an article written by Asher Intrater
In Matthew 23:37-39, Yeshua stated that Jerusalem would be destroyed because of the sin of our people. However, He went on to say that He would not return unless the Jews in Jerusalem received Him in faith and invited Him back as King Messiah with shouts of “Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord!” This prophecy is a central theme of prayer for all Messianic Jews in Israel.
Sometimes it seems that this was a strategic error on Yeshua’s part. You or I would probably not have taken such a risk. The implications of this statement are enormous. For one thing, it includes a prophecy that the Jews would one day return to Israel and that Jerusalem would be restored (see as well Luke 21:24). How else could we be here to invite Him? It also requires a sweep of evangelism across the country, immediately before He returns.
Yeshua’s statement is also a total rebuttal and refuting of “replacement” theology. How can Israel or the Jews be replaced if we have to be here to welcome Yeshua back? Yeshua makes a commitment here that the Jews are an essential part of His Second Coming as well as the First.
God made a covenant with Abraham, that through His seed the Messiah would come (Genesis 22:18). This covenant continued through Judah (Genesis 49:10), and then through David (II Samuel 7:12-13). Therefore, Satan was opposed to the people of Israel throughout history, in an effort to stop the birth of the Messiah. When Herod heard that Yeshua was born, a satanic spirit worked through him to murder all the male babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). The people of Israel did not and do not understand why all these demonic attacks come against them.
If Satan was opposed to the birth of the Messiah, how much more will he be opposed to Yeshua’s coming in glory? At the Second Coming, Satan will be driven off planet earth (Revelation 20:2). The devil is angry because he knows he is losing and that his time is running out (Revelation 12:12). The number one focus of Satan’s activities on earth is to prevent the Second Coming and, therefore, to stop Matthew 23:39 from coming to pass. This is a key issue in understanding world-wide spiritual warfare.
The underlying demonic purpose behind the Holocaust was to prevent Matthew 23:39. As we come closer to the Second Coming, an even greater Holocaust will take place (Zechariah 13:8; Revelation 9:15). The times will be so difficult, that all flesh would perish; yet for the sake of the elect, the time will be shortened (Matthew 24:22). And still our people will be perplexed.
Why does the U. N. vote so many sanctions against Israel? Why does Islam want to kill all Jews? Why do the religious leaders in Israel fight against faith in Yeshua? All these are demonic efforts to keep Matthew 23:39 from coming to pass.
In addition, Israel will only come to faith in Yeshua as the Church reaches her fullness (Romans 11:25-26). Therefore, both “replacement” theology (which says there is no continuing role for Israel as the chosen people) and “pre-tribulation rapture” theology (which says the Church will not be here, thus preventing her from praying for Israel’s salvation) are deceptions which serve as a demonic attack against the Second Coming. Unfortunately, much of the Church is as blind about this as Israel is.
One of the primary purposes for the Jews to be the chosen people was to bring the Messiah into the world. Miriam’s (Mary’s) giving birth to Yeshua was an historic fulfillment of Israel’s destiny. It might have been possible to see Israel’s destiny as finished at that moment, since it was fulfilled in Messiah’s birth.
However, whether it was a strategic mistake or not, Yeshua decided to extend Israel’s role as the chosen people into the future, by making their faith a requirement for the Second Coming. Matthew 23:39 is a startling decision to make the Jews’ role as the chosen people connected not only to the Messiah’s birth, but also to His coronation. (After all, how is Yeshua going to fulfill His own destiny as “King of the Jews,” if there aren’t any Jews for Him to be King over?)
Matthew 23:39 was not a mistake! It is a demonstration of God’s faithfulness to His covenants, even in the light of our unfaithfulness. It is also a demonstration of His omnipotence. Even if the whole world seems to be against Him, He is able to bring His will to pass. It is a demonstration of His sovereignty. He chooses how, when, where, and through whom He will do it.
Asher Intrater is the Director of Revive Israel Ministries, an apostolic ministry team dedicated to revival in Israel.
To access more articles by Asher Intrater and the Revive Israel team or to find out more about the Ministries of Revive Israel, please go to reviveisrael.org.
I agree with everything Asher Intrater wrote in his article except for there being no pre-tribulation rapture. I believe there WILL be Christians on the earth at that time…repentant believers and new believers along with the two witnesses and the 144,000 Messianic Jews, all of whom will be praying for Israel’s salvation.
Ken,
I believed the same thing for some time. But after being challenged by a Chinese pastor from mainland China and reading the only four passages in the New Testament that speak of the rapture with an open mind that was unbiased by the Dispensational teaching that I had heard, I realized that it wasn’t an apostolic teaching but something eisegetically imposed by Western believers almost 2000 years after Paul first explained the “gathering to the Lord” at “the coming of the Lord” which occurs on “the day of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:1-3).
So while I know where you’re coming from and why, I’d encourage you to consider the passages again without a prejudice. Because fortunately, Jesus and the apostles were quite clear when this great event takes place. And it’s not until “after the tribulation of those days” (Mt. 24:29-31), “after the revealing of the man of sin and the falling away” (2 Thess 2:1-3), at the “seventh” and “last” “great” trumpet (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:14-17), and on “the Day of the Lord” which is the Day the Lord returns in flaming fire and the brightness of His coming (2 Thess 2:1-8). To say anything beyond this is outside of the boundaries of what the Scriptures lay out.
With affection
Dalton
Great article.
