In Luke 13:6-9, we read the following where Jesus made reference to the “Fig Tree”, “¶He spake also this parable; A certain [man] had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, [well:] and if not, [then] after that thou shalt cut it down.“
If we think about it, from an eternal Godly perspective, the “fig tree” is representative of the nation of Israel, which serves as a “Sign” in at least two ways.
The Fig Tree Represents National Israel
God refers to the nation of Israel as His “land” and then compares its coming under attack as a fig tree being “barked” (effectively being destroyed by being stripped of its bark), and we can see this when we read the following according to the prophet Joel in Joel 1:6&7, “For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast [it] away; the branches thereof are made white.” While it is unclear to which nation that the prophet Joel is referring as either having already come upon Israel, or will come upon Israel, to destroy it, we can say that God associates the fig tree with National Israel.
We can also look back over time and say that there are at least three times that Israel was attacked and essentially wiped out, first 1) by Egypt and Edom, then 2) by Assyria, then 3) by Babylon, but each time the nation of Israel survived to some degree with the last time (like the third year) being restored under the order of the Persian kings, which paved the way for Jesus to come nearly 400 years later. Then after a period of roughly 40 years following Jesus’s coming (when the Gospel was being preached in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria), Israel as a nation was completely destroyed by the Romans in ~70AD. Each time previously Israel continued to show signs of life, but there was still no “fruit” (souls were not being saved, because there was no effective repentant faith in Jesus). Finally, Jesus, Himself, came to Israel to personally proclaim the Gospel of Salvation, bringing the ultimate fertilizer of the fulfilled Word, but as a nation they still rejected that Word (Embodied by Jesus), and therefore Israel could never produce “fruit”. So God finally cut it down in 70 AD.
But what about now? Israel is once again a nation among nations in our world. Israel can be compared to a flourishing fig tree having leaves, but which cannot bear any fruit, because as a nation, Israel still rejects Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Therefore, one must consider that God has re-established the nation of Israel as a “Sign” for our times. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples when they asked him for a sign of the end of time? Jesus replied with the parable that the fig tree would have leaves, but Jesus said nothing about “fruit”. Israel can never be able to bear any fruit because it will only continue to reject Jesus. There is no Biblical basis to expect that there will ever be a great revival in Israel as a nation. To the contrary, a careful reading of the Bible makes clear that National Israel’s special relationship with God ended at the cross, and was underscored with the destruction of the Holy Temple in ~70AD. That is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree. Any and all claims to the contrary are simply false.
When Jesus’ disciples asked Him in Matthew 24:3, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus answered, among other evidences, in Matthew 24:32-35 (& Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33 )— “¶Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.“
The Barren Fig Tree Provides Insight
Matthew 21:18-22, “¶Now in the morning as he (Jesus) returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.¶ And when the disciples saw [it], they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! ¶Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.“
Consistent with this, is what we also see in Mark 11:12-14, “¶And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet]. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard [it].” A bit later we read Mark 11:20, “¶And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.“
The fact of the matter is that God had effectively cursed National Israel because it rejected His Son, and as a result it can never bear fruit. How can it?… if, as a nation, Israel rejects the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus made clear in Luke 24:44 that all that the nation of Israel holds dear pointed to Him as The Promised Messiah, “And he said unto them (the disciples), These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me.“
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Conclusion
Joel 1:6&7 makes clear to us that God refers to Israel as His fig tree, which had been attacked and barked(stripped).
Modern National Israel hasleaves (life) but cannot produce fruit(because it rejects Jesus).
Israel, typified by the fig tree, as a nation again is a “sign” heralding the End Times, and is NOT a portent of revival.
National Israel’s special role ended at the cross and was sealed in 70 AD.
Physical descent from Abraham does not guarantee salvation, and neither does “physical” circumcision (by blood) or “physical” baptism (by water)…which only serve as “sign” of the two Covenants. Remember that “Not All Israel Is Israel” means that there is a larger “corporate” body (those who identified with either the Old Testament Nation of Israel, or who identify as “Christians” today) within which is found the smaller “eternal” body of God’s chosen people (the eternal Israel/eternal Church). Corporate fellowship with believers, just like Jewish lineage and practice, is no guarantee of Salvation. Only the “spiritual” circumcision of the heart and the “spiritual” baptism by washing and anointing of The Holy Spirit as applied to the elect believer by God, by His Grace alone, in Jesus Christ Alone (and only Jesus Is the true “Seed of Promise”).
