A Short & Concise Analysis of Rom. 11:26—All Israel Will Be Saved! (3 of 4)

Romans 10

With tongue in cheek, Romans 10 is pretty simple and straightforward. This chapter shows how becoming righteous before God is not by works, but by God’s grace through faith—a faith in which the Scriptures also say God gives to us in order to enable us to come to Him (see also John 6:44, 65; Eph. 2:8; 6:33; Php. 1:29; 2Pet. 1:1, lit., “allotted faith”). We see this in the book of Acts where God opens Lydia’s heart to receive what Paul was saying. And we also see this in Acts 13:48, where it says, “all who were ordained to eternal life, believed.” We cannot, and do not “believe” if we are not God’s chosen people who are “ordained” to eternal life, as Jesus also said to some Jews in John 8:47 and John 10:26. Such “faith” as God’s gift to us is also seen in the administering of our gifts and talents in Rom. 12:3-9 and 1Cor. 12:7-11. We have nothing that we have not received from God. To Him alone is the glory, honor, power and praise. We have no cause for boasting, as indicated earlier in the election of Isaac and Jacob before either were even born.

Like Romans chapter 9, Romans 10 again affirms to us that there is “no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all” (v. 12). Who are the “all” here? In context, all elect Jews and Gentiles whom God sovereignly chooses to have mercy upon and save. Again, Paul says “everyone” (i.e., not just Jews) who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But, again, God sovereignly gives us the ability to call on Him; otherwise, verse 20 (and even Rom. 9:29 and 11:7f) would be superfluous. Elsewhere Paul likewise says that when we were “dead” in sins and trespasses, Christ “made us alive” together with Him (cf. Eph. 2:1, 5). Dead men do not raise themselves from their dead state. This is why salvation is ALL of God. We are HIS workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus. By grace we have been saved, through faith—and THIS not of ourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, lest any man should boast. If you believe your own “work” of faith has in fact saved you, then you have cause or reason to boast in yourself. So it stands to reason that even our “faith” (the ability to believe) has been “allotted” or portioned out to us by God, as Peter is noted above as saying in 2Pet. 1:1 (see Weymouth’s translation).

As I stated before, in Romans 10 a “righteousness” from God which is not based upon keeping the law is put before us. And it is a righteousness by faith in which many Jews and Gentiles will never be partakers of. They are “vessels of wrath, prepared in advance unto destruction” (Rom. 9:22), and even “hardened” by God no less in Rom. 11:7 which Paul denotes in the Greek by using the passive voice.[1] Paul again makes it very clear to us that this righteousness by faith is to be for all those whom God has chosen to be partakers of in verse 20, as quoted from Isaiah 65:1: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me,” with Isaiah also adding, “To a nation that did not call on My name.” No one of their own volition “seeks” God (Rom. 3:3); and no one of their own volition “asks” for Him or “calls” upon His name (cp. Jhn. 6:65; 15:16). Again, dead men do not and cannot “call” upon God. Yet even for all this, God continues to tell us through His prophet Isaiah in this same chapter described above,

Thus says the LORD, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ so I will act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them. And I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and an heir of My mountains from Judah; even My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a pasture land for flocks, and the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me. But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune, and who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight, and chose that in which I did not delight.” Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame. Behold, My servants shall shout joyfully with a glad heart, but you shall cry out with a heavy heart, and you shall wail with a broken spirit. And you will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you. But My servants will be called by another name. Because he who is blessed in the earth shall be blessed by the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth (vv. 8-16, ‘77 NASB).

Notice that God is talking to the Jews here. Some He sovereignly will “bring forth,” giving them hearts that actually seek after Him (like Lydia’s for example), while others He leaves to themselves, judging them for the sinners that they are. And it is of these latter wicked Jews that God says, “you will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones.” Truly, “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Pro. 10:7). The old name, “Israel,” is now considered by God as nothing more than that which evokes a “curse.” And we see this being fleshed out in history, even to this day; and as with natural Israel in the past, it is all God’s doing, not man’s.[2] Yet God’s “chosen ones” who are God’s “servants” here, are the spiritual “Israel of God” that are hidden among the sheaves and who are blessed, not cursed; filling all the world and not just the small pittance of the land of Palestine. They are the “servants” whom Christ had sent out in Mat. 22:1-14, only to be ignored, mistreated and even killed by the Jews (v. 6). And when these Jews did not have the proper clothing for Christ’s wedding banquet, He commanded that they be “tied hand and foot, and thrown outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 13). These were the same ones that He just earlier spoke to, and for which Matthew writes, “When the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew He was talking about them. So they looked for a way to arrest Him…” (21:45). And it was immediately after knowing this, that Christ gives them the parable of The Wedding Banquet in the chapter to follow.

These “servants” described above are also inclusive of all Gentiles, and who “surname” themselves with a new name: the name “Israel” in Isaiah 44:5 (KJV); for, like I said earlier, no natural born Jew would need to do this. Gentiles are included in the “all Israel” who are of Israel, while some (whether they be Jews or Gentiles) are not.[3]  And of those Jews who are not this “Israel” of God according to the Spirit, Christ says, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet (the Church) and acknowledge that I have loved you (the Church). Since you (the Church) have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you (the Church) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (Rev. 3:9-10). Be it far from Christ’s lips to speak or pray for “peace” for this bunch. You just don’t hear it from Him. He uses their name for a curse, not a blessing. And while their name is left for a curse, evoking God’s curses; we are given a new name, evoking God’s blessings. And it has always been this way for God’s “chosen ones,” His true people who are saved by grace. Even Paul said of the Judaizers in Galatia who were preaching a false gospel (or false good news): “let him be anathema”—accursed! (Gal. 1:8). The new 2011 NIV says, “Let them be under God’s curse.” And, clearly, this is what Paul is talking about here. Truly, their name has been left for "a curse" to God’s chosen ones. And Paul evokes a curse upon them for teaching and preaching things that they just should not teach or preach. And the same is no less true today.

God said the same thing in Jeremiah of all Jews who think they are God’s people. He likewise refers to all natural thinking and reasoning Jews who have not the Spirit,

They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man’s wife. Should I not punish them for this? declares the Lord. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the Lord”…. Among My people are wicked men.” (5:8-10).

Here God is referring to elect Jews (My people) among non-elect Jews—who are the “wicked men” here. Sound familiar? Christ and His apostles encountered the very same thing. Christ and His Jewish followers were the true believing Jews (or "servants") among the wicked unbelieving Jews. Jews who would rather kill them, even as they would of Jeremiah, rather than embrace them; who would rather spit on them, rather than give them a cup of cold water; who would rather see to it that they were thrown in a prison and forgotten about, rather than visit them; who would rather strip off all their garments, rather than clothe them; who would rather cast them out of their houses, rather than take them in and feed them. These are the ones that Christ has in mind in Mat. 10:40-42 and 25:31-46. All Christ’s “brethren,” in Matthew 25, are not all natural Jews in a future seven-year tribulation that all Christian Zionists and many dispensationalists would have us believe today. Christ’s “brethren” are US!. By now, this should have all become very clear to us. Those who receive us, receive Christ, and give evidence to the fact that they are indeed “sheep.” All “goats” (all unbelieving Jews and Gentiles) are, as Christ claims, “cursed” (Mat. 25:41), thrown into “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (ibid).

Once gain, Jeremiah records for us,

This is what the Lord says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: “I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve" (14:10-16).

History is repeating itself. False prophets and false teachers abound in the Church today who are proclaiming “peace” to all natural Jews, and even “praying” for their peace (and encouraging others to do likewise), quoting verses and texts out of context in order to make them a pretext for what they are falsely affirming. There is no future for Israel outside of Christ and all of His “called-out” ones (or the Church); whether in the past, present, or in the future. Christ appeared the first time to take away sin. But He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him (Heb. 9:26b-28). Then comes the end. All this talk about additional comings of Christ after this final second coming of Christ are “the delusions of their own minds.” Historically, the orthodox teaching of the Church has always believed in only one second coming of Christ in the future. And it wasn’t until the last couple of hundred years that a teaching started to filter into the Church (through Darby, Scofield, Lewis Sperry Chafer, John Walvoord, Hal Lindsey, J. Vernon McGee, Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, and the like),[4] that is predominantly now taught in most churches today, which is dispensational premillennialism (an extremely aberrant form of historic premillennialism[5]).

As noted above, God, nor Christ, have no kind words for those who are really not Their people. What is all this talk about the Jews being God’s “Chosen People,” when all who die not knowing Christ only go to hell in a hand basket? It makes no sense whatsoever; unless we understand that when God at times refers to them as “My people,” He was only referring to them as such when separated from the other nations and placed under the Mosaic covenant of works with Him, with most (except for His remnant) not being afforded the benefits of the Abrahamic covenant of grace by faith. And this is the only reason that makes sense of why Paul could now say, “they are not all Israel which are of Israel.” We see God alluding to this idea often in the Prophets, in the words of Christ, and even in the rebukes of the apostles to all unbelieving Jews in their letters. In Galatians, Paul even wished they would go all the way and emasculate themselves. He didn’t befriend them like so many of us do today in the Church. He harshly rebuked and criticized them for thinking they had one-up on everyone else because they were natural born Jews. Even Stephen had no kind words of “peace” for them. And they stoned him for those words. Jews are either for us, or against us. And if they are against us, which they are, then we have no business telling them that God has a wonderful plan and future for them; even a future time of “lasting peace in this place,” as those in Jeremiah's day had claimed.

As it was in Jeremiah’s day, so it is today: “they dress the wounds of My people as though it were not serious. Peace, peace, they say, when there is not peace” (6:14). Instead of overturning their tables, we want to help build their tables; instead of discouraging literal animal sacrifices, we are encouraging them to continue to do so now and in the future in the millennium; instead of speaking against rebuilding a literal temple, we are encouraging them to do so again, even by sending them money in order to do this; instead of speaking against a literal priesthood in the future, we are encouraging them to seek after it—and all based upon reading into God’s Word what He is NOT saying to them. Truly, they are “visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.” Like the Jews, many in the Church today envision things spoken of in the prophets to come to pass in a natural, physical way; when it is all now to be understood in a spiritual way. Doesn’t Peter make this unequivocally clear in his first epistle? (cf. 1Pet. 2:4-10). Yet even for all that we still have those in our midst who say that even Peter isn't talking about both Jews and Gentiles collectively in the Church, but only about natural born Jews! According to these so-called “brethren,” only Jews are “the chosen nation”; only Jews are the “royal priesthood”; and only Jews are “the people for His own possession.” But how could Peter say in verse 10, “you were once NOT A PEOPLE, who have become the people of God; and have not received mercy, but have now received mercy,” if they were all by natural birth already the “people” of God? Peter’s words only make sense with regards to everyone who has no physical ties that bind them to be designated as such. They are the people or children of God who are the “children of promise” born of the Spirit. And, as noted earlier, Paul has said the same thing of all Gentiles as well in Rom. 9:24-26 and Gal. 4:28.

