An Amazing Story – The Final Chapter

God has Planned this Final Chapter Since the very Beginning of Humanity

Preparing for the Final Chapter

Let’s review what we have established from the first two blogs:

• Based on their history, traditions, and relationship with God, it is hard to see the Jews being relegated to just another target on the Great Commission hit list.
• The Bible is the key to putting this all together. God may not always be clear in His message, but He is always consistent.
• But if God has special plans for the Jews, it must include a way to reconcile them with Jesus – otherwise all the Jews who rejected Him (no matter the reason) will be sent to hell.

The Uniqueness of the Jews

Like any good detective, I began with what I felt was my biggest clue. All throughout the Old Testament, the Jews repeatedly rebelled against God. They did some detestable things to defy Him, yet God never truly abandoned them. He extended massive amounts of undeserved grace all throughout the Old Testament. That alone, to me, is proof that God has a plan for them. But it was more than that. We forget that God adopted the Jews as the firstborn of His family (Exodus 4:22 ESV) – and family is everything to God! Not only were they chosen to be the foundation of His family, but it says that “God has chosen you (the Jew) to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV) From those verses, Old Testament scriptures referred to the Jews as “God’s Chosen People.” Was this just a temporary title? If so, it would seem that God would have to disown these people to be separated from them. Yet, no scripture even hints at God doing such a thing! In fact, quite the opposite. The Apostle Paul wrote some very telling words in Romans 11 that speak to how important a role the Jews play in God’s family:

¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off (i.e., some Jews), and you (the Gentiles), although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. (Verses 17-18 ESV)

The message is simple. In the family of God, the Gentiles are grafted into the family of the Jews because the Jews are the ones “The Lord your God has chosen”[1], His “firstborn.”[2]  The Gentiles receive their nourishment from the Jews (and they get their nourishment from Jesus), and they should never forget this! Also, they should not allow themselves to get arrogant just because (it appears) that the Jews have abandoned God (and Jesus), and they (the Gentiles) are now the ones in favor. That is not the point the Bible makes! The key is: God has never abandoned them! Jesus made this clear in John 15:5 ESV:

⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus is the source of our life and whatever fruit we bear. But, if we combine these two sections of scripture, we get the picture that Jesus pours His spirit into the Jews and the “wild olive shoot” (the Gentiles) is grafted into the family – not by their will or action, but by God’s. And we are told that “it is not you who support the root (Jesus), but the root (Jesus) that supports you.” This is a foundational concept derived from the Old Testament. God chose the Jews to be His Chosen People, the rock upon which God would build a “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:5-6 says:

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.“

Consider the Evidence

All these promises by God are a build-up to what He will do for them in the future. Consider this:

• It was always God’s plan that the Jews would be rebellious, because that would show their humanity.
• It was always God’s plan that the Jews would fail to keep the Law, because that would open up their need for Jesus.
• It was always God’s plan that the Jews would reject Jesus, because that would open up the Gospel message to the whole world (the Gentiles).

Finally,

• It was always God’s plan that the Jews would return to prominence in the End Times. They have unfinished business that must be completed before God can reunite the Jews and the Gentiles. The Bible talks about the “Time of the Gentiles” and the “Time of the Jews.” Each has a specific job to do. Currently, we are in the “Time of the Gentiles,” but soon, it will be time for the Jews to finish their work. Once everyone has done their job, God can reunite us all into one happy family, all worshipping the same God – including God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This new unity is spoken of in Revelation 22:3 ESV:

³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

If you have a hard time processing all this, look at what the Apostle John said in his prophetic book, Revelation (Some of which we’ve covered and some not):

• 144,000 Jews will mysteriously appear in the middle of the Tribulation (Chapter 7). Don’t lose sight of the irony that they appear on the heels of something called the Rapture – where Jesus comes to remove all Christians (both living and dead) from the face of the Earth. What purpose could these Jews possibly serve when the world has just lost all its Christians, and someone called the Antichrist is torturing anyone who worships anything other than himself? If you want to know more about the identity, purpose, mission, rewards, and catalyst this group represents to the world, read my blog on Broken Promises.
• In Chapter 21, John describes “a new heaven and a new earth” (Verse 1) where the holy city of Jerusalem is made new. And note this: “¹² It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.” Why would the gates of the holy city be named after the 12 tribes of Israel (the Jews) if these very same Jews had lost their favor with God?
• Finally, when heaven is having a victory celebration over the defeat of Satan, the Antichrist, and all Satan’s demons, who is there? Revelation 15:2-3 ESV says this:

² And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. ³ And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,

Ask yourself, why would they sing the song of Moses and, more importantly, who would sing this song? The implication is clear. The Jews must have some type of role in defeating Satan. Otherwise, why would they be singing the same song Moses composed to celebrate the Jews’ victory over Pharaoh? The Jews have sung this song at Passover for thousands of years! It is their way to celebrate victory over evil! (Note: To learn more about this tradition and how it relates to His plans for the Jews, click here).

