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By Faith Arlen L. Chitwood
Chapter Eighteen
The Salvation of Gentiles
By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31)
There are two occurrences of the nation of Israel preparing for entrance into the land of Canaan following the Exodus from Egypt. The first occurrence was under Moses about one and one-half years following the Exodus, and the second occurrence was under Joshua forty years following the Exodus. In each instance, with the nation anticipating entrance into the land, spies were first sent in to obtain a report concerning the land and its inhabitants.
At Kadesh-Barnea, Moses, by commandment of the Lord, sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan. These twelve spies journeyed throughout the land for forty days; and at the termination of this time, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, they returned with a false report concerning Israel’s ability to enter into, conquer, and take possession of the land.
This false report by ten of the twelve spies resulted in unbelief among the people. The Israelites refused to believe that God could bring to pass that which He had promised. In their unbelief, they even turned away from Moses and sought to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt.
Consequently, God caused this nation, which had “murmured against” Him, to remain in the wilderness, outside the land of Canaan, for thirty-eight and one-half additional years. The Israelites were caused to wander in the wilderness until every single individual in that unbelieving generation, “twenty years old and above . . . except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun,” had died (Numbers 13, 14).
At the termination of the complete forty years, with a new generation on the scene, the Lord spoke to Joshua saying,
Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them — the children of Israel. . . . . (Joshua 1:2ff)
This new generation under Joshua was about to move forward at the point where the former generation under Moses had failed. This time though, rather than twelve spies, only two were sent into the land, to “view the land, especially Jericho.”
And, following their surveying the land, these two men returned to the camp of Israel with a true report concerning the ability of the Israelites, under God, to enter into and take the land from the nations dwelling therein:
And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.” (Joshua 2:24)
Faith and Works
The two spies sent into Jericho prior to its destruction were provided with lodging in the house of Rahab the harlot, which was located on the city wall. Rahab hid the spies, and she then helped them escape from Jericho by letting them down through a window on the outside of the wall with a “scarlet cord.”
Two things account for the inclusion of this incident at this point in Hebrews chapter eleven — Rahab’s faith and the sequence of events connected with her faith.
1) Rahab’s Faith
Rahab, a Gentile, alienated from God (Ephesians 2:12), believed that which God had revealed far more readily than the generation of Israelites who, with God dwelling in their midst, fell away at Kadesh-Barnea. Rahab’s response to the two spies constitutes one of the great confessions of faith recorded in the Word of God:
. . . I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2:9-11)
Rahab heard that which God had done, she then believed that which God had done, and she believed, as well, that the same thing was about to happen to Jericho and its inhabitants.
2) The Sequence of Events — Type, Antitype
Rahab was a Gentile saved out of the destruction of Jericho by and through the instrumentality of two Israelites sent to her house. The destruction of Jericho in Hebrews 11:30 typifies, foreshadows, the coming destruction of the present world system; and the salvation of Rahab, by faith, out of this destruction in verse thirty-one typifies, foreshadows, the salvation of Gentiles, by faith, out of the coming destruction. The salvation of Gentiles out of the coming destruction, as in the type, will be effected by and through the instrumentality of Jewish messengers proclaiming the salvation message.
Rahab “received the spies with peace.” She believed the Word of God surrounding their journey. And it is evident from Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25 and the account in Joshua 2:1-24 that Rahab’s reception and treatment of the spies was the result of her faith.
The king of Jericho sent men to Rahab’s house in search of the spies, but she hid them and sent the king’s men elsewhere. Thus, the two spies experienced protection at the hands of Rahab; and Rahab later experienced deliverance from the destruction of Jericho because of her treatment of the spies, based on her faith — the result of her believing that which God had done, knowing that which God would yet do.
During the latter half of the Tribulation, 144,000 Jewish evangels will carry God’s message to the Gentiles throughout the earth. These Jewish evangels will minister to Gentiles worldwide during a time when no man will be able to “buy or sell,” save he possesses “the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:17).
These individuals will be as the two Israelites in Jericho — within a world system about to be destroyed, with the king of this system (Antichrist) seeking their destruction. The only place they will be able to find lodging and safety will be at the hands of those typified by Rahab. Saved Gentiles in that day (having previously been reached by the 144,000) will befriend these Jewish witnesses because they, as Rahab, will believe the Word of God surrounding their ministry and the impending destruction.
