Christian Zionism 2/5 Christian Zionism and Gentiles

1.      Christian Zionism and Gentiles

What about the Gentiles?? Where do they fit in? Is it all just about Jews and Israel?? What does all this have to do with everyone else?? Spoiler alert! God also loves Gentiles!! One of the central reasons for the restoration of Israel is to bless Gentiles!!

Why does God restore Israel? Two vital verses! This is where two “so that’s” come in!!

Acts 15:13-17 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ¹⁶ " 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,

 ¹⁷ so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'

Romans 15:8-13 “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." ¹⁰ Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." ¹¹ And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." ¹² And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Note also the wonderful generosity and mutual grace in God’s dealings! This is not only an end times phenomenon – we see it already from the start! He included the gentiles in the church on the basis of a prophecy concerning the restoration of Israel! (So if Israel is not restored, Gentiles should not be in the church!)

Jesus came to be Luke 2:32 “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." It is not an either/or – it is in Him that the gentiles will hope! He is both the light to the gentiles and the glory of his people Israel. Hebrews 6:19 tells us that the anchor of our souls is not the Cross, but rather God’s covenant with Abraham, and that covenant contained specific promises for the Jewish people as well as God’s determination to bless all humanity. We see this again in Acts 3:25, where addressing the “Men of Israel”, Peter declares; “And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' Universal blessing has always been the plan!! Gentiles were never some weird plan B.

2Corinthians 5:19 “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,” God’s love and faithfulness to Israel are the first expression of his love and faithfulness for all of us. We rightly rejoice when the first-fruits are holy, because then the whole batch is holy. (Romans 11:16)

Paul indeed tells us exactly why God will save all Israel, Romans 11:29 “for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Their history proclaims this universal truth to all humanity! This is great news for everyone! I fail, I let God down, will God just throw me aside and choose someone else? No! He is committed to our redemption. We do not worship a divorcee! Our sin cannot make God do something He hates!! Malachi 2:16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, Malachi 3:6"I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

The Gentiles can rejoice with his people that God is faithful and trustworthy. The restoration of Israel is focused on the redemption of the whole world! The restoration of Israel is to be a blessing for the whole world, because it will proclaim God to them!

Zechariah 8:13 As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. 

Micah 5:7 The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass

Isaiah 2:2-5 In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³ Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ⁴ He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. ⁵ Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Isaiah 19:25 The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."

Ezekiel 20:39-42 " 'As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. ⁴⁰ For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. ⁴¹ I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. ⁴² Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your fathers.

Ezekiel 28:25 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.

Ezekiel 36:22-38 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.

 ²³ I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. ²⁴ " 'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁸ You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. ³⁰ I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. ³² I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! ³³ " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. ³⁵ They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited." ³⁶ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' ³⁷ "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them [it is not just for the nations!]: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, ³⁸ as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

Isaiah 12:1 In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. ² Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." ³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴ In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. ⁵ Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. ⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴ "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. ⁵ Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

Isaiah 52:9-10 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people [the consolation of Israel], he has redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰ The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

Ezekiel 48:35 "The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. "And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE."

Psalm 72:18-20 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. ¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. ²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

So, we have it on the authority of the Old and New Testaments that God, in faithfulness to his promises and prophecies, will restore Israel. This will only occur through and because of Jesus, the Messiah, and through this, God will bless all nations, just as he promised to Abraham!