Israel's Prophetic Vision

by Ian E. Penn, Nottingham, England | Category: Lovers Of God's House | Nov 1999

It is not the whole truth that time proves prophecy. Time also shows that a prophet whose prophecy fails is a false prophet (Deut. 18:22). But a prophet whose word comes to pass may also be false, since he may give a true forecast by accident. The test of a true prophet is not only that his word comes to pass, but also that it will lead hearers into the true service of God (Deut. 13:1-5). God's Old Testament dealings with Israel concerning the service of God, and the moral and spiritual values that go with it, are completely centred upon the worship of God in the house of God at the Place of the Name (Ex. 3:12; 19:6; 25:8; Mal. 4:4). It is no surprise, therefore, that the truth concerning the house of God is central to the prophetic vision of the prophets of Israel, especially those whose words have been preserved to stand the test of all time in the prophetical books of the Old Testament.

Israel's prophetic vision is sealed up in those sixteen prophetical books which comprise as much as a quarter of the entire Old Testament. In our English Bibles these are placed from Isaiah to Malachi, excluding the poetical Lamentations of Jeremiah. As such, they are the Latter Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, to which the book of Daniel has been added. Their principal themes concern the nation of Israel; the Gentile nations, especially those more or less involved with Israel; and of course the Person of Christ.

Prophecies concerning Israel

The periods when these Old Testament prophets did their work are more or less accurately known and are related to major phases in Israel's history. Thus Isaiah, Jonah, Hosea, Amos, Micah and perhaps Joel all prophesied before the ten tribes were lost into the Assyrian captivity. Isaiah and Micah continued afterwards, to be joined by Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah prior to Judah and Benjamin being taken captive to Babylon. Ezekiel, Daniel and it seems Obadiah also prophesied during that captivity while Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi did so when the Remnant returned from Babylon.

It will be readily seen that each of these four phases is related to the welfare of the house of God. Thus, the captivity of the ten tribes arose because, not heeding the prophetical warnings, they would not worship at the house of God in Jerusalem. The captivity of Judah and Benjamin arose because, in spite of the prophets' words, they allowed wrong practices to corrupt irrevocably the worship of that same house of God in Jerusalem. Then, during the captivity in Babylon, there was no house of God to defile and the faithful lived in a day of individual testimony, to whom the word of prophecy especially sets God's purposes in His house and people against a future of many millennia, largely dominated by Gentiles. The aged Daniel, however, may have lived to hear of the beginning of its rebuilding and restoration about which the final phase of Israel's prophetic vision was delivered.

Naturally, each phase has its message for believers since it is possible for a believer today to be living in circumstances which, as far as his or her relation to the house of God is concerned, may correspond to one or other of these four phases. That is to say, in circumstances which are to be judged by the believer's attitude to today's churches of God which are gathered into the Fellowship of the Son of God, since these today form the house of God whose service is centred upon the Mount Zion which is in Heaven (Heb. 12:18-29).

Prophecies concerning the nations

Jeremiah's long prophecy is so bound up with the fall of Judah and the judgement of the house of God that it is easy to forget that he is introduced as 'a prophet unto the nations' (Jer. 1:5). His, like the other major prophetical books (and indeed Amos), contain numerous prophecies addressed to several Gentile nations. Remarkably, with the exception of Jonah and possibly Jeremiah (43:7-13) it is not recorded that any other prophet ever took these messages to the nations concerned. It would appear, therefore, that a prime purpose of these prophecies is that they should be a witness first and foremost to Israel, the people of God. If Gentiles would know of God's purposes for them, they must view them from the point of view of God's rule in Israel; that is to say, from His house. Thus the future prophesied for the Chaldeans or Babylonians was to act as the executors of divine judgement upon unrepentant Israel (Jer. 25:9-11). But they, in turn, were to suffer the judgement of God for their sins (Jer. 25:12-14), again at the hands of other nations (Jer. 50:33-41) because of how they behaved towards Zion (Jer. 50:11, 17-32; 51:24).

