Jesus and the Jews

A time is coming when Jesus will return to this earth in a visible form. The bible does not tell us exactly when He will return but there are prophecies which vividly describe events which we can recognise in the world today.

The bible does not say exactly when Jesus will appear but the bible does say precisely where He will appear.

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. Zec 14:3–4 NIV

Jesus will come down from heaven and be seen in Jerusalem, in Israel. Israel at that time will be populated by Jews. It will be the reconstituted Jewish nation of Israel. We are seeing this restoration of Israel in our time.

When Jesus returns, He will take His place as the Jewish King of Israel and rule the whole world from Jerusalem.

The Jews in Bible times rightly believed in these prophecies and were looking for their Messiah who would not only put the world right but also liberate the nation of Israel from foreign domination, just as the biblical prophecies taught.

Shortly before His execution on the cross, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding an unbroken young donkey. This fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about the coming of the Messiah King.

"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." John 12:15 (NIV)

The Jews greeted Jesus with jubilation, expecting Him at that time to fulfil other aspects of the prophecy.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Zechariah 9:9-10 (ESV)

Verse nine foretells the coming of the Messiah as the suffering servant, the Son of God who sacrificed his life on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins.

Verse ten refers to the second coming of the Messiah to judge the nations and establish his kingdom on earth, with his capital city in Jerusalem.

The Jews 2000 years ago did not understand that the Messiah would come not once but twice.

After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent time with his disciples. They were all Jews and they too were confused about God’s historical timetable.

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Ac 1:6–7 NIV

As Christians, we must not be critical of the Jews because of their misunderstanding. For centuries, Christians have also been misguided in our understanding of God’s long range plans.

Martin Luther and other reformers taught that God had permanently discarded the Jewish nation and transferred all the promises to the Church as the new Israel.

In Romans chapter 11, Paul clearly teaches something quite different.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,

and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Ro 11:25–27 NIV