Saturday, February 19th, 2022.
Most of the Bible speaks about Israel.
The Old Testament books are about their fathers, founding, law, history, prophets, fall, captivity, and return.
In the New Testament books, Jesus comes to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” and declares “salvation is of the Jews”.
Revelation describes the restoration of the kingdom to Israel that the prophets spoke about and that Peter asked about in Acts 1:6.
This is the Israel Question: most of the Bible speaks about them, takes place there, and describes God working through them; but now that does not seem to be the case.
What happened to them? Were God’s promises ineffectual?
The question started in the early days of the church. Paul addresses the dilemma in Romans chapters 9-11.
What is Paul’s answer? That Israel is spiritually blind except for a remnant according to prophecy; salvation is sent to the world according to a mystery; and Israel will return in belief and be saved to fulfill God’s promises to them (Romans 11:25-26).
It is appropriate that the question of Israel can only be resolved by reading the apostle of the Gentiles. His ministry to Gentiles is what raised the question.
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed a mystery concerning Jew and Gentile to the apostle Paul. His ministry raised the question, and his writings answer it.
For Truth,
Justin “solving Israel” Johnson