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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Continuing our discussion from part three, in the previous part, I shared the following verse with you which is found in the Book of Isaiah. This verse has been widely used by pro-Israel American preachers and Zionist Jews themselves to try to justify and legitimize the political "creation" of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948:

"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."


We have already seen that the prophecies which have been used to explain the return of the Jews to the land of Israel since the twentieth century, have, in my view, been grossly misinterpreted. Is it possible that the meaning of the above verse has also been distorted in order to support a wayward doctrine? Again, I suspect that it has.

To begin, I do not believe that the nation of Israel can be born in our modern times, "in one day", or "at once", due to the fact that, according to the Biblical record, Israel has in fact existed for over four thousand years. As I explained before, it began with the birth of Jacob and his twelve sons. While it's true that Israel has been repeatedly attacked and dominated many times during this lengthy period of time, and even temporarily lost its national identity at times, such as when the Roman Empire renamed it Palestine, nevertheless, the Jewish nation, whether scattered, or bound together into one cohesive form, has existed; and I am sure that many Jews will know exactly what I mean by this. Nationhood isn't just a matter of being at one physical place at the same time. It is also a matter of personal identity, tradition and belief.

Furthermore, in the real sense of the word, the nation state that we know as Israel today did NOT become a nation "in one day", or even "at once", as the prophecy states. It may have been declared a nation to the world on a particular day, just as the foreign colonial powers created and carved out quite a few nations in decades past; particularly in the Middle East and Asia, with just the stroke of their pen; but in reality, the 1948 announcement by the World Jewish Congress was the result of political maneuverings which had been going on for literally decades. In short, this event did not occur "in one day", or "at once"; therefore, I am not fully convinced that it really meets the requirements of the prophecy. Isaiah's prophecy is describing something truly unique which creates astonishment for the observer of the event.

Concerning the events of 1948, I again suggest that you read the "The Seven Heads" series, and/or conduct online research of your own regarding the British Mandate, Europe's attitude toward the Jews during that time period, as well as the 1917 Balfour Declaration. You'll learn that the Europeans wanted the Jews to leave Europe; and thus, they had to politically create a place for them to go. The atrocities committed by Hitler only strengthened the resolve of the European powers to achieve their goal, and they may have acted partially out of guilt. But the point I wish to emphasize here is that the process to carve out a home for the Jews did not occur "in one day", or "at once"; it took decades to complete; and to my knowledge, such a slow development would not result in surprise or astonishment, as the prophecy seems to indicate. European politicians were fully aware of what was happening, as were the other major world powers of the day.

Another reason why I have difficulty accepting the argument that the verse in Isaiah is a prophecy regarding the "birth" of Israel in May of 1948, is because, as I explained in part three, Jesus very clearly stated that the Jews had forfeited their rights to the Kingdom, due to their unbelief. In fact, you may recall that the Lord very specifically said that it would be given to ANOTHER nation; and that is the key which will help us to unlock this mystery. The Lord said:

". . . Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."


So here we have Jesus clearly stating that another nation is going to be given the Kingdom; and we also have Isaiah saying that a nation will be born "in a day", and "at once". He also conveys the idea that the birth of this nation will come as a surprise. Thus he writes "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?". This attitude cannot possibly refer to the 1948 declaration; because as we have already seen, it was no mystery that the Europeans had been working on plans to create a homeland for the Jews for decades. Is it possible that what Isaiah is saying, and what Jesus is saying, are in some way related. I suspect as much. So who is this nation?

To better understand what Isaiah is talking about, and to put the verse in its proper context, all we have to do is to read some of the previous verses in that chapter. Once we do that, we discover that just as God was sick and tired of the Jews, and their hypocritical, dead temple worship during the First Century, (as we discussed earlier), He was equally tired of the Jews and their hollow temple worship during Isaiah's time as well. This was some one hundred and fifty years before the Babylonian invasions, and even before the Assyrian invasions. Isaiah was in fact sent to warn the Israelites of the coming chastisement by the hand of the Assyrians. At any rate, the beginning of the chapter clearly reveals God's attitude:

"Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."