Assembling the Pieces

Here’s the secret that has eluded scholars for centuries – God will not ignore His Chosen People at the final moment in the final climax of history. On the contrary, God’s entire plan has been set to prepare them for that moment! The last days on earth will be the final time for the Jews to complete their God-called mission, and make God proud!

• Exhibit #1: Their position in God’s Kingdom – they are the chosen people of God, chosen from “out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” They are the “firstborn” of His family, and “it is not you (the Gentile) who support the root, but the root (the Jews beginning with Jesus) that supports you.” Do you see the plan? Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. The one who provides life for all the family of God. The Jews are the firstborn of that family, chosen “out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” They are direct descendants. The Gentiles are grafted (adopted) into this family by the grace of God and their acceptance of His Son, Jesus. 
• Exhibit #2: Their position in redeeming the world. The Jews were called by God for three purposes. Two have been fulfilled:
  • They were called to BE an example to the world of what a people called by God would do. They succeeded insofar as they tried to obey a Law provided to them by God. They also taught that law to many cultures and civilizations they conquered along the way. Yet they failed to follow that law consistently, and in doing so, they showed the world that we needed God to come and save us.
  • They were blinded by God to the Savior they so desperately wanted to see. Yet, in doing so, they opened up the door for billions of Gentiles to see that same Savior.
  • They will ultimately be called to save what remains of the world after the Rapture, to fight the Antichrist, and to offer themselves as a sacrifice to save their lost (blind) brothers and sisters (See below for how).

There is only one mystery left to solve – What happens to all the Jews who sacrificed themselves by rejecting Jesus in their blindness, so the whole world could be saved? My vision of how God does this is both beautiful and poetic. Remember the Rapture? Just before God begins to send His angels to defeat Satan and rain all sorts of torment onto the earth, Jesus appears in the sky and raises all Christians, both living and dead, from the earth to join Him in heaven. There is now no one left on earth to bring the hope of the Gospel to those who remain. I don’t see God doing that unless He has a plan to help them. And it is at precisely this time that we see the introduction of 144,000 Jews. This is not a coincidence! But who would associate 144,000 Jews as being Ambassadors for Christ? To answer that question, allow me to paint a picture of what is happening at this very moment:

• First, we have 144,000 Jews suddenly appearing from out of nowhere. Could we possibly call such a large group, “a great army?” There is an instance where the prophet Ezekiel talked about something that sounds exactly like what could be going on in Revelation  (Ezekiel 37:4-10 ESV):

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord…” ⁹ …Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Imagine if, immediately after the Rapture, Jesus resurrected 144,000 Jews to replace the Christians He just raised into heaven. What do you think would be the reaction of those Jews as they see the flesh coming back on their bones and they feel new life coming into their lungs as they gaze on Jesus, their long-lost Messiah, orchestrating this impossible event? Do you think maybe such an experience would shake the scales from their eyes and soften their hardened hearts? Who but a Jew would be more appropriate to face the suffering that is about to hit the earth? Suffering is an old friend to them. Centuries of torment, ridicule, and hatred by the world have prepared them to face the severe circumstances that will exist in the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. (Note: If you want to learn more about this prophecy, click here for my blog on the raising of the dry bones in Ezekiel).

• Next, I can imagine Jesus briefing these 144,000 on what is taking place on earth:
  • The Antichrist has defiled the Temple of the Lord and declared himself to be God – a major insult to any Jew. This will incite them to war.
  • Jesus tells them there are only three and one-half years left to bring the last people on earth into a saving relationship with Jesus, and they are the ones called to deliver that message! This will inspire them to be diligent in preaching the Gospel.
  • Finally, Jesus tells them that he is sending them into this wilderness as their High Priest, and they will die on the battlefield as a holy scapegoat offering for the sins of their blinded ancestors so they can be forgiven for having rejected Jesus. This will humble them in the knowledge that their sacrifice will not be in vain.[3]

The Jews have one last job to do for God. They are to defend His honor, spread the Word about His saving grace to a dying world, and finally sacrifice themselves to save their fellow Jews who, through no fault of their own, rejected the very Savior they had all waited centuries to see. In one last heroic moment, these 144,000 Jews will help defeat Satan, rescue the world, and redeem the honor and eternal future of thousands of their countrymen. What a fitting end to God’s Chosen People! PRAISE THE LORD!

NOTE: These three blogs are just a summary of a much larger story told in my book. It is available in hardback, paperback, Kindle, 3D-Flipbook, and audiobook. Just click here for further details.

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This three-part series presents the essence of my book, God (still) has BIG plans for the Jews! The book explores the complete biblical case for why God has not abandoned His promises to the Jewish people—and how those promises relate to salvation through Jesus Christ.

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[1]     Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV: “⁶ “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

[2]     Exodus 4:22 ESV: “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son…”

[3]     The scapegoat offering was conducted once a year, and only the High Priest could perform the ceremony, which involved placing his hands on the scapegoat’s forehead to “release” all the sins of the people into the goat, then releasing the scapegoat into the wilderness. It’s the only sacrifice the Jews did that covered all the sins of the people in one act. In Revelation, Jesus places a mark on the forehead of each one of the 144,000. That mark is the sign of the Father and of the Son. How much more symbolic could this act be?