Jonah's foray to Nineveh demonstrates another key matter in God's dealings with the nations. The Gentiles, though not under the Law, were nevertheless also expected to keep such commands as God had given them, even if living in times of ignorance (Acts 10:22; 33-35; 17:26-30). The Ninevites had departed from that standard and therefore must suffer the judgement of God. As all know, they repented and were saved from wrath. Thus, as God who is plenteous in mercy was in the habit of so dealing with His people, He dealt similarly with Gentiles. However later Ninevites were not so wise and suffered the judgement prophesied by Nahum (2:13) and Zephaniah (2:13-15), having met their match at Zion long before in the days of their famous King Sennacherib (2 Kin. 19:20-37; Is. 37:1-38). God's dealings with the Ninevites in Jonah's day are therefore similar to his dealings with other Gentile nations. He views them in relation to His purposes in His house and people.

Prophecies concerning the Christ

With the exception of Jonah and Nahum, all Israel's prophetical books contain significant portions which deal with Israel's future glory and her central role in the forthcoming world rule of her Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Commonly these prophecies tell of a period of Israeli captivity and judgement worse than that endured under the Assyrian or Babylonian yoke. They go on to tell how from such dire circumstances Israel will be rescued by her Messiah and Redeemer, who will deal in judgement with all nations before His global kingdom is established (see for example Amos 9:8-15). Such portions are commonly placed following prophetical warnings about departure from the house of God.

The foregoing two major themes of Israel's prophetic vision fall into place as part of a coherent whole when it is seen that they form the background to the prophesying of the purposes of God in Christ. In Old Testament history, the nations were used in one way or another to ensure that there was an Israel, from whom would come the Christ and who would have a Law and divine service to serve as His pulpit from which to preach and teach. Israel served as His prototype and launching pad for His New Covenant at the core of whose service was, is, and shall be the service of the house of God.

So great is the compass in time and place of Israel's prophetic vision, so consistent are its principles, and especially so victorious is its final outcome for Israel, that men and women who are not willing to face up to the reality of their sins may ignore its most vital aspect. The Christ who will so rule is also the One who was to be 'despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows... stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted... led to the slaughter... cut off... an offering for sin' (Is. 53:3-10)... 'cut off, and shall have nothing' (Dan. 9:26) and the One 'whom they have pierced' (Zech. 12:10). The Lord Himself left no room for doubt in this matter (Luke 24:26,27) as He taught a lesson well learned by His first disciples (1 Pet. 1:11,12).

The Omission

Following Christ's rejection by Israel, His death has led to a world-wide spread of His message which has resulted as He predicted in the construction of a Church which can never be destroyed nor, like Israel, was be taken captive or fall under the judgement of God (Mat. 16:13-19). It is composed of believers on the Lord Jesus Christ who become members of the Church, His Body, when at salvation, they are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Such believers, who may come from any nation, are meant to be gathered together on earth by being baptized in water and added together in churches of God to form a spiritual house of God, the kingdom of God today, a counterpart to Israel of old. Since these purposes of God were deliberately kept hidden by God until the coming of His Son to earth (Col. 1:26-28), obvious reference to them is a major omission of Israel's prophetic vision. From the standpoint of the New Testament Scriptures, however, it can be seen that many prophetical Scriptures have a kind of double application: first concerning Israel and secondly concerning the work of Christ today. For example, the prophecy of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32) clearly applies to what happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). But it also finds fulfilment prior to the return of the Lord to set up His kingdom (Is. 32:15-20).

Thus the major world-scale themes of Israel's prophetic vision - Israel, the Nations, the Christ - can be viewed as a fitting preparation for the appearing of Israel's coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. His gospel concerns the same things and is also global in scope. Beginning from Israel, it reaches beyond her to the uttermost parts of the earth in seeking to make disciples of all the nations (Mat. 28:18-20; Luke 2:30-32, 24:47; Acts 1:8). It is still His purpose today to gather together born-again ones from the nations to take part in the service and worship of God in the house of God. Thus it has at its heart, like Israel's prophetic vision, the house of God.

Ian E. Penn, Nottingham, England | Nov 1999
Lovers Of God's House