So, as you can plainly see, the Lord was utterly fed up with their false spirituality, and even with their temple, which King Solomon had built centuries earlier. The Jews had become totally absorbed in their traditions. They were going through the motion of being holy and righteous, but they had lost the Spirit. How much this sounds like so many modern churches in America. As a result, God decided to do something new. After expressing His anger with the Jews, in the seventh and eighth verses He tells us exactly what He is going to do about it:

"Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."


In these verses, "Zion" refers to Jerusalem, or in a larger sense, to Israel as a whole. If we just read verse eight by itself, we can be tricked into believing that it is talking about Israel becoming a nation on May 14, 1948; which is what some of these preachers, (and certain Jews), want us to see. However, if we take the time to read verses seven and eight together, as we really should, suddenly, the verses takes on an entirely new, and wonderful, meaning.

In short, the Lord seems to be saying that because the Jews have become so sidetracked in a spiritual sense, and are only interested in their temple worship and their vain traditions, (just as Jesus would tell them centuries later), He is going to do something new. We are informed that a man child will be born; in other words, a son. Isaiah appears to be describing a very unique, miraculous birth. Notice that he says that the child will be born before the woman travails, and before her pain comes. In other words, it sounds as if this woman will give birth without experiencing labor pains. Are you starting to grasp what is actually being said here? Do you understand what this prophecy is really all about? It is much more than the concocted "birth" of Israel in 1948.

In verse eight, it is translated as "for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." Actually, in my view, this is an important mistranslation; because the word "children" is translated from the Hebrew word "ben". As the Hebrew lexicon clearly proves, "ben" shouldn't be translated as "children"; it should be translated as "son":

----- Begin Quote -----

ben bane

1) son, grandson, child, member of a group
  1a) son, male child
  1b) grandson
  1c) children (pl. - male and female)
  1d) youth, young men (pl.)
  1e) young (of animals)
  1f) sons (as characterisation, i.e. sons of injustice [for un- righteous men] or sons of God [for angels]
  1g) people (of a nation) (pl.)
  1h) of lifeless things, i.e. sparks, stars, arrows (fig.)
  1i) a member of a guild, order, class

----- End Quote -----

As you can plainly see, "son", or "male child", is clearly the primary meaning of the Hebrew word "ben"; thus, those two verses together should be read as:

"Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her [son]."


As soon as I read those two verses together, my eyes nearly popped out of my head, because I was immediately reminded of very similar phraseology in the Book of Revelation. Consider the following verses:

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."


As I have explained before, the above Scriptures are widely believed to be discussing Jesus' birth in Israel, as well as His subsequent Ascension to Heaven following His Crucifixion and Resurrection from the dead. Notice how the woman wears a crown of twelve stars. This may represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel, or perhaps the Twelve Apostles, who represent the leadership of the New Nation that was founded upon Christ's blood. Please notice the similarities between the verses in Isaiah, and these verses in the Book of Revelation. In both instances, we have Jerusalem or Israel being described as a woman in travail; that is, in labor, who then brings forth a son. The verses in Isaiah, when read together, make it clear in my mind, that this son is directly linked to the birth of the prophesied nation. In fact, he seems to be responsible for its very birth.

It should be clear to you by now that I'm not referring to a physically-recognized, political nation with earthly borders like Israel, but rather to a global, spiritual, eternal one, that is comprised of all Christian believers everywhere, and for all time.

Based upon these verses, and others I will be sharing with you momentarily, I am convinced that this is what Jesus was talking about when He told the Jewish spiritual leaders that the Kingdom would be taken from them, and given to another nation. As we saw earlier, He very clearly told them that the cornerstone which they had rejected, (meaning Himself), would become the foundation stone for His new nation; which as we now know, would be born once He died and rose from the dead.