The position that these Gentiles will occupy relative to the ministry of the 144,000 during the Tribulation is clearly brought out in the account of the judgment of the nations (the judgment of Gentiles) in Matthew 25:31ff. This judgment will occur following Christ’s return and has to do with the saved Gentiles’ treatment of the Jewish people during the Tribulation, evidently not just the 144,000 Jewish evangels but all of the Jewish people.
The entire nation during this time will find itself subjected to the most intense attack ever perpetrated against the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism at any point throughout the 3,500-year history of this nation will pale by comparison to that which will exist under the reign of the future Assyrian.
(Two-thirds of the Jewish population of the earth will die during this time — between nine and ten million Jews, by a current count of the world’s Jewish population [Zechariah 13:8, 9]. Then, beyond that, well over fifty percent of the remainder of the earth’s population will die during this time [cf. Revelation 6:8; 9:15, 18; 11:13; 13:15].
This death and destruction will occur mainly during the last half of the Tribulation, during the last three and one-half years of this seven-year period. The Third Reich in Germany, over a seven-year period [1939-1945], had trouble disposing of the bodies of six million Jews. Think how it will be in that coming day with the numbers considerably above that and the time cut in half, along with the millions [actually, billions] of Gentiles who will die during this time as well.
Only one word could possibly come to mind — inconceivable. But it will happen. Scripture so states.
A man such as the world is about to see — the future Assyrian — will not come cheap. A price will have to be paid. And the preceding is only part of that price.
By comparison, Hitler, leading the Third Reich, is reputed to have been responsible for the death of fifty million, and he also left a nation and much of a continent in ruins.
The man about to appear though, with death and destruction following in his wake [Revelation 6:1-8], will leave billions dead and a world in ruins.)
The Son of Man, following His return, will sit upon “the throne of His glory”; and all the saved Gentiles coming out of the Tribulation will be gathered before Him. Scripture, using an illustration and metaphors, states that they will be separated, “as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” Those designated as sheep will be placed on His right hand, and those designated as goats will be placed on His left hand. And that which is seen in view in the text is either realizing or not realizing an inheritance in the kingdom, not eternal life or eternal damnation.
The entire basis for decisions and determinations rendered at this judgment, as clearly revealed in the passage, will be the Gentiles’ previous treatment of Christ’s “brethren” (the Jewish people) during the Tribulation (Matthew 25:35-40), as the revealed reason for Rahab’s deliverance from the destruction of Jericho centered on her previous treatment of the two Jewish spies in Jericho (Joshua 6:25). And, Rahab being saved out of the destruction of Jericho is seen to have the same end in view as those placed on Christ’s right hand at the judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 — entering into and occupying a place within the theocracy.
(For additional information on Matthew 25:31-46, refer to the author’s book, Prophecy on Mount Olivet, Chapters 22-24.)
As Rahab’s treatment of the two spies in Jericho was based on faith, so will the treatment accorded the Jewish people by the Gentiles during the Tribulation be based on faith. Rahab acted “by faith,” and so will Gentiles who befriend the Jews during the Tribulation (e.g., acting on the basis of God’s statement in Genesis 12:3).
“Faith” cannot exist apart from the Word of God, for “faith” is simply believing that which God has revealed about a matter. That’s why,
. . . faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Then there is the great indispensable relative to faith: Without faith “it is impossible” to please God (Hebrews 11:6). If one would please God, he must act “by faith.” There is no alternate way.
God simply does not act apart from His Word, for that would be acting apart from Himself, an impossibility (cf. John 1:1, 2, 14).
(There are two parts to the type having to do with Rahab in the book of Joshua. One part has to do with the scarlet cord that Rahab used to allow these two men to escape, which deals with teachings pertaining to eternal verities [the scarlet cord pointing to death and shed blood]; and the other part has to do with events surrounding Rahab and the two spies and with the subsequent destruction of Jericho, which deals with that which will occur at the end of Man’s Day, with the Messianic Era in view.
Thus, the type deals with a complete panorama of events, showing not only how man is saved but why he has been saved. And this would be in complete keeping with the way salvation is presented at any point in Scripture. A person has been saved for a purpose, which has to do with the kingdom, the theocracy.
Rahab’s salvation, deliverance, was with a view to the destruction of a center for Gentile power of that day and the subsequent establishment of the Jewish people in the land within a theocracy. And that same purpose and end relative to salvation is seen anyplace one views the subject in Scripture.
