preterism – The Core of the Bible

Titles for God’s people: the Remnant and the Elect

What do the terms remnant and elect mean, and to whom do they apply?

Core of the Bible podcast #126: Titles for God’s people – The Remnant and the Elect

As I mentioned last time, we are currently doing a little miniseries on the titles for God’s people. Over these few episodes, we are looking at the following terms in some detail: believer and Christian, the Remnant and the Elect, the Church and the Body, and the Bride of Christ. These are all terms that by most accounts are considered synonymous and applicable to the people today who claim to believe in Messiah. However, I intend to look at scriptural reasons as to why I believe this is not the case, how most of those terms do not apply to God’s people today, and yet how God has worked within these various aspects of his people over the ages to accomplish specific things for the good of all.

The Remnant

Throughout Scripture, the remnant is pictured as a unique group of people who were to be a small portion of all of Israel with whom God would maintain his covenant promises. The term itself means “that which remains” or those who are “left over” or “left behind”. This demonstrates how it has never been the entire nation which was in view, but a specific portion of the nation who were to receive the inheritance.

In modern Christian theology, the idea of a remnant of God’s faithful people is usually thought to be a group of Christians who are currently remaining faithful during a period of hardship, ultimately to be culminated in the tribulation period at some future time. This comes from a passage in the book of Revelation, especially as it is rendered in the King James Version.

Revelation 12:16-17 KJV – And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Seventh Day Adventists have taken this remnant idea and even made it one of their primary points of confession.

“The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent.” – Seventh-day Adventist fundamental Belief # 13
“The remnant spoken of in the Bible is the last group of people living on the earth that God claims as His own. A remnant is exactly the same as the first piece; just so, God’s remnant, His last church, must have the same characteristics as His first church.” – Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas

Whether or not you are a Seventh Day Adventist, maybe you agree with that or perhaps you haven’t really considered it in depth, but today I would like to explore the biblical concept of the remnant and the elect and demonstrate how these terms are biblically related, and who they apply to.

So, for a quick historical background, I found that the Wikipedia entry on this topic actually provides some reasonable information to build on.

“The remnant is a recurring theme throughout the Hebrew and Christian Bible. The Anchor Bible Dictionary describes it as “What is left of a community after it undergoes a catastrophe”. The concept has stronger representation in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament than in the Christian New Testament.

“According to the Book of Isaiah, the “remnant” is a small group of Israelites who will survive the invasion of the Assyrian army under Tiglath-Pileser III (Isaiah 10:20–22). The remnant is promised that they will one day be brought back to the Promised Land by Yahweh (Isaiah 11:11–16). Isaiah again uses the terminology during Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem (Isaiah 37).

“The concept of the remnant is taken up by several other prophets, including Micah, Jeremiah and Zephaniah. In Jeremiah 39–40, the “poor people, who had nothing”,[2] who remained in Judah when the rest of its population were deported to Babylon, are referred to as a “remnant”.[3] The post-exilic biblical literature (Ezra–Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah) consistently refers to the Jews who have returned from the Babylonian captivity as the remnant.

“New Testament verses that refer to a faithful “remnant” include Romans 11:5 (“Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace”) and Revelation 12:17 (“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”). – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remnant_(Bible)

Now, to get an accurate depiction of who this remnant is, we would do best to refer back to the original scriptures that mention the remnant, and how they are pictured in the prophecies of old.

Isaiah 10:21 – The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.
Isaiah 37:31-32 – “The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For a remnant will go out from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will accomplish this.’
Jeremiah 23:3 – “I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.
Micah 2:12 – I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its pasture. It will be noisy with people.
Zephaniah 3:13 – The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies; a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make them afraid.
Zechariah 8:12 – “For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.

In these prophetic passages, we can see how this Remnant was identified as a faithful group of believing Israelites or some other title related directly to Israel (Jacob, Judah, “my flock”, this people). These are described as the people who were to receive an inheritance. The apostle Paul captures this remnant terminology in his epistle to the Romans as he quotes Isaiah:

Romans 9:27 – But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, Though the number of Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved…

Paul takes an extended prophecy from Isaiah 10 regarding a judgment upon Israel during the Assyrian captivity and applies it to the events of that first century generation. Isaiah had said only a remnant of Israel would remain faithful during a time of great destruction. Paul then takes that imagery and makes its ultimate application to his generation and the coming destruction upon Jerusalem in that day. He is explaining how much he longs for his Jewish brothers to come to understand the truth, but he knows only a portion will do so. In fact, all of Romans 9-11 is essentially a plea from Paul to God to reconsider his judgment regarding the house of Israel at large.

Romans 10:1-2 – Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation. I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Throughout these chapters, Paul concedes that the larger group of Israel is being rejected because they are clinging to their own righteousness instead of accepting God’s mercy and grace through Messiah. However, the remnant who have accepted Messiah were to be the light to the rest of the nation, and to the nations in which they had been scattered, thereby including those from among the nations. In this way, representatives from each of the tribes who had been dispersed would also be brought back to God, and in this way “all Israel”, that is, members from all of the twelve tribes, would be saved.

If you’ve reviewed the information covered in my last essay on Believers and Christians, you may recall how I mentioned the terms believer and non-believer were commonly used in the context of those within Israel: some would believe (i.e., the remnant) and others would not believe and remain faithless. This shows how a specific group within the larger population of Israel would be the group that God would “save”, that they would receive the benefits that the rest do not. Paul’s line of reasoning from here in Romans 9 then goes on through chapter 10 into chapter 11, outlining how the majority of Israel is rejected for their faithlessness, while only a portion, the remnant, will be saved by God’s grace.

Romans 11:5 – In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.

In the same way as what? Using the example of Elijah, the previous verses describe how God always retained a faithful remnant of Israel, even when it was not apparent at that time.

