Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
We have obviously seen that the tribulation period will be a period of intense pain and sorrow. And yet at the end of the tribulation period, when Armageddon is over, when the wicked religious, political and commercial systems called, Mystery Babylon in Rev.17:5 is over, then our Lord’s promise of fulfilling his covenants with Israel will be realized during the 1,000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth.
Great distinctions lie between God’s program for Israel, and his program for the Church. Clearly God offered Israel her Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ and clearly she refused Him, Mt.12:24-30, 12:50; 23:37-39. The Kingdom Gospel was rejected.
Now, as it has been for the past two-thousand years, Gentile and Jew who place faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ; these make up what is dispensationally coined by our Lord as his Church, Mt.16:18; Eph.2:7-14; 3:1-12.
A dispensation is a period of human history defined by terms of divine revelation. These time periods reflect the unveiling of God’s plan for the ages. These periods are a part of God’s progressive plan for mankind. Salvation is always the same, that is, mankind is saved by grace through faith in, and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior, and yet the conditions of stewardship vary from dispensation to dispensation.
Reaching spiritual maturity through obedience to God’s word will vary as to the mechanics and the logistics provided in the different dispensations, but the issue of faithfulness still remains the same. The differences lie in part due to...
[1] the work of the Holy Spirit as the New Testament saint is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, Jn.14:17 whereas the O.T. saint was only empowered for brief times under the Law. Ps.51:11.
[2] the amount of given revelation from God for that period of history, Heb.1:1-2
[3] and those who present the Word, and the different places the Word is communicated.
[4] no more sacrifices are to be given for sin, Heb.10:12
[5] every believer is a priest, I Pet.2:9 - Jesus Christ is our High priest, Heb.9:11
[6] N.T. saints are offered a heavenly inheritance, Phil.3:20, not an earthly inheritance as was promised in the Abrahamic covenant, Gen.12:3; 17:7-8, Ezek.47:13-48:1-35.
Because of Sin
After the people of these periods eventually fail, God closes each time period or dispensation by some form of divine judgment. The Church age will end in judgment as well due to the gross apostasy as prophesied by the Apostle Paul, II Tim.4:1-4.
An error is made in church programs when the church believes it will usher in the Kingdom Age. This error has lead to many off shoot ministries not associated with the Church age.
At the end of the Church age or Church dispensation God will resume the completion of the Age of Israel, sometimes known as the Age of Law. This is known as Daniel’s seventieth week, Dan.9:24. A prophetic week is seven years. 483 literal years passed from the giving of this prophesy until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The last week [seven years] resumes when the Church is raptured.
Israel has been in her third and final dispersion since 70 A.D. as we said.
God’s unfulfilled promises to Israel will be fulfilled during Christ’s millennial reign on this earth, but before then the Bible speaks of a time of trouble on the earth such as mankind has never seen.
The Bible is very specific as to whom this trouble is intended to come upon, and the purposes to which these troubles will bring forth.
That purpose is to prepare the hearts of the Jews to receive her Messiah and his Father’s covenant promises to Abraham, Zech.12:10; 13:9. Those covenant blessings, which were unconditional between God and Abraham, will be brought to pass in Christ’s millennial kingdom. Remember, the Abrahamic covenants were postponed, not cancelled.
The second coming of Jesus Christ at Armageddon and the judgment of the nations is the judgment of God which closes out the Age of Law.
To blend the Church age and the Age of Israel or Law is to diminish the distinctions God has revealed to mankind.
To make the Church the fulfilled Israel is to abolish all of the promises God made to Israel found in the Abrahamic, Palestinian, David and New Covenant.
Yes Israel will enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant, Jer.31:31-34 as Christ Jesus will restore to Israel her place in God’s plan. She will have her position, her prosperity, and her Potentate after the tribulation period. Also to make the Church an extension of Israel is to associate Scripture intended only for Israel’s stewardship to God. Often legalism rears its ugly head in a local church when Scripture clearly intended for Israel is applied to the Church. Rightly dividing the truth, [II Tim.2:15] prevents such errors.
Scripture must always be interpreted as to the people, the place, and the purpose of the teaching. To misapply Scripture is to miss the message God is giving.
I brought these last two lessons at this time because at this point in our Revelation study the Church is about to return to the earth with Jesus Christ. Saved, physically living Jews, converted to Christ during the tribulation period will make up Israel, and she will be in all her glory in those 1,000 years. There will be a co-mingling of resurrected saints from both Old and New Testament eras along side those who are saved and still alive who go into the Kingdom here on earth. The days ahead are exciting days indeed.