Romans 9:6-8, “… For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham…They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.“
INTRODUCTION
There is significant controversy today regarding the theological interpretation of God’s Covenantal relationship with National Israel (the Old Testament nation) and whether that relationship continues today. Key questions include:
Does God’s original promise to Abraham still apply to the modern nation of Israel, which inhabits the Bible’s ancestral land?
What does this mean for the future?
Three prominent viewpoints address the relationship between the Christian Church and National Israel:
Dispensationalism: The Church is completely distinct from National Israel.
Replacement Theology: The Church has entirely replaced National Israel.
Covenant Theology: The Church is a separate expansion of National Israel.
[These viewpoints are explained in more detail, with rebuttals, in the Appendix.]
This study will show that all three views are flawed to some degree. The Bible provides the means to understand God’s true Covenantal relationship with the “eternal” Israel, which is:
Neither separate from,
Nor a replacement for,
Nor an expansion of the corporate body of National Israel. This hasalways been God’s plan, though largely veiled until now for reasons known only to God.
The Eternal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ consists of:
An elect remnant from National Israel (a subset of that larger corporate body),
Plus an elect portion from the entire Gentile world, all saved by grace alone, in complete fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.
DISCLAIMER: This Bible teacher is neither antisemitic nor anti-National Israel, but is also not a “Christian Zionist”. The modern nation of Israel certainly has every right to exist, and has faced constant attacks from ungodly adversaries since 1948, but, without reconciliation to God in the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel no longer has any privileged standing as a nation (despite Israel’s military successes bordering the supernatural). It is this teacher’s prayer that individuals of the Jewish faith would turn to Jesus before time runs out. This position, as is reflected in all posts found on the Bereansearching Website, aligns with the Apostle Paul’s lament:
Romans 9:1-5 — “¶ I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises; Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
Jesus Christ is the promised “Seed” (singular) to Abraham. (See related post: “The ‘Seed’ of Abraham Is Singular, or ‘One’, Who Is Jesus“) In Christ, all believers (Jew and Gentile) are part of the eternal Israel and heirs according to the promise:
Galatians 3:29 — “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Note the consistency with what we read in Hosea 1:10, “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people, [there] it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.” This is describing the “Eternal Israel” made up of both Jews and Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul went further in the next chapter of Galatians to equate “National Israel” with the children of the bondwoman (Ishmael by Hagar) being bound to the Law, as opposed to the “Eternal Israel of God” being children of the free woman (Isaac by Sarah) being set free by Jesus as we read in Galatians 4:21-31, “¶Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the oneby a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but heof the freewoman [was] by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.“
The “Jerusalem which is above“ and free, as opposed to being in bondage to the law, is the “New Jerusalem” spoken of in both Revelation 3:12 and Revelation 21:2 “coming down from God out of heaven” which has NOTHING AT ALL to do with the earthly, carnal, Jerusalem in National Israel that we know today!
“¶Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.“
Romans 4:13 — “¶For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression.”
The Law given to Moses for National Israel were entirely fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ (the Jewish Messiah), but God’s eternal promises to Abraham apply only to the elect—the spiritual “eternal Israel” (The elect remnant chosen Jew and Gentile in Christ)—NOT to physical National Israel (past or present). Election is by grace, not genealogy, nor national heritage, nor by the works of the law.
Romans 9:6-8 — “¶Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
It is particularly important to remember back when Moses was lecturing Israel for its unbelief…even though the Israelites had seen many, many, miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness with their “physical eyes” in Deuteronomy 29:4…”Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.” Those Israelites remained spiritually deaf and blind in unbelief.
This is reiterated in Romans 11:5-10, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.¶ What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written [Deuteronomy 29:4, see also and Isaiah 6:10], God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; ) unto this day.¶And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.” And Psalm 69:23 tells us that for those who opposed Jesus and His Gospel, “Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.”
And let us never forget what Jesus said in both Matthew 3:9, “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” and Luke 3:8, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.“
Galatians 3:7-9, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
The “Eternal Israel” are indeed the true children of God (NOT “National Israel”), and are those who are spoken of as being of Abraham as we read in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“
Genesis 17:1-8 — God promises Abraham an everlasting covenant to him and his “seed” after him….”I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.“
The Holy Spirit provides us commentary in:
Acts 3:25&26, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed (σπέρματί, singular) shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Note that the Gospel go first to the Jews as we read in Acts 1:8 where Jesus told His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“)
Galatians 3:16 — “Now to Abraham and his seed(σπέρματι, singular) were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds(σπέρμασιν, plural), as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed(σπέρματι, singular), which is Christ.” Please see this study on the basis for correct understanding on how the “‘Seed’ is Singular” and points us to the Lord Jesus Christ!