I am convinced that this is the man child, or son, as well as the nation which would be born "at once", or "in a day", just as Isaiah had prophesied. This nation perfectly meets all of the requirements set by Isaiah's prophecy, because it had in fact never existed before, unlike the nation of Israel which had already existed for several thousand years.

The reason why I'm so convinced that this nation didn't exist prior to Christ's Sacrifice and Resurrection, is because the Bible very plainly tells us, as I have explained before, that Jesus Christ is the very first member of this new spiritual nation, and it couldn't possibly have existed until Jesus did what He did for us. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is the first begotten of the dead, the firstborn and the firstfruits of the Resurrection, as we see here:

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body . . . For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."


"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."


"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: . . . And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."


"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"


"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."


"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"


"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."


Jesus also made it very plain in His conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus, that in order to become members of this new spiritual nation, we must be born of water, (meaning a physical birth in the womb, as Nicodemus understood), and of the Spirit, through our faith in Christ. Consider the Lord's words to Nicodemus:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."


There is further proof that the nation of which both Isaiah and Jesus spoke is really the spiritual nation of worldwide believers in Jesus Christ. Please consider what the Apostle Peter wrote to the First Century Christian brethren. Peter makes it very plain that Jesus Christ, (the Cornerstone who was rejected by the Jewish Elders, as per the Old Testament prophecies), is the founder of our spiritual temple. He also explains that not only are we symbolic living stones in the Lord's Temple, but we are also a Holy Nation. Peter wrote:

"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."


As we've already seen, Jesus clearly stated that the Kingdom would be taken from the unbelieving Jews who rejected Him, and would be given to another more worthy nation; i.e., to a nation of believers in Christ Jesus, who truly demonstrate the fruits of repentance. Is there any additional Scriptural evidence which mentions this transfer of power and spiritual anointing and authority? There most certainly is; and it is directly tied to the previous verses written by Peter. The reason why Peter could write with such authority, is because Jesus Himself gave Peter this authority, as becomes evident by the following verses found in the Gospel of Matthew:

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."


In spite of his own shortcomings, (his cowardice, and his own betrayal of Christ, for example), Peter firmly believed that Jesus was the long-prophesied Messiah, the Christ, and Jesus obviously recognized this quality in Peter. Thus, the Lord chose Peter to lead the followers of the fledging First Century Church, once He had returned to His Father in Heaven. However, please realize that while the Lord gave Peter this special blessing, this is a far cry from the Roman Catholic doctrine which promotes the false belief that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, and thus, the first Pope. As you may know, the Roman Catholic Church uses this false doctrine to try to validate their supposed spiritual superiority, and authority, over other Christian churches.

As I have pointed out before, while Jesus gave Peter certain authority, the Gospels, as well as the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, seem to indicate that Peter may not have fully embraced it. These books suggest that leadership within the First Century Church was shared by Peter, James and John, and later by Paul as well. It's also important to realize that in the previous verses, the Lord is referring to Himself when He states "upon this rock I will build my church". I don't share the opinion that Jesus is calling Peter the rock, even though Jesus did name him Cephas, meaning "a rock". Peter seems to confirm that Jesus was referring to Himself as the Rock, in the verses I shared earlier, where Peter refers to Jesus as the Cornerstone. The Apostle Paul likewise states:

"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."


So while Peter may have been nicknamed Cephas by Jesus, the Lord is the only true Rock, as well as the only High Priest, of our Christian faith.

But the main point that I wish for you to grasp, is that the Jews did in fact lose the Kingdom, precisely as Jesus stated that they would, as a result of their unbelief. Furthermore, this Kingdom was given to a new spiritual nation, comprised of believers in Jesus Christ. The birth of our new nation is directly linked to the birth of the man child, Jesus Christ, precisely as Isaiah had prophesied in the two Scriptures we examined earlier. You may recall that Isaiah seems to convey the idea that the birth of this nation would be accompanied by a certain degree of surprise and astonishment. It would be something unique and out of the ordinary.

