Israel

In the wake of events unfolding in the Middle East, many are wondering what the Bible says regarding the final, future salvation of Israel—and how the exigencies that we are all witnessing on our television screens right now relate to that future.

It is also common for evangelicals to raise this concern: Why should we be distressed for the nation of Israel today—when they are a people in unbelief?

To answer these questions, let’s simply consider the bookends of the coming seven-year tribulation, the 70^th week of the prophet Daniel (see Dan. 9:24-27).

On Shabbat morning, following the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, on Simchat Torah—a day set aside to commemorate the joy that flows from God’s Law—terror fell upon Israel.

God’s Israel and the Israel of God: Paul and Supersessionism,* edited by Michael F. Bird & Scot McKnight, Bellingham, WA, 2023, 188 pages, paperback.

Any book that tries to tackle the issue of supersessionism or replacement theology should expect a welcome. Of course, exactly what one means by “supersessionism” has to be addressed, and good representatives of the discussion must be chosen. Sadly, this book fails on both counts.

Read Part 2 and Part 1.

As we conclude this short series, I’d like to try to unlock the meaning of an obscure phrase, found twice within the letters to the seven churches of Revelation. which has always intrigued me. The references are quite easy to remember, as they both end in the number nine.

Christ told “the church in Smyrna” (Rev. 2:8):