What “Israel” Is the Bible Really Referencing?
The Hebrew word יִשְׂרָאֵל (yiśrā’ēl) H3478 means “Prince of God” (2,489x in KJV). It has five distinct uses:
The ten northern tribes after the split from Judah/Benjamin.
The Lord Jesus Christ (Typologically).
The body of believers in Christ (Jew and Gentile)—the “eternal/spiritual” Israel.
Galatians 3:7, 26-29 declares, “…they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.… ¶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
There is no salvific efficacy in being Jewish. Eternal Israel = those in Christ, saved by grace alone, not lineage.
Promises Made, Promises Kept
God fulfilled all “earthly” land promises to National Israel in the days of Solomon:
Joshua 21:43-45 — “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”
Nehemiah 9:7&8 — “Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram…to give [it, I say], to his seed, andhast performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous:”
1 Kings 8:56 — “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.”
Hebrews 6:13-20 — God confirmed the promise with an oath, giving strong consolation to the heirs of promise, with Jesus as the forerunner and High Priest forever.
God always keeps His promises!
“Eternal” Israel Was Always in View, NOT “National” Israel
Paul uses the olive tree allegory (Romans 11:13–27):
Natural branches (National Israel) broken off due to unbelief.
Wild branches (Gentiles) grafted in by faith.
Admonition: Do not boast—God can cut off wild branches too.
Some natural branches can be re-grafted if they believe.
Romans 11:25-26— “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
“All Israel shall be saved” = All of the “eternal” Israel (all the elect remnant of Jews from “National Israel” + all elect from the Gentiles), NOT all of “National” Israel, because as a nation, Israel will remain in its blindness as we see today.
Olive oil, which comes from the olive tree, in the Bible symbolizes The Holy Spirit (for anointing and for providing the light). (See: “Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins”)
Note to the Reader: Please note the similarity in the symbology regarding the root and branch of the olive tree above with the vine described by Jesus in John 15:1-8, “¶I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ¶I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and Iin him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.“
2 Peter 1:5-8 also describes the fruitfulness that comes by faith in Jesus, “¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.“
Dispensationalists expect a third temple, animal sacrifices, and a millennial reign in Jerusalem. This is unbiblical and denies Christ’s finished work.
The veil was torn from “the topto the bottom” (Matthew 27:51).
The temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
The true Temple is spiritual: believers in the New Jerusalem (heavenly, NOT earthly).
Hebrews 11:8-16 — Abraham looked for a heavenly city whose builder is God.
When Jesus’ disciples asked Him in Matthew 24:3, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus answered, among other evidences, in Matthew 24:32-35 (& Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33 ) — “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh“
Joel 1:6&7: Israel = God’s fig tree, attacked and barked (stripped).
Modern Israel = leaves but no fruit (because it rejects Jesus).
Israel, typified by the fig tree, as a nation again is a “sign” heralding the End Times, NOT a portent of revival.
National Israel’s special role ended at the cross and was sealed in 70 AD.
Luke 20:13-16 (Parable of the Vineyard): National Israel killed the Son (Jesus); hence the kingdom was given to others.
Matthew 23:37-39 (And in Luke 13:34&35): Jesus lamented over Jerusalem: “Your house is left unto you desolate.”Note: Jesus’ reference to “as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings” is expound in this post: “Boaz’s Skirt“.
Romans 2:28&29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.“
Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.“
Colossians 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.”
Galatians 6:15&16, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. ¶And as many as walk according to this rule, peace [be] on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.“
CONCLUSION: Saved Redeemed Sinners Are the True Eternal Israel
Physical descent from Abraham does not guarantee salvation, and neither does “physical” circumcision (by blood) or “physical” baptism (by water)…which only serve as “sign” of the two Covenants. Remember that “not all Israel is Israel” means that there is a larger “corporate” body (those who identified with either the Old Testament Nation of Israel or who identify as “Christians” today) within which is found the smaller “eternal” body of God’s chosen people (the eternal Israel/eternal Church). Corporate fellowship with believers, just like Jewish lineage and practice, is no guarantee of Salvation. Only the “spiritual” circumcision of the heart and the “spiritual” baptism by washing of The Holy Spirit as applied to the elect believer by God, by His Grace alone, in Jesus Christ Alone (and only Jesus Is the true “Seed of Promise”).
