Israel's Judgement

Chosen Nation

The people of Israel were a chosen nation. This calling goes back to God's promise to Abraham. God promised that Abraham's descendants would be a great nation, and a blessing to all the earth.

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Gen 12:2,3).

The promise was repeated to Isaac and Jacob, and later to Moses and David. It was God's intention that Israel should be a light to the nations. He revealed himself to Israel, giving them his law to live by. He also intended Israel to pass that revelation on to the nations. Israel would demonstrate God’s laws to the nations, so that they would adopt the God’s law to obtain the blessing it brings. Israel failed. Not only did it fail the mission to the nations, it also failed to live according to God’s revelation.

Then when the Son of God came to his own people, they refused to receive him (Jn 1:11). The people of Jerusalem initially accepted Jesus, but when he refused to be their king, they rejected him. Their leaders deliberately plotted and planned his death. They chose to see him dead, rather than lose their place of authority and privilege. They organised his crucifixion, a cruel and painful death. This final act of rebellion brought the Jewish nation under the judgement of God. When the people were pleading with Pilate to crucify Jesus, he refused to take responsibility.

"I am innocent of this man's blood," he said, "it is your responsibility." All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children" (Matt 27:24,25).

The Jewish people took upon themselves responsibility for the blood of Jesus. As a result, they came under the judgement of God and placed a curse on their children.

The Bible also teaches that the Jews rather than the Romans are guilty. As Jesus was being crucified, he prayed for the Romans,

Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:24).

In this prayer Jesus was praying for the Roman soldiers. They were forgiven because they did not know what they were doing. For them, the crucifixion was part of a normal day’s work. Jesus was just another criminal. The Jews had seen Jesus preach and seen his miracles, so they knew what they were doing. His prayer did not apply to them.

Even Pilate did not really know what was going on. Jesus said to him,

You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed you over is guilty of a greater sin (John 19:11).

Jesus declared that he did not share the same guilt as the Jews. Pilate acknowledged Jesus innocence and he tried to honour him by writing a notice on the cross saying, "The King of the Jews" (John 19:19-22). Pilate sinned by putting an innocent man to death. The sin of the Jews was far worse. They knowingly put the Son of God to death, even though they had been warned in the Old Testament that this would happen (Ps 118:22; Matt 21.42).

According to the New Testament, God holds the Jews responsible for the death of his Son. On the day of Pentecost, Peter reminded the Jews that they had put Jesus to death (Acts 2:23). When preaching in the temple he said the same thing:

You handed him over to be killed and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One.... You killed the author of life (Acts 3:13,15).

Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter made it clear that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. This point is made, over and over again, as part of the apostle's preaching.

Although the Jews are a chosen race, we must not play down the immensity of this crime. Forgiveness can only come through repentance. The restoration of the Jews can only occur, if they acknowledge their history. The actions and responsibilities of their nation must be presented to the Jewish people. If we cover up their sin, we hold back their salvation. The apostles constantly reminded the Jews that they had killed the Messiah (Acts 2:23; 3:14,15; 4:10: 7:52; 10:39,40; 13:28). While this angered some, it brought others to repentance.

The rejection of Jesus placed Israel under the wrath of God. This final act completed the rebellion that had been going on for many years. Therefore, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 began the judgement of the Jewish nation.

Jesus described the destruction of Jerusalem as a great tribulation.

For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now- and never to be equalled again (Matt 24:21).

This prophecy was fulfilled. The siege and destruction of Jerusalem was a terrible experience. It was made worse by taking place at Passover time, when thousands of Jews were visiting Jerusalem. Over a million Jews died and a further two million were sold as slaves. The worst horror took place in the city prior to its final collapse, when fear and hunger drove the people to terrible violence.

Those who tried to escape were tortured by the Romans and then crucified. When the Romans finally broke through, they inflicted a terrible destruction. They smashed the walls and destroyed the buildings. Even the temple was smashed and burned. The city was then ploughed and strewn with salt. This was a terrible judgement for the Jews.  There will be future tribulation, but the "Great Tribulation" was experienced by the Jews.

The Christians escaped the destruction of Jerusalem because Jesus had warned them to escape. The Jews believed that God would keep Jerusalem safe, but Jesus warned that Christians should escape.

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city (Luke 21:15-21).

