Daniel Unlocked #63. Classic Re-Interpretations from the Old Testament to the New.
There is no text in the Bible that teaches a 7-year tribulation at the end of time. It is a smoke screen to the real truth regarding Israel. As we have noted the idea of a 7-year period is ripped out of Daniel 9 from a very important scripture that identifies Jesus as the Messiah. It is suddenly applied, out of its context, to the antichrist. That is diabolical! There are 2500 references to the second coming and the word secret is NEVER associated with the second coming anywhere in scripture.
Many Old Testament predictions were made based on Israel being the Covenant people of God. As Jesus predicted (Matt. 21:33-43), the kingdom would be taken away from the nation of Israel and given to another. Israel’s status before God came to an end and the Christian church took their place. As Paul Declared; “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29 NLT and “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:15-16 NLT. Here Paul has clearly identified the church as “The Israel of God.”
The New Testament is constantly re-interpreting the Old Testament in terms of the church being spiritual Israel.
A classic re-interpretation of Ezekiel 37 and 38 is found in the New Testament. Ezekial 37:15-22 talks very clearly about how the 12 tribes would be gathered again from the nations they had been scattered to and re-united into one nation, as they were post-Babylon. At the time this was given all 12 tribes were scattered in exile, the temple was no more, and Jerusalem was in ruins. What a seeming mock to preach a return to prosperity in their homeland, and yet that is exactly what happened. All 12 tribes returned, but then Ezekiel follows it with a prophecy about Gog and Magog.
Ezekiel 38:1-16 talks about Gog and Magog invading Israel from the north “in the latter days”. This never happened! Israel again went into apostacy and rejected their Messiah and the 490-year prophecy of Daniel 9 ran its course. In AD 34 the words of Jesus came true… “this kingdom will be taken from you and given to another.” Many today looking to this prophecy say that Gog is Russia or some other fanciful interpretations. But look at what the New Testament does with it… Revelation 20:7-9 puts the invasion of Gog and Magog down at the end of the Millenium at the time when the New Jerusalem descends. They surround it and are destroyed. In this passage Gog and Magog represent the enemies of God’s people who are resurrected in the second resurrection and come from “the four corners of the earth and surround the city”
Another example of “Spiritual Israel” is found in Revelation 7: 4-15 and Revelation 14:1-5. Here we find 12 thousand ‘sealed’ from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. This 144,000 then becomes, in v9, a great multitude which nobody could number from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages. It says “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation… They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat… and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Rev.7: 4-16.) It would appear from this text that the 144,000 go through the time of trouble.
The 144,000, if taken literally would be 12,000 male virgin Jews from every tribe of Israel. However, the number is surrounded with copious other symbols and is clearly symbolic. It is a picture of a triumphant spiritual Israel. This is the group that stands with absolute fidelity for God during the time of trouble and would rather die than commit a known sin. It is the triumphant Spiritual Israel that are the group that proclaim the last warning message to the world as found in Rev.14: 6-12.
Interestingly, the list in Rev.7 is in a radically different order to the three lists from Genesis. For instance, Judah was not the oldest son but here he is put at the head of the list. Hebrew names have meanings, Judah means praise, Reuben means behold a son, Gad means fortune, Asher means happy, Naphtali means wrestling, Manasseh (a son of Joseph who replaces Dan the idolator) means causing forgetfulness, Simeon means hearing, Levi means joined, Issachar means reward, Zebulun means dwelling, Joseph means increaser and Benjamin means son of the right hand. If we take the names as listed in Revelation 7 and place them in a sentence you get something like this: “Praise. Behold a group of sons, a blessed company who are happy after wrestling with sin [or God], forgetting the past and now hearing God’s word, being joined to him and about to receive the reward of dwelling in God’s presence with added joys as sons of his right hand.” This is the great crowd of witnesses that pass through the time of trouble and proclaim God’s last warning message to the world.
Lord my prayer is for you to give me the strength to always stay strong and true to your word in the last days and be with you always God bless you 🙏
Really appreciate the clarity around literal and spiritual Israel, Ross. Seems many have forgotten this.