Romans 11:2-5 – God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life! But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal. In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.

Here Paul says there was a remnant “at the present time”. That remnant at that time was the number of faithful from among Israel and Judah, even scattered among the nations, who had placed their faith in Messiah during that generation. The rest of Israel and Judah who were apistos or not faithful were the majority from which the faithful remnant was distinguished. All of this took place in the days of the apostle Paul during the first century.

The Diaspora

In Paul’s day, Jews had remained scattered throughout the known world due to their previous captivities of both the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. This can be evidenced from the list of locations that are described for us in Acts 2, when Jews from all over the known world had returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. As the disciples were filled with God’s Spirit and began to preach to all of them about the work of Messiah, a miraculous event of language translation took place:

Acts 2:8-11 – “How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.”

All of these place names that may sound strange to our ears today were locations spread out throughout the known world at that time. Notice how Jews had been living in all of these areas, and how God was miraculously drawing a faithful remnant to himself from all of these distant areas. In fact, the text tells us that three thousand from among those various locations became believers in Messiah that day. Peter, speaking to thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks speaks to them directly, saying:

Acts 2:39-41 – “For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” With many other words [Peter] testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation! ” So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

God was gathering up the remnant of the faithful Jews and their children from where they had been scattered “afar off” and was calling them to himself. In this way, “all Israel”, that is, representative believers from every tribe, was saved in that generation. The later missionary journeys of the apostle Paul and other disciples only added to this growing group of restored Israelites.

Because this restoration of those estranged tribes was based on faith in Messiah and not just on lineage or ancestry, many converts and “God fearers” (that is, non-Jews who accepted the truth of Yahweh and the Bible but had not officially converted to Judaism) also were considered by Paul to have been included in that “remnant” which was restored in that day. This is why Paul could boldly state:

Colossians 3:11 – In Messiah there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Messiah is all and in all.

Once the judgment came to pass on Jerusalem in 68-70 AD, the story of national Israel was concluded. The nation ceased to exist. The prophecies of restoration of the faithful remnant were fulfilled in those closing days before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the scriptural remnant of prophecy no longer exists today.

If we continue to maintain today that anyone who is faithful is included in the remnant, it robs the actual scriptural remnant prophecies of their fulfillment within the nation of Israel during the end of that age. So, if we are to consider ourselves to be in the scriptural remnant today, then we are saying all of those prophecies concerning the remnant have remained unfulfilled for thousands of years and God never fully reconciled his people to himself within that generation as Yeshua, Peter, and Paul had preached.

We know the prophetic perspective was describing a remnant who was to be a faithful minority within the larger nation of Israel. We know they were to be the ones who were to return to the truth of Yahweh compared to the rest of the nation. We know they were to be gathered from all the nations where they had been scattered. Likewise, we know that Messiah taught about this occurring within that generation at that point of time, and we know that the disciples were indeed faithful in reaching the rest of the scattered remnant of Israel throughout the known world with the message of the gospel of the Kingdom in that generation.

When all of these points are taken into consideration, then all of the symmetry of God’s faithfulness with his people is maintained in the fulfillment of everything he had promised them through his prophets. The remnant of that generation is the one that was saved from the disaster that came upon the nation as a whole because of its unfaithfulness, and that’s the meaningful story for the ages. That story is one that can give us confidence that Yahweh God is a God who keeps his word and is faithful to do all that he promises. It is a story that we can praise God for in the demonstration of all that he had promised. Believers today can rejoice that we benefit from the mercy shown to them that was written down for our understanding and recognition of God’s faithfulness with them.

The Elect

Closely aligned with the remnant is the term the “elect”. In New Testament usage, the elect or election appears to be synonymous with the remnant, or those through whom God would be doing a specific work.

Romans 11:5 – In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.

The word used here for chosen comes from the same Greek root phrase that is used for the elect, and Paul, speaking of events taking place at that time, says that the elect group, the group of the chosen, was the remnant. Since we just reviewed how the remnant was prophesied to be the group of faithful ones from among Israel, “the elect” then, would be another way of describing those from among Israel who were considered the faithful ones with whom God maintained his covenant relationship in that generation, and through whom God would be glorified.

This term, the elect, is doctrinally charged today because there is a whole doctrine of election or predestination which is built upon this term. However, this is not how the Bible uses the term. Predestination is not an eternal principle for individuals in the sense of some individuals are chosen by God for eternal life and others are not. That is the horror of Calvinistic-type thinking; a philosophical phantom that still haunts the halls of Christendom today.

The elect were the ones who were, as Paul says, a predestined group to believe in Messiah because all of the prophecies had foretold that would occur. Their belief in Messiah during Paul’s generation was indeed the fulfillment of those prophecies! This is why Paul could write:

Romans 8:31-33 – What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.

That’s the extent of the “predestination concept” in Scripture. Paul was confirming those remnant prophecies were coming to pass in his day. To be chosen in the sense of the elect was simply a description of active distinction of one group or individuals from others. If you were a believer in Messiah in Paul’s day, then you were a member of the elect group that had been prophesied; therefore who could come against them? It was a bold acknowledgement of prophecy coming to pass before their eyes, and a triumphant statement of hope that God would see them through the difficulties they faced during their extreme persecution in their day, because he had previously declared it to be so.

God’s plan for Israel was consummated within that first century generation, just as Yeshua had predicted that the elect would be gathered from “the four winds”, and the temple would fall before that generation all passed away.

Matthew 24:1-2, 24, 31, 34 – As Yeshua left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down …For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. … He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other…Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.”

The apostles recognized the role of the elect during those days, and that they were the recipients and participants in all that had been prophesied before:

2 Timothy 2:10 – This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Messiah Yeshua, with eternal glory.

Titus 1:1 – Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Yeshua Messiah, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,

2 John 1:1, 13 – The elder: To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – and not only I, but also all who know the truth – … The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

Notice how all of these references speak of the elect in the present tense, as the ongoing participation of the Messiah believers in those days. The term itself means those who are chosen, and since they were referred to as “his elect” or “God’s elect”, then we can understand this is a choice that God had made to distinguish this group from others.

