ISRAEL, THE CHURCH, AND THE ETERNAL COVENANT •PART IV
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL AND THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM
THE FULLNESS OF THE COVENANT
Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name…[1]
The future restoration of Israel is ultimately rooted not in human merit, but in the zeal of God for the glory of His own name. The prophets repeatedly emphasize that God will vindicate His holiness before the nations through the salvation and restoration of Israel.
I will vindicate the holiness of my great name… And the nations will know that I am the LORD.[2]
The covenant is unconditional not because Israel has no responsibility, but because God Himself guarantees the final outcome through sovereign grace. The LORD will perform such a profound work of redemption that Israel will finally obey Him from the heart.
I will sprinkle clean water on you… And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you… And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.[3]
The perfect sacrifice of Jesus is the only means by which both Jew and Gentile may enter into this covenant. His atonement and the gift of the Holy Spirit presently given to the Church serve as the guarantee of the covenant’s future fullness.
In him you also… were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.[4]
This same Spirit will one day be poured out upon the house of Israel in the great and terrible Day of the LORD.
I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel.[5]
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…[6]
Some might argue that after the first coming of Christ no one remains under the law and therefore Israel itself can no longer experience covenantal judgment. Yet history testifies otherwise. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the long dispersion among the nations, centuries of persecution, the horrors of the Shoah and even the calamity of October 7, all testify that Israel has not yet entered into the fullness of covenant restoration.
Yet even having to suffer all these tragedies that haunt Israel, Scriptures tell us about yet final chapter, of an even greater time of distress, preceding Israel’s redemption. But out of the darkest hour of human history will emerge Israel’s glorious resurrection, a testimony to the nations.
We therefore await the day when:
You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.[7]
And in this way all Israel will be saved.[8]
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him.[9]
There is an ancient cry in the heart of God for Israel to fulfill her calling before the nations. Yet more than this, the Church itself is summoned into this intercession because it is, in truth, the cry of God’s own heart.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet.[10]
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen… who give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.[11]
Then the transition from the faithful remnant to the eschatological fullness will finally take place. Israel will become an everlasting testimony to the mercy, faithfulness, and covenant love of God before all nations.
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.[12]
Israel will ultimately become the final herald of the goodness and faithfulness of God displayed through the eternal covenant. Just as the Church now provokes Israel to jealousy, so in the age to come the nations will behold the glory of redeemed Israel and be drawn to the light of the Kingdom.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you… And nations shall come to your light.[13]
This future glory of Israel serves not as a threat to the Church, but as a profound encouragement. Even amid tribulation and darkness in this present age, we know that we are already ambassadors of the coming Kingdom.
Then, at last, the covenant reaches its final consummation:
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man… He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.[14]
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it… and they will reign forever and ever.[15]
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why is Israel’s future restoration ultimately connected to the vindication of God’s holy name among the nations?
In what sense is the covenant unconditional while still producing obedience in Israel?
How does the present work of the Holy Spirit in the Church anticipate the future outpouring upon Israel?
Why does the future glory of Israel serve as encouragement rather than competition for the Church?
How do the promises concerning Israel ultimately point toward the renewal of all creation?
FOOTNOTES
[1] Ezekiel 36:22 (ESV)
[2] Ezekiel 36:23 (ESV)
[3] Ezekiel 36:25–27 (ESV)
[4] Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)
[5] Ezekiel 39:29 (ESV)
[6] Joel 2:28–32 (ESV)
[7] Psalm 102:13 (ESV)
[8] Romans 11:26 (ESV)
[9] Zechariah 12:10 (ESV)
[10] Isaiah 62:1 (ESV)
[11] Isaiah 62:6–7 (ESV)
[12] Psalm 98:2–3 (ESV)
[13] Isaiah 60:1–3 (ESV)
[14] Revelation 21:3–4 (ESV)
[15] Revelation 22:3–5 (ESV)
Paulo Maranatha serves as a pioneer in the Muslim world with his wife and children.