To read further with regards to Romans 11, click here.


Footnotes:


[1] How God “hardens” men’s hearts is seen in how He leaves them to themselves without any of His restraining influences or help. These restraining (or non-restraining) influences are often what theologians refer to as “secondary” causes, whether they be God’s Spirit, spirits, or the natural events that occur around us. All three are seen in the Bible as God’s directing influences upon the hearts of men for either good or evil. “Secondary causes” are to be fully recognized as not independent of God, but as having their proper place in His plan. God so presents outside inducements, that man acts in accordance with his own nature, yet does exactly what God has planned for him to do (cp. 1Kin. 22:19-23, concerning God enticing king Ahab with the advice from an evil spirit, that ended up in the king’s demise). Even in the case of a good person, such as Joseph, or even Job, Calvin has keenly articulated God’s involvement and providence over all that transpires in one’s life. He says of Job’s plight: “The Lord permits Satan to afflict his servant [Job]; and the Chaldeans, who had been chosen as the ministers to execute the deed, He hands over to the impulses of Satan, who, pricking on the already depraved Chaldeans with his poisoned darts, instigates them to commit the crime. They rush furiously on to the unrighteous deed, and become its guilty perpetrators. Here Satan is properly said to act in the reprobate, over whom he exercises his sway, which is that of wickedness. God also is said to act in His own way; because even Satan when he is the instrument of divine wrath, is completely under the command of God, who turns him as He will in the execution of His just judgments….We thus see that there is no inconsistency in attributing the same act to God, to Satan, and to man, while, from the difference in the end and mode of action, the spotless righteousness of God shines forth at the same time that the iniquity of Satan and of man is manifested in all its deformity” (Inst., II, IV, 2). And again, “Satan and all the wicked are so under the hand and authority of God, that He directs their malice to whatever end He pleases, and employs their iniquities to execute his Judgments” (Inst., I, VIII, 1). It is just as Solomon has said in Proverbs, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turneth it withersoever He will” (21:1, KJV). And we definitely saw the Lord doing this with Pharaoh, while at the same time exonerating the Lord and holding Pharaoh entirely liable for his dastardly deeds. This is the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Neither one cancels out the other.
[2] The Bible is replete with examples of this, too numerous to mention. But just a few will suffice. Just in Deuteronomy 28 alone, God tells the Jews what HE will do to them if they disobey His Mosaic covenant that He had previously set up with them. And this is even true of all Jews today and anyone else who are not in any covenantal relationship with the Lord, with their consciences either accusing them or excusing them. In verse 20, Moses says, “the LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke”; v. 21, “the LORD will plague you”; v. 25, “the LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies”; v. 27, “the LORD will afflict you with boils”; vv. 28, 29, 33, “the LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind…day after day you will be oppressed…you will have nothing but cruel oppression all you days”; v. 49, “the LORD will bring a nation against you”; v. 63, “just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in numbers, so it will please Him to ruin and destroy you.” Israel of today is not the Israel of yesterday. They are a different “breed” of people altogether—even a mixed breed, with no genealogies anymore to prove who they are. “Genealogies” that even Paul said in his day were of no value in God’s plan of salvation (1Tim. 1:4;Tit. 3:9). The kingdom of God and of heaven has been taken from Israel of the past, and given to a nation who will produce its fruit (Mat. 21:43). We, the Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles—are that “nation”! (cf. 1Pet. 2:9). And even anyone today who would call themselves a “Jew” are welcome to join us, should God so choose to add them to our number. Besides that, there is no other future for the Jew. They either join us, or are lost forever, cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Mat. 8:10-12; Lke. 13:22-30).
[3] This is the “all Israel” who is the spiritual Israel in Rom. 9:6. In Rom. 11:26, “all Israel” there is referring to all elect Jews, as opposed to all elect Gentiles in verse 25. Nevertheless, they are all God’s “children of the free woman” (Jews and Gentiles born of the Spirit) and not “children of the slave woman” (particularly said of Jews who are born solely of the flesh)–cf. Gal. 4:24ff.
[4] Lewis Sperry Chafer founded what is today called, Dallas Theological Seminary. It has given birth to a long list of individuals who have taken predominant places and positions in the Church.

Most notably, the late Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel’s all over America, is a leading proponent of Dallas Theological Seminary’s dispensational premillennial teaching. Chuck Swindoll, Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, and even John MacArthur, all vehemently and tenaciously teach and support dispensational premillennialism. I am saddened to hear this of Swindoll and MacArthur. But all I can say is: reader beware! Those who are first, will be last.
[5] Historic Premillennialism, as articulated in George Eldon Ladd’s book, The Blessed Hope, pretty much agrees with the orthodox teachings of the Church throughout history that views everything centered around the Church, and not just around Jews of natural ethnicity. And except for believing in a literal earthly reign of Christ in the future for a literal 1,000 years, historic premillenialists have more in common with Amillennialists when it comes to interpreting many Scriptures as either already fulfilled, or to be fulfilled in Christ and His Church. Historic Premillennialists do not place an importance on Jewish natural ethnicity as all dispensationalists do. And they surely do not envision natural Israel residing in Palestine, while the Church remains separate and distinct from them in heaven. They do not believe in an earthly people made up only of Jews, verses a spiritual people who are not a part of this group. In God’s plan, there is only one flock with One Shepherd residing over them, not two. Children born only according to the flesh, have no part or place with all children born according the Spirit and who are God’s “children of the promise.”

A Short & Concise Analysis of Rom. 11:26—All Israel Will Be Saved! (4 of 4)

Romans 11

Romans 11 is all about God setting apart for Himself a “fullness” (a remnant) from these same Jews and Gentiles that Paul just referred to previously in Romans 9 and 10. And Romans 11 decisively concludes for us that it is all presently happening right "NOW" (vv. 5, 13-14, 30-31), even as in the past (v. 4), from Christ’s first coming to His second coming throughout every generation. There are not to be any end-time, en-mass conversions of either Jews or Gentiles. Paul says it is all happening right "NOW" as we speak (again, see vv. 30-31).

Verse 5 and verses 30-31 are very crucial to our understanding the time frame in which “all Israel” is to be saved. There is no margin for error here. These verses are safeguards for understanding the timeframe in which we are to understand here. And they are “safeguards” for which many have abandoned and cast aside for their own a priori theological biases and beliefs. In verses 30-31, three times Paul repeats the word “now,” not later! It is not to be some end-time en-mass conversion. It is “at the present time” (v. 5) or “now” (vv. 30-31), with the same Greek present tense adverb νΰν, pronounced “noon,” being used in all of these verses. This present tense adverb is translated “now” in a great majority of New Testament verses in the Bible. And in a couple of places it is even translated: “henceforth,” “from now on,” or “from this time on.” So, clearly, all of this has to do with the entire Church age—not just back then in Paul’s day, not just in our day, nor just in the future. So, in all honesty, none of this should even be up for debate. It is a non-sequitur. The “now” in verse 5, and the “now” (mentioned also three times) in verses 30-31 are like bookends for all that is to be said and understood in between. In verse 5, this present day “remnant” from the Jews are: (1) NOW recipients of God’s grace; (2) part of the “fullness” or full number in verse 12; (3) “some” for whom Paul saves in verse 14; (4) the “all Israel” (or all elect Jews) in verse 26, and; (5) the “all” who were disobedient but who also have NOW received mercy in verses 30-31. And the same goes for Gentiles as well. They too are: (1) part of this “remnant” in verses 17-24; (2) part of a full number (or “fullness”) of all the elect Gentiles who will be saved in verse 25, and; (3) they are “all” who were disobedient but have NOW received mercy in verses 30-31. Paul says all of this is going on now, now, now! Not later! I mean, really, how often does one really need to say “now” before we finally get it? We’ve often heard the phrase, “Play it again, Sam!” Music repeated gets under our skin. And advertisements repeated, replay themselves when we see their product. As such, the repetition of such things has a distinct effect on us. And things often have to be repeated more than once for them to finally sink into our heads. Paul’s redundant use of the word “now” should, by now (pun intended), have had its stated affect.

The more acceptable Nestle’s Greek text that we have today, used by all modern translations, says the word “now” three times (once in verse 30 and twice in verse 31), while the older Textus Receptus, used by the KJV, says the word “now” only two times (once in verse 30 and once in verse 31). But it doesn’t matter. Either way Paul’s point is poignant and to the point: Just as we Gentiles who were disobedient to God have NOW received mercy as a result of the Jews disobedience, in this manner also the Jews have NOW become disobedient in order that they too might receive mercy. Notice that I worded this just how the Textus Receptus words it, leaving out the third “now.” And as one can readily see, “now” means “now” no matter how you slice it here. The Jews now receive God's grace and mercy at the same time and in the same way as the Gentiles now receive it. And the Greek word noon (or “now”), also used in verse 5, squarely places the time as NOW (or better, from “henceforth) being the period for a remnant from the Jews to be saved according to the election of grace. This “remnant” theme is seen in a Elijah’s day and throughout the Bible, correlating even with Christ’s own words that “many are called, but few chosen” (Mat. 22:14). So the view of some brethren in the Church today who say that a day is coming when this rule will no longer apply—or that the remnant mentioned throughout the prophets is to be understood of the entire nation of Israel as a whole or who in totality will be saved—seems rather strange. Again, it is a Jewish ideology that has crept its way into the Church; it is not the ideology of God, of Christ, or of His apostles. Christ and His apostles were never “for” Israel in the way that many are now “for” Israel today. They promised them no hopes of “peace” outside of faith in God and in Christ. And they surely didn’t hold out to them what many in the Church today are holding out to them, that the Jews will one day in the future return to rebuilt temples, the Levitical priesthood, atoning animal sacrifices, literal circumcision or the keeping of literal festivals, new moons and Sabbaths and the like with God’s blessing—and all based upon a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel’s visions in chapters 40-48.[1] Those natural “types” and “shadows” passed away, never to be seen again. They had their place back then as being typological of the spiritual things that have now come upon us. And since Christ is now the reality for which those “shadows” and visions were cast, then it stands to reason that all of Ezekiel’s "visions" in those last eight chapters—as they relate to temple worship with water flowing from that temple and giving life to fish for men to fish for—has all to do with what Christ said about how that out of our belly’s (now God’s temple) would flow rivers of living water, and that as “fishers of men” we would “fish” for “men” whom God has given “life” to, not literal fish. And Ezekiel adds that “wherever the river flows everything will live” (47:9), to living creatures and to fish and fruit trees[2] “of all kinds” (vv. 9, 10, 12). But notice what he also says: “But the swamps (or miry places)[3] and marshes will NOT become fresh (or healed); they will be left for salt” (v. 11). Without going into all the details of what all of this means, basically what we have here is the election of God’s people verses leaving all the rest of God’s creatures in these “swamps and marshes” who are not to be given these life-sustaining waters; they have been left for “salt,” a euphemism or metaphor for being laid waste or made desolate and barren (cf. Jer. 48:9). It speaks of judgment for sin (cf. Deut. 29:23), and things just go from bad to worse for all such people. And if that were not enough, God in Ezekiel even describes a “land” (dare I say, “a heavenly country”) where spiritual Israel is to “allot as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you, and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites…. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance, declares the Sovereign Lord” (47:22, 23). This is the “inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven” for us, beloved. (1Pet. 1:4). All of this isn’t to happen “literally” some day in the future. It is God using natural words and ideas in vision form that all point to spiritual truths and ideas.

