The Future Restoration Of Israel - Part 1 - Scriptures In Isaiah Series

THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL - A STUDY OF THE MAJOR AND MINOR PROPHETS

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH – PART 1

THE FUTURE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL - PART 1 - SCRIPTURES IN ISAIAH

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Almost every Old Testament prophet mentions the RESTORATION OF ISRAEL in his writings and some prophets major on that theme, particularly Hosea, Zechariah, Joel, Haggai, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Israel has had a topsy-turvy history and nationally, they never learned from their mistakes. It was like a constant round-a-bout of sin, partial repentance, restoration, and then sin again. Israel is just so typical of the instability that is part of the fallen nature that can only be overcome by the work of the Spirit of God. That is why the outpouring of the Spirit on the nation after the Tribulation gets a lot of mention and we shall see that.

God made large and wonderful promises to Abraham and even in the darkest periods of Jewish national history those promises were never withdrawn, for God loves that people more than we can understand. He loves that sinful, rebellious people, and they have been judged for their sin. When they lived in the land after exiting Egypt, if they sinned, God allowed their enemies to come and they suffered, then when they turned to recognise God, He delivered them, only to have the whole cycle happen again. This was seen in the time of the Judges, who were deliverers God gave His people then, and beyond that time, until God said, “Enough is enough.”

Israel adopted idolatry almost worse than the surrounding nations who practised it. In fact, so bad was it that Hosea had to say {{Hosea 4:17 “Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone.”}} That was the Northern Kingdom after the division of Jereboam but later on, Judah was just as bad.

God promised captivity for the nation over and over again because of their sin and then it happened; Israel going to Assyria and Judah going to Babylon. Even though there were partial returns to the land of Israel, it was always under foreign domination right up until 1948. Promises of restoration always looked dim from the human perspective but God’s promises will not fail and this earthly people of God will be brought into amazing blessing, but unlike the Church, which is the heavenly people of God, Israel’s promises are in the land and will always be in the land as the earthly people of God.

There are two great errors in regard to Israel and prophecy. The first is to say that “Israel has had its day and must be dismissed.” Has God cast His people away? NEVER has happened, or will that happen. See Romans chapter 11. The second great error, I find very disturbing, is Replacement Theology. This teaching takes all the prophecies and future for Israel, mainly in the Old Testament, and transfers them to the Church (they like to think “expands” them into the Church). Scripture can’t allow that and it means altering the whole of the 17 prophetic books of the bible. Why on earth would these prophets write on Israel's future if it has no future? That means 17 prophets were in great error and writing under great delusion. It would be a misuse of God’s earthly people, that He WILL restore.

There have been three returns/restorations for Israel in regards to the nation but none of those qualifies for the proper restoration God has planned for the nation. Those three are – the return to the promised land after 450 years in Egypt; the returns to Jerusalem with Ezra, Jerubbabel and Nehemiah after the Babylonian captivity; and the return to Palestine as a nation in 1947/8. We shall now look at the large number of promises and prophecies for Israel’s restoration. The first book will be that of Isaiah.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

{{Isaiah 1:24-28 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of MY adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes. Isa 1:25 I will also turn My hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye, and will remove all your alloy. Isa 1:26 Then I will restore your judges as at the first and your counsellors as at the beginning. After that YOU WILL BE CALLED “THE CITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, A FAITHFUL CITY.” Isa 1:27 Zion will be redeemed with justice, and her repentant ones with righteousness, Isa 1:28 but transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, and those who forsake the LORD shall come to an end.}}

This magnificent prophecy stands at the head of Israel's Restoration in the book of Isaiah. It is so full of God’s dealings for His nation. In verse 24 the beginning of restoration is set here as the overthrow of all God’s enemies (they are termed as such because they are Israel's enemies), and this great and final defeat will be the Battle of Armageddon consisting of the forces of the Antichrist and False Prophet, along with Gog and Magog’s hordes as well as the kings of the east, for they will all be in Israel railed against God’s people. {{Zechariah 14:2 “for I will gather ALL THE NATIONS against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.”}} When that is completed at the Second Coming, then the Lord deals with the Jewish saints for their purification. They need to be refined, to pass through the fire of tribulation to bring them as a glorious people for God.