The chosen

This concept of being chosen would not be unfamiliar to Hebrew believers, as God had previously and many times demonstrated that the entire nation of Israel had been chosen from among the nations of the world to be the ones to carry his Name.

Ezekiel 20:5-6 – …’This is what the Lord Yahweh says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of Jacob’s house and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, saying, “I am Yahweh your God.” On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

A further example of the use of this chosen concept which demonstrates how it is not a term restricted to individual, eternal salvation is how God had made a progression of choices amidst the tribe and family of David. David had been chosen out of all Israel and from among his own family to be king over Israel and Solomon to be king after him.

1 Chronicles 28:4-5 – “Yet Yahweh God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father’s family, and from my father’s sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. “And out of all my sons – for Yahweh has given me many sons – he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of Yahweh’s kingdom over Israel.

God is described here as having chosen Israel as a nation, then Judah as a leading tribe, then David’s family among that tribe, then David as king, then Solomon as king to follow him. All of these “choices” or “elections” are another way of saying those at a given time through whom God was working for his purpose and will to be accomplished. These distinctions of tribes, families, and individuals were isolated from the rest of the nations of the world and the rest of the nation of Israel as a whole because God was going to be working through these specific tribes and individuals during their lifetimes for specific purposes.

Interestingly, another way to demonstrate how this is not some kind of universal election or predestination for all eternity, one needs only to read how all of God’s “chosen” entities in this example, those who were considered “the elect”, had failed at some point. Israel as a whole did not maintain the covenant and was rejected; Judah had failed in his relationship with his father; David failed in the incident with Bathsheba; Solomon failed with corruption through his pagan wives. All these things occurred after they had been “chosen”. The concept of being elect doesn’t mean one is bullet-proof from judgment or failure for all eternity, only that one (or a group) is identified as being used for God’s specific purpose and will at a specific time.

The elect of the first century were simply those who believed Messiah and through whom God maintained his covenantal faithfulness, as contrasted with the rest or the majority of Israel which did not believe in Messiah. This was predestined to occur, being foretold, as we have seen, in all of the “remnant” prophecies.

If I was to try to create an analogy here, it’s as if God was writing a story as a novelist. His “elect” would be the main character (or characters), while all others would be supporting characters in the story he was telling. In this way, he could tell his story through his main characters, even though they were not perfect. They still had their flaws and made their mistakes, just like everyone else does, but they were the focus of the story he was telling, to the exclusion of all of the other details or people in other places that may not be pertinent to the specific story he was telling. This doesn’t mean that no one else was faithful, just that his main characters were living out the point that he was making.

Looked at in this light, the term election becomes less doctrinally charged regarding individual, eternal salvation and begins to take on its rightful meaning regarding the distinctions for specific purposes regarding the nation of Israel as a whole. It is used of those faithful believers amidst Israel through whom God’s will would be accomplished and those to whom his covenant and promises would be maintained. In New Testament application, it was because of the nation’s general disobedience and failing within the covenant (the faithless majority of Israel, the non-believers) that God then refined his chosen people to those who would believe his words through his chosen Messiah. This was a smaller group within the group, including those who had been scattered throughout the known world at that time. Once again, to my way of thinking, the symmetry of the concept is beautiful and poetic within the context of the entire Bible.

If we are to be good Bible students, we need to maintain the distinction that those who are called the elect mentioned in the New Testament writings refers specifically to those first-century believers who accepted the Messiah, both from Israel and from among the nations. Just as the remnant described those same believers, the elect is therefore its synonymous equivalent. Therefore, the remnant and the elect of biblical prophecy was consummated in the first century and no longer exists today.

Believers today

So what about believers today? If we are not to consider ourselves the remnant and we are not the elect, who are we within the biblical narrative? Have I just written us out of the story? By no means!

The apostle Paul speaks to the culmination of all of those prophecies with Israel being the very catalyst that would bring believers from all nations to Yahweh God.

Romans 15:8-9 – For I say that Messiah became a servant of the circumcised [i.e., the Jews] on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, [all of those former prophecies] and so that nations may glorify God for his mercy.

Here Paul then goes into a list of quotes from the Tanakh that demonstrate how God’s ultimate purpose in fulfilling his word to the Jews would ultimately bring people from all nations to himself:

Romans 15:9-12 – As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the nations, and I will sing praise to your name. [Psalm 18:49] Again it says, Rejoice, you nations, with his people! [Deuteronomy 32:43] And again, Praise Yahweh, all you nations; let all the peoples praise him! [Psalm 117:1] And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse [i.e., the Messiah] will appear, the one who rises to rule the nations; the nations will hope in him. [Isaiah 11:10]

Today, we are those from among all nations who have come to praise Yahweh through seeing the promises that were confirmed to Israel at the culmination of that age! We can join together glorifying God for his mercy to his people at that time which has allowed us the same access to him through faith in Messiah, just as they had, and still have to this day. Our hope today is in the same Messiah whom they trusted in faith.

This is our identity in Messiah today: no longer a small remnant within the nation of Israel, but a vast multitude of those who are the receivers of the eternal Kingdom that Messiah inaugurated! We are a rag-tag lot from among every nation and tribe, worshiping the one true God through faith in his Messiah! We are the ongoing fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham (that all nations would be blessed through him), and the promises made to ancient Israel that nations would come to worship their God, Yahweh, and that his Messiah would also rule the nations and become their hope. We are still a people fulfilling prophecy, although we are now fulfilling the prophecies that relate, not to the remnant or the elect, but to the eternal Kingdom of God!

Daniel 2:44 – “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.