Even Peter’s "vision" of unclean animals in Acts chapter 10 that he was told by God to kill and eat, though seemingly “literal,” was referring to something far more ethereal—shall I again say, “spiritual”? Likewise, when God told Ezekiel (43:11) to tell the people to do all that was spoken about in the visions, the Lord no more meant (nor expected) Ezekiel and the people to literally do all that, than He meant or expected Peter to literally apply what God had literally revealed to him of killing and eating unclean animals. And this is especially to be noted under the New Covenant where building literal buildings, offering up literal animal sacrifices, being physically circumcised and being told to literally eat, or not to eat, unclean animals would only be true under the law of Moses which all pointed to the spiritual realities that were to come. And since we are not under that old covenant any longer, then by the very nature of the case all of this has to be understood spiritually. Of note here is also the fact that, again, if Ezekiel is telling the people to literally observe all of the laws and regulations in his visions, he would then be telling them to do many things contrary to the laws of Moses. For, as many already know, many things mentioned in Ezekiel’s visions are different from the laws of Moses, either adding to or subtracting from those laws (any good commentary should be able to help you with this). And in Deut. 12:32, God himself had specifically told Israel that they were not to add or subtract anything written in the law. So, was God really instructing Ezekiel to establish new laws, with entirely new regulations and ordinances for the people back then? Or, was he foretelling a change in a figure that would one day take place that was only to be realized in Christ? The latter is to be preferred. Otherwise, the dispensationalists, in agreement with all unregenerate Jews, would have to be right in saying that all of this will take place with the Jews here on the earth after the Church is removed. And furthermore, the Jews weren’t going to literally do what Ezekiel said should be done, for, like I said, they would have been breaking the laws of Moses. And they most likely thought Ezekiel was crazy, as the Jews thought of all of God’s prophets, and they even later questioned whether to allow the book of Ezekiel in their Jewish canon or not. So it stands to reason that the Lord knew they wouldn’t do what Ezekiel said they should do, but nevertheless instructed Ezekiel to tell them anyway because, in God’s mind, He knew what He meant when He said what He meant. And He meant it to be understood in the same way that He meant for Peter’s vision to be understood—not literally!

Once again, just as Peter’s vision of literal objects and ideas was not to be literally understood and applied, neither is Ezekiel’s visions. Either all of these Old Testament services are finally over with, or Christ and His apostles got it all wrong. When Christ said, “the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father,” did He believe that all this would change or revert back to the way things were before for the Jews in the future someday, in either a seven-year tribulation or in an earthly rule and reign? The answer should be quite obvious to anyone who is a sincere Christian. And if it is so obvious, then all those who say Jerusalem will one day again be the center of all worship are not really seeing things in the Scriptures as they really should be seeing them. They are just as blind as the Jews when reading the prophets. It was one of the capital errors of all natural thinking and reasoning Jews (as it is with many Christians in the Church today) to give too much importance to the mere externals of the temple and its worship, not discerning the spiritual truths and principles that lay hidden underneath them all and never to be established again.

Rebuilt temples, with all their attending sacrifices and worship, would now be a glaring and outright denial of the once-and-for-all sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ and of the efficacy of the blood of His atonement. He who sacrificed under the Old Covenant, confessed their Messiah to come who would actually take away sin and the need for any more sacrifices; whereas, he who would sacrifice now would most solemnly and sacrilegiously be DENYING Christ and His all-sufficient sacrifice. And is this not what the author of Hebrews tells us? It was one thing for Paul to observe Jewish ceremonies in order to save some Jews, but it is quite another thing to hold out in the future to them the reinstitution of all these ordinances as once again being mandatory, with dire consequences for non-compliance. And it is not enough for these individuals in the Church to say that all of these things will only be observed as a “memorial,” for God says the atoning sacrifices will actually be for the atoning of sin (43:18-27; 45:15, 17-20). Now even the literalists want to push aside being too literal here in order to make their “memorial” idea stick. But, again, God is only speaking in literal terms and ideas of what is to really and literally take place spiritually.

All that has been described above are spiritual truths expressed in spiritual words that Paul was referring to in 1Cor. 2:13. God means what He says, and says what He means. But not in the way that most of us would naturally think and reason. And even many things that Christ has already said to us should have made us all fully aware of this by now.

As with many today, Peter was dumfounded by the vision (vv. 17, 19). And it wasn’t until his encounter with Cornelius the Gentile, that he actually caught the vision: “God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean” (v. 28). This wasn’t about eating literal animals, but about people; just as Ezekiel’s vision is not about literal “creatures,” “fish” or “fruit trees,” but people—and lots of them! In fact, he says, “many kinds.”

We have got to get ourselves from thinking “naturally” here like all natural reasoning and thinking Jews (and even many Christians), and start thinking “spiritually.” And the same goes for understanding who the “children of the promise” are. It is not just about natural Israel, as many misguided Christians would have us believe today. It is about “spiritual” children who are God’s (or even Abraham’s) children by faith, regardless of natural ethnicity. It is about all (Jews or Gentiles) who are chosen by God and born of the Spirit, not born of the flesh. In God’s mind, it has never been about the natural but about the spiritual; the natural has always prefigured the spiritual; the literal types were to give way to the spiritual antitypes.

Now, if Rom. 11:26 is teaching an end-time en-mass conversion of all natural Jews, would it not seem as if Paul is now saying, “Forget what I just told you about previously”? Are we to really understand what Paul is saying here about the Jews then and now being disobedient, that it was only so that they will all receive God’s mercy some 2,000 years later? How absurd is that! One would have to insert “later” for the mercy to be shown to these Jews, rather than “now.” But, au contraire! Paul’s use of these Greek present tense adverbs translated as, “at the present time” in verse 5 and “now” in verses 30-31, along with the fact that he says he hopes to save “some” of these Jews in his own lifetime in verse 14, leaves us with no doubt as to the timeframe in which Paul is referring to. This is a sincere biblical exegesis of these passages, not an eisegesis. One would have to remove all these adverbs in these verses to say that “all Israel” is an end-time latter day conversion; and even all the verses in the entire context of Romans 9-11 in order to say that “all Israel” is all Jews en-mass at any given point and time. Not only are these ideas not taught in these passage, but such an idea is not even taught in the entire Bible. It is unheard of and unprecedented in the Bible to think in such a manner as this. To do so would be to overlook the obvious for that which is oblivious and non-existent in these passages and in the entire testimony of the Scriptures. Like I said before, it is a Jewish ideology and philosophy that has subtly and deceitfully crept its way into the Church. But we shouldn’t be surprised, for “savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29f); for, “In the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1Tim. 4:1, NLT). And have no doubt about it, someone in the Church here is not speaking the truth. Someone is teaching “teachings that come from demons.” They are the commandments and teachings of carnal reasoning and thinking men, evoked by seducing spirits. I will let you decide who is on the side of truth here. It is either what I am teaching you here in this article, or it is what others are teaching you, which is absolutely and unequivocally “Jewish” in nature and carnal in spirit. The latter is not for Christ; it is antichrist.

Since we now know that Paul is talking about the time that we are living in right now, wherein all elect Israelites and all elect Gentiles will be saved, then Paul’s words in Rom. 11:26-27 of the Deliverer coming from Zion to turn godlessness away from Jacob, and making a covenant with them to take away their sins, can be none other than when Christ came to do what He did on the cross—first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. Christ coming “out of” Zion (“to” in Hebrew, or “for” in LXX) can either be understood literally or spiritually, for the word "Zion" is used of both the literal mountain of Zion, or the people of God (for the people of God, see: Psm. 2:6; 50:1-6; 87:1-6; 102:12-18; Isa. 2:2-5; 4:2-6; 60:14; 66:7-8; Zech. 2:7-13; Heb. 12:22; 1Pet. 2:6).[4] To be sure, Christ did in fact physically come “to” the physical Mt. Zion, even working His way “out of” this Zion. But “for” (or “on behalf of”) the literal mountain called “Zion”? This latter Septuagint rendering leads us to believe that we are talking about people here, and not about literal Mount Zion at all. And if this be the case, then all three of these ideas could work with regards to the people of God as referring to "Zion" here. Christ was born via a “child of promise,” which was Mary, and therefore came “out of” Zion.” But it was also “to” this Zion and “for” this Zion that Christ came. Clearly, this is the idea presented to us in Hebrews 12:22 where “Zion” is definitely understood in a spiritual sense of God’s spiritual “mountain,” which is His Church. This is the “huge mountain” that Daniel spoke about that was to fill the whole earth (2:35). A literal mountain cannot fill “the whole earth.” And anyone doing a study of the word “mountain” in the Bible can readily see that it was often used as a metaphor for a king or kingdom of people, with some being razed, while others were exalted. The prophets are replete with such imagery.

Like Romans 9 and 10, chapter 11 is all about God saving His elect from both Jews and Gentiles. Many Jews remain “blind” by Divine design (cf. 11:7); and will continue to be so right up until God saves every last Gentile (v. 25). And in Romans 10, not a single Jew is saved by keeping the Law. None, zilch, zip! Wow! what Israel sought so earnestly and zealously for in their futile attempt to keep the Law, they have not obtained (cf. 11:7). So, naturally, many Jews want to know if God has entirely rejected them? And so in Rom. 11:1, Paul brings up that question: “Did God reject His people?” And right off the bat many of us just think of all natural Jews as being God’s people. But as we all know by now, Paul has something much deeper in mind. A “mystery” to some, especially to all natural reasoning and thinking Jews (as well as to some supposed Christians), but revealed to those of us who have been given the eyes to see it, and the ears to hear it. “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (v. 2), says Paul. God might also just as well say here, “They are not My people which are of My people!” Or, as Paul says, “Nor because they are…descendants are they ALL Abraham’s children… In other words, it is NOT the natural children who are God’s children, but it is THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE” (Rom. 9:7, 8). And this is also why Paul says of us Gentiles in Gal. 3:29: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according TO THE PROMISE.” “He [Abraham] is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised…And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had…. Therefore THE PROMISE comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to ALL Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law [or Jews] but also to those [Gentiles] who are of the faith of Abraham” (Rom. 4:11-12, 16). “All” Abraham’s offspring here are “all” these “children of promise” whom God “foreknew” before they were ever born, like Isaac, Jacob, and all who eventually exercise the same faith as their father Abraham. This group is exclusive of all others, whether they are pure-blooded Jews or not. And this is EXACTLY Paul’s point.

