I've heard a few try to argue that the Jews are forsaken by God. This claim comes from those who just do not understand what is going on in prophecy. Yes the Jewish nation has sinned and they are currently living in unbelief. However, God is moving and there is still lots of prophecy to be fulfilled by the nation of Israel. The day is coming when the children of Israel will turn to their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Below are several verses from Romans that discuss the fact that Israel has not been forsaken.
Romans 11:
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an
Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
The question of Israel being forsaken by God is answered in this first verse. Above the question is: 'Hath God cast away his people?' and the answer is: 'God forbid'. In simple terms the answer is NO, God has not forsaken or cast away the people of Israel!
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,
Again God has not cast away his people Israel. Above the verse also mentions that God foreknew them. This means that right from the beginning God knew the times when they would be faithful to Him and when they would sin and fall away from Him. God was not caught by surprise! God still has many plans for the physical seed of Abraham and the nation of Israel.
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I
am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven
thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Above is the question asked by Elijah when he was upset and depressed at the rejection of God by the people of his day. Elijah was concerned that all of the seed of Israel had fallen away and gone after idols and Baal. The answer given from God was that God still had a remnant of those who stayed faithful to Him.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Since it was true back then in Elijah's day, it is true today. God still has a remnant of the people of Israel that belong to Him.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Again God foreknew all these things. The works both bad and good have nothing to do with God's plan. God knows the end from the beginning and He chose the nation of Israel anyway!
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto
this day.
Today the nation of Israel lives in unbelief. They do not believe in their God and their Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this is only a temporary event and one day they will turn to the Lord Jesus.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their
back alway.
Again blindness has come upon the people of Israel and today they are living in unbelief to their God.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Right now Israel is living through the results of their sin and falling away from God. The Church is a called out people that is composed of saved Jews and saved Gentiles. We are now living in the prophetic days of Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks of years. After 69 weeks the Messiah would be cut-off. This occurred with the death of the Lord Jesus. We are still waiting for the 70th week to begin. So far it has been almost 2000 years! During this time period between the 69th and 70th week, God is calling out His Church. Verse 11 above also indicates that this will provoke Israel to jealousy. One day the people of Israel will realize the fact that God has been with the saved Gentiles in Christ and this will cause jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Above is a very interesting thought. If the fall of Israel into sin and unbelief caused great blessing and riches to come to the Gentiles (salvation), how much more will be the fullness of Israel. One day Israel will repent and accept their Messiah (Jesus) and their fullness will occur!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh,
and might save some of them.
This is another indication that the Jewish person will get jealous by saved Gentiles who are walking with God. In the history of Israel they had great pride in the belief that they were God's people. Paul realized this and he had hopes of Jewish people being provoked to jealousy by seeing saved Gentiles who knew God.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Again we have a reference to the falling away of the nation of Israel. Notice that because of their falling away, God, through the Lord Jesus, provided salvation to the whole world. Next, Paul says if Israel's falling away was a great blessing, then how much more of a blessing will it be when they turn back to God. It will be nothing short than life from the dead!
Paul continues on but in verse 25, he makes the following claim?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
God has already foreseen and foreknown all these things. Blindness has happened to the nation of Israel. Is it a permanent blindness? No, it is temporary. When will this blindness end? Above it is very clear that this blindness will end when the fullness of the gentiles be come in. This means God is busy saving lost Gentiles. When the Gentile fullness comes in, the blindness will be removed from Israel. In fact during the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy, Israel will turn back to their God near the end of that week of trouble.
CONCLUSION
Lets conclude by simply stating that God has not forsaken Israel. He still has plans for the nation of Israel. It is no fluke that the tiny nation of Israel became a nation again in 1948 after being scattered in all nations for 1900 years. God made an eternal and unbreakable covenant with Israel and we are seeing the results of that today. Israel is back in their land by Divine decree from God.
Right now we see Israel as a nation and they are preserved against the hundreds of millions of rabid Arabs who seek their destruction. Guess what? Israel will not be destroyed! In fact all the enemies against Israel will eventually fall and be destroyed. God will see to that in His time! I would not want to be in the shoes of the hateful, lying, and murderous Arabs who today seek the complete destruction of Israel. These lost men are literally fighting against God!
Zech 12
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which
stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth,
and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people
round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and
against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces,
though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Isn't this amazing! Right now Israel is in the center of attention of the world. If anything major happens in that little nation, it is broadcast to the world! Is that true of any other nation in the world? Of course not. In all the other nations of the world we really do not know what is going on. However, the slightest trouble in Israel is flashed in the prime time news on a worldwide scale. This by itself is a miracle that such a tiny nation would have the attention of the entire world.
Why is this happening? The reason can be seen above in Zechariah chapter 12 above. God says that He will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people. This is happening. All the nations are concerned about Israel. Right now there are daily commotions with the rabid Arabs as they terrorize and kill innocent people. After the rapture the anti-Christ will allow Israel to rebuild their temple and resume animal sacrifice. Later after 3 1/2 years the devil will enter that rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and there proclaim himself God.
All this is happening in the tiny nation of Israel. This is a miracle that all can see but few have the discernment to understand. God is fulfilling Bible prophecy right in front of our eyes!
Are your eyes open enough to see it?
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