Saturday, February 25, 2012
“And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 30:5 KJV).
In 1948 Israel became a nation in modern times. Was that the “budding of the fig tree” of Matthew 24:32-34 and Luke 21:29-32? Is God supernaturally guiding dispersed Jews back to the land of Palestine today? Many people answer both questions in the affirmative, but according to the Bible, this is simply denominational hype and tripe. The above passages refer to Israel’s program, not events in our Dispensation of Grace.
Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, God says that Israel’s prophetic program is suspended and Israel is blinded nationally (Romans 11:11,12,15,25). But, Israel’s blindness is only temporary. Once our program is terminated (at the rapture), Israel’s program will resume. Only then will Israel inherit her land. If prophecy were being fulfilled today, we are forced to conclude that the rapture already took place, and that would mean we Christians are living in the seven-year Tribulation, which is impossible. Thus, no Bible prophecy is being fulfilled today.
At Christ’s Second Coming, He will establish His earthly kingdom. Israel will be restored to God and she will inherit the Promised Land (Acts 3:19-26; Romans 11:26-29; Hebrews 8:8-13). In that day, the LORD will say to Israel (Isaiah 62:4): “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.”
“Hephzi-bah” means “My delight is in her;” “Beulah” means “married man; husband.” Israel’s land will no longer be “Desolate” and she will no longer be “Forsaken.” Restored Israel will inherit her land one day, without our help, our funding, and our prayer, because God Himself will accomplish it (Deuteronomy 30:1-5 [today’s Scripture]; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Jeremiah 30:3; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Ezekiel 36:24-38; Ezekiel 37:21-23).
After our dispensation concludes, then God will declare, “Go into your land, Israel!”
333 Words of Grace 
Hey. This is a very important thing to understand! Not understanding it will lead to a lot of confusion. There’s nothing special about Israel today. God is dealing with individuals today, not A nation.
It’s nice to read an article about Israel, as I’m there now on vacation. Going to Jerusalem tomorrow. Looking forward to see the historical places, and the area where the kingdom of heaven will be set up…a kingdom we won’t be a part of =)
I used to be big into the “hype and tripe” of it. For over 23 years, I went to at least 2, if not 3 prophecy converences every fall. How nice to be now big into ‘studying the precious word of God, rightly divided’ instead.
Thanks Shawn for yet another great post!
;j an
P.S. Hey, Daniel. Enjoy your vacation. I’m looking forward to visiting there in the Ages to Come. 🙂
Daniel, thanks for contributing that information “on location!” Janet, I too was caught up in that for a couple of years, which is why I addressed it–it’s an often confused topic, so that’s why we addressed it.