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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 As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.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 four, if you are not yet fully convinced of everything I have been sharing with you in this series, allow me to share one final profound truth with you. While some American preachers, and some Jews, have tried to convince the world that Isaiah was talking about the birth of the Jewish nation of Israel in 1948, there is strong evidence which suggests that Isaiah was not only talking about the birth of a spiritual nation, but also that this new spiritual nation would in large part be comprised of Gentile believers. Are you surprised?

In the Scriptures from Isaiah that we examined earlier, the word "nation" is translated from the Hebrew word "goy". This word, and its plural form, "goyim", almost always refers to people of non-Hebrew, (or non-Jewish), stock. In other words, it means Gentiles, or heathen. Just as many Muslims view all non-Muslims as "infidels", Jewish people, at least Orthodox Jews, likewise view non-Jews as heathen; and the term "goy" is often used in a rather disrespectful, derogatory sense, although many Gentiles may not be aware of this fact.

So is there more Biblical evidence to support my contention that Isaiah was prophesying about the birth of a spiritual nation of Gentile believers in Christ, and not really about the birth of the modern Jewish nation of Israel in 1948? Yes, there most certainly is, I am happy to say. In the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, after watching Jesus heal a man with a crippled hand on the sabbath day, the Jewish spiritual elders, that is, the Pharisees, took counsel in order to determine how to destroy Jesus. In spite of their wicked intentions, Jesus kept on healing people anyway; and a few verses later, Matthew quotes from the Prophet Isaiah when he writes the following. Please notice carefully that Isaiah is very clearly stating that Jesus would minister to the Gentiles, and not just to the Jews. Furthermore, Isaiah concludes with "And in his name shall the Gentiles trust":

"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."


This is such an important point, that is, that the Jews would lose the Kingdom, and that Jesus would primarily populate His new spiritual nation with Gentile believers, that the Apostle Paul also mentions this same prophecy in his Epistle to the brethren at Rome; where Paul informs them that he has become the Apostle to the Gentiles, as we see here:

"And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."


In the previous sets of verses from the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Romans, the word "Gentiles" is translated from the Greek word "ethnos". This word is basically used in the same way that "goy" is used in the Old Testament to refer to people of non-Hebrew stock. In fact, in the Greek lexicon, it plainly says "Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians". In other words, as opposed to Jewish Christians, such as the original Twelve Apostles, and other early Jewish Christians who helped to jump start the First Century Church.

The Prophet Isaiah was obviously in tune to the fact that God had plans to raise up a new spiritual nation. Isaiah realized that Jesus would be the founder of this New Nation, and that this New Nation would in large part be comprised of Gentiles who had embraced Christ. Further evidence that this is so can be clearly seen in the following verses, where God the Father is laying out His plans for Jesus, His Son:

"Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."


If you're a sharp student of God's Word, you may realize that this is precisely the prophecy that Jesus Himself read in the synagogue at Nazareth, right before the Jews tried to throw Him over a cliff, as we discussed in part two of this series. Here again are those verses:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."


Let me emphasize again that the reason why God has taken this particular course of action, is because the majority of Jews have stubbornly refused to acknowledge Jesus Christ as God's chosen manner of Salvation, and their attitude hasn't changed in the last two thousand years. Being a well-versed Pharisee, taught by Gamaliel, Paul was obviously quite familiar with all of Isaiah's prophecies regarding the coming Messiah, and how the Gentiles would be won to the Kingdom of God. Thus, it is no surprise that when Paul and Barnabas are again rejected by the antichrist Jews in Antioch, Paul simply turns his back on them, embraces the Gentiles, and again appears to make an indirect reference to the prophecies of Isaiah, as we see in these verses:

"And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium."


As I explain in other articles, the above scene is typical of the reaction that Paul and his companions received when they tried to share the Christian Gospel with their fellow Jews; and so again, precisely as Jesus prophesied, this is why God chose to take the Kingdom from them, and give it to another nation; a nation of Gentile believers founded upon the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Earlier, we discussed how the Apostle Peter told the brethren that in God's eyes, they were "an holy nation". Some people may be tempted to erroneously argue that being as Peter was a Jew himself, his words were addressed to his Jewish brethren, and that this "holy nation" of which he spoke was the Jewish nation. However, this is most definitely not the case. As we saw with the previous sets of verses, the Greek word that is used in Peter's Epistle is again "ethnos". Clearly then, this "holy nation" is comprised of Gentile believers. Perhaps you may recall how God very pointedly showed Peter that he must extend the Gift of Salvation to the Gentile world. In the Book of Acts, we find these particular incidents:

"On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven."


"And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house: And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."


Let's return to my earlier comments regarding Peter's letter. If it were true that these people to whom Peter was writing were Jews, I don't think that it would make any sense that in verse ten, he'd write to them, "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"; because the Jews have always considered themselves to be the people of God, even to this very day. In fact, they've also craftily convinced a large part of modern Christendom, that they are still the Chosen People, in spite of the fact that most of them have rejected Christ for the past two thousand years. On the other hand, if Peter was in fact writing to Gentile brethren, as I believe he was, it makes perfect sense that he would write in this manner.