Though it may at first feel strange to not be a direct participant in the story of the prophetic remnant or the elect of Scripture, it does not diminish our responsibility to this generation, and every generation into the future. The consummation of the prophecies of the elect remnant of the first century should provide us the hope and inspiration we need to know that God never abandons his faithful, and that those who choose the path of life will be provided for and ultimately be participants in his purposes coming to pass for all eternity. If he fulfilled his prophecies to the elect remnant in the first century, then he will fulfill his prophecies to establish his Kingdom over all the earth. Therefore, we should be encouraged to press on; we must continue to stay on the path of life, to be the city on the hill, the light of the world, and the salt of the earth.

We should be able to pray with the Psalmist:

Psalm 57:11 – God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.

Well, as we wrap up for today, I hope there are at least a couple of concepts and ideas to encourage you to meditate on and to study out further on your own. Next time, we will investigate another related term to this remnant and the elect, the “church”, or the assembly of “called-out-ones,” and how this term has been used in conjunction with another familiar phrase: the Body of Christ. I hope you will be able to come back and visit for more perspectives on these titles of God’s people. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

Resurrection part 3: Daniel’s “end of days” resurrection prophecy

A collective resurrection in the last days of the nation of ancient Israel would culminate not just in restoration to the land, but in eternal life.

Core of the Bible podcast #123 – Resurrection part 3: Daniel’s “end of days” resurrection prophecy

We are continuing the third essay today in a four-part series on the topic of resurrection. So far in our exploration of this far-reaching topic, we have viewed instances of individual, bodily resurrections throughout the Bible. We also looked at what Yeshua taught about all the righteous throughout the history of Israel who were still considered as alive to God, since “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). And, if you have not yet reviewed part 2 of this study, you may want to take some time do so as I laid down some foundational ideas about motifs and patterns in the Tanakh there.

Last time, we discussed the judgment/restoration motif or theme of collective resurrection, and how judgment is always mentioned in connection with collective resurrection passages. In the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel, judgment had come to pass because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the covenant of God, and God removed them from the land (the inheritance). We also saw how the language of resurrection was an indicator of restoration to the land and renewal of the inheritance. It wasn’t describing a literal rising of dead bodies from their graves; it was as if the nation were coming back to life from the dead condition of a wasteland after the preceding judgment. If those were the themes that were laid down as foundations prior to the writings of Daniel, then it makes sense to me those same principles should apply to what he wrote, as well.

So, let’s now look at the final description of a collective resurrection in the Tanakh which is written about in the book of Daniel. This passage is unique from the Isaiah and Ezekiel resurrection passages because the result of the collective resurrection that Daniel mentions has to do with not just restoration to the land, but eternal life.

Daniel 12:2 – Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt.

Interestingly, this description of a collective resurrection seems to parallel identically with the teaching of Messiah:

John 5:28-29 – “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.

I believe for us to understand Daniel better, we will need to view it together with the teachings of Yeshua. Both of these passages have a larger context which can help us gain some of these insights.

Since we are talking about the judgment/resurrection theme, let’s begin by expanding the scope of Yeshua’s statements in John 5:

John 5:24-30 – “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

Notice, as we saw last time with the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel, Yeshua’s mention of a great resurrection is in conjunction with a great judgment. This judgment is identified as death and condemnation, which are both contrasted with life. Whatever this judgment is, Yeshua explains how he is authorized by the Father to facilitate this judgment as simply a matter of carrying out the Father’s will.

Now, if we turn our attention back to Daniel’s prophecy and widen the context of that passage a little, we will see that the resurrection Daniel talks about is also connected to a great judgment:

Daniel 12:1-2 – At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since there was a nation until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will be delivered. Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt.

Notice, there would be an unparalleled time of distress in the time of Daniel’s resurrection. It would be a distress to come upon a nation, the nation of Israel, since the angel mentions it would come upon “your [Daniel’s] people”. This is where some modern translations show their bias by saying something like this time would be the worst time of destruction since “any of the nations have ever existed,” or something along those lines. But the Hebrew says “nation” singular, and the context points to Daniel’s people: Israel. So, Daniel appears to be discussing a specific destruction and judgment which would be coming specifically upon his people, Israel. This will be brought out in little bit as we widen the context of Daniel’s prophecy further.

CONTEXT FOR DANIEL’S PROPHECY

Just as we did with Isaiah’s prophecy last time, we have to remember that the original text of Scripture does not have chapter divisions, so if we are to understand the judgment and resurrection of Daniel 12, we need to find out where this particular vision of Daniel begins so we can determine if there is any mention of when this “time of distress” for Daniel’s people was to take place. In the beginning of chapter 10, we read the following:

Daniel 10:1 – In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.

This same vision of a great conflict spans all of chapters 10 and 11 and then culminates in chapter 12. Throughout the prophecy, we see that the angelic messenger hints at time markers of when in Israel’s history this vision takes place:

Daniel 10:14 – “Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.“

So here we see that this vision that Daniel has is going to be taking place to Daniel’s people “in the last days.” In chapter 11 and 12:1 and 4, we receive several more time markers:

Daniel 11:40 – “At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood.”

Daniel 12:1-4 – “At that time [the time of the end mentioned at 11:40] Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since there was a nation until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end…”

As captivating as the entirety of Daniel’s vision is, in this study we are focused on the final stage of a collective resurrection and when it was to take place. Throughout the vision this resurrection is described as being at “the time of the end”, “the last days”, “at that time”. But the last days of what? Is it talking about the last days of life on earth as we know it, or possibly something else?

If we continue reading, we see that we receive some additional information that helps to identify these last days.