First and foremost, matters revolve around the Jewish people. God works through this nation, with a view to the welfare of all the other nations of the world. The conversion and restoration of the Jewish people must occur first. The destruction of Gentile world power must follow. Then, Israel must be reestablished in the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, within a theocracy.
Apart from the preceding there can be no future theocracy, with the nations being ruled by and blessed through Abraham and his Seed. This is why Satan has expended such efforts over the past 2,600 years as he has sought, by and through any means possible, to destroy this nation. This is also why such a heavy price will be paid during the coming Tribulation, for the whole of all matters will center on Satan’s final efforts to destroy Israel. Satan will know that his time is short; he will know that the end of the matter is at hand; and he will also know that he must either wholly succeed or suffer eternal judgment. No middle ground exists.)
The Message Concerning the Kingdom
The message that will be carried to the ends of the earth by the 144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation, in Matthew 24:14, is called the “gospel of the kingdom.” The gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed to Israel in time past, but it is not the gospel presently being proclaimed to Christians. The facet of God’s message having to do with the kingdom, which is presently being proclaimed, is called the “gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NKJV/ASV).
However, following the removal of the Church, the gospel of the kingdom will once again be proclaimed. The ministry of the gospel of the kingdom has been committed to Israel, not the Church. This message was proclaimed by Jews during the years immediately preceding the present dispensation, and it will be proclaimed by Jews once again during the years immediately following the present dispensation.
All facets of the message concerning the coming kingdom must be understood in their proper framework if one is to have a correct understanding of and due appreciation for that which God has done, is doing, and is about to do. And to properly understand this message in relation to the salvation of Gentiles during the Tribulation and the Millennium that follows, one must understand the overall message as it has existed in the past, as it presently exists, and as it will exist in the future. Thus, the remainder of this chapter will center on the past, present, and future proclamation of the good news concerning the coming kingdom as it has to do with the Jews, the Christians, and the Gentiles.
1) The Kingdom Offered to Israel — Past
Almost 2,000 years ago John the Baptizer appeared to Israel as the forerunner of Christ with the message,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:2)
After John was imprisoned, Jesus began to proclaim this same message. He then commissioned His twelve disciples to carry this message, and He later also commissioned seventy other disciples to carry this message as well.
The gospel of the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, the twelve, and the seventy was a message directed only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”; and the message was accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles (Matthew 4:12ff; 10:1ff; 15:24; Luke 10:1ff).
The signs, wonders, and miracles that accompanied the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom were visible manifestations of future conditions in the kingdom (Isaiah 35:5, 6), and, by and through this means, constituted the credentials of these messengers to Israel (Acts 2:22).
The kingdom offered to Israel was “the kingdom of the heavens,” not the kingdom covenanted to David. The “kingdom of the heavens” is simply the rule of the heavens over the earth. The governmental structure of this kingdom is located in a heavenly sphere, the subjects of this kingdom are located in an earthly sphere, and the kingdom itself is worldwide in its scope, “under the whole heaven” (Daniel 2:35; 7:27).
The present existing kingdom of the heavens is under the control of Satan and his angels, who reside in the heavens. These “principalities” and “powers” are referred to in Scripture as “world-rulers of this darkness” (literal rendering from the Greek text). These are world-rulers, existing apart from light (other than a pseudo form of light [2 Corinthians 11:13-15]), governing a world that is itself in the grip of spiritual darkness — the Gentile nations, apart from God (Ephesians 6:12; cf. Ephesians 2:12; 5:8).
Angels under Satan, holding various positions of power in this heavenly realm, govern the earth through men who hold various positions of power in the earthly realm. The breakdown of governmental powers among men on earth has its counterpart in a parallel breakdown of governmental powers among angels in the heavens, where the main controlling power lies.
Although “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,” establishing and removing rulers and nations (Daniel 4:17, 25, 26, 32; cf. Genesis 10:32; Exodus 15:1ff; 17:14; Ezekiel 28:14-19, 38, 39), the kingdom of this world is presently in the hands of sinful man under the dominion of the incumbent messiah and his subordinates — Satan and his angels. The entire structure, under Satan, is a rule of darkness within a kingdom where darkness reigns supreme (Colossians 1:13). And the governmental structure of the earth will remain in this fashion until the completion of Man’s Day.
