THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

CONVERSION OF ISRAEL

THE ONE CONDITION FOR BLESSINGS

In Leviticus 26, Moses predicted that the Jews would be scattered all over the world because of their disobedience to God’s revealed will. According to the New Testament, this came as a direct result of their result rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. By leviticus 26:39, the worldwide dispersion is a fact. Up to this point, Leviticus 26 has been fulfilled. Than in verse 42, Moses states that God intends to give Israel all the blessing and promises of the Abrahamic covenants, including the promise land. But before Israel can begin to enjoy these blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant, they must first fulfilled the condition of verse 40 and “confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers.” The word “iniquity” is in the singular and is specific. Israel must confess one specific iniquity before they can begin to enjoy all the benefits of the Abrahamic Covenant. Their “fathers” or ancestors committed the iniquity, but a subsequent generation must now confess it.

Jeremiah 3:11-18 describe the blessing that God have instore for Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. Tremendous blessings and restoration will come to the Jewish People when their messiah establishes his kingdom. But all these blessing are conditioned by verse 13, which explains that they must acknowledge or confess one specific iniquity That they committed against Jehovah their God. Zachariah 12:10 further develops this theme. Chapters 12-14 are one prophetic revelation, a single unit of though. Chapter 13 speak of the national cleansing of Israel from their sin. Chapter 14 describe the second coming and the establishment of the Kingdom. But the cleansing of Israel follow by the second coming and the messianic kingdom are all conditioned on Zechariah 12:10. Before Israel will receive the cleansing of her sin and and before messiah will return to establish his kingdom, Israel must first look to( not on, as in the NKJV) the one whom they have pierced and plead for his return. Once they do this, they will receive their cleansing and begin to enjoy the blessings of the messianic age.

Hosea 5:15 sheds even more light on this. God Himself is speaking, and He states that He is going to go back to his place. God’s place in heaven. Before God can go back to heaven, He must first leave it. The question is, when did God ever leave heaven? God left heaven at the incarnation in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Then, because of one specific “offense”( the word is singular) committed against him, He return to heaven at the ascension from the Mount of Olives. This verse further state that He will not come back to earth until Israel acknowledges their offense. What is the offense Israel committed against Jesus? It is not as so many people think, that they kill him. Gentiles hands actually kill Jesus. A Gentile Judge condemned and sentenced him. Gentiles soldiers crucify him. But ultimately, all this is irrelevant, for regardless of Jewish acceptance or Jewish rejection, Jesus would have had to die anyway to become the sacrifice for sin. The national offense of Israel was their rejection of Jesus as the messiah. According to Hosea 5:15, Only when Israel acknowledge this offense will messiah return to earth. As we saw earlier, Matthew 23:1-36 describe Jesus’ denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leadership of that day, for leading the nation to reject him as the messiah. He will still speak to them in verses 37-39. Speaking to the Jewish leadership Jesus reterates His original desire to gather them if they would only accept him. Because of their rejection of him, instead of being gathered, they are going to be scattered. Their house, the Jewish Temple, will be left desolate and will be destroyed, with nothing remaining. Then Jesus declared that they will not see him again until they say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is a Messianic greeting that will indicate their acceptance of the messiahship of Jesus.

SATAN’S STRATEGY AGAINST THE JEWISH PEOPLE

So Jesus will not come back to the earth until the Jews and the Jewish leaders ask Him to come back. For just as the Jewish leaders once led the nation to reject the messiah, they must someday lead the nation to accept Him. This explain satan’s war against the the Jews through out history in general and during the Tribulation in particular. Satan know that once messiah returns, his freedom ends. Satan also know that Jesus will not come back until the jewish leaders ask him to come back. So if satan can succeed in destroying the Jewish once and for all before they come to national repentance, than Jesus will not come back and satan career is eternally save. That is why once satan is confined to his fourth abode and know his time is shot, he expends all of his satanic energies to try to destroyed the jewish once and for all. AntiSemitism in any form, active or passive, whether it is racial, ethnic, national, economic, political, religious, or theological, is all part of the satanic strategy to avoid the second coming.