Again, all natural Jews in retaliation, might claim: What? And Paul’s answer again is: “What Israel is seeking, this it has not obtained, BUT THE ELECT OBTAINED IT. And the rest were hardened” (Rom. 11:7, Berean Literal Bible). And this hardening will always remain in part, while the rest are sovereignly chosen by God. And Paul says he is an example of this. God has not rejected all of His beloved elect ones whom He foreknew! This the “mystery.” For many of us who are saved, we completely understand this now. But for those who are not saved or who are blind to this truth, it still remains a “mystery” to them. Why is it that some of us in the Church “get it,” while many don’t? Your guess is as good as mine. It is either (1), they are not true believers, or (2) they have just been taught incorrectly since the time they were born again and don’t really know any better. But if you are a true believer, I believe you will truly “get it.” I believe that with all of my heart. In the words of Christ, some (i.e., believers) are meant to understand and know the “mysteries” of the kingdom, while others (unbelievers) are not (cf. Mk. 4:11f). Remember God’s words through Isaiah earlier? “Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

This is the “mystery” that Paul everywhere talks about in his epistles as “the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together IN THE PROMISE in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:4-6). Again, it is “to enlighten ALL[5] (both Jews and Gentiles) what is the administration of the mystery having been hidden from the ages in God, the One having created all things” (v. 9, Berean Literal Bible). I like how the ISV translates this: Paul’s ministry was to “help everyone see how this secret that has been at work was hidden for ages by God, who created all things.” The NET Bible says, “God’s secret plan—a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.” I mean, really, how clear was it in the Old Testament of God sovereignly electing individuals by grace (whether they be Jews or Gentiles) until now? It took the revelation of God to Paul (and to all the apostles) to unpack it all. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul skillfully articulates all of this for us in his epistles. For example, who would have known that “seed” meant “Christ,” and not many seeds (plural), if not but for a revelation from God to Paul? Or, even seeing a heavenly “Jerusalem from above” as opposed to the earthly Jerusalem from below? It’s there in the prophets, for all to see! But to this day a veil remains over the eyes of many individuals who are more carnally minded than spiritually minded—and who have not the Spirit of Christ! Many more examples of this kind of understanding from God to His holy apostles and prophets could be cited, too many to be cited here. Indeed, God’s “secret” sovereign election of certain individuals as His “children of promise” HAS BEEN AT WORK all along in ages past in the Old Testament, and Paul makes us acutely aware of this in Romans 9-11. And yet even for all that, we still have those in the Church today who as pastors and teachers over God’s flock adamantly deny all of this, reasoning more like a carnally minded and unsaved Jew, rather than as a true born-again Christian that they claim to be. It kind of makes you wonder who these so-called “brethren” really are, doesn’t it? They don’t see anymore in all of this than what an unsaved Jew actually sees in it! Could there really be a bunch of individuals like Judas in our midst, and we too don't even know it? God will be the Judge; He will divide the sheep from the goats, the saints from the aint’s.

Now this word “foreknew” that Paul uses in Rom. 11:2 takes us back to what he has earlier said in chapter 8, verse 29. Paul had just said that all things work together for the good to those of us who love God and have been called according to His purpose. And in verses 29-30, in the Greek, we have been in the past (aorist active indicative), before any of us were ever born—foreknown, predestined to be conformed to Christ’s image, called, justified and even glorified. What Paul has said is a done deal with God in the past, is actually worked out over time in the lives of all of us whom God has called to be His "children of promise," before any of us were ever born—just like Isaac! (cp. Gal. 28). The Bible goes on to say that we are all chosen, in Christ, before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 17:8). And the same is also said of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (1:5). And the same is true of everyone of us whom God has chosen. We were “predestined” to be so.

With that said, the foreknowledge of God is not foreseeing what will be and then responding to it, which is sadly what is taught in many churches around the world today. God is not a prognosticator or fortune teller. What He foretells, He puts into action. He doesn’t respond to events, He is personally involved to see to it that all events go exactly as He wants them to go. For example, the Bible says that Christ was foreordained to do what He did in space and time, before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). God didn’t foresee this occuring, He did it based upon all of His forethoughts about what He planned beforehand to do; it was not an afterthought. None of this was God responding to what He foresaw in the future would happen; it was not reactionary, but visionary. What He did was by a determinate set counsel and purpose. This is plainly seen in Acts 2:23, which says, “This man [Christ] was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” And again, “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” And just in case anyone would venture to read into this last statement that God was just a good fortune teller or prognosticator, the former statement in Acts 2:23 says it was all done “by God’s set purpose,” not by man’s set purpose. This is why Proverbs says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose (or plan) that prevails” (19:21). And we see this over and over again, especially in the Old Testament.

Foreknowledge is God’s prior knowledge (or plan) that is eventually in time put into action. What God plans, He does! The foreknowledge of God plans things to be certain, and His predestination destines or puts into action those plans, rendering them certain. Foreknowledge speaks of a destiny for all things; predestination of attaining that destiny, similar to an architect who plans things and then puts them into action. There are countless numbers of passages in the Bible that talk about this idea. And I don’t have the space and time to go over all of them. But I will give you a few of them. They are all self-explanatory.

In Dan. 4:35, it says, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’”

Isaiah 14:24 says: “The LORD Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.’”

Isaiah 46:10-11 says: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill My purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”

Isaiah 48:3 says: “I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

Ezk.12:25 says: “…I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.” This one little sentence really does says it all.

Rev. 17:16-17 says: “...and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled.”

See also: Gen. 45:5-8; 1Ki. 22:19-23; 2Sam. 17:14; 2Chr. 10:15; Pro. 16:1, 9; 21:1; Psm. 33:10-11. There are countless more verses like these.

To read more on the foreknowledge and predestination of God, I would highly recommend reading Lorraine Boettner’s book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. It is almost second-to-none. Arthur Pink’s book, The Sovereignty of God, is also excellent in this regards. Additionally, some good books and commentaries on Romans 9-11 are: William Hendriksen’s excellent New Testament commentary on Romans; Herman Hoeksema’s, God’s Eternal Good Pleasure; Herman Bavinck’s, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 4, p. 744; and Lewis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, pp. 699-670. Also Lenski and Herman Ridderbos in their commentaries on Romans are helpful. And O. Palmer Robertson’s book, The Israel of God, is a good place to start on all of this.

Thank you for spending the time to read about this wonderful subject on who “all Israel” is. By now, it should come as no surprise that they are all God’s elect “children of the promise” who are born of Him in Rom. 9:6ff, and being no less true of us Gentiles as well according to Gal. 4:28: “And you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” And all this is happening with both Jews and Gentiles right NOW as we speak, not later. It is not some end-time en-mass conversion of all Jews in the future, nor of the Gentiles. It is a remnant or portion who are chosen by God’s grace to be His allotment and inheritance out of all of the harvest of the world throughout history; His designated sheave-offering from among the sheaves of the world. They are His holy tithe, firstfruits and firstborn-ones that all of those literal types and shadows pointed to.

Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me.

For you, brethren,

are become followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus:

for you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen,

even as they [the believing Jews] have from the Jews,

who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us,

and please not God, and are adversaries to all men;

prohibiting us to speak to the Gentiles, that they may be saved,

to fill up their sins always:

for the wrath of God is come upon them to the end”

(1Ths. 1:14-16, DRB).

Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;

and He will appear a second time,

not to bear sin,

but to bring salvation

to those who are waiting for Him

(Heb. 9:28, NIV).

Alleluia!

Footnotes:

[1] They even base this on misguided and overly-literal interpretations of many words of the other prophets, and more particularly of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Joel and Zechariah. But like Ezekiel, what these prophets predicted with literal words and ideas were to be understood in a non-literal manner in the times of the Church. And a lot of the older commentators such as Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, Albert Barnes and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown understood it this way. Were these men able to perfectly describe all of the details? Not at all. But who can perfectly describe all the details of the tabernacle of Moses or the temple of Solomon? Are we to discount what they said as being of a symbolical manner, even though we cannot put a handle on all that is being said to us spiritually in those types? Of course not. Are not the same purposes served by the simple delineations of the prophets with literal words and ideas, as with the actual literal construction by Moses or Solomon? Whether literally built, or spoken of with seemingly literal words that are not to be taken literally, they all had the same ends in mind—what God was going to eventually do through Christ and His people. If the prophets were predicting the return of Judaism again after the Church is raptured, this would place them in a direct contradiction of Christ and His apostles. No other sense makes sense in our future, except for the spiritual sense.
[2] By now, it should come as no surprise to us what these fruit bearing trees of all kinds are. Scriptures are replete with this type of symbol or metaphor being used to refer to God’s righteous saints. For example, see: Psm. 1:3; 52:8; 92:12; Jer. 11:16; 17:8.
[3] One need not go too far in Scripture to understand the analogy here. In Psm. 40:2, David wrote this Psalm about Christ, who cried: “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings” (KJV). We sing a song about this to this day. Clearly, none of this is to be taken literally, just as in the verse we are talking about in Ezk. 47:11. In Psm. 40, verse 2, the words “horrible pit” are a bit of an understatement. The word “horrible” is the Hebrew, shaon, and means: “uproar,” as in “a roar (of waters, etc.), din, crash, uproar.” And God often refers to the raging or uproar of the waters of the sea, as the “raging” and “uproar” of the heathen coming against us and overwhelming us (cp. Isa. 8:7-8; 17:12-13; Jer. 46:7-8; 47:2; 51:55; Jude 1:13; Rev. 17:15). This Hebrew word is translated, the “roaring” pit in the Lexham Eng. Bible translation. The Hebrew word for “pit,” bore, literally means “cistern” or “well.” So the New English Translation is not far off when it translates these two words as: “the water pit.” And all of this could really be paraphrased as, “He brought me out of the uproar of the waters and miry clay.” I kind of like how The Wycliffe Bible translates Psm. 40:2: “he led me out of the pit of wretchedness, and out of the filth of dregs. And he ordained my feet upon a stone; and he directed my goings.” And The Expanded Bible is not bad either, “He lifted [drew] me out of the pit of destruction [or desolation], out of the sticky mud [miry/muddy pit/bog/swamp]. He stood me [placed my feet] on a rock and made my feet [step] steady.” (words in brackets theirs).

