The Israel Of The Flesh Disowned

THE KEY POINT OF THIS SECTION: If Israel of the flesh was disinherited by God, then Christ and His followers are now God´s true heirs.

What does the Bible say?

Here is something very interesting -- In Daniel 9:24 the angel tells Daniel that, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people." What people were Daniel´s people? The Jews, right? The angel was telling Daniel that the Jews would have a grace period of 70 weeks. A week consists of a group of 7 days, so another way to think about 70 weeks is to think of 70 groups of 7 or 70 x 7 which equals a total of 490 days. If each day represents one year then 490 days would equal 490 years. God was going to forgive them 70 x 7, and then if they continued to turn from Him, their grace period, as a nation, would expire. Now notice Matthew 18:21 & 22 below. How many times was Peter instructed to forgive his brother that had sinned against him?

Matthew 18:

    21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

    22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Peter was to forgive his brother 70 x 7, which is exactly the number of years that God had given the Jews. Think about this parallel for a minute. Many people believe that the 70th week of Daniel 9 has been separated from the other 69 and is yet to be fulfilled. Was Peter to forgive his brother 69 x 7 and then go for many years not forgiving his brother before resuming to forgive him the last 7? This would not make any sense, and neither does it make good sense to think that the period of time given to Daniel´s people would be broken up.

Did Christ give an indication that Israel´s time was short? Yes, I believe He did. Let´s look at several hints that Christ gave.

Luke 19:

    41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

    42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes.

    43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

    44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Christ´s prediction of no stones left on another came true in A.D. 70 when the temple burned melting the abundance of gold that was within. Afterwards the soldiers pried the stones apart to get the gold that had run into the joints.

Christ told several stories that represented literal Israel. In the following story there are two sons, one representing Israel in the flesh and the other representing spiritual Israel. Christ told the chief priests and elders that "the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

Matthew 21:

    23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

    28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

    29 He answered and said, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went.

    30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not.

    31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

    32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Then Christ told another story which illustrates the experience of the Children of Israel with the prophets and Christ, God´s own Son, who they killed.

Matthew 21:

    33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

    34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

    35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

    36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

    37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

    38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

    39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

The slaying of the householder´s son was a prediction of what "the chief priests and the elders of the people" were going to do to Christ. By asking them what should be done to the "husbandman" Christ was setting them up to pronounce their own sentence. Notice their reply in Verse 41, they said that God should destroy the wicked men (ancient nation of Israel) and give the responsibility of the vineyard to another husbandmen (the gospel commission to spiritual Israel).

    40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

    41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

    42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lords doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

Christ then plainly told them that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to another nation (the nation of spiritual Israel).

    43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Christ told a third story which further illustrated the fate of Israel in the flesh.

Matthew 22:

    1 AND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

    2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

    3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

    4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

    5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

    6 And the remnant took his servants, and intreated them spitefully, and slew them.

    7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

This literally happened in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the city and the sanctuary. Thus the Israel in the flesh rejected the invitation. Then Christ goes on to foretell the invitation going out to the Gentiles and the Jews which accepted Christ (spiritual Israel).

    8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

    9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

    10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Then Christ gives His final sorrowful words to His chosen people.

Matthew 23:

    37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.

    38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

    39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Christ knew that He was leaving this temple for the last time and when the disciples pointed out the beauty of the temple buildings He told them that a time was coming when all the stones would be torn down.

Matthew 24:

    1 AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

    2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

In A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed the temple, there was over one million Jews that were killed or died in the siege. Today, the Muslim Dome of the Rock stands where this glorious temple once stood. God, through Jeremiah, fore-warned ancient Israel that in spite of all the good that had been promised to them, If they did not obey Him, then He would not be able to grant those blessings.

Jeremiah 18:

    7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

    8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, (then) I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

    9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

    10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

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