Jesus warning saved the lives of many of his followers. Although a million Jews lost their lives in the siege of Jerusalem, no Christians were killed. They had heeded Jesus warning and fled at the fist signs of the siege.

The destruction of Jerusalem was a vindication of Jesus' ministry. It was also the beginning of time of judgement for Israel. After warning Christians to escape Jesus said,

For this is a time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:22-24).

By rejecting Jesus, the nation of Israel came under the wrath of God. They would be punished by being killed or scattered among the nations. Jesus used the expression, "Times of the Gentiles", to describe this period of time when the Jews are under judgement. The season is given this name because God will no longer work through Israel, but through the Gentile church. The Times of the Gentiles continue as long as Israel is under judgement.

Jesus also taught that Jerusalem would be trampled by the Gentiles throughout this time. He was warning that the Jews would be persecuted by Gentiles. This is what has happened. The Jews have persecuted down through the ages. Their history has been one long tribulation. (This does not mean that Christians have been justified in their persecution of the Jews. The persecutions should have come from the hands of wicked men and not from God’s people.)

This tribulation of the Jews was a judgement for their refusal to accept Jesus. By rejecting Jesus, they also rejected the remedy of the cross and insisted on being treated under the old order. They committed a terrible sin and rejected the forgiveness that is available through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, their judgement can only come to an end when the wrath of God is satisfied. The Jews had more privileges than any other nation, so they will have more troubles than any other nation. They will only come to an end, when their judgement is complete.

By rejecting Jesus, the Jews also rejected the Holy Spirit. However, we can only be born again, by the power of the Spirit. By rejecting the Holy Spirit, the Jews cut themselves off from the bearer of salvation. Jesus also spoke of the Times of the Gentiles to warn that during this time of judgement, most Jews would be unable to receive the gospel. The Jews will only be converted in mass when their time of judgement has come to an end and the Holy Spirit can touch their hearts (Rom 11:25,26).

The fate of Jerusalem should be a warning to the institutional church. It cannot assume that because it has been blessed in the past, and is called the church, that it will continue to be blessed in the future. Gods blessing depends on obedience. For any disobedient organisation, time eventually runs out. God did not hesitate to destroy Jerusalem, so he will have no qualms about destroying a church that ignores his warning and persists in disobeying his word.

When the Jews came under judgement, God used (allowed) Satan to implement their punishment. God has allowed him to use the nations to chastise the people of Israel. This explains why Satan is so active in the world, despite the victory of the cross. When Jesus died upon the cross, the devil was totally and fully defeated. He was cast out of heaven (Rev 12:13) and can only continue to function on earth if he can deceive people into rejecting the gospel. However he does have one last, major, legal right on earth. Satan has had the right to execute judgement on Israel by working evil that will affect them. He has the right to use the nations to for this purpose. Furthermore, because the Jews had been scattered among the nations, he has been able to do this work in all the nations.

Therefore, whenever Satan wants to do really great evil in a nation, he incites it to attack the Jews. This gives him greater freedom to work evil. For example, Satan incited both Hitler and Stalin to attack the Jews. This enabled him to do great evil through Germany and Russia.

The rejection of Israel has given Satan a legal right to continue working in the world, despite his defeat. Because he has had this freedom work in the world, the Kingdom has not come to its proper fulfilment. Once the judgement of Israel is complete, Satan will not have this right. He will no longer be able to deceive the nations for this purpose. This is why the conversion of the Jews will bring great blessing to the world (Rom 11:12).

Although Satan launched a ferocious attack on the Jews, it was tempered by God’s mercy. God did not allow the entire nation to be killed; many were sent into exile among the nations. This proved to be a hiding place for them. Because they were spread throughout the world, Satan could not destroy them.

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth (Rev 12:13-16).

God did not intend the whole race to be destroyed, but protected a remnant. The wings of the eagle represent the Roman empire that sent the nation of Israel into exile (the desert). The Jews were spread throughout the world for both punishment and protection. Being exiled from Jerusalem was living in "a desert", but it also proved to be a hiding place for Jews.

Satan has been unable to destroy the Jews, because God intended that they be kept safe. Israel is being kept hidden in exile "out of the serpent's reach" for "a time, times and half a time", the length of the Times of the Gentiles. Although under judgement, Israel has been kept hidden throughout this season.