Now it all begins to make sense. in Psalm 40 Christ was being overwhelmed by the enemy, even Satan himself, who are the very dregs of the physical world and underworld. But God lifted Christ out of that miry, watery, clay cistern and set His feet in a firm, solid place. In Psm. 69:14-15, another Psalm about Christ, David likewise says: “Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me” (see also vv. 1-3). The “mire” spoken of here is synonymous with “those who hate me” and “the deep waters”; with the “floodwaters,” “the depths,” and “the pit” also denoting the same. David is just piling up metaphors. Again, the Psalmist cries: “Reach down Your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners” (Psm. 144:7). Here “the mighty waters” are “the hands of foreigners.” Clearly, “mire,” “waters,” “deep waters,” “the pit,” “mighty waters,” “raging waters” and “floodwaters” are all used as symbols or metaphors for ungodly people who are a cistern of quagmire and ill-repute; a well from which springs nothing drinkable. And this is no different in Ezekiel 47:11.

Additionally, in Isaiah 57:20, the Lord again says, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” And lastly, in Isa. 14:23 the Lord says of Babylon, “I will turn her into a place of owls and into a swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction.” “Owls” are another symbol or metaphor for the heathen who are unclean, something that is more common in Isaiah, especially as noted in the NIV translation. And it is these unclean birds (think of the Medes and Persians) that will settle in Babylon and turn it into a “swampland,” a place that is absolutely detestable. From oceans (or seas), to lakes, to rivers, to streams, to swamplands, to salt; that is the order of devastation that the Lord brings upon the ungodly. It is just like that of the old man in Eph. 4:22, whom Paul says, “waxeth corrupt” (ASV), or “grows corrupt” (NKJV). He just gets more worse by the minute, filling up the cup of God’s wrath (which tells us here that we are not talking about who we are now as the new man, but who we use to be as the old man; see my article Created In God’s Image, Not Adam’s! and esp. part 4 which deals with this verse). Additionally, for a good commentary on Ezekiel, I would suggest trying to get a copy of Patrick Fairbairn’s, An Exposition of Ezekiel; or even William Greenhill's, Ezekiel.
[4] Many Christian Zionists, Messianic Jews and dispensationalists (and not to mention all carnal thinking and reasoning Jews) see some of these verses I am referring to as a time in the future here on earth with the Jews. But they are reading more into these verses that the “natural” eye cannot see. God’s mountain, city, temple and Zion are now His people, the Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The natural is behind us, the spiritual is before us. Those shadows are past, the reality in Christ is now upon us (read Col. 2:17 in the NET Bible).
[5] Some manuscripts omit the Greek word pantas for “all.” But it doesn’t matter. What Paul says about this “mystery” is indeed for all, i.e., not just for the Jew. And all the verses that I cite from Paul make this ever so clear.

A Short & Concise Analysis of "He" in Dan. 9:27

In grammar, the personal, third person, masculine, singular, subject pronoun “he” in Dan. 9:27 must, I repeat, must agree with an antecedent subject noun; not just any noun, mind you, but a “subject” noun. Therefore, the subject pronoun “he” does NOT refer to the noun “Prince” in the second sentence of verse 26, because it is NOT a subject noun. It is an object noun. The noun "Prince" is the object of the people who are the subject in that sentence, and who do the actual destroying for this Prince.[1] You can always tell the subject of the sentence by who or what is doing the action of the verb. In this case, in verse 26b, it is “the people” who are actually doing the action of "destroying" for this Prince. The noun “Prince,” by the very nature of the case, cannot and does not agree with the subject pronoun “he.” And since “people” is not a singular, masculine subject noun, we must look for what is called in grammar "a more distant antecedent subject noun" that agrees with the subject pronoun "he" in verse 27. And THAT subject noun is none other than the Messiah in the first sentence of verse 26. As it turns out, from a grammatical standpoint, the Messiah who is “cut-off” in verse 26 is in fact “he” who confirms (or gives strength to) a covenant in the space of one week (or seven years) in verse 27, causing (in God’s mind) both sacrifices and offerings to cease in the midst of that week (after 3 1/2 yrs.) by the Messiah being cut-off, in order to ratify and give strength to that covenant. There would have been no “strength” in it (or “teeth” in it), if it were not for the shedding of Christ’s blood. And this “strength” of it is also witnessed in the fact that this covenant was establish with both Jews and Gentiles in the space of seven years, going on to be a force to be reckoned with.

What has been said above about English subject noun and pronoun agreement, is also to be said of the third person, singular, masculine, subject Hebrew verb used for our English word “confirm.” The English translation “he shall confirm” is actually derived from this one Hebrew verb. This verb is likewise to have as it antecedent noun a subject noun. As Oswald T. Allis succinctly notes:

It is argued that “prince” is the subject of the verb “confirm” because it is nearer to it than the word “anointed (one).” But this argument is more than offset by the fact that the subject of the verb destroy is not “prince” but “people” (“and the people...shall destroy”)....If the nearest subject must be regarded as the subject of the verb “confirm,” it should be “people” not “prince.”[2]

Did you catch that? No one, familiar with grammar, doubts that the verb “confirm” needs an antecedent subject noun. The noun “prince,” as it turns out, does not fit; and neither does the subject noun “people.” So a more distant antecedent subject noun must be sought after. And, again, THAT antecedent subject noun is the Messiah. Do you see what Allis is saying? If not, then read it and re-read it until you do. This is not rocket science. It is all very simple grammar 101. And it is just for this reason that many who are wise in their own eyes have missed this and have stumbled over it, making it more complex than it really is. An a priori theological bias that sees “Prince” here in verse 26 as the antecedent noun to the English pronoun “he,” or even to the Hebrew verb “confirm,” because it is closer (or “nearer”) to it, simply will not suffice. At best, its an uneducated guess that is NOT rooted in the education of proper grammar. And if all that were not enough, even the Hebrew scholar, Edward Young, makes this acute remark:

To construe “prince” as subject, does not appear to be the most natural reading, for the word [“prince”] occupies only a subordinate position...in vs. 26, where it is not even the subject of the sentence. The city and sanctuary are to be destroyed, not by a prince, but by the people of that prince. The people are in a more prominent position than is the prince. Furthermore, the phrase, and its end in vs. 26 need not refer to the prince but more likely to the end of the destruction as such.[3] The phrase of the prince in vs. 26 is in such a subordinate position, that it is extremely unlikely that we are to regard it as [the] antecedent of “he will confirm.”[4]

Now if all this mentioned above be the case, which it is, then it still leaves us with the question of who this “Prince” is in verse 26 and the nature of his business. The context tells the story. Someone has rightly said, “Context, context, context! If we will only stick to the context we will not read into it something that just isn’t there.” And clearly, in context, this “Prince” is “the Messiah the Prince” in verse 24. This is a clear biblical exegesis, not an eisegesis. And clearly, it is not as the “Prince” or Ruler that the Messiah (Christ) would confirm this blood covenant; it was to be as the Messiah the Suffering Servant who was “cut-off.” This is why, I believe, that “Prince” in verse 26 isn’t associated with the pronoun “he” in verse 27 which has to do with the Messiah’s priestly sacerdotal ministry, and not with His kingly ruling ministry as the Judge of all the earth. Because of the Jews rejection of Christ, He would reject them in the overthrowing of their theocracy in 70 AD. Thus, the seventy weeks and all that has been said in verses 24-27 have been fulfilled in Christ as both Priest and King. And these passages in Daniel are what Christ refers to in Mat. 24:15; Mk. 13:14 and Lke. 21:20. The other abominations of desolation that Daniel refers to in 8:8-14; 11:31 and 12:7, 11 are all referring to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes (and even the entire chapter of chapter 11). And Albert Barnes in his commentary, Barnes’ Notes, articulates all of this very well. It is good “critical scholarship.” And it is a good place to start when studying this very vital and important subject. The interpretation of all of these passages shapes our end-time eschatological worldview. Barnes’ Notes is in public domain and can be accessed pretty much anywhere online. Biblehub.com is just one of those sites. Click here to also read Sam Storms’ thoughts on all of this. I too have done extensive research on all of this, creating my own commentary on all of these verses, especially as it relates to the times of Antiochus Epiphanes in chapters 11-12, and NOT to a future antichrist at all. And maybe someday I will make that available online. But, for now, those mentioned above will suffice. But rest assured, Dan. 9:26-27 is not about a future antichrist, but about the Christ; not about a false Christ, but about the true Christ who is both Priest and Prince.

Now, if “Prince” in verse 26 is “the Messiah the Prince” in verse 24, many question how these “people” (which all agree are armies) can be considered Christ's (or God’s) armies.[5] But the Scriptures are replete with God using the heathen armies of one nation to overthrow another nation. Isaiah 10 is just one good example of this where the Lord uses the Assyrians as His “axe,” “club,” “saw” and “rod” to judge Israel with. And concerning king Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians overthrowing other nations, including Israel, God says, “he did it for me” (Ezk. 29:20). Many more OT examples could be cited, but I will leave that for you to read in my book mentioned later. Similarly, in Mat. 22:7, because of the Jews rejection of Christ and His servants, Christ states how that, “The King became angry. He sent his soldiers [the Roman armies], killed those murderers, and burned their city” (GWT).” What king, might we ask, would do this? In context, it's God! And God is Christ, and Christ is God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all co-regents. And Christ is King now, not just later as many erroneously contend (see Mk. 16:19; Jhn. 18:37b; 19:12b, 21b; Acts 2:29-36; 5:31; 17:7; 1Tim. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 12:2; Rev. 3:21; 17:14; 19:16, et al).

Now all of this is a subject that has been very dear to my heart, and for which I have spent a great deal of time upon in my more lengthy article in this blog, and even in greater detail in my book called: The People of the Prince, the Coming One! Much more is said in this book that this short analysis just doesn’t cover. It can be purchased at Lulu Press and in any bookstore. But be forewarned. It is not for the faint of heart. Your mind will be exercised to think in a manner in which most have never been exercised before. It is time for Christians to think more deeply, and not just settle for some pithy superficial arguments based upon human arguments. Like the Bereans, we MUST study to show ourselves approved UNTO GOD (and not unto men), as a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. And what has been said above is in fact “rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” It is Scripture interpreting Scripture. It is not the doctrines, commandments and teachings of men that make the Word of God of no affect.

I’ve said all that needs to be said concerning Dan. 9:27. Nothing more and nothing less needs to be said. Understanding proper grammar tells us that the singular, masculine, third person, subject pronoun “he” is the Messiah, or the Anointed One in the first part of verse 26. And when comparing Scripture with Scripture in the immediate context, the “Prince” in the latter part of verse 26 is no less “the Messiah, the Prince” in verse 25. In Dan. 9:24-27 we see the Messiah as both the Suffering Servant and the Prince (or Ruler) of all the earth. It is even as Peter and the other apostles exclaimed of Him in Acts: “God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior” (5:31); as “both Lord and Christ” (2:36).

Go in God’s grace. And may the Lord give you the eyes to see and the ears to hear what the Spirit of God is truly saying to the Church.