We read in Acts 10:34, “Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” and the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.“
Ishmael vs. Isaac (Both were circumcised)
Esau vs. Jacob (Both were circumcised)…
— But only Isaac and Jacob were chosen—by election, not by either works or lineage.
Romans 9:6-8 — “…For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Romans 9:11-13, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)… As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.“
We see this very clearly also in Romans 2:28&29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.“
Acts 10:34-35, “…God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”
APPENDIX: Three Viewpoints of National Israel Vis-à-Vis the Christian Church
1. Dispensationalism
Two peoples: Israel and the Church.
Promises to Israel fulfilled in a literal 1,000-year kingdom after a pre-tribulation rapture and seven year tribulation period.
Influenced by Scofield Bible and John Darby.
Rejects allegorical interpretation; insists on literal-grammatical-historical hermeneutic.
Rebuttal: Partially correct but misses that eternal Israel was always God’s focus—no Plan B.
3. Covenant Theology
Views Scripture through Covenant of Works → Covenant of Grace.
All biblical covenants are outworkings of these.
Rebuttal: Implies God needed a Plan B. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Salvation was always by grace.
Key Takeaway:
Eternal Israel = elect remnant of Jews + elect Gentiles in Christ = Christ’s Church and His Eternal Bride. National Israel was a “Type“, NOT the fulfillment, and the nation of Israel today is a prophetic sign that Jesus is coming back again soon!
This post is simply for pointing out a noteworthy juxtaposition created by a remarkable Christian, John Newton (1725-1807), in which two of his hymns taken together have both an unmistakable salience for the believer and a point of instruction for all mankind.
It is sufficient to simply post the texts of both hymns and let the reader consider the applications:
“Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!” by John Newton (1774)
What does it mean to “speak with new tongues”? In Mark 16:17, we read where the Lord Jesus Christ said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Does it mean that the believers are to babble in church like those in the charismatic churches of today who are said to speak “in tongues”? Or does it mean something else?
If we are to take these “signs” literally, then only those capable of picking up a cobra or rattlesnake and not dying from the venom, or who can drink poison and survive would qualify as believers. But that is not what Jesus meant, otherwise essentially no one could be counted as a believer if that were the case. The same is true with believers speaking “in new tongues”. There has to be a spiritual meaning involved.
Picking Up Serpents and Drinking PoisonWithout Harm?
Before moving on to addressing the meaning of speaking “with new tongues”, let us look at the taking up of serpents and drinking any deadly thing without being harmed. Jesus made clear that these would be the signs that follow believers.
The reality is that all of these openly visible “physical” manifestations in the early New Testament church era were a “sign” of what actually takes place “spiritually” in the life of every believer who has been quickened by God’s Holy Spirit, just as Jesus said would be the case. With regard to taking up serpents without harm, we should remember what we read in Act 28:3-6, where the Apostle Paul, after having just survived a shipwreck on The Island of Melita, was bitten by a poisonous serpent, but no harm came to him. That was an unmistakeable “physical” sign, or manifestation, of what takes place “spiritually” in the life of every believer. “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid [them] on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.“
Although Paul’s picking up a venomous serpent, and even being bitten by it (but remaining unharmed), was clearly “literal”, it also served as an historical parable (and therefore a “sign”), which carried a “spiritual” implication. God used this exemplary “sign” to point to the fact that believers will be able to “spiritually” deal with the devil’s (the “serpent’s”) lies, and thus will not be enticed or fooled by purveyors of false gospels that would otherwise “spiritually” kill the hearers.
We can know this because God refers to the devil’s servants as we read in Deuteronomy 32:33, “Their wine [is] the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.“, which is expounded further in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:13, “Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips:” This is reiterated in Psalm 140:1-3, “¶[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in [their] heart; continually are they gathered together [for] war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison [is] under their lips. Selah.” and in Psalm 58:4&5, regarding the wicked and violent men, “Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.“
Similarly, Jesus’ description of the “sign” of true believers as being unable to be harmed by drinking anything poisonous does not refer to “literal” earthly poisons, but rather to “spiritual” poison. Jesus was highlighting the fact that no believer can be harmed through the hearing of a false gospel (which is spiritual poison that comes from the devil). God’s elect, if they do come in contact with false gospels, will not be harmed nor destroyed by them. This correlates with teaching of Revelation 17:2, wherein God describes the “poison” of the wine of fornication of the great harlot being consumed by all the reprobate world, “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” That wine is indeed poisonous, as it will most certainly destroy mens’ souls.
