(01-20-2022 07:04 PM)Crayton Wrote:  Here I am a bit out of my depth. To equate the Modern Jewish state to David or Herod's kingdoms seems a stretch. Is it whichever Jewish authority controls Jerusalem who is allowed to inherit this blessing? I would expect "Israel" to refer to the Jewish people who pursue God rather than a nation-state, whether ancient or modern.

Its the people, not the government. That has really been the case even back in Davids time, though in David and Solomon's time that was the peak of ancient Israel.

Israel was turnng from God and falling away for almost 1000 years before Christ finally came. Even when the northern and southern kingdoms were carried away, the people were still "Israel" according to God in the OT. And we see Paul makes that clear its still the case throughout the NT.

So today's situation is really not much different in this context, its just 2000 years later. There is a remnant of the physical seed of Abraham (not the spiritual like those in Christ) that are scattered throughout in Israel and still partially scattered around the globe. We are not talking about every person on earth who claims to be a Jew (not all are), but God knows who is and isn't.

Quite simply for the end time prophecies to be fulfilled, there had to be a national rebirth of Israel in the Holy Land, STILL in sin and still rejecting Jesus. All the OT prophets, Jesus AND Revelation make clear there is a nation of Israel in the Holy Land when the final tribulation begins. There has to be a Temple rebuild with them trying to follow the OT law and sacrifices again, which God no longer recognizes. But because of their spiritual blindness and separation from Christ they do not yet realize this. But they will during the tribulation when the antichrist/beast sits in the most holy place in the temple and declares himself to be God. At that point many of the Jews will react in horror and turn against him, and he will bring a league of nations to Israel to destroy them once and for all. Its at this point, in their darkest hour, when a sizable remnant will finally turn to Christ en mass.

This is the moment Jesus refereed to in Matt 23:37-39 and Luke 13:35 where He says they will see Him no more until they acknowledge their offense and call on Him. We also see that in Hosea 5:14-15. Its at this point that He is finally about to return to Israel in person.

I could not possible list all the verses that tell us all this, they are scattered in bits and pieces throughout the entire Bible in the OT prophets, the Gospels, Paul's letters and Revelation. Some of the more concentrated areas are in Zechariah 12-14, Ezekiel 38-39 and Jesus' Olivet Discourse on the end times for example. But there are countless other bits and pieces scattered throughout.

Check out Ezekiel 39:21-29 following the end of the tribulation and the Gog-Magog war where God says they have finally returned to Him and they will never turn form Him again and He will never turn His face form them again from that moment onward.

Its one of those dusty corners of the Bible people tend to never read and completely ignore. Yet its clearly one of the key passages and moments of the entire Bible.

Think of the different passages like Ezekiel 39, Zechariah 14 or Revelation 19 as different "camera angles" of the same event. Each "camera angle" is from a unique perspective and focuses on a unique aspect of the same event. Much like a movie, when you look at them all together you see the complete picture.

The OT passages are "shown" from the perspective of Israel, Revelation is shown from the perspective of church age Christians.