Footnotes:

[1] Subject pronouns agree with subject nouns, and object pronouns agree with object nouns. “He” is the subject pronoun of the subject noun “Messiah,” while “him” would be the object pronoun of the object noun “prince.” See the following website for a simple explanation of this: https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/modulePAA.htm.
[2] Prophecy and the Church (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian & Reformed Pub. Co., 1977), p. 121.
[3] Most translations, translate the Hebrew with “its end” or “the end,” and not “his end.” And since we are talking about the Messiah as Prince and Ruler bringing upon the Jews the desolation pronounced, this now makes all the more sense. Verse 26 is talking about the city and the sanctuary’s end, not the Messiah’s end. Most of the reliable translations such as the ASV, RSV, NRSV, KJV, NKJV, NASB, and even the more current and up–to–date literal translation of the ESV, all translate it: “the end” or “its end.” These translations are similarly followed by the AMP, NIV, TNIV, HCS, NCV, BBE, DBY, DRB, NLT, WBT, WEB, MSG, TMB, and HNV. And even Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) likewise casts in its vote in favor of “its end.” The only translations that don’t support it are God’s Word Translation, the NET Bible (a dispensational influenced translation) and the ERV (along with a couple of other lesser known translations). But the overwhelming majority vote is for “its end” or “the end.”

Additionally, the word “desolate” at the end of verse 27 does not refer to a person or individual who is made desolate or brought to an end, but is rather impersonal (an adjective and not a noun) and refers to the final end or time of the desolation, which is the time allotted by God for the Romans to destroy the city and sanctuary. Again, Edward Young succinctly notes: “The end determined will pour out, not upon a desolator, but upon the desolate. Gaebelein’s interpretation appears to be based upon the English Bible alone. The Heb. text will not allow such a view. The last half of v. 27 presents one of the principal stumbling-blocks in the way of the dispensational interpretation.” (Daniel., p. 219). See the KJV, NKJV, ASV, DRB, DBT, WBS, WEB, NCV and LXX which translate this Hebrew word used here as “the desolate” or “desolation,” and not “the desolator.” What is determined is not the end of either a Roman prince, or the One who is actually to come (i.e., the Messiah, the Prince) and who is actually behind “the people” who are doing the destroying of the city and sanctuary; it is not “his end,” as noted above, but the time of “the end” as determined by God for the city and sanctuary to become desolate. The Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB) really does a good job of presenting this idea. It reads: “...and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the end.”
[4] Edward Young, Daniel (Edinburg: Banner of Truth, 1988), p. 208.
[5] Many also question how these armies could be Christ’s armies, since He is said to be “cut-off” in verse 26. But as we as Christians all know very well, Christ being physically killed here on earth has not ended His ability to rule as the King of kings from heaven, which He is in fact now doing. Christ is now the ruling Judge over all the earth.

When Stephen had told the Jews that “Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place” (Acts 6:14), meaning the destruction of both the temple and the city, the false witnesses along with their leaders accused Stephen of a false accusation; for in their minds Christ was dead and had no power to do such a thing. But as we all now know from history, they were grossly wrong. God (or Christ) overthrew their temple and city via the Romans in 70 A.D., fulfilling the prophecy of Christ in the synoptic gospels.

A Short & Concise Analysis of "This Generation" in Mat. 24:34

Introduction

The answer to the question of what “this generation” is referring to is, quite frankly, very simple. And many have made it, well, quite frankly, very complicated.

Everywhere Jesus uses the phrase “this generation,” He is referring to His generation then living and no other. For example, in Lke. 17:25, Jesus said that “He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” Which generation? Need we ask? It doesn’t get any more simple and clearer for us than this. Jesus meant what He said, and said exactly what He meant.

Just earlier, before leaving the temple in Mat. 24:1f, Jesus again had said to the Jews who were His contemporaries, “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation” (Mat. 23:36). All what? What He had just told them in verse 35 would happen to them. Which generation? Of course, them! And, of course, the same is to be understood of “this generation” immediately referred to thereafter in Mat. 24:34. This is letting Scripture interpret Scripture and not reading into these words what WE think it is saying. Again, nothing could be more simple and clear. And when the disciples were to personally “see all these things” that Jesus had just spoken to them about, He immediately then says, “this generation [their generation] will not pass away UNTIL “all these things” have happened” (v. 34). Everything Jesus said would happen, was to happen before that generation then living would pass away. How long a generation is, is a moot point. But rest assured, the generation of Jesus and His disciples would not die out before all those things would take place that Jesus had foretold.

Simple Grammar Tells the Story

Now, the word “this” in grammar is called a “demonstrative pronoun.” And demonstrative pronouns are pointers, with the word “this” pointing to something more near or contemporaneous, while the word “that” points to something more distant or not contemporaneous. Any Greek expositor or English grammar teacher will tell you this.

These demonstratives answer the question, “Which generation?” But the very purpose behind using either the word “this” or “that” is to single out exactly “which” generation Jesus was referring to, distinguishing it from any other generation. As John Bray succinctly notes, “…in a real sense, verse 34 itself governs when it was to be understood when all these things would occur, rather than the other way around…”[1] In other words, we cannot let our own private interpretations of what we think these verses are saying in this chapter govern what verse 34 clearly articulates for us in no uncertain terms, not to mention the fact that Jesus told His disciples that they would actually SEE all those things for themselves.

Now the NIV gives us two examples of these varying usages of “this” and “that.” In Deut. 1:35, Moses rehearses what the Lord had specifically told the Israelites while still living in the wilderness, “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give to your forefathers.” There is no margin for error here in seeing this as referring to those Jews who were then living. Later on in Deut. 2:14, Moses also writes, “Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.” Here we can see Moses is referring to something more distant and in the past, as does the Psalmist in Psm. 95:10. So, here we clearly see an accurate understanding of “this generation” as opposed to “that generation.” One was the current generation then living, the other was that former generation which had passed away in the past. In speaking to Jeremiah’s generation then living in his day, God says to Jeremiah: “Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lamentation on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under His wrath.” (7:30).[2] And Jeremiah was present to see when God’s “wrath,” via the Babylonians, was meted out upon all those living in his day. “This generation,” was indeed, Jeremiah’s generation then living. Jeremiah was prophesying to his contemporaries, just as Christ was doing in His day.

To demonstrate all of this even further, one day I was doing a crossword puzzle where, as we all know, we are sometimes given a phrase in which we have to fill in the blank with the missing word. The phrase in this particular puzzle was: “the one here.” The answer was: “this.” So, “the one here” is “this” one here or present, as opposed to “that” one over there. Clearly, those who wrote this crossword puzzle understood what the demonstrative pronoun “this” refers to, unlike many ignorant Christians who only attempt to make an uneducated guess. The following puzzle on the next page in this crossword puzzle book again gave the statement: “the ones here.” The answer was “these,” this time using the plural “these” for the “ones” here. So, “the ones here” are “these” here, as opposed to “those” over there. Do you see that? This isn’t rocket science; this is just simple grammar 101. If Christians would just become more noble and educate themselves in simple grammar, they would spare themselves a lot of mistaken notions and guesswork about what the Scriptures are truly saying to us. So, instead of “guessing” what “this generation” is referring to, this little demonstrative pronoun actually lets us know exactly what generation Jesus was referring to.

Weymouth clearly recognized the importance of this little demonstrative “this” in Mat. 24:34, by even translating it in his translation as: “I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place.” This is not a biased translation based upon ones own eschatological viewpoint, but based upon an understanding of the text that is rooted in a proper understanding of the original languages and grammar. Greek expositor, A. T. Robertson, likewise says that Christ “had plainly stated in verse 34 that those events would take place in that [or their] generation.”[3] And with regards to Mk. 13:30 and Lke. 21:32, Robertson again says it refers to: “naturally people then living.”[4] Moffatt’s translation, Today’s English Bible, the New English Bible, the Amplified Bible and the Good News Bible all follow suit. In fact, the Good News Bible reads: “Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died.” Good going for the Good News Bible! And, finally, bible expositor D. A. Carson writes, “This generation…can only with the greatest difficulty be made to mean anything other than the generation living when Jesus spoke…”[5]

So with that said, nothing of what Jesus said has to do with anything in our future. They were “all things” that would happen leading up to and into the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. And the little word “this” in “this generation” specifically tells us which generation would see all these things happen.

I wrote a little book that specifically deals more exhaustively with this subject, called: The Grammar Behind “This” in “This Generation.” It can be purchased at Lulu Press and from any bookstore. I also spend some more time in that book defining what the Greek word for “generation” means. And if you would like even some further commentary on the rest of the verses in Matthew 24, then I would suggest reading Adam Clarke’s commentary, or even John Bray’s book called: Matthew 24 Fulfilled (it is an excellent book).

Understanding the Rest of the Verses in Matthew 24 in the Context of Mat. 24:34

Now the problem for many comes when they read into what Jesus is predicting for the future in Matthew 24, things that He is not predicting with regards to our future. Things like: the budding of the fig tree depicting Israel becoming a nation in 1948; Christ’s Second Coming; the sun literally being darkened and the moon no longer giving its light, with the stars literally falling from the sky; the rapture; literal vultures eating dead carcasses, and so on and so forth.

So what about all these things that Jesus said which lead many to think or believe that most, if not all of this prophecy, is to take place in our future? Time and space will not permit me to go into great detail and expound upon everything Jesus says here in Matthew 24 (Adam Clarke’s commentary and Bray’s book mentioned above does a good job of that).[6] But I don’t want to just leave you hanging and in suspense either. So, I will just write a little bit on a couple of things, just to wet your beak and get you thinking differently about who or what generation Jesus is really referring to here in this “short analysis.” And remember, if we keep our minds focused on Christ’s words, “this generation” (i.e., His generation), we will not venture down a path that is not in keeping with this prophecy and conjure up some false prophecies about the future that are of our own making.

Adam Clarke succinctly outlines the events in this chapter as follows, as they relate to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.:

Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, verses 1–2. His disciples inquire when and what shall be the sign of this destruction, verse 3. Our Lord answers, and enumerates them―false Christ’s, verses 4–5; wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes, verses 6–8; persecution of his followers, verse 9; apostasy from the truth, verses 10–13; general spread of the Gospel, verse 14. He foretells the investment of the city by the Romans, verses 15–18. The calamities of those times, verses 19–22. Warns them against seduction by false prophets, verses 23–26. The suddenness of these calamities, verses 27–28. Total destruction of the Jewish polity, verses 29–31. The whole illustrated by the parable of the fig–tree, verses 32–33. The certainty of the event, though the time is concealed, verses 34–36. Careless state of the people, verses 37–41. The necessity of watchfulness and fidelity, illustrated by the parable of the two servants, one faithful, the other wicked, verses 42–51. (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible; in public domain at: Biblehub.com.