Exactly when this new nation was born is a matter of personal conjecture. Whether we establish it as the moment that Jesus died on the Cross, or three days later when He rose from the dead, one thing is absolutely certain: If we stop to examine the events which transpired during that entire period, and the things that were said by some of the participants, it is obvious that there was plenty of surprise, astonishment, and fear going around. Consider the following verses that we find in Matthew chapter twenty-seven:

"Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."


One problem with reading the Bible, is that sometimes it can be difficult to recognize when time gaps exist between some of the events. At first glance, one might erroneously assume that the events described in the previous verses all occurred shortly after Jesus died on the Cross; however, it seems to me that a careful reading of the above verses indicates that Matthew is describing things which occurred, not right after Jesus died on the Cross, but rather three days later when He miraculously rose from the dead.

In other words, contrary to what we see in certain Hollywood movies, the centurion did not say "Truly this was the Son of God" as he gazed upon Jesus dying on the Cross. The soldiers were undoubtedly desensitized, having already witnessed many such crucifixions of criminals. Jesus' Crucifixion was just another one and a part of their job. Jesus did nothing while hanging on the Cross, which would give the centurion reason to make such a remark. However, the remark makes more sense if we realize that it was said three days later when a great earthquake occurred, and Jesus rose from the dead. When it states that they were "watching Jesus", it doesn't mean that they were watching Him die on the Cross; it means that they were watching His grave, as they had been instructed to do by the unbelieving Jewish Elders, who feared that the Lord might actually rise from the dead, as we see here:

"Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."


So consider the facts which surrounded the birth of this new nation. We have a great earthquake which must have surprised and unsettled a lot of people, and caused them to fear. We can also easily imagine the shock and horror that the Jewish religious leaders must have felt after having gone through a great earthquake, and then discovering that the temple veil had been fully ripped from top to bottom, possibly revealing the Holy of Holies, which was the holiest part of the temple, where the Ark of the Covenant had been formerly placed. Maybe they realized that it was a sign from God, that their days as the spiritual leaders of Israel were numbered. As we saw in part two, Caiaphas certainly seemed aware of the danger. Then we have these hardened soldiers witnessing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew tells us that "they feared greatly" having been observers of these events. As if the Lord's own Resurrection wasn't enough, it isn't difficult to imagine the astonishment, shock and fear which must have permeated all of Jerusalem, as her inhabitants found themselves being visited by many of the Old Testament saints.

In light of these events, and the people's reactions to them, it makes perfect sense that God would inspire Isaiah to write "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?". By comparison, in my opinion, the political events of 1948 don't even come close in magnitude, and certainly do not warrant this kind of a statement from the Prophet Isaiah.

Clearly then, the prophesied birth of this new nation was fulfilled to the letter. It was fulfilled "in one day", and "at once", precisely at the moment that Jesus rose from the dead, followed by all of the other Old Testament saints. It resulted in such shock and awe as this world has never seen before, and won't see again, until Jesus returns. As we saw earlier, Jesus became the first begotten of the dead, and the founder of our New Nation, as described by Peter. Jesus is the firstborn, and the firstfruits of the Resurrection, and all of the Old Testament Saints who followed Him out of the grave are the very first inhabitants of this New Nation; and some day, we will follow them into Glory; for as we are told at the end of the Epistle to the Hebrews:

"God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."


That word "perfect" does not mean what you think it means. According to the original Greek word used there, "teleioo", it really means that their numbers won't be complete, until we have all likewise been resurrected as well. God's eternal Plan of Redemption extends from the first page of Genesis, to the final page of the Book of Revelation. Everyone who is predestinated to be saved and resurrected, will be, in God's perfect time, and absolutely nothing will hinder His plans.

Please go to part five for the conclusion of this series.

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