To further validate this point, consider that the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, made the exact same point regarding how the Gentiles had become the people of God through their faith in Jesus Christ. Please carefully note how Paul too was addressing the Gentile Christians in Ephesus, and not his own Jewish brethren:

"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles . . ."


To add some clarity to the previous verses, when Paul writes "the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands", he's referring to the Jews who have been circumcised as a matter of obeying the Mosaic Law. In fact, the Book of Acts informs us that at first, some of the Jewish Christians also believed that the Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to really be saved; but Paul strongly resisted this requirement. That's why only two verses earlier he wrote:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


As you may already know, it is those same two verses that got Martin Luther in trouble with the Roman Catholic hierarchy of his day. It seems clear that the "works" that Paul is talking about, is the act of being circumcised. That explains why he immediately begins discussing circumcision in the verses that immediately follow those two. He wants to assure the Gentile Christians that it isn't necessary to be circumcised in order to be saved. All that matters is faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Works of the flesh, such as circumcision, do not win us points with God, and we have no room to boast of our own supposed righteousness. As Paul also later wrote:

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


With that last point, we have now covered a lot of territory. I have strived to present solid Scriptural evidence to prove to you, that certain things you may have learned from some of the popular pastors and preachers, or perhaps even from the Jews themselves, are not necessarily true, and in fact, may be a deliberate deception, in order to convince you that it is your unfailing duty and responsibility as a Christian to support the nation of Israel.

Let's recap some of the key points that we have discussed in this series. First, if you accept my arguments, there is no scriptural evidence to suggest that Jesus wanted us to think that the Parable of the Fig Tree was a cryptic message that, rightfully interpreted, was a reference to Israel becoming a nation in 1948. As far as I can tell, this is a fabrication of certain misguided American preachers and Bible teachers, who believe that it is our duty to support Israel.

Second, there is likewise no Scriptural evidence that we are supposed to interpret a Biblical generation as being a period of exactly fifty-two years. This again was a number dreamed up by American Christians who apparently thought that finding an average number of years would solve their problem for them and convince their followers that Jesus would be returning in the year 2,000.

Third, nowhere does the Bible exhort us to add 1948 and 52, so that we can determine that Jesus would return in the year 2,000. Obviously, this was a major error on the part of those same misguided American preachers, because Jesus certainly did not return in the year 2,000. Have you seen Him?

Fourth, there is convincing evidence in both the Old and New Testaments, which strongly suggests that Isaiah's prophecy was not about the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948, but rather, about Jesus' birth, and the new spiritual nation of believers which resulted from His Crucifixion on the Cross, and His subsequent Resurrection from the dead, almost two thousand years ago. This nation appears to have been born at the moment of Christ's Resurrection, and Jesus was in fact the Firstfruits, or firstborn, of this nation.

Allow me to add some clarification to that last point. While in my view the Old Testament Scriptures seem to be prophesy- ing the birth of a new spiritual nation founded upon Jesus' Blood, and comprised mainly of Gentile believers, it is also important to realize, as we saw just a moment ago, that once a person does come to Christ, be they Jew or Gentile, their ethnicity is no longer any of importance. As Paul candidly wrote:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."


"Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."


Fifth, contrary to the claims of the "at any moment" people, who expect Jesus to appear any day now without warning, the Bible seems to indicate that certain key Endtime political and religious events must occur, before the Lord will return. Until all of these events do occur, as prophesied, it is my personal belief, based upon my current understanding of the Scriptures, that we still have at least seven years before Jesus will return. The day may indeed arrive when we will be able to anticipate Jesus' Arrival "at any moment", but in my view, that day has not arrived yet. As such, it is harmful to our faith to promote the "at any moment" doctrine, as a number of preachers have done. Not only does it give people false hope, but it makes us look like idiots, and may even drive people away from our Christian faith when these false predictions fail to materialize.

Furthermore, contrary to the misguided views of a few, there is absolutely nothing that any of us can do, not even destroy the Dome of the Rock, in order to force God to speed up His plan. As we saw earlier, everything will occur in God's time, in His way, as He sees fit.

Before concluding this series, let me add one final thought. In presenting my arguments regarding why I believe that it's wrong to offer a precise date for when Jesus will return, I shared a verse from Matthew chapter twenty-four where Jesus states "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only". While I believe that this verse certainly held true for the Disciples of Jesus' time, being as they didn't need to know when the Lord would be returning, I also believe that the day may possibly come when we Christians of the Endtime may in fact know the exact day when Jesus will return. As the Lord said to His closest followers:

"Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."


Please also consider the truth of the following two verses:

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."


"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."


With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

As a Thief in the Night?: Not for Me!
Chariots of Fire: A Voluntary Voyage to Heaven?
From Armageddon to the New Earth
Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
The False Return: Another Zionist Deception
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Kings of the North and the South
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
The Only Credentials You Need
The Seven Heads
The Triumphant Touchdown of Jesus Christ
The Wisdom of God vs the Philosophy of Men
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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