Satan’s present rule extends over all the Gentile nations, but this rule does not include Israel. Israel is not to be “reckoning itself among the nations” (Numbers 23:9). The prince over Israel is “Michael,” an angel governing Israel’s affairs directly under God, apart from Satan’s rule (Daniel 10:21; cf. vv. 12-20).
Israel is God’s firstborn son, a special creation of God called into existence to rule upon this earth at the head of the nations (Exodus 4:22, 23; 19:5, 6; Isaiah 43:1). Israel’s calling centers primarily on earthly promises and blessings. Although Israel was in possession of heavenly promises and blessings in Old Testament times (Genesis 22:17), the nation’s primary interest lay within her earthly calling — within the promises and blessings bound up in the covenants. Consequently, when Christ offered the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, the leaders among the people were not interested, and the proffered kingdom was rejected.
2) The Kingdom Offered to Christians — Present
Following Israel’s rejection of the offer of the kingdom of the heavens, this kingdom was taken from Israel, and the Church was subsequently called into existence to be the recipient of that which Israel rejected (cf. Matthew 16:18, 19; 21:43; 1 Peter 2:9, 10).
Whereas in Old Testament times God had an earthly people who were in possession of both earthly and heavenly promises and blessings, today He has both an earthly people and a heavenly people in possession of these same promises and blessings.
“Israel,” God’s earthly people, remains in possession of all the earthly promises and blessings (associated with the nation’s present position as God’s firstborn son), which will be realized in the coming age; and “the Church,” God’s heavenly people, is presently in possession of all heavenly promises and blessings (associated with the Church’s coming position as God’s firstborn son), which will also be realized in the coming age.
Israel will yet realize her God-ordained status for which she was called into existence, separated from Egypt, and directed toward a land previously given to this nation by and through an unconditional covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In order for this to transpire, Israel must be placed back in the land designated by the Abrahamic covenant, elevated to a status above all nations, and dwell in the land under a theocratic governmental structure with her Messiah dwelling in the midst of the nation.
Israel, however, in this future position, will realize no heavenly promises and blessings, for these have been forfeited and are in possession of the Church. And the Church, as Israel, is yet to realize her God-ordained status for which she was called into existence.
Christians have been called to separate themselves from the world and journey toward another land, typified by Israel’s separation from Egypt and her journey toward Canaan. Canaan had to do with an earthly inheritance lying before the nation of Israel, and the antitype has to do with a heavenly inheritance lying before Christians.
The ones standing in the way of the Israelites going in and possessing the earthly land were Gentile nations dwelling in that land, ruling under Satan and his angels in the heavens; and the ones standing in the way of Christians going in and possessing the heavenly land are fallen angels dwelling in that land, ruling the earth through the Gentile nations.
The Israelites were to conquer (overcome) the inhabitants in the land of their inheritance. Israel’s warfare was earthly, but the Christians’ warfare is “not against flesh and blood.” Rather, the Christians’ warfare is “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [‘against the spirit forces of wickedness in heavenly places’ (an expression describing and locating the previously mentioned ‘world-rulers,’ i.e., the ‘principalities’ and ‘powers’)]” (Ephesians 6:12).
Just as surely as Caleb, Joshua, and the second generation of Israelites moved in and possessed the land of their inheritance, so will overcoming Christians one day move in and possess the land of their inheritance. The incumbent rulers, as in the type, are to be put down; and Christ with His co-heirs (who will then be His bride) are to dwell in that land in their stead, exercising a rule from the heavens over the earth.
In that day the governmental structure within both the earthly and heavenly spheres of the kingdom will be in harmony with Matthew 6:10:
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
(Note the prominent place these words occupy in what could be termed the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. We are to pray, “In this manner”; and the very first petition set forth immediately following “Hallowed be Your name” is “Your kingdom come . . . .” We are to pray concerning the coming kingdom; we are to pray concerning that time when a transfer of power will be effected, and righteousness — in heaven, and on earth — will be the order of the day.
The will of Satan with his angels, exhibited in the heavens, is presently being manifested on the earth, contrary to the will of God. But in the coming kingdom — with a change in administration — the will of Christ with His bride, exhibited in the heavens, will be manifested on earth, in perfect keeping with the will of God.
Are you looking for “change”? If so, bide your time and pray in accord with Matthew 6:9-13. Note Matthew 6:10 again. “Change” will occur only when the kingdom of Christ has been established on earth, not before.
