Israel - Microcosm of the Nations (Concluded)

The central thought in all three of the blogs dealing with this topic is simply that Israel is but a microcosm of God's dealings with the nations. God's purposes and plans have always been inclusive of the nations. The chief purpose of Israel's existence was to be a nation through whom God would re-introduce Himself to all nations. Israel rejected their Messiah and with that rejection lost the privileged place of being the nation through whom God would make Himself known.

God raised up the church and in this present time is making Himself known to the nations through the witness of His church. Ultimately, through the church, God will call out a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue and nation. However, the church, once God has accomplished His purposes through the church will be called into His presence.

Once the church is absent from the nations God will once again raise up the nation of Israel and make Himself known through this blessed people, the Jewish people. The foundation of this regathered and renewed purpose will be a Jewish population that is born again through faith in Jesus Christ. The Jewish people will enthusiastically and genuinely embrace Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Messiah He truly is. He is not only the Messiah for the nation of Israel, but for all nations. For, in Abraham shall all nations be blessed. Jesus Christ will rule and reign, from Jerusalem, through His chosen nation, over all the nations in the coming millennium.

Israel's experience, as it relates to the one true God, is but a microcosm of the experience of all the nations. Ultimately, God in His grace and mercy restores Israel and the nations to a right relationship with Himself through a new birth realized only in and through the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah.

Israel - Microcosm of the Nations (Continued)

This is a continuation of the previous blog bearing this title - obviously. The previous blog stopped with the observation that the nations, after the Flood in Noah's era of history and subsequently after the tower of Babel, had again rejected the true and living God. The nations had devolved into a system of polytheistic worship. Approximately in 2100 B.C. God called a man living in Ur of the Chaldees to trust Him and go to a land that he would show him. He promised this man that He would make of him a great nation. This nation would become the vehicle through whom all nations would be blessed.

God chose and called Abraham to be the progenitor of this new nation. God progressively developed this nation through Abraham, his son Issac, Issac's son Jacob and then through the twelve sons of Jacob. Jacob was ultimately given the name for this nation. As Jacob was returning to the land promised to Abraham, then to Issac and at that point in time to him - Jacob - God gave to him a new name - Israel. The nation of Israel was and is that nation through whom God intends to bless all the nations.

However, over the 14 centuries in which Israel conquered the land and lived in it they for the most part did not worship the God Who had brought them into the land. Ultimately when God took on humanity in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth the Jewish people, for the most part, rejected Him culminating with His death.

Just as the nations rejected the true and living God, Israel rejected the true and living God. God, in His infinite mercy and grace, was not deterred. Through the resurrected Jesus Christ He is calling out a people from every tribe, tongue and nation. This people is assembled together in what God refers to as His body, His ekklesia - assembly or church - and it is through the Church, this body of believers that He continues to make Himself known to the nations and is calling the nations back to Himself.

There is more to this plan and purpose of God that is yet to be unfolded after He completes His purposes for the church among the nations. That will be fleshed out in my next post. - To be continued.