Speaking with New Tongues?
But what about speaking with new tongues? The first recorded occurrence of the believers speaking in “new tongues”, after being newly indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, is found in Acts Chapter 2. On Pentecost Day in 33AD, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles had the ability to speak to the assembled crowds of Jews in Jerusalem in languages with which the apostles were otherwise unfamiliar.
Acts 2:4-12, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ¶And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another,Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, andAsia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya aboutCyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?“
It is clear, then, that the tongues in Acts 2 were “literal” and were spoken in understandable human languages, which served as a “literal” physically discerned “sign” that Jesus said would be a hallmark of all believers. The gift of speaking in new tongues, as exemplified in Acts 2, is generally accepted to mean that it is the miraculous ability to speak a language that believers, like the apostles, did not previously know in order to minister to a person who spoke that particular language. Some believe that the “speaking in tongues” later mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 are the same as the speaking in tongues that unfolded in Acts 2.
However, others (particularly those who identify as “charismatics”) believe that the “tongues” in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 are related, but different, to the “new tongues” of Acts 2. They interpret the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 as being a private prayer language between a believer and God and/or the miraculous ability to speak an unknown language in order to minister to other believers (not unbelievers, and not people who can understand the language as was the case in Acts 2).
So then, what is the reality concerning speaking in new tongues?
“tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not:“
We need to search further in the Bible for potential insights. In 1 Corinthians 14:21&22, we read, “¶In the law it is written, With [men of] other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.¶Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying [serveth] not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” The Apostle Paul was referring back to the prophesy of Isaiah found in Isaiah 28:11-13, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.To whom he said, This [is] the rest [wherewith] ye may cause the weary to rest; and this [is] the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.“
Moreover, the other “signs” that Jesus said would follow the believers…the casting out of devils and healing the sick…are also not to be taken “literally”, but more importantly “spiritually”, in that those who under the domination of the devil, and who are sin sick, can only be saved through the hearing of faithful and prayerful preaching of Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation. For more on healings serving as “signs”, please see: “The Great Physician: Another Name for the Lord Jesus Christ“.
Conclusion
Speaking in “New Tongues”, is indeed as a “sign” that follows all believers who, upon conversion and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, speak in a new tongue by faithfully proclaiming the New Testament Gospel that they did not speak before. It is noteworthy that, just as was prophesied by Isaiah, the majority of national Israel could neither hear, nor understand, nor believe.
And just as noteworthy is the fact that this has also been true for the majority of the Gentile world throughout the entire New Testament era. The Gospel is still like a foreign language, which most people can neither hear nor understand, apart from God’s Gracious and Divine intervention. Previous to conversion, the believers themselves knew nothing about, nor even cared to know, the Gospel of Salvation that was wrought through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ unless God had intervened to save them.
Jesus’ Physical Healing Miracles Were All “Signs” Pointing to the Spiritual Healings that Accompany and Exemplify Salvation
Introduction
We all have on occasion heard the phrase “Great Physician” with respect to Jesus’ ability to heal the physically sick during His earthly Ministry. We also have these scriptural proverbial references spoken by Jesus which make clear the link between “physical” healings to their equivalent “spiritual” healings, with Himself being the “physician” in Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” and in Luke 4:23, “And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.“
For background, we should be reminded of when Jesus was in the Nazareth synagogue (at the very beginning of His three plus year ministry) where He opened the Book of Isaiah Isaiah 61:1&2 that we read about in Luke 4:16-21 the following excerpt: “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, topreach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again to the minister, and sat down.” [For more on the spiritual meanings of this action, please see: “Jesus Opens the Book, Jesus Closes the Book“]
Notice that result of the “good tidings” from the Old Testament Hebrew and interpreted from the New Testament Greek as “gospel” (meaning “good news”) involved several “physical” rescues for humanity that typified “spiritual” salvation from Jesus, who had been declared to be anointed by God’s Holy Spirit.