In short, save time and possibly a lot of expended energy: See it God’s way!)
The gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed during the earthly ministry of Christ when the offer of the kingdom of the heavens was extended to Israel, but such is not the case with the offer of this same kingdom presently being extended to Christians. The King is absent, and the kingdom can no longer be proclaimed as being “at hand.” The present time (the present dispensation) is the day of the proclamation of the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of the Glory of Christ. An individual is to hear the good news pertaining to the grace of God first; then, he is to hear the good news pertaining to the Glory of Christ.
a) The Gospel of the Grace of God
Key verses for this gospel are John 3:14-16 and Ephesians 2:8, 9. This is the good news that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). This is a message for the unsaved alone.
God requires shed blood to atone for sin (or, as with the blood of Christ, to do away with sin). God’s Son has paid the price, shedding His own blood, at Calvary. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” the Son of Man has been “lifted up.” And God is satisfied with the finished work of His Son and the price that His Son has paid.
As a result — because the Son of Man has been lifted up, because he has died and shed His own blood at Calvary — John 3:15, 16 reveals that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
And man cannot possibly add anything to that which God’s Son has already paid in full. This is the reason we read in Ephesians 2:8, 9,
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Salvation is free for fallen man only because Someone has paid the price — a price that God required, and a price that fallen man could not pay. Your salvation and my salvation cost plenty. This salvation cost the death of God Himself, in the person of His Son, at Calvary. The very blood of God was shed to purchase our salvation (Acts 20:28).
A present tragedy in Christian circles is the light regard many have for the salvation that we presently possess merely because it didn’t cost us anything.
And the tragedy for those in the world is the fact that God, in the person of His Son, has already paid the full price for their salvation, and this salvation is being spurned.
b) The Gospel of the Glory of Christ
Key verses for this gospel are 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 and 1 Timothy 1:11. This is the good news concerning the Glory of Christ that will be revealed in the coming age. This is a message for the saved alone.
The words “glorious gospel” in the KJV of 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Timothy 1:11 should be translated “gospel of the Glory.” This gospel was committed to the Apostle Paul, and is, on several occasions, called “my gospel,” i.e., Paul’s gospel (Romans 2:16; 16:25; 2 Corinthians 4:3).
Shortly after his conversion Paul was take into the Arabian Desert, Christ personally appeared to him, and evidently spent approximately three years instructing Paul in matters concerning this gospel (Galatians 1:11-18).
The gospel of Glory has to do with “the mystery” that was revealed to Paul while he was with Christ in the Arabian Desert (Ephesians 3:2-12). A mystery concerns a truth dealt with in the Old Testament but not yet fully opened up and revealed. It is often taught that the Church is the mystery, but this is true only if one views the Church in its true sense — a called out group, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, synonymous with the bride of Christ.
Only in the gospel of the Glory of Christ does one find the heirship (v. 6), and the unsearchable riches of Christ (v. 8). The salvation that we presently possess, associated with the gospel of the grace of God, is not an inherited salvation. According to Scripture our inheritance can be forfeited, but not our eternal salvation. Nor does the gospel of grace involve the unsearchable riches of Christ, but, rather, the shame, suffering, and humiliation of Calvary.
God has visited the “Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14), and the mystery concerns the fact that God has accorded these Gentiles (now Christians) the same privilege He has accorded believing Jews (now Christians). They have both become part of the body of Christ. God has broken down the “middle wall of separation,” creating one new man “in Christ” (Ephesians 2:14, 15).
And the offer has been extended to individuals comprising this one new man — apart from any distinction between believing Jews and believing Gentiles — to have a part in the Son’s inheritance as joint-heirs with the Son in the coming kingdom when His Glory is revealed for the entire universe to behold.
3) The Kingdom Offered to Gentiles — Future
Israel was called into existence to be Jehovah’s witness to the ends of the earth, but Israel refused to go. Israel was subsequently set aside, and another nation was called into existence to carry this message. This other nation is the one new man, the new creation “in Christ.”
