Tracing The Spiritual Israel In Prophecy

By Toni Vang


Israel is considered a pivotal nation in global geopolitical issues. It has an interesting history as a nation and as a state. Its significance in politics and Christian theology also makes it a center of attention. However, Israel in prophecy has a futuristic perception and perspective. It is a look at how foreseers viewed the story of this nation and its significance in shaping events global issues.

The attention given to Israeli nation state and its geopolitical existence has a biblical origin. Its people and specifically the city of Jerusalem have a place in both spiritual and historical narratives. The neighboring nations are very hostile and constantly threaten to eliminate Jews from the region. Christians await the rebuilding of the Jewish temple which signifies the reign of Christianity.

The spiritual implications of prophecies regarding Israel is the point of concern. There are a lot of prophecies about end times with no clarity whether they should be taken literary or figuratively. The conflict between the geographical nation and spiritual community is the point of concern.

Jesus is central in the prophesies and promises made to Israelis. They expected that he would establish a real kingdom on earth that would be characterized by fairness and justice. His coming coincided with prophesies made about the savior. He however said that salvation would come during his return. The nation is still waiting for this return.

God promised Israelis salvation during the reign of Prophet Daniel. According to computations and comparisons between different scriptures, each of these seventy weeks represented a year. Other sections of the scripture are used in computing the date of fulfillment of this prophesy to today. This explains why Israelis have not found peace for a long time now.

The coming of Jesus reignited hope that the salvation of Israelis was at hand. It had been prophesied that a savior would come at the exact time that Jesus appeared. During his baptism, a voice was heard declaring that he was the anointed of God. However, his coming did not provide a solution to the troubles of the Israeli people. He died with a promise that he will come again.

The events in the life of Jesus were largely foretold in the Old Testament. An example is where Jesus went to the synagogue, read a scripture and applied it to himself. His birth, life and death find similarities in forecast made in the Old Testament. The problem arises when he does not deliver Israelis from constant war. This raises a question about how to identify the real savior.

The reference to Israeli as a nation shifts to the community of Christians because they failed to obey. When Christ was with them, they failed to believe him. This made God to regard Israel as the larger group of Christians as opposed to the nation state of Jews. It means that the prophesies will apply to the community of Christians as a validation of their believe in Jesus Christ. The promise of eternal life will only be enjoyed by those who believe.




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