Now, first of all, the budding of the fig tree isn’t used as a symbol for Israel becoming a nation here, for Jesus denotes this of “all trees” in Lke. 21:29. So we can get that idea out of our heads right now. And, secondly, the expression the “budding of all trees” was used by Jesus to refer to the events that would be seen that would lead up to Israel’s desolation, not their restoration. These events, like buds beginning to bud on a tree, were the tell-tale signs that the desolation predicted was eminent. None of this is about Israel’s future in our day. And there is also to be no presuppositions or a priori theological biases read into these passages that would lead us to believe that Jesus is alluding to a third temple that is to be rebuilt, after the second one that was destroyed in 70 A.D. Remember, it is “this (or their) generation,” not one in our time. If this were so, then Jesus would have said “that generation.” He doesn’t. He says all these things mentioned were to transpire in His generation, with His twelve disciples actually physically SEEING it with their very own eyes. And Jesus had repeatedly used these words “this generation” in many other instances to actually let us know what generation He was specifically referring to. Don’t take my word on all this. Take His word on it! To read anything else into Christ’s words is to only “add” to His words something that He himself has told us elsewhere to be very careful of doing, leading us to proclaim false prophecies based on false assumptions.

Now, it is in the context of “this generation” not passing away until all these things take place, that Jesus also says, “And THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and THEN shall all the tribes of the land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mat. 24:30; Darby Bible Trans.; italics for emphasis mine).

Signs point to something. In the Bible, they are natural phenomena in the earth that God uses to reveal something to us—like the sign of Jonah being three days and three nights in the belly of the whale that pointed to Christ being in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights. So, in a similar fashion, the actual event of the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome’s armies was to be in fact “the sign” Jesus is referring to that would point to the realization that He is indeed reigning as the Son of Man “in heaven” and coming on “on the clouds of heaven” with “great power and glory” to judge Israel. And Christ had just earlier alluded to all of this in Mat. 22:7, when He as a Prophet says of those Jews who rejected and killed Him: “The King became angry. He sent his soldiers, killed those murderers, and burned their city” (GWT). Because the Jews had rejected Christ and His followers, He had promised to judge them as the King of kings and Lord of lords. And they would indeed SEE this aspect of Him in a way that they had not expected to see. In their eyes He was to be a king who was for them, not against them. And they surely didn’t see Him as the Lamb of God who was to take away the sin of the world. They wanted a fighter, not a lover. But the “fighter” in Him would indeed come out when He became seated as King on His heavenly throne. They missed the day of His kindness and goodness. Now they were going to experience (or “see”) the severity of His judgment. And it was this “judgment” from Jesus that the Jews wanted to stone Stephen for saying, “this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place” (Acts 6:14). But the false witnesses, along with the rest of those Jews, denied such a claim; for in their eyes Jesus was dead! And this is still the argument today, no less, by many Christian brethren in our midst who claim: “How can the Messiah be the Prince in the second sentence of Dan. 9:26, if He was cut-off (or killed) in the first sentence of Dan. 9:26? In their mind also Christ is dead, and therefore He can’t be the “Prince” whose people in this particular case are said to destroy the city and sanctuary. But have no doubt about it, Christ now as a ruling and reigning King destroyed that place using the Roman armies, just as He alluded to in Mat. 22:7 cited above. They did it for Him! Just like the Lord says of Nebuchadnezzar whom the Lord also used to mete out His judgments upon other nations with, including upon Israel, and then say, “he did it for Me!” (Ezk. 29:20). And when the Lord used the Medes to destroy the Babylonians, He likewise exclaims: “You are My war club, My weapon for battle—with you I shatter nations…with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and maiden, with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials” (Jer. 51:20-23). Many more verses like these could be cited with regards to all of this, and they can also be read in my book called: The People of the Prince, the Coming One!

Now, storm “clouds” in Scripture are often used in a non-literal manner as a metaphor for the devastating armies that God uses to meet out His judgments upon other nations with. This is seen in Isaiah 19:1 of the Lord in the past having come down “ON A SWIFT CLOUD” to judge Egypt via the swiftly invading armies of the Babylonians. In Ezekiel 30:3-4, the Lord again speaks of judgment upon Egypt via the Babylonians (in v. 10): “For the day of the Lord is near—A DAY OF CLOUDS, A TIME OF DOOM for the nations. A SWORD WILL COME AGAINST EGYPT, AND ANGUISH WILL COME UPON CUSH…DARK WILL BE THE DAY AT TAHPANHES when I break the yoke of Egypt…SHE WILL BE COVERED WITH CLOUDS.”

In Jer. 4:13, the Lord again through the Babylonians “ADVANCES LIKE CLOUDS” to judge Israel. And in Ezk. 38:9, 16, God again talks about Himself using the armies of Gog to come against apostate Israel, with such wording as, “advancing LIKE A STORM; you will be LIKE A CLOUD COVERING THE LAND….You will advance against My people Israel LIKE A CLOUD THAT COVERS THE LAND.”

In Joel 2:1-2, the Lord again says concerning Israel: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand—A DAY OF DARKNESS AND GLOOM, A DAY OF CLOUDS AND BLACKNESS. Like dawn spreading across the mountains A LARGE AND MIGHTY ARMY COMES.” In verse 20, this “army” is said to come from the north, and in chapter 1, verse 6, it is referred to as a “nation” (which are either the Assyrians or the Babylonians who are also likened unto “locusts” that devour the land; see also Isa. 33:4; Jer. 51:14, 27; Nah. 3:15-17; Jud. 6:5; 7:12).

In Zeph. 1:15-17, the Lord again speaks of judgment upon Israel: “That day will be a day of wrath—a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, A DAY OF DARKNESS AND GLOOM, A DAY OF CLOUDS AND BLACKNESS—a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.”

And finally, in Lamentations 2:1, it says: “How the Lord has COVERED the daughter of Zion WITH THE CLOUD OF HIS ANGER! He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth.” How did He do this? Via the Babylonians. They were the "stars" that God cast down to the earth, similar to those whom Antiochus cast down in Dan. 8:9-10.

With regards to Mat. 24:30 cited above, even Jesus had told His disciples earlier, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before THEY SEE the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Mat. 16:28); in Mark 9:1, it is the kingdom “coming with power”; and in Mat. 10:23, the disciples would “not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” The same is also said later to the scribes and Pharisees of whom these prophecies in Mat. 24 were mainly all about. In Mat. 26:64, Christ tells them, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” And the same is repeated in Mk. 14:62 and Lke. 22:69, with Luke adding something very important for us to notice in the Greek, and even brought out in most of our English translations. Here Luke says of Christ’s words, “From now on…” Literally, this reads: “from henceforth” or “from this time forward.” So what all of these individuals were going to see, they would see in their own lifetime, not some 2,000 years or so later. They would surely “see” it alright, but, like I said before, not as they had expected to “see” it. And the same is true for countless others today who are expecting to “see” all this in a way that they will just never “see” it (at least not according to these verses). Those who would “see” it with the eyes of their understanding being enlightened, would be those who had been given the eyes to see and the ears to hear what Jesus is truly talking about here, even as Stephen rightfully understood it. In Matthew 24, Christ is talking about a judgment day and everything that would transpire right up until that judgment day. He is referring to the time when He would become seated with power as the King of kings at the right-hand of the Mighty One, UPON HIS ASCENSION to the throne after the cross, not some 2,000 or so years later (cf. Mk. 16:19; Acts 2:29-36; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 12:2; Rev. 3:21, et al). Christ would be “seen” by these Jews (and even by His disciples) as the ruling and reigning King of kings who metes out His judgments upon the ungodly. Judging isn’t just reserved for later, it is now going on every day all around us even as we speak; for “God is a righteous Judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day” (Psm. 7:11, NIV). And the judgments upon “Jerusalem,” “the land” of Palestine, the people (who are “the tribes” here) and the temple, would be “the sign” that the Son of Man is truly ruling and reigning “in heaven,” not on earth.[7] Remember, Jesus is talking to His generation then living, not one in our day.

Now, the same goes in all of this with regards to those looking for a literal darkening of the sun and moon, and with the stars falling to the ground; or even vultures eating dead carrion, etc., etc. In the prophets, the former language of the sun, moon and stars is often used for governments and nations with their leaders and people being overthrown and their “glory” being taken away as depicted by becoming “darkened,” and even becoming as “blood” in Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20 and Rev. 6:12. In Rev. 6:12, the sun is even said to become black as sackcloth, which depicts the mourning of people. And Israel is said to be indeed “mourning” over what will be happening to them in Mat. 24:30. In Isaiah 24:23, the moon is also said to be “abashed” (or disgraced) and the sun “ashamed.” These emotions can only be evoked of people, not of the literal sun and moon. Similarly, in Jer. 15:9, God says that “a mother of seven will grow faint and breathe her last. Her SUN will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated.” Sound familiar? Her “sun” setting, so to speak, is her fading glory like that of a flower that dies, or of the grass that withers. Again, we are not talking about the literal “sun” here. In Gen. 37:9, the sun, moon and eleven stars are seen as Joseph’s father, mother and eleven brothers. And in Dan. 8:9-10, it is said of Antiochus Epiphanes that he grew “to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth,” trampling them down (NASB). Any of the older commentators such as Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, Matthew Henry and J.F.B. will tell you that Dan. 8:9-10 is referring to Antiochus trampling down many of the Jews with their leaders. And all this is recorded for us in First and Second Maccabees, and even in Josephus’ Wars of the Jews.

So, the sun being “darkened” and the moon no longer giving its “light,” along with the stars falling from heaven and even “shaken” up, all refer to the fading glory of a nation with her peoples who are shaken to the core and humbled. And Jeremiah was even noted as alluding to this earlier above, when he said, “He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth” (Lam. 2:1). These same words are also used to express the downfall of the Babylonians via the Medes in Isa. 13:10, and called “the day of the Lord” in verse 9; of the downfall of the Edomites in Isa. 34:4-5; of the downfall of Egypt via the Babylonians in Ezk. 32:6-12[8]; of the downfall of Israel via the Romans as expressed in Joel 2:28-32 (esp. vv. 30-31) and Acts 2:20 (of which Joel is quoted by Peter). And it is a combination of all these images that Christ picks up on in announcing Israel’s desolation that occurred in 70 A.D. And, finally, Joel seems to mention more times like this in the latter days in chapter 3, especially in verse 15. Revelation 6:12-14 also uses such language. But, again, none of this is to be taken literally.

In the latter language referred to above of vultures swooping over carrion, often such language is used in the OT prophets to depict armies overtaking nations and feeding on them with a frenzy, like birds do with dead carrion. Just read the prophets for yourself, and you will see this same language is often used in a non-literal manner. A couple of examples will suffice: In Jer. 48:40-44, the Lord who uses such language says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab. Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord. Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment.’” Of Edom, the Lord likewise says: “Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor” (Jer. 49:22). And finally, in Hab. 1:6-9, the Lord again says, “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence.” Now if literal vultures and carrion are what is being expressed in Deut. 28:26; Psm. 79:2 Isa. 18:5–6; Jer. 4:13ff; 7:33; 12:7–12; 15:2–3; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20; Ezk. 29:1–5; 32:4 and Revelation 19:17–18, then no doubt in every context these references are referring to dead people laying about for the birds and the beasts to prey upon after the ravages of war. But I prefer to think of this phrase as being used as an “idiom,” as most tend to do. And in many places it is definitely being used in this manner in no uncertain terms.

