ISRAEL, THE CHURCH, AND THE ETERNAL COVENANT •PART II
ISRAEL - A NATION BORN IN ONE DAY: A NEW COVENANT RESULTS IN A NEW NATION
Moving from Moses to the prophets, we can affirm that the new covenant is intrinsically connected to the Day of the LORD, which, in turn, will not come before the “time of Jacob’s trouble.”[1]
We await a glorious day — “that day” — when the survivors of Israel in Jerusalem, together with those scattered among the nations, will be rescued and transformed into a new nation, “born in one day.”[2]
The return of Israel to the land is an unprecedented miracle, and only God could have accomplished such a thing. Yet the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948 should not be viewed as the complete fulfillment of Isaiah 66:7–9. The very language Isaiah employs — birth, labor, and bringing forth — is eschatological language pointing toward the final restoration and spiritual rebirth of Israel as a holy nation.
In that day, Israel will finally be “born again” into its priestly calling and restored to its vocation of becoming a blessing to all the families of the earth.[3] The continuation of Isaiah 66 reveals that the nations will hear of the glory of the LORD and that He will establish Israel and her descendants in connection with the new heavens and the new earth.[4]
But what did we witness immediately after 1948? War, conflict, instability, and global controversy. Within one generation, Israel became not only surrounded by hostility from neighboring nations, but Jerusalem itself became a point of worldwide tension. Furthermore, Israel as a nation continues largely to walk according to the desires of its own heart. Therefore, the nation established in 1948 cannot yet be the fully redeemed nation envisioned by Isaiah at the conclusion of his prophecy.
In that coming day, the LORD will cleanse the land and remove its iniquity “in a single day.”[5] From that moment forward, there will no longer be merely a remnant within Israel, but the whole nation — “from the least to the greatest” — will know the LORD.[6] Israel will finally be preserved in holiness as a priestly nation and become an example to all peoples during the reign of Messiah over the earth.
With this in mind, we may affirm that we will finally see the fulfillment of the covenant:
I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.[7]
Israel will never again depart from the LORD. The kingdom and dominion under heaven will be given to the saints of the Most High forever.[8] Yet the beauty of this promise is that it belongs not only to Israel, but also to the Church, which has graciously been brought into the commonwealth of Israel through the Messiah.[9]
A reborn nation possesses a new heart — obedient, faithful, and alive by the Spirit of God. Israel will finally become the holy nation of the LORD. Therefore, there will no longer be the possibility of exile. The recurring sin of turning away from the commandments of God will be overcome because the new and living Spirit will rest upon every individual of this restored nation.
To remove every possible doubt regarding this glorious future for Israel, we must consider some of the passages that describe the definitive nature of this resurrected and priestly nation:
In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious… And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem.[10]
Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.[11]
And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression… My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart.[12]
Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever.[13]
Jeremiah likewise declares:
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts… For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.[14]
Ezekiel speaks in the same way:
I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land… And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.[15]
And again:
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all… They shall not defile themselves anymore… I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them.[16]
These are only a few of the many biblical passages that speak of Israel’s rebirth into its calling to become a blessing and a praise in all the earth. The apostle Paul, as a profound student of the Scriptures, was almost certainly reflecting on passages such as these when he declared:
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob’; ‘and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’[17]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why should Isaiah 66:7–9 be understood as pointing beyond the establishment of the modern State of Israel toward a future spiritual rebirth?
How does the new covenant transform Israel from a surviving remnant into a fully restored holy nation?
What relationship exists between Israel’s future restoration and the nations witnessing the glory of the LORD?
How does Paul’s statement that “all Israel will be saved” depend upon the promises given through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the prophets?
FOOTNOTES
[1] Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1
[2] Isaiah 66:7–9
[3] Genesis 12:3; Exodus 19:5–6
[4] Isaiah 66:18–22
[5] Zechariah 3:9
[6] Jeremiah 31:34
[7] Jeremiah 32:40
[8] Daniel 7:18, 27
[9] Ephesians 2:11–22; Romans 11:17–24
[10] Isaiah 4:2–4
[11] Isaiah 45:17
[12] Isaiah 59:20–21
[13] Isaiah 60:21
[14] Jeremiah 31:33–34
[15] Ezekiel 36:24–27
[16] Ezekiel 37:21–28
[17] Romans 11:26–27
Paulo Maranatha serves as a pioneer in the Muslim world with his wife and children.