Ephesians 3:1-6
In light of recent events, Christians may be reflecting on their understanding of the end times, Israel, and what the near future may hold. Naturally it leads us to ask ourselves what we believe about the end times? In light of scripture, how does a Christian view the nation of Israel? As a Christian, should I be concerned about these recent events? Thankfully, God has provided us his word for us to be able to answer these questions.
VV. 1-2
In Ephesians chapter three, Paul explained that he was given revelation from God. This revelation was the dispensation of grace. It was the offer of eternal life by grace through faith, not of works. This was made possible by Christ’s shed blood and resurrection.
VV.3-6
Furthermore, this revelation was previously a mystery. This was not just a mystery to Paul or those who had not yet heard it. It was not known to the sons of men until it was revealed. Paul made himself even clearer in verse nine, explaining that the mystery had been hidden in God since the very beginning.
Since the mystery was hidden in God and unknown by men in previous ages, this means that men did not know about it. Read that again. This includes the prophets of the Old Testament. Also, while Christ was on earth, he was ministering to the Jewish people (Romans 15:8). At this point, the dispensation of grace was still hidden in God. This makes sense because Christ had not yet been crucified, buried, or resurrected. If Paul was truly given revelation by God, which Peter and the apostles believed he did, we have to take him at his word.
However, not everything in the Bible was a mystery. In fact, the vast majority of the Bible falls into a different category altogether! This leads us to an essential rule for understanding the Bible. Where Paul’s revelation was a mystery dispensation of grace, we find revelation in scripture that was not kept secret. We call this revelation prophecy.
Prophecy is the foretelling of future events by divine revelation. For example, the first prophecy of Christ was Genesis 3:15. This verse also includes the first prophecy of God’s victory over Satan. In Genesis 6:13, God foretold Noah of the flood 120 years before it took place.
In Genesis 12:1-7, God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendents. His descendents are the Jewish people. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies concerning Israel, the land, and the Messianic Kingdom. The land does ultimately belong to the Jews.
This is the basis for a Christian position concerning Israel. They are God’s holy nation and chosen people. It is Abraham’s descendents to whom the Lord made a covenant. Israel will have the promised land and God himself will be their king.
With that being said, based upon scripture, what is God doing with Israel today? The answer is nothing. This is not to say that God has taken back his promises. Instead, God has paused what he was doing with Israel. This is because God put in place the mystery dispensation of grace. There was no prophecy of this mystery. God postponed the Messianic kingdom because the nation rejected their rightful king. Instead, he is offering salvation to individuals by placing faith in his Son.
However, this dispensation does not change the fact that God has made promises to Israel that he will keep. Therefore, a Biblical and God-fearing world-view defends Israel’s right to the land. It was not Muslim land or “Palestinian land”. That land was the promised land to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. As Christians, we defend the word of God and Israel as God’s chosen nation. At the same time, we understand God is not offering a special salvation to Israel in this dispensation. A Jew must come to faith the same way as anyone else.
What this means for us is that the end times prophecies concern the nation of Israel. We live in a time that was not foretold by God or prophets. Therefore, prophecy concerning the Antichrist, armageddon, the mark of the beast, and the tribulation is not about the Body of Christ. Instead, it is about the nation of Israel. This is because end times are prophetic and the Body of Christ is mystery. When the dispensation of grace comes to a close, the prophecies will begin to unfold. With that being said, it is possible we are seeing pieces being arranged for the end times to take place.
A Simple Rule to Follow:
Don’t look for the Body of Christ in prophecy. Likewise, don’t look for prophecy in the Body of Christ.
What are we to do? Maybe keep extra food in the pantry and receive grace while it is being offered!