Daniel 12:5-7 – Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other. One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long until the end of these wondrous things? ” Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time.When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

When was the power of the holy people (Israel) shattered “for a time, times, and half a time”? Again, we must keep in mind that this vision is all about Daniel’s people, Israel, and their history and influence within the world. As the holy people of God, those whom he set apart for himself, it seems to me to make sense that it would have to be a time when their “power” was to be shattered, destroyed and spread around, which is what the word means.

I would submit for your consideration that this shattering into pieces and dispersion occurred at the destruction of the second temple in the three and a half years between 67-70 AD (the time, times, and half a time of Daniel’s prophecy) almost two thousand years ago. At that time Jerusalem was completely destroyed, the Jews that survived were permanently removed from the land, and the temple was brought to the ground with “not one stone left upon another”. The destruction of the temple would be the final indication of “when the power of the holy people is shattered”. If Daniel’s prophecy was completed at that time, then that was the conclusive “end of the days”, the last day and the end of the age of the holy people of Daniel’s time: ancient Israel.

Daniel also mentions the great resurrection was to happen “at that time”. In reading about what Yeshua taught, we see he also discussed a resurrection on something he called “the last day”. Daniel’s “last days” and “time of the end” appear to be equated with the “last day” terminology used by Yeshua and in general understanding among the people of his day. Could these two descriptions be describing the same thing?

RESURRECTION AND THE LAST DAY

John 6:39 – “This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day.

That by Yeshua’s day there was already a general conception of this collective resurrection of the dead is evidenced by Martha as she speaks to Yeshua outside the tomb of her recently deceased brother, Lazarus:

John 11:24 – Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection onthe last day.”

I believe Martha’s statement was based on her understanding of Daniel’s collective resurrection. As we saw last time, Yeshua doesn’t correct Martha’s understanding of a collective resurrection, but simply redirects her to an understanding that he himself is the agent of resurrection: “I am the resurrection and the life”. He plainly taught that those who believed in him as the Messiah would receive eternal life, which in Yeshua’s teaching was to be equated with this resurrection life.

In John 6, Yeshua had spoken at length about this resurrection and who would be qualified to participate in it. So, since this “last day rising” seems to be a very specific teaching of Yeshua which is tied to the prophecy of Daniel, let’s take a closer look at how we should be viewing this resurrection perspective which he taught.

John 6:39-40, 44, 54 – And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” … No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. … Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

These four verses in the gospel of John make references to “the last day” that involves a “raising” of some sort as opposed to a possible “losing” of it. Verse 39 states: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” In fact, the Greek word used here for lose, apoleso, is used only in this one place in our Greek New Testaments. But it is based on the root appolumi, which can imply a type of destruction, or more accurately, a “losing of something left for destruction”. Looked at in this light, v. 39 can read in a bit more insightful way more literally rendered along these lines:

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing [to destruction] of all that he has given me, but [instead] raise it up on the last day.”

So this “all” that was given to Yeshua by God is the subject of the raising, as opposed to destruction. He then goes on to explain who it is who will make up the “all”:

John 6:40 – For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.“

In this passage, Yeshua is here proclaiming the centrality of faith in him as the Messiah as the qualifier for eternal life and this rising on the last day.Those who were to “look on the Son and believe in him” are the participants in the “all” who will be raised “on the last day”.

And this is where we come to what I consider to be a key teaching in the New Testament writings: Everyone who believed in Yeshua in that day were considered to be the true remnant of faithful Israel. That was the contingent with whom God maintained covenant: those who listened to and obeyed his word through his Messiah. That they would be “raised up” on the last day, using the language of national restoration that we learned from Isaiah and Ezekiel, sets the stage for a great restoration of some type for the believing remnant on the last day.

So, now we know from the passage in John who the “all” are who would be raised up in the last day (the faithful remnant of Israel), and we know how they are qualified for this resurrection (i.e., faith in Messiah). It now becomes natural to ask what is the possible destruction or judgment that they are saved from, and when is the “last day” when this rising was to occur. It then follows to understand what does this resurrection/restoration look like? If we return to the vision of Daniel and link his indicators to the teachings of Yeshua, I think we will find the answers to these very important questions.

THE DESTRUCTION/JUDGMENT

What was the destruction or judgment from which Yeshua was saving the faithful remnant?

Daniel 12:7 – When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

As I have already suggested earlier, the judgment that was imminent in the day of Yeshua and his disciples was the complete annihilation of the city of Jerusalem, and the removal of the temple system, both of which had become extremely corrupt. The power of the holy people was about to be shattered, once and for all time. This theme of the coming judgment was the theme of both John the baptizer and Yeshua:

Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he [John] said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? … Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. … His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.“

Matthew 4:17 – From then on Yeshua began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

This was to be a judgment on Jerusalem and Israel, not the whole world, as can be seen in the prophecies concerning the resurrection concept. Consider the following statement as Yeshua lashed out against the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes:

Luke 11:50 – …so that the blood of all the prophets [that is, the prophets of Israel], shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation…”

As we are about to explore further, the coming destruction was to be upon Israel collectively and Jerusalem specifically, in that generation. They had rejected God’s continued efforts through his prophets to bring them back to himself, yet they persisted in pursuing the idolatry of national independence over being the light to the nations as the representative Kingdom of God on the earth. Because of this, they would face the complete destruction, not only of their capital, but of the covenantal system of worship that he had provided them. They had broken the covenant by pursuing idolatry and their priesthood had become corrupt; therefore, it would no longer be a viable means of approaching God. Even so, the covenantal priestly system had served its purpose, and its culmination in producing the Messiah was its fulfillment. However, in rejecting the Anointed One of God, his very own son, they were essentially rejecting Yahweh as their ultimate King and Father, and instead they were choosing to set up their own false and idolatrous king and priesthood.

