There has, up to now, been a 2000 year
period in which the Temple has not existed and the prophets, to whom God
formerly spoke, have been silent. The scriptures are also quite silent
on the circumstances of the Jews during this 2000 year period, other than
their being "scattered," only to be "gathered" again.
Deuteronomy 30:1-6
1 "Now it shall
come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and
the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among
all the nations where the LORD your God drives you,
2 "and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according
to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your
heart and with all your soul,
3 "that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and
have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where
the LORD your God has scattered you.
4 "If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven,
from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will
bring you.
5 "Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your
fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and
multiply you more than your fathers.
6 "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart
of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul, that you may live. (NKJ)
The "scattering" and "gathering" of Israel is a
pattern repeated in history, but this prophecy, uttered by Moses seems
to include the possession of all the land your fathers possessed. What
land is "promised?" Listen.
Genesis 15:18
18 On the same day
the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I
have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the
River Euphrates (NKJ)
This granting of the Promised Land
to the Jews will be preceded by an event that foreshadows the establishment
of the Kingdom. There will be a gathering, but first the lawless one,
Satan, will be revealed. Listen to what Paul said to the Thessalonians
regarding the "gathering" of God's people. When I say, God's
people, I am referring to those Paul was referring to, namely those
who look forward to the coming of the Messiah, which in this case definitely
included Jewish believers.
2 Thessalonians
2:1-12
1 Now, brethren, concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken
in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if
from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive
you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away
comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he
sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember
that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know
what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so
until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless
one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of
His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the
lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs,
and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love
of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason
God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may
be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (NKJ)
In verse 6, Paul says, "And now
you know what is restraining." What was he referring to? He was
referring to verse 1 when he said, "Now, brethren, concerning the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him."
And verse 3 "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day
will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin
is revealed, the son of perdition."
These verses were written to believers, Jewish and Gentile, who wanted
to know what signs they should look for regarding the Messiah's return.
But, in addition, it is clear enough that the gathering of the Jews
for the establishment of the Kingdom in the Promised Land will follow
the revealing of the son of perdition. At some point, Christians and
Jews will embrace the Messiah in unison and what we see as differences
will disappear. The Messiah will be the One in whom we unite and none
of this will happen until the Antichrist is revealed.
The Kingdom "gathering" will be marked by spiritual renewal
on a scope never before seen in Israel. There will be no false gods
and no idols among the Jews. There will be no temptation by Satan. It
will be as the Garden of Eden restored.
What will have changed? Why will Israel suddenly be empowered to love
and obey, as God intended? It will be because of the following "enabling"
prophecy stated by Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 31:33-34
33 "But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 "No more shall every
man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the
LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their
sin I will remember no more." (NKJ)
Our Lord, Our God, Our Messiah will reign eternally,
beginning with the Millennium and Satan will finally be cast out as
New Jerusalem, the eternal Kingdom will be established. The "gathering"
will be complete. The dispersion will be behind us and all of God’s
people will rejoice.
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