Preaching the gospel to the “poor” (also “meek”, “humble”) is bringing the gospel of salvation to the “poor and humble in spirit” (those who lack in the hearing of the Gospel of Salvation made possible by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ).
Healing the “brokenhearted” (the “downtrodden”) is pointing to the spiritual healing of those crushed under the power of the devil.
Preach “deliverance of the captives” is pointing to the means by which the hearers will be set free “spiritually” from bondage to both sin and the prison house of the devil.
“Recovering of sight to the blind” is pointing to the fact that all of mankind are by nature “spiritually” blind to their sin-sick state and need the eyes to be opened see their need of Jesus’ Salvation. Please see: The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye.
“To set at liberty them that are bruised” is another example whereby all of mankind is by nature in “spiritual” bondage to sin and the devil because of the original Fall of Adam, and who can only be freed by Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice.
Remember also, in Matthew 11:2-6, when the disciples of the imprisoned John the Baptist came to ask Jesus on John’s behalf if Jesus was the Christ, and Jesus’ only answer was “…Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.” This is also found in Luke 7:18-23 where we read in verse 22, “¶Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.“
But let us also review again the majority of the “Physical” Healing Miracles that Jesus did which point to the “Spiritual” Healing Miracles that occur with Salvation that is only made possible by Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice.
Healing the Lepers: The dreaded disease of Leprosy was created by God to illustrate “physically” mankind’s “spiritual” sin-sick disease in the flesh that makes us all unclean by nature and unable to enter into the camp of God apart from a complete healing and cleansing. Only God could “physically” heal and cleanse a leper (Jesus healed many lepers), which points us to the fact that only God can “spiritually” heal and cleanse mankind’s leprous-like sin-sick` souls. For more on this please see: Jesus’ Cleansing of the Ten Lepers
Healing the Sick: Jesus healed the Apostle Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with a fever, as we read in Matthew 8:14, “¶And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” and in Capernaum, Jesus also healed a centurion’s servant, as is recorded in Luke 7:2-10, “And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.” There were also several occasions when Jesus performed a healing on the Sabbath day. In most of those instances, the healing was followed by a confrontation with the religious leaders: Mark 3:1-6 (also Luke 6:6-11)…the man with the withered hand; Luke 13:10-14…the woman having a debilitating infirmity for 18 years; Luke 14:1-6…the man having the “dropsy”; John 5:1-18, the crippled man at the Bethesda pool being “impotent” for 38 years .
Healing the Lame: Jesus healed the “physically” lame as a sign that served to show that all of mankind is like that lame or even a paralyzed person, unable to stand and walk properly. For more on this please see: Mephibosheth and God’s Covenant of Grace. We read inLuke 5:17-26 of Jesus having healed the paralyzed man carried to him on a bed.
Healing the Blind: The entire Ninth Chapter of John describes Jesus’ physical healing of a man who was born blind that involved Jesus’ applying His saliva to the man’s eyes. The earliest account of Jesus healing the blind involved the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida that we read about in Mark 8:22-26 which also involved Jesus applying His saliva to the man’s eyes. Mark’s gospel gives us another account of Jesus healing a blind man named Bartimaeus as in Jericho in Mark 10:46-52. There is another important case of Jesus healing a blind man inLuke 18:35-43 wherein the blind man cried out to Jesus and we read of the resulting interaction, “¶And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said,Lord, that I may receive my sight. ¶And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw [it], gave praise unto God.” Again the curing of “physical” blindness points us to the ultimate healing of man’s natural state of mind involving “spiritual” blindness that only God can cure.
Healing the Deafand Dumb: Again, please see: The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye. In Mark 7:33-37, we read where Jesus healed a deaf and dumb man who could not speak near Decapolis. Jesus healed the man, but again as above, it involved the use of Jesus’ Saliva. The curing of “physical” dumbness points us to the ultimate healing of man’s natural state of mind involving “spiritual” dumbness that only God can cure. The believers so healed can “spiritually” speak with a new voice with a new tongue to preach the Gospel, as is elaborated in the main post above. Please see also: “Honoring God with One’s Mouth and Tongue“
Casting out Devils: InLuke 8:26-36 (and also Mark 5:1-13), we read where a man who had many devils, the so-called the Gerasene Demoniac, named “Legion“, was healed by Jesus with the devils/unclean spirits transferring to a heard (of about 2000 swine according to Mark 5:13) that all subsequently drowned in the Sea of Galilee. It is notable what we also read in Mark 1:34, “And he (Jesus) healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.“
Raising the Dead to Life: We have three distinct accounts of Jesus raising people from the dead to life, where all three point to the fact that only God can “physically” raise someone from “physical” death, but pointing to the fact that only God, through Jesus, can “spiritually” raise someone from the curse of sin and death to eternal “spiritual” life:
Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-25, Luke 8:40-56): Jairus, a major patron of a synagogue, asks Jesus to heal his daughter, but while Jesus is on the way, Jairus is told his daughter has died. Jesus tells him she was only sleeping and wakes her with the words “Talithacumi” (“Damsel arise”).