THE TIMING OF THE LAST DAY

Now that we have established what the coming destruction was, it remains for us to find out if these passages tell us when this judgment was to be poured out. The apostles, represented by Peter’s speech on Pentecost, had picked up on this judgment as a day that was to be occurring soon, within that generation:

Acts 2:40 – And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Why were the disciples so focused on that generation? Well, we can see that they were simply following the lead of their Master. A simple search of the phrase “this generation” provides many provocative verses illustrating the fact that Yeshua, along with his disciples, had an urgent sense of imminency, warning the people that this judgment would soon be carried out.

Mark 13:30 – Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Luke 21:31-32, 34 – So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. … “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

Once again, this was to be a judgment on Israel, not the whole world, as can be seen in the teachings of the apostles:

Acts 2:14-18 – Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. “For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. “On the contrary, this [what you are seeing and hearing right now] is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: “And it will be in the last days, says God, [that is, the last days of Israel, according to Daniel] that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy.”

Hebrews 1:1-2 – Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son…

1 John 2:18 – Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour.

Peter, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit, prophesied that Joel’s prophecy of the last days was taking place at that time through the pouring out of the Spirit on that day of Pentecost, and that that generation was the one on which judgment was also about to be poured out. The writer of Hebrews says “these last days”, the days in which they were living. John goes even further and says “it is the last hour”.

The destruction of that day, that last day, was to be hanging over that generation in their day, not all generations moving forward for thousands of years. The judgment that was coming upon Jerusalem and the religious system was pointed straight at that specific generation two thousand years ago, and came to pass just as Yeshua predicted when Jerusalem fell to the Roman armies in 68-70 AD; within that generation.

So, now that we have seen what was the judgment to come (the destruction of Jerusalem/temple) and when it was to take place (that generation in the first century, when the power of the holy people was shattered), what was this resurrection and restoration supposed to be?

WHAT THE FINAL RESTORATION WOULD LOOK LIKE

After relating the parable of the vineyard owner to the unfaithful chief priests and elders, Yeshua summarized its message by stating the following:

Matthew 21:43 – Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

To their shame, Israel as a whole no longer carried the Name of God, and Yahweh was beholden to renew his faithful people (the remnant who believed in Messiah) from not only Israel, but from those scattered among the nations at that time. While Yeshua said he was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24), he also knew that he would be reaching out to the scattered remnant of Israel among the diaspora. The diaspora was the dispersion of Israelites that had taken place during the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities hundreds of years earlier during the times of Isaiah and Ezekiel which we reviewed last time. Not all of the Jews had returned to Israel after those captivities; in fact there were contingents of Jewish communities all throughout the Roman empire in Yeshua’s day. Some of them, such as Alexandria and Babylon, were quite large.

John 10:16 – And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Yeshua was teaching that he would reunite these “lost tribes” with Judah once again, as was prophesied by God through Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 34:22-23 – I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 37:19, 21-24 – say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. … then say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.

This was the urgency with which the disciples preached the message of the Kingdom to that generation, and those spread out throughout the known world via the missionary journeys. The disciples had heard Yeshua issue the “Great Commission” and they ardently strove for the completion of that task.

Matthew 28:18-20 – Yeshua came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Although these passages have spurred many great missionary efforts in the centuries since that time, we read that the apostle Paul says this mission of reaching the known world was actually accomplished within his lifetime, through his ministry and the ministry of the disciples of Messiah within that generation.

Colossians 1:23 – …This gospel has been [past tense] proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Additionally, in the process of rescuing the “lost sheep” of Israel, many non-Jewish God-fearers who attended the synagogues and had learned about the God of the Hebrews would also be brought in to the faithful remnant of that generation. This is how God’s Kingdom would grow beyond the nation and scattered communities of Israel into the whole world.

Yeshua had even spoken about how some non-Jews would be in a more righteous position than the wicked Jews of his day.

Matthew 12:41-42 – “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look – something greater than Jonah is here. “The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look – something greater than Solomon is here.

This teaching implies that Yeshua’s righteous declarations from Yahweh were to be corroborated by the righteous dead from the past, and they would, in a sense, stand in agreement with his decision when judgment was to come upon Israel. Interestingly, he lists Ninevites and the Queen of the South (Sheba) as being witnesses to the righteousness of his teaching, none of whom are Israelites. It follows, then, that even those of the Gentile nations who were obedient to Yahweh and who revered his majesty would be considered righteous in God’s eyes and stand in agreement with the judgment that was about to come upon the nation of Israel.

Acts 10:34-35 – Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, “but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Paul hints at this as well:

Romans 9:30 – What should we say then? [those among] the nations who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness – namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

Romans 10:19-21 – But I ask, “Did Israel not understand? ” First, Moses said, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding. And Isaiah says boldly, I was found by those who were not looking for me; I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me. But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.

So those Ninevites who actually repented at Jonah’s preaching, and the Queen of Sheba who glorified Yahweh at the wisdom and majesty of Solomon would be in a position to condemn the Jewish leaders in Yeshua’s day because the Jewish leaders did not accept their own Messiah. These non-Hebrew God-fearers would, in a sense, “stand up” in condemnation upon all in that wicked generation who rejected Messiah. The resurrection of condemnation was upon those who rejected Messiah (those who did wicked things). However, the righteous who had obeyed and glorified Yahweh (those who have done good things) would receive eternal life because of their righteous actions.

This type of language seems to me to imply it was not a literal resurrection that is being talked about in any of these passages, but the language of resurrection is being used to illustrate an historical witness to the truth of Messiah and his teachings which would be demonstrated as judgment came to pass upon the nation of Israel in that generation.

As we have seen, the theme of resurrection is restoration to the inheritance. However, now that eternal life has entered the picture through Daniel and Yeshua’s prophecies, Israel (the righteous remnant inclusive of Messiah-believing God-fearers) is not just being restored to the land, but is being created into something new: the eternal spiritual city of Zion, their true inheritance.

