legislation, founded upon the principle of Love – the Love for God, and the Love for man; “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mat 22:37-40). And it was in observance of these laws that Israel were an example to, and set above the hoards of barbarians around them, as Moses exhorted: “keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deut 4:6).
But Israel were not simply a paradigmatic race of men, for the Lord has predicated salvation for them, and all other nations, upon belief of certain promises made to “the fathers” concerning them. This was the teaching of Christ, saying “salvation is of the Jews” (Jno 4:22), and of his apostle: “if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15). Forgiveness of sins comes through the promised seed of Israel’s progenitor (Rom 4:1-8), upon the basis of the things covenanted to him (Gal 3:18) – indeed, the very blessing obtainable by the Gentiles through faith in Christ is styled apostolically, “the blessing of Abraham” (Gal 3:14). And the promises made to Abraham contained the Gospel: “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” (Gal 3:8).
THE PROMISES TO ABRAHAM
As recorded in Genesis, the promises conferred upon Abraham, and his multitudinous seed the right to an age-lasting possession of all the land “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:18). But as Abraham never possessed this land (Acts 7:5, Heb 11:13), and as the preeminent seed referred to is Christ (Gal 3:16), who also never possessed any such land (Cp. Luke 9:58), it is evident that they relate to an age yet future, when the Lord shall return to raise Abraham from the dead, that they might both receive their inheritance together. The sojourn of Abraham’s natural seed in the land under the law, was a foretaste of the Kingdom, demonstrating to all who beheld the wisdom of their laws that the blessing of God rested upon those whom he had taken “out of another nation” for Himself. But by the very nature of things, as they possessed the land under Law, not Promise, their sojourn was only a shadow, or pattern of better things to come (1Chron 29:15, Heb 10:1).
The inheritance yet to be granted to Abraham was not to be bestowed by law, but was a gift for faith. This is the testimony of the Apostle: “the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom 4:13). And again: “if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made …” (Gal 3:18-19), and it is only reasonable that until the coming of the seed to whom the promise was made, that promise could not be properly fulfilled. The sojourning of Israel under the Law then, was a temporary institution until the promised seed would come, and they could take up possession of their inheritance with him. Yet even when the “seed” did come that the Almighty could, in the words of Zecharaias, “perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath with he sware to our father Abraham (Luke 1:72,73), he was rejected by those he came to save. They crucified the prince of life, and persecuted his holy apostles; and having so judged themselves to be unworthy of everlasting life, the Apostles turned to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46), that in the intervening period between the cutting off of the Israelitish olive branches, and their grafting in again, at their Lord’s return, Gentiles might also have a share in the promises.
There are those who would deny the Lord His rightful inheritance and dominion over the tribes of Jacob, by claiming that because of the Jewish rejection of the promised Messiah, God has cast off his people – that the Kingdom is not to be restored to Israel, and that there is to be no holy temple built at Jerusalem. They claim that the promises were contingent upon obedience, and that because of the Jew’s rebellion they have been rejected, and Gentiles take their place, as the so-called “spiritual Israel”. But these delusions are merely the regurgitated morsels of Church Tradition, eagerly grasped and consumed by those who desire to boast against the branches (Rom 11:19). Like those who delighted to vaunt themselves against the Holy People of the Most High God in the first century, they say “the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in”. But they do well to take heed to the Apostle’s warning: “Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Rom 11:19-21). Those who are in “unbelief” of the Lord’s covenant to Abraham and his seed – which covenant necessitates the Israelitish restoration – therefore place themselves in severe danger of being “cut off”.
It is true to say that the natural branches have been “cut off”, but only with a view to chastisement, that having been purged of unbelief, they might be graffed in again. Israel will never be cast away, for this is the testimony of the prophet concerning them:
“fear not, O Jacob my servant, saith Yahweh: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but will correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished” (Jer 46:28).
The natural branches were “cut off” because of “unbelief”, not because of disobedience. Although faith must be made manifest in works (Jas 2:17-26), Faith, not obedience to Law is the prerequisite to inheriting the promises: “The promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith”, that is, the faith which the Lord considers as righteousness (Rom 4:13). It was through lack of faith, not simply lack of obedience that a whole generation, bar 2, were excluded from the land, though their sins were many: “they could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb 3:19). And it was likewise “because of unbelief” that the Lord God directed the Roman forces against His Son’s murderers in AD70, effecting the “cutting off” of the natural branches.
But in order for the Abrahamic covenant to be fulfilled, Israel must be brought back to the land, to take up their inheritance with their saviour and King – this is the “Hope of Israel”, for which the Apostle was imprisoned (Acts 28:20). And in order for this to take place, they must also have the faith of their father Abraham. The apostle speaks of this, when discussing the bringing in of the Gentiles: “therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is under the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Rom 4:16). Israel which is under the Law are assured of their inheritance, when they turn to the Lord in faith of His Promise. Thus, “the promise” requires that Israel are restored, not just to the Land, but also to God.
THE FUTURE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL
By it’s very nature, the Kingdom over which Christ will rule, is an Israelitish kingdom; his “first dominion” being over his own countrymen, whom he came to save. It is only when Israel are received in again, that the Kingdom can be restored to them (Acts 1:6) – only then can the Lord Jesus take up his reign (Luke 1:33) and only then can his brethren receive their inheritance, and reign with him (Rev 3:21, 5:10). Without Israel’s restoration therefore, there can be no restored kingdom, and no inheritance – truly the apostle wrote: “if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15). We cannot receive our inheritance, unless they receive theirs, for our inheritance is theirs, and it is only extended to us by our becoming joined to Israel and their Hope.
We have already shown that we cannot receive an inheritance independently of Israel – not by replacing the Jew, for the Jews are yet to be “received in” again. Rather it is by becoming a Jew through faith, and union with Christ, Abraham’s pre-eminent seed, and by embracing the Israelitish Hope in God, that He will restore them, as promised. As it is written, Abraham is not “the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised” (Rom 4:12). Those who are yet dead in their sins are “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). But through faith and baptism, we become one with Christ, and therefore Children of God, members of Israel’s commonwealth, and heirs of the promise. This is the Apostle’s inspired testimony: “ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ … ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29). So it is, that the Gentiles are brought in by a like principle by which Israel were led out from bondage; “a nation from the midst of another nation” (Deut 4:34), into the land of promise: “God … did visit the Gentiles, to take out from them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14). They are taken out from the kingdoms of men, to become part of the “commonwealth of Israel”, that they also might be led by the antitypical Joshua, the captain of their salvation (Heb 2:10) into the same inheritance, at the coming of the seed “to whom the promise was made”.
Christopher Maddocks