The events in AD 70 were only final part of this scattering and hiding process. The other ten tribes had already been scattered by the Assyrians and Babylonians, hundreds of years earlier. By Jesus time the descendants of Israel had been scattered to "every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5). They would be able to keep their separate identity for a time, but John’s prophesy was warning that they would eventually merge and be hidden among the nations. This means that most of the descendants of Israel in the world do not understand who they are. Those who live in Israel or call themselves Jews are only a small proportion of descendants of Israel. Most are still hidden among the nations. Although they do not realise who they are, they are still under the curse of Israel. This is why many families have been continuously hostile to gospel. When the times of the Gentiles are complete, this obstacle to the gospel will be gone. Their reconciliation will bring "life from death" (Rom 11:15).

As usual, Satan got things wrong. When God allowed him to implement his judgement against the Jews, he initially tried to destroy them. This explains the ferocity of the destruction of Jerusalem. He thought that by destroying the chosen people, he would disrupt God’s plan. He did not realise that the ministry of Jesus had brought in a new stage of God’s plan, when he would no longer need a chosen nation.

The destruction of Jerusalem was actually a sign that God his changed his way of working in the world. The chosen people no longer existed as a nation because Jesus was now the source of God's revelation in the world. The church became the New Israel, which is the source of God's blessing to the world. This is what Jesus had said would happen:

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit (Matt 21.43).

Because the Jewish nation failed to produce fruit, the Kingdom was given to the church.

This is clarified in the letters of Paul. He calls the church the Israel of God. He teaches that,

Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.... It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring (Rom 9:6,8).

The natural descendants of Abraham are no longer able to inherit to the promises made to Abraham. These promises now inherited by those who have faith in Christ (Gal 3:29 4:28; 6:16). Those who have faith in Christ are now the true heirs of Abraham. It is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, which makes a person a true Jew (Rom 2:27,28).

God is working in the world through the church, which is now his chosen people (1 Pet 2:9). The promises made to Abraham will be fulfilled through the church, the New Israel. In Psalm 45:16 when God is speaking to Jesus, he says,

Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.

Christians are the sons of Jesus. They will take the place of his fathers, who are the Jews. God is saying that the church will take the place of the Jews. They will rule as princes, alongside Jesus.

Jacob saw this when he gave a prophecy about each of his sons. Speaking of Judah he said,

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his (Gen 49:10).

This is what happened. David and his descendants were from the tribe of Judah. They ruled over Jerusalem, but Jesus was the one to the sceptre rightfully belonged. Once he came, Judah would cease to rule and Jesus kingdom would begin to extend over the whole world. The kingdom of Israel would come to and end, and the kingdom of God would begin.

The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus brought about a dramatic change in the purposes of God. Israel is no longer the chosen nation. God will now work through the New Israel, which is chosen out of all the nations of the earth. The kingdom will no longer be confined to Israel, because God has extended his rule of salvation in the all the world. God no longer rules through the king in Jerusalem, because Christ will be ruling from heaven. The kingdom of Israel is replaced by the kingdom of God. God stopped dwelling in the temple in Jerusalem (he had probably been away for a while). Instead, the Spirit dwells in the church wherever it is throughout the world.

The Times of the Gentiles have continued for nearly 2000 years. Despite severe judgement in fulfilment of the law, the Jews have refused to repent and submit to Jesus. They have continued to grieve the Holy Spirit by rejected the gospel and salvation of Jesus. These sins have continued to fill up the bowl of wrath that is over them. The law says that any nation that refuses to be corrected will be punished seven times over for it s sins. This is exactly what has happened to Israel. The judgement of the Jewish people, which began in AD 70 will continue as long as they refuse to acknowledge Jesus. There is currently no evidence of widespread repentance in Israel. This means that their troubles will continue into the future.

Some Christians may feel that is unfair that modern Israel should suffer for sins that occurred two thousand years ago. However, they do want Israel to benefit from a promise of blessing made to Abraham four thousand years ago.  We cannot have it both ways. If the people modern Israel are to inherit the promise to Abraham, they must also inherit the curse earned by their forefathers who crucified Jesus. The promise and the curse come through the same family line. Before Israel cannot inherit the blessing of Abraham, they must acknowledge the sins of their fathers who rejected Jesus.

Return to Israel