ETERNAL LIFE IN DANIEL

Let’s return to Daniel again, as we need to be reminded of the main thrust of the resurrection Daniel discusses: eternal life. As mentioned earlier, this element of eternal life is what separates Daniel’s prophecy from those of Isaiah and Ezekiel that we reviewed last time. This fact, along with its specific timing and corroboration with Yeshua’s teaching places the representative resurrection/restoration of believers into the sphere of the eternal, and not just a worldly kingdom. The corrupted fleshly city of Jerusalem was about to be transformed into the spiritual city on a hill, the “true light of the world which could not be hidden,” (Matthew 5:14).

Indications given by Yeshua suggest that he is talking beyond just a national restoration to a spiritual one. He connects this resurrection on the last day with eternal life within the Kingdom of God.

John 6:40 – For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.“

That this was to be a spiritual kingdom and not a fleshly one is evidenced by the additional element of eternal life in both Daniel’s prophecy and the teaching of Yeshua on resurrection. Eternal life and principles can only be obtained in a spiritual reality, not a physical kingdom. Everything within this natural world is temporary and subject to decay.

2 Corinthians 4:18 – So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Ezekiel had said the people of Israel would be gathered as “one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel”.

Ezekiel 37:21-22 – “tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. “I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.

The truest mountain of Israel is Mount Zion, the prophetic new Jerusalem. The writer of Hebrews illustrated this contrast between Mount Sinai (fleshly Israel) with Mount Zion (spiritual Israel):

Hebrews 12:18, 22-24 – For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, … Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, and to Yeshua, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.”

Verse 23 says it is on this mountain, Mount Zion, where the “spirits of righteous people” are made perfect. I believe this is a description of the resurrection of the righteous, something which the writer to the Hebrews was saying was accomplished in that day. This could only have come to pass in a spiritual sense, and not a literal, earthly sense.

To carry this idea further, let’s look at the apostle Paul’s writings about resurrection. Yeshua had taught that his Kingdom was a spiritual Kingdom, not an earthly one. When conversing with Pilate before his crucifixion he said the following:

John 18:36 – “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Yeshua. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

In a similar sense, the apostle Paul taught that flesh and blood could not inherit the true Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 15:50 – What I am saying, brothers, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.

This shows how fleshly Israel could never become the true Kingdom of God; a transformation had to take place. He then goes on to explain the “mystery” of that transformation which was about to take place within that generation.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 – Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible [judgment will be complete], and we will be changed. For this which is perishable [national Israel] must be clothed with imperishability [the eternal Kingdom], and this which is subject to death must be clothed with immortality. When this perishable is clothed with imperishability, and this which is subject to death is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory.

We have been taught for so long that Paul is talking about individual resurrection bodies here that we have missed the “mystery” of what he is actually describing in this passage. I believe this famous passage of Paul is not describing individual resurrection, but the resurrection of the body of Israel into the body of Messiah; from old man (Adam, of the earth) to Messiah (the man of heaven); from a fleshly, corrupt nation into a spiritual, immortal entity; from old Jerusalem (earthly) to New Jerusalem (heavenly). This is what all of the prophetic pictures were pointing to and was to become the majestic culmination of the work of God in restoring his people to their true inheritance.

1 Corinthians 15:36-37 – …What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow – you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain.

Again, I believe he is not talking about individual bodies, but the seed of national Israel was planted (destroyed) only to become something much more than a seed can be. In order for the seed to sprout, it must die. However, it then nourishes and supports the growth of whatever type of plant will grow out of it.

1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 28 – For just as in Adam [the seed of Israel] all die, so also in Messiah [that which grows out of the seed] all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah, the firstfruits [fruit that comes from a seed]; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Messiah [the faithful remnant]. … When everything is subject to Messiah, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Messiah had said he would pass judgment on that generation, which was accomplished through the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman armies. In the process of destroying his enemies, the righteous dead were considered to have received their inheritance (the eternal Kingdom) jointly with the remaining living believers (i.e., the faithful remnant) who were delivered, just as he had said.

This entire process was the outworking of the the resurrection to life and the resurrection to condemnation that both Daniel and Yeshua prophesied. The resurrection of the wicked (that is, the wicked receiving their sentence) was evidenced by the destruction once and for all of the idolatrous nation, where the fruition of all past wickedness was judged in totality. This judgment is where God and his Messiah were vindicated against unfaithful Israel forever.

By contrast, the great resurrection of the righteous was the “mystery” transformation of earthly Israel into the eternal Israel, where all of the righteous from all ages would be united. The New Jerusalem, the great Zion of prophecy, would stand as an eternal habitation of those who would welcome believers in Messiah throughout all ages from that point forward.

In that generation, justice upon the enemies of God and his Messiah (the unfaithful Jews) had been completed and the eternal Kingdom was firmly established. The last days of ancient Israel was when this great judgment and resurrection took place.

SUMMARY

With the wide-ranging scope of all that we have covered in this series so far, let me see if I can somehow begin to pull some of the pieces together to summarize it.

Judgment: The prophecies of collective resurrection always occur with a theme of judgment. When Israel was unfaithful, they were destroyed and removed from the land. In the first century, this culminated in the non-believing Jews who were condemned and destroyed in the fires of Jerusalem’s destruction in 68-70 AD. The wicked dead were considered included in the judgment of that generation.

Restoration: Restoration to the inheritance is the theme of collective resurrection. There was always a faithful remnant who would become reestablished to their inheritance. In the first century, the faithful remnant of Israel (those who believed in Messiah) were collected from among the nations. The two sticks became one; the lost sheep were found. But their inheritance was no longer the physical land, but a spiritual inheritance. All of the righteous share in this inheritance.

Eternal life: The prophecy of Daniel and the teachings of Yeshua agree that a collective resurrection in the last days of the nation of ancient Israel would culminate not just in restoration to the land, but in eternal life. This life was granted to all who believed, and extended into the age to come beyond death, what Yeshua also calls the resurrection.