But Christians, as a whole, have also refused to go. And following the removal of the Church, God will turn once again to Israel. Israel will then go to the Gentiles in numbers and in a manner that the Church has never been able to approximate — first by a first fruit of the nation during the Tribulation (the 144,000 Jewish evangels) and then by the main harvest during the Millennium (the entire converted and restored Jewish nation).
a) The 144,000 during the Tribulation
Israel’s national conversion will occur when Christ returns to the earth, and the nation’s completion of God’s purpose in her calling will follow this time (Isaiah 43:9-12; cf. Romans 11:26, 29). However, before the time of Israel’s national conversion, but following the present dispensation, a segment of the nation — referred to as the “first fruits [lit., ‘a first fruit’] to God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4) — will be converted and go forth as God’s witness. Those comprising this first fruit out of the nation are identified as the 144,000 (v. 3), synonymous with the 144,000 of chapter seven, who will carry God’s message to the ends of the earth prior to the conversion and ministry of the entire nation. Thus, “the 144,000” will bear witness during the Tribulation, preceding the witness borne by “all Israel” during the Millennium.
The message of the 144,000 will be the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 24:14), for the kingdom can then once again be proclaimed as being “at hand.” Results of the ministry of the 144,000 are described as “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues . . . .” (Revelation 7:9). These individuals though are only the ones martyred for their faith during the Tribulation (vv. 13-15; cf. Revelation 13:15; 20:4). There will also be an innumerable multitude of saved Gentiles who escape martyrdom and come out of the Tribulation alive. These will comprise the Gentiles appearing at the judgment seen in Matthew 25:31-46.
Gentiles who are saved under the ministry of the 144,000 and suffer martyrdom will be accorded the privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ “a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4, 6; cf. James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). These individuals will have “all tears” wiped from their eyes, something not said of everyone until after the Millennium (cf. Revelation 7:17; 21:4).
Those placed on Christ’s right hand in Matthew 25:31-46 (saved Gentiles who survived the Tribulation, having previously ministered to the Jewish people during this time) are seen being dealt with in a similar manner. These will hear the Lord say,
Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34)
Those placed on Christ’s left hand (saved Gentiles who survive the Tribulation as well, though not having previously ministered to the Jewish people during this time) will be dealt with in an opposite respect. And they, consequently, will realize no inheritance in the kingdom. These will hear the Lord say,
Depart from me [relative to the kingdom and realizing an inheritance therein, not relative to eternal life; the latter can be viewed only in an opposite respect to the former, back in v. 34] . . . . (Matthew 25:41)
Israel, converted and restored, will be placed at the head of the nations, with their Messiah in their midst, seated on David’s throne. Unsaved Gentiles surviving and coming out of the Tribulation will then form the nations over which Israel will exercise supremacy, as well as forming the Gentile nations that a converted Jewish nation will go forth to reach with the message of the one true and living God. And Christ, with His bride, will also rule from the heavens over the earth, a rule that will include the numerous Old Testament saints who looked beyond the earthly inheritance to a heavenly inheritance, along with apparently certain Tribulation saints as well.
b) The Entire Nation during the Millennium
Then, the salvation of Gentiles during the Millennium, when the entire Jewish nation goes forth with the message, is graphically set forth in a type-antitype treatment of the book of Jonah.
Jonah was called and commissioned to carry God’s message of salvation to the Gentile city of Nineveh, but he refused to go and ultimately ended up in the sea (typifying Israel’s past refusal to take God’s message to the Gentiles and the nation’s resulting present position, in the sea [which has to do with both the Gentiles and the place of death], i.e., Israel is presently both scattered among the Gentile nations and seen in the place of death, exactly as Jonah in the type, for the same reason).
The time came, however, when God heard Jonah’s cry for deliverance, removed him from the sea, placed him back in the land, and re-commissioned him. Jonah then carried the message of the one true and living God to the Gentiles throughout Nineveh, resulting in their salvation.
Likewise the day is coming when God will hear Israel’s cry for deliverance, remove Israel from the Gentile nations and the place of death, place Israel back in the land, and re-commission this nation. Israel will then carry the message of the one true and living God to the Gentiles worldwide, resulting in their salvation.
The nation of Israel will not be removed from that which is typified by the sea and go forth as God’s witness until the coming age. Jonah was not removed from the sea and placed back in the land until the third day (cf. Matthew 12:40; Luke 24:21), and neither will the nation of Israel be removed from that which is typified by the sea and placed back in the land until the third day — the third one thousand-year period (Hosea 5:15-6:2; cf. 2 Peter 3:8).
As it has been set forth in the type, so shall it be in the antitype. The antitype must follow the type in exact detail. |