And, finally, one being “taken” and the other “left” has nothing to do with “the rapture.” It refers to Rome’s armies (or any army for that matter) carrying off captives, while leaving the rest to die either by starvation or by the sword; and sometimes these armies even left behind some stragglers who were poor and weak (Nebuchadnezzar did this in Jer. 52:15-16). And so rather than just say “one shall be taken and another left,” Luke in no uncertain terms clearly indicates to us what Matthew and Mark are talking about in their gospels, by saying, “There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners” (21:24). And the demonstrative pronoun “this” in “this people” tells us again exactly which people this judgment was to fall upon. No one doubts that all of this described above occurred in the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Josephus records it all for us. And he even records that the women ate their children, just as the Lord predicted they would in Deut. 28:53-57. And lastly, God had likewise said concerning the Babylonians overtaking Jerusalem in the past, “They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you WHO ARE LEFT will fall by the sword. They WILL TAKE AWAY your sons and daughters, and those of you WHO ARE LEFT will be consumed by fire” (Ezk. 23:25). Clearly, Jesus (or God) in Matthew, Mark and Luke was just saying the very same thing about Israel that was to take place via the Romans, just as He said it would take place in the past via the Babylonians (see also Jer. 20:4). Again, this is using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

Conclusion

Matthew 24 is basically all about the JUDGMENT (or “the end”) that was to come upon Israel in 70 A.D. And if we keep this in mind when reading this prophecy, we won’t come up with our own ideas of what we think this prophecy is talking about. And intertwined in all of this would be the preaching of the gospel to all the nations in order to start gathering God’s elect from the four corners of the world, an event that Paul even says in his epistle to the Colossians had already begun to occur by the time he had written his epistle in 62 A.D., eight years before Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D. (see Col. 1:6, 23). And we all know now in hindsight that the city and temple was indeed destroyed not long after the gospel had gone out into all the world just as Jesus said it would, and for which Paul also attests to. As such, “the end” that Christ was referring to is not our end. It was to be “the end” of the Jewish age or theocracy under the old covenant. Their “house” (or temple) was to be left unto them “desolate” (cf. Mat. 23:38), with every stone raised to the ground, even as it is to this day. And except the Lord build the house, they that labor, labor in vain. God isn’t behind such building programs anymore. He is now behind building up a spiritual house made up of spiritual (or “living”) stones (Eph. 2:20-22; 1Pet. 2:5). In light of all this, Dan. 9:24-27 is fulfilled; Matthew 24 (along with Mark 13 and Luke 21) is fulfilled; and the temple in Ezekiel 40-48, in 2Thess. 2:4 and in Rev. 11:1 is the Church, and which the Church has historically believed in up until the teachings of Dispensational Premillennialism came upon the scene in the late 1800’s. None of these verses have anything to do with future literal temples in our day. The days of literal temple building are over with brethren. We are now God’s temple (1Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2Cor. 6:16). And so all who say God is behind the Jews building more literal temples in the future (and who use His Word to promote such false notions) are false prophets and false teachers. They do not have the Spirit of Christ. They are the blind leading the blind, with all of them falling into the same ditch. Like the multitude of false prophets in the past who announced “peace” to Israel when a small handful of God’s true prophets announced otherwise, so too in our day there are more of those among us who hold out to Israel a future of false hopes and dreams that will never come to fruition. No doubt, someone is being the false prophet and false teacher here. You be the judge.

The only hope for salvation and “peace” today for the Jew is in Jesus Christ. “Today,” if they will hear His voice, is the day of salvation; not after the Church is raptured. And once the door of God’s ark of grace and mercy is closed, we shall indeed be taken while all the rest will be left behind only to suffer God’s wrath. If there is to be, as some believe, any latter-day en mass salvation of Jews, it is to be during this gospel era where they are part and parcel with the Church, and not a separate entity apart from the Church.[9] Christ has only one fold, not two, made up of both Jews and Gentiles (cf. Jhn. 10:14-16; 11:52). And contrary to the popular teachings of our day, the Church has not “replaced” Israel but is in fact inclusive of Israel; or rather, is really inclusive of Gentiles. And all must come through the same door by faith. And that “door” is Jesus Christ. Jews are not saved because they are “Jews,” but like the Gentiles they are saved because God has by His grace and mercy chosen to save some of us as His elect “children of promise” (Rom. 9:8; Gal. 4:28). Indeed, by the time Jerusalem fell, the trumpet call had gone out into all the world “to gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Mat. 24:31). And Christ will appear a second time, not to bear the sins of many, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him (cf. Heb. 9:28).



Footnotes:

[1] Matthew 24 Fulfilled, p. 214.
[2] In the NIV, two more instances in the OT of “this generation” referring to the current generation then living are in Ex. 1:6 and Jer. 2:31.
[3] Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 1, p. 194 (words italicized for emphasis and words in brackets mine).
[4] Ibid, p. 262.
[5] The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, p. 507.
[6] See also my article in my blog called: The Coming of the Son of Man.
[7] The idea posed by many that Christ is just seated next to the Father, but not on a throne as King, is just simply fallacious. Just the few Scriptures mentioned in the main body of my answer above show that He is. God (or Christ) never speaks of the earth as being where His throne is to be. It is only referred to in passing as now being His “footstool” (Isa. 66:1; Mat. 5:35), and this will never change. Heaven will always be the throne of God and of Christ (cf. Psm. 11:4; 29:10; 33:12-14; 47:1-3, 7-9; 99:1; 103:19). Any idea that Christ will descend from heaven to make His throne here on the earth are the doctrines and traditions of men. These individuals are likewise reading into verses things that should not be read into them, siding with all natural thinking and reasoning Jews who have not the Spirit or mind of Christ. When Christ said His kingdom was not of this world, He meant it. If it were, He said, “My servants would fight to prevent my arrest” (Jhn. 18:36); an “arrest” that He says is by “the Jews,” no less (ibid).

The Psalmist writes: “His glory is above earth and heaven” (148:1, NASB). And Christ has said, “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” (Lke. 24:26). What “glory,” might we ask? The throne of His glory! Where? In heaven, not on earth. The throne of His glory always has, is, and will be in heaven. It is Christ’s ascension as King upon the throne of David that has been established in heaven, not on earth; but is over the heavens and the earth nonetheless. Otherwise, Christ would not be seated far above all principalities, powers, mights and dominions—but below them.

The disciples had said to Christ, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” And, by now, we need not inquire what this “glory” is. It is also the same “glory” that John referred to of Christ, when referring to the words of Isaiah who saw the Lord (Christ) seated on His throne, high and lifted up (cp. Jhn. 12:41 w/ verses 38-40 and Isaiah 6:1-10). It is the “glory” spoken of by Daniel, where in his visions he saw “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He APPROACHED (or was caught up to) the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, GLORY and sovereign power…” (7:13f). He is the one whom Asaph alluded to, when he says, “Let Your hand rest on the man at Your right hand, the son of man You have raised up for Yourself. Then we will not turn away. Revive us, and we will call on Your name” (Psm. 80:17f, NASB). And as difficult as this may be for some to swallow, when Christ foretold of His future “glory” to come in Mat. 25:31, He was referring to this “glory” spoken of above and in the body of this article,[*] and for which He is NOW ruling over the nations as the King of kings and Lord of lords. It was “future” when Christ spoke about it, and thus the reason He uses the Greek future tense verb for our English, “He will sit.” It is now no longer “future,” it is present as Christ said it is in Rev. 3:21, and everywhere throughout Scripture. Christ is NOW seated on His thrown, judging the nations all around Him, inclusive of all unbelieving Jews, placing the goats (all unbelievers) on His left and His sheep (believers) on His right, making divisions among the people of the earth, just as He did with the Jews in Ezekiel chapter 9. As with those in Ezekiel, this judgment being described in Matthew 25 is going on right now as we speak, with the final outcome of each denoted in verses 34, 41 and 46. Also notice the place that He says all are ultimately to go, that it has been prepared in the past (perfect middle participle) for the Devil and his angels. The Devil and his angels aren’t even there yet, but many people are now there who will eventually be accompanied by the Devil and his angels at the final judgment and Second Coming of Christ (although dispensationalists see this as the final white throne judgment and not the Second Coming of Christ). And, of course, this is the Amillennial interpretation of all this, as opposed to the Premillennial or the Dispensational Premillennial view; though not all Amillennialists see the event being described by Christ in Matthew 25 as going on right now. This is more of a preterist understanding of all this, rather than a futurist understanding. And I am a partial-preterist who is an Amillennialist; not a full-preterist who already sees the Second Coming of Christ as having already occurred (with some even believing the millennium has already occurred). For more on all this, see my article, Full Preterism, Full of Baloney). Also, for a completely ridiculous and absurd view by many dispensationalists that see all of this in Matthew 25 as Christ’s “brethren” being natural Jews in a future seven-year tribulation, and the sheep and the goats being good or bad Gentiles from all the nations who either accept or reject these natural Jews, read my article, Natural Israel Not My Glory, part 5. It really goes into a lot of things that I have no time or space to talk about here. It should answer most of your questions.

[*] Mat. 25:31 parallels Mat. 10:23; 16:27; 24:30; 22:64; Mk. 9:1; 13:26; 14:62; Lke. 9:27; 21:27 and 22:69 which has already been proven to be occurring presently, not later. The Son of Man coming in His glory with all His holy angels in Mat. 24:31, to specifically judge the nation of Israel, is the same coming of the Son of Man in His glory with all His holy angels in Mat. 25:31, to judge all nations of both Jews and Gentiles. For the Greek ethnos for “nations” (whether used in the plural or the singular) is often used in the Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew goyim when talking either about the Jews or the Gentiles. Again, see my article or book referred to above called, Natural Israel Not My Glory, part 5.
[8] As noted earlier concerning the judgment upon Egypt as being “a day of clouds” that were representative of the hordes of armies that would come against them (Ezk. 30:3), here in Ezekiel 32, the Lord adds that “when I snuff you out [or put out your light], I will COVER the heavens and DARKEN their stars; I WILL COVER THE SUN WITH A CLOUD, and the moon will not give its light. All the shining lights in the heavens I will DARKEN over you; I will bring DARKNESS over your land, declares the Sovereign Lord” (vv. 7-8). Pharaoh and his leaders (like Joseph’s father and mother) are represented by the “sun” and the “moon,” while the “stars” are the lesser people under them. And here God says He is going to “darken” or remove their glory by the “CLOUD” [of armies] that would “COVER” the land.
[9] See also my article in this blog called: A Short and Concise Analysis of Rom. 11:26—All Israel Will Be Saved!