The Young Man from Nain (Luke 7:11-15): A young man, the son of a widow, is brought out for burial in Nain. Jesus sees her, and his pity causes him to tell her not to cry. Jesus approaches the coffin and tells the young man inside to get up, and he does so.
The Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44): A close friend of Jesus who had been dead for four days (such that his body was already stinking) is brought back to life when Jesus commands him to come forth from the grave. And Jesus made a couple of key points during this historical account:
Jesus said in John 11:4that the raising of the dead would be for “the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.“
We also read in John 11:25, “¶Jesus said unto her (Martha, the sister of Lazarus), I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? ¶She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” Jesus made clear the connection of the resurrection of Lazarus’ as a sign pointing to Jesus’ power over death to bring about the resurrection unto eternal life.
Jesus’ Physical Healings Were Never Meant To Be the End Point
All physical afflictions, including death, are the result of sin, and Jesus’ supernatural actions in temporally addressing them were intended to serve together as “signs”, and not the substance, of Salvation. They pointed to Jesus’ ability to bring about “spiritual” healing that is eternal. Physically healing someone alone is as futile as trying to take something to treat a temperature without finding what is causing it.
Remember what we are told in Romans 5:12-14, “¶Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.“
When Jesus healed all of these resultant illnesses of sin, He was teaching that unless the root cause for sin is found and treated, there is no cure. In fact, we can for certain know that many of those who were healed by Jesus, including Lazarus who was raised from the dead, eventually all still died in their flesh. This provides us all with another important lesson as it proves that any focus today by those that seek and claim to be able to supernaturally heal men of their physical afflictions, clearly do not have the answer for the root cause.
Remember that Jesus made a point of comparing those with limitations and infirmities like “the poor, the lame, the maimed, and the blind” to those who are in need of repentance in both Luke 14:13, “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:” and Luke 14:21, “So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.”
The poor and infirm were representative of all the sin-sick souls who are in need of salvation, versus those who are self-righteous and do not see themselves in need of repentance and hence salvation. We see this in Luke 18:9, “¶And he (Jesus) spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” and after which we are provided the “Parable of the Pharisee and the publican” in the subsequent verses:Luke 18:10-14.
Jesus is the Great Physician of the poor and infirm, who were identified as “sinners” and dismissed by the scribes and Pharisees as we read in Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” and Luke 15:7, regarding the lost sheep “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Please see the post onLuke 15 for a more comprehensive review of the lost sheep, which includes the Parable of the Prodigal Son.)
Regarding the feast mentioned above, Jesus calls sinners to repentance and welcomes them to partake of the Great Wedding Feast come Judgment Day. (Please see the study on the Two Great Feasts.)
In closing let us remember what we read in Romans 8:5-11, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.“
Conclusion
The ‘physical’ healings by Jesus of people’s “physical” infirmities, like being “deaf”, “dumb”, “blind”, “lame”, “leprous”, etc., which included Jesus’ casting out devils and even raising people from death to life, were all intended to reveal, by analogy, God’s Magnificent “Spiritual” Healing and Cleansing Power, through the Person and Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to heal His chosen from their sin sicknesses and bondage to the devil, which everyone has inherited from Adam and which perpetuate themselves throughout every generation. It is only because of the Intercession by the Great Physician, The Lord Jesus Christ, that all believers are healed from those spiritual infirmities, which otherwise separate everyone from God. Believers are spiritually resurrected from spiritual death to new life in Christ, being born again in the spirit by God’s Holy Spirit. Once spiritually awakened, the believers will have been given ears that ‘spiritually’ hear, eyes that ‘spiritually’ see, and new tongues with which they can ‘spiritually’ communicate the Gospel of Salvation, because the Word of God is now in them.
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