The resurrection written by Paul: the body (fleshly Israel) died and was resurrected into spiritual Israel as prophetic Zion. The resurrection body (of believers) grew from the seed of Israel into the eternal city on the hill, the new Jerusalem.

The spiritual and eternal nature of this Kingdom will be emphasized further in our next installment in this resurrection series as we look at the implications of the most famous resurrection in all of history: the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah.

Well, with everything we’ve covered today, I’m hoping there’s at least a couple of concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

The gospel of the present and eternal kingdom

God reigns supreme.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 – But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then — the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet; the last enemy being abolished — death. For “he has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

There is so much going on in this passage that many different ideas can be the subject of long discussions and theological treatises. However, the reason I am highlighting this passage is to discuss an unusual perspective that I have come to hold in recent years, and it has to do with the timing of these things.

When speaking of the resurrection, or being made alive, the timing has to do with Messiah’s coming. According to the timeline Paul is laying out here, he says “then — the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father…” From this, it appears that the handing over of the kingdom to the Father happens right after his coming and the resurrection of “those who are Messiah’s.” Most believers would agree with this timeline up to this point.

However, where I diverge from mainstream beliefs is that I believe that this has already happened, and that Messiah has already handed the kingdom over to the Father, and all things, including Messiah, are subject to God. All authority and power over all kingdoms belongs to God the Father and he is supreme over all even now.

Of course this raises the natural questions such as: when did this happen? Have believers already been resurrected? I think we can understand this by reviewing how he only needed to reign until his enemies were to be made “a footstool for his feet.” Who were Messiah’s enemies according to the Bible?

Luke 19:12, 14, 27 – So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and [then] return. … “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ … “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

This parable, Yeshua explains that the “nobleman’s citizens” who did not want him to reign over them were designated enemies. This parable is clearly about the Jews who refused to accept his Messiahship.

A second indicator is Paul’s discussion of the natural vs. wild branches of the olive tree:

Romans 11:14, 23, 28 – if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them … From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of [God’s] choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;

Here, Paul even says his own countrymen, the Jews, had become enemies “from the standpoint of the gospel.” The good news of Messiah reigning as God’s king was not accepted by them, and they made themselves enemies of Messiah.

So, during the time of the early believers, from Messiah’s resurrection until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Yeshua was reigning as king over his chosen people, those whom were called out from the Israelites and from the “lost” tribes among the nations. HIs enemies were those who did not believe in him, and did not want him to reign over them: the non-believing Jews.

Then came the Roman war, and judgment was enacted upon the city of Jerusalem. All of the signs Yeshua had foretold came to pass within that generation, as he had prophesied. This event destroyed Jerusalem and the temple was gone forever. His enemies were vanquished.

If his enemies were vanquished at that time, it then also means that believing saints had been resurrected just prior to the destruction of the temple. The early living believers, as Paul predicted, were “changed, – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” The perishable had put on the imperishable, the mortal had put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:52-54).

Therefore, Messiah having had retrieved his own and his enemies being put “under his feet,” that means the kingdom has been handed over to the Father and God, even now, is “all in all.” His eternal reign was and is a forever reality that people today need to become aware of and abide within. As the principles of his kingdom and his will are enacted on this earth, his kingdom “comes.” This is what Yeshua prayed for! This happens generation after generation and will continue for all time. Believers today live the kingdom here, and upon death (that Yeshua has conquered) spend eternity with him.

This is the gospel, the good news, of the present and eternal kingdom!

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Faith for those who are about to believe

God counted on visible judgment to spark belief.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 – This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Messiah Yeshua might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who [are about to] believe in him for eternal life.

This passage breaks out into two main ideas: v. 15 which relates what must have become a common saying at the time, and then Paul’s encouragement at his example of God’s mercy in v. 16.

The saying “Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners” was apparently becoming common among the believers as a general declaration of the gospel message. That Yeshua had come to save sinners does sum up this idea; however, in the context of what Paul has written, it appears that it carries an unusual sense of imminency.

This may not be readily apparent upon a surface reading, but I recently noticed that in the Greek text, the phrase that involves believing in Messiah for eternal life is prefaced with the concept of imminency: those being about to, or intending to, believe in Messiah. The literal Greek phrasing is as follows: “I was shown mercy that in me [the] foremost, might display Yeshua Messiah the perfect patience, as a pattern for those being about to believe on him to life eternal.”

It appears as if Paul is implying that something momentous in his day is about to happen that will cause many people to believe in Messiah for eternal life. When they do, they will be able to look at the experience of Paul as a pattern of how gracious God is.

My personal belief is that Paul and the apostles were aware of the impending destruction of Jerusalem as being the motivator for encouraging repentance among the Jewish congregations along with those God-fearers who were participating with them in their worship of the one true God. The urgency with which this judgment and repentance is repeated continually during the message to the scattered Israelites throughout the book of Acts demonstrates this point.

Acts 3:19-23 – “Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, “that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Yeshua, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. “Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. “Moses said: Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you. “And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people.
Acts 2:38 – Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Yeshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 17:30-31 – “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 24:24-25 – Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Messiah Yeshua. Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.”
Acts 26:20 – “Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the nations, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.

The apostles kept this repentance and judgment of God at the forefront of their understanding of the times that they were in, and in their teaching to all the people they ministered to.

Because of this, I believe Paul had a sense that when the judgment was going to be poured out on Jerusalem that many Jews and others among the nations who had heard their message would see and understand those events and would become believers in Messiah for eternal life. The righteous judgment of God upon his rebellious people would spark many at that time to place their faith in the Messiah, and in that way, “all Israel,” that is, the believing remnant inclusive of non-Jewish God-fearers, would be saved.

This is why at the end of his discourse on this concept in Romans 9-11, Paul could exclaim:

Romans 11:33-36 – Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

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