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Some will be surprised at the idea that the coming of Christ to deliver Israel should be presented as a fundamental of the faith. For it is denied by many Christians. And even among those that believe it, most do not consider this doctrine fundamental. But it is fundamental, because it affects the very basic foundations of the Christian faith. There is no doctrine more essential to basic and fundamental Christianity, than the faithfulness of God. Our entire hope is built on the reliability of the word of God, on the fact that we can absolutely trust Him to do as He said. If His promises are not absolutely true and faithful, then we have zero basis for our faith. Without this secure foundation, we have nothing. Indeed, the scriptures themselves say that “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Now many, even many real and sincere Christians, think that in the promises of the Old Testament, when God said Israel, He meant “the church.” and when He said “the land,” He meant heaven. And many argue this idea very convincingly. But it neglects one basic thing. And that is that God made these promises to a particular people, to a specific nation. And if He could faithfully tell that nation that He was not really speaking about themselves, but was actually speaking of a different people that would come in the future, He could just as faithfully tell us that the promises He made to us were not really meant for us, but for a different people that would come in the future. If the promises of God are not absolutely true and faithful, then we have no basis for our faith.
These people imagine that the language of Bible prophecy is symbolic, that nothing means what it actually says, but always means something different. And as long as the subject is only prophetic dreams or visions, this has merit. For without a single exception in the entire Bible, every dream or vision which is accompanied by an inspired interpretation, had a meaning entirely different from what had been seen. But that is not the case with explicitly stated promises, or with explicit statements that specific things will happen. A case in point here is a long section of Daniel 11, running from verse 2 through verse 35. This section covers a series of wars that lasted about 150 years, and is so precisely accurate, down to the tiniest detail, that unbelievers argue that its very accuracy proves that it could not have been written before these events took place.
Now many of the people who argue as we have been speaking, are simply ignorant of the way many of these prophecies are stated. They are not aware that many of them are stated in language that cannot even rationally be re-interpreted to mean anything different from what they say. One such case is found in Ezekiel 36, where the “mountains of Israel,” along with “the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken,” (verse 4) are promised that “you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:8-11) Again, Ezekiel 47:13-20 goes so far as to precisely define the future borders of the land of Israel, and the following chapter, Ezekiel 48, defines how this land is to be divided among the twelve tribes of Israel.
Now many, even many real and sincere Christians, think that in the promises of the Old Testament, when God said Israel, He meant “the church.” and when He said “the land,” He meant heaven. And many argue this idea very convincingly. But it neglects one basic thing. And that is that God made these promises to a particular people, to a specific nation. And if He could faithfully tell that nation that He was not really speaking about themselves, but was actually speaking of a different people that would come in the future, He could just as faithfully tell us that the promises He made to us were not really meant for us, but for a different people that would come in the future. If the promises of God are not absolutely true and faithful, then we have no basis for our faith.
These people imagine that the language of Bible prophecy is symbolic, that nothing means what it actually says, but always means something different. And as long as the subject is only prophetic dreams or visions, this has merit. For without a single exception in the entire Bible, every dream or vision which is accompanied by an inspired interpretation, had a meaning entirely different from what had been seen. But that is not the case with explicitly stated promises, or with explicit statements that specific things will happen. A case in point here is a long section of Daniel 11, running from verse 2 through verse 35. This section covers a series of wars that lasted about 150 years, and is so precisely accurate, down to the tiniest detail, that unbelievers argue that its very accuracy proves that it could not have been written before these events took place.
Now many of the people who argue as we have been speaking, are simply ignorant of the way many of these prophecies are stated. They are not aware that many of them are stated in language that cannot even rationally be re-interpreted to mean anything different from what they say. One such case is found in Ezekiel 36, where the “mountains of Israel,” along with “the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken,” (verse 4) are promised that “you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:8-11) Again, Ezekiel 47:13-20 goes so far as to precisely define the future borders of the land of Israel, and the following chapter, Ezekiel 48, defines how this land is to be divided among the twelve tribes of Israel.
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