This is a profound paragraph:
However, whether it was a strategic mistake or not, Yeshua decided to extend Israel’s role as the chosen people into the future, by making their faith a requirement for the Second Coming. Matthew 23:39 is a startling decision to make the Jews’ role as the chosen people connected not only to the Messiah’s birth, but also to His coronation. (After all, how is Yeshua going to fulfill His own destiny as “King of the Jews,” if there aren’t any Jews for Him to be King over?)
Awesome paragraph.
Ken Souza, “I agree with everything Asher Intrater wrote in his article except for there being no pre-tribulation rapture. I believe there WILL be Christians on the earth at that time…repentant believers and new believers along with the two witnesses and the 144,000 Messianic Jews, all of whom will be praying for Israel’s salvation.”
Hi Ken, the “144,000″ are only first mentioned in a post-trib context, not a pre-trib context. John describes signs that Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms will happen “immediately after the tribulation”. In Rev 6:12-13, John saw that “… the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth …”. In Matt 24:29, Jesus said that, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven…”). Now keep in mind that chapter separations were added by men, so Rev 7:1 is simply a continuation of Rev 6:17. John says in Rev 7:1, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth …”. Compare this with Matt 24:31 when Jesus said that “he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds …”. It is at this point that John then goes on to describe the “144,000″.
Many of us have been taught that the 144,000 of Revelation 7 were literally all Jewish virgin men — and exactly 12,000 each from the 12 tribes of Israel — that would “go through the tribulation” in an effort to evangelize an untold number of lost souls to the saving knowledge of Christ after a pre-trib rapture of Christians, and that they would do all of this without the guidance, giftings, empowerment and conviction power of the Holy Spirit (cf John 15:26; 16:8-11). That was pretty much the story I had been given growing up, sometimes with slight variations of the narrative depending on who was teaching or preaching at the time. But have you ever wondered how on earth they could find salvation if they were not saved at the time of a “pre-trib rapture” to be whisked away when, according to many of these same teachers, the Holy Spirit — the One who convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11) — would also be removed from the earth along with all Christians? …
I no longer view the 144,000 as an actual number of Jewish male virgin evangelists, but rather as a two-fold or three-fold way of signifying completion into the Israel of God once the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (cf Rom 11:23-27). To help explain my position in this respect, we first need to pay particularly close attention to the sequence of the twelve tribes in Revelation 7. This is the only place in the Bible that the list appears in this order. To understand why they are in this order and what the significance of this list entails, we also need to understand that the Hebrews often named their newborn child a word that had a phrase/meaning to the name given. For example, when Leah gave birth to Judah she said “I will praise the Lord.” When Reuben was born she said “He has looked upon my affliction”. Normally the first born is listed first, but in the list of Revelation 7 Judah is listed first, not Reuben. Dan and Ephraim are completely left out, likely because of idolatry and disbelief (Deut 29:18-21; 1 Kings 12:25), so it’s a very interesting sequence that John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, puts together for us. Here is the list and order they appear in Revelation –> 1. Judah, 2. Reuben, 3. Gad 4. Asher, 5. Nepthalim, 6. Manasses, 7. Simeon, 8. Levi, 9. Issachar, 10. Zabulon, 11. Joseph, and 12. Benjamin.
When we take the tribes as listed in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and then take the time to discover the meaning of and/or why those names were given, we get something very interesting after constructing it in the listed order. Here are all the verses with the names (KJV/NASB):
*Judah – Gen 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, NOW WILL I PRAISE THE LORD, therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
*Reuben – Gen 29:32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said Surely THE LORD HATH LOOKED UPON MY AFFLICTION; now therefore my husband will love me.
*Gad – Gen 30:11 Then Leah said, “HOW FORTUNATE!” So she named him Gad.
*Asher – Gen 30:13 And Leah said, HAPPY AM I for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
*Nepthalim – Gen 30:8 And Rachel said, WITH GREAT WRESTLINGS HAVE I WRESTLED with my sister, and I have prevailed and she called his name Naphtali.
*Manasses – Gen 41:51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “FOR GOD HATH MADE ME FORGET ALL MY TOIL and all my father’s house.”
*Simeon – Gen 29:33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, BECAUSE THE LORD HATH HEARD THAT I WAS HATED, HE HATH THEREFORE GIVEN ME THIS SON also: and she called his name Simeon
*Levi – Gen 29:34 “And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, NOW THIS TIME WILL MY HUSBAND BE JOINED UNTO ME, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
*Issachar – Gen 30:18 Then Leah said, “GOD HAS GIVEN ME MY WAGES because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
*Zebulon – Gen 30:20 Then Leah said, “GOD HAS ENDOWED ME WITH A GOOD GIFT; NOW MY HUSBAND WILL DWELL WITH ME, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
*Joseph – Gen 30:24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, THE LORD SHALL ADD TO ME another son.
*Benjamin – Gen 35:17-18 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; THOU SHALT HAVE THIS SON also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Now, when we take them all and put them in the order that the tribes appear, we get the following:
“Now will I praise the LORD, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction, How fortunate!, Happy am I, With great wrestlings have I wrestled and I have prevailed, For God hath made me forget all my toil, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated he hath therefore given me this son, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, God has given me my wages, God has endowed me with a good gift; my husband will dwell with me, The LORD shall add to me, thou shalt have this son.”
Benjamin literally means “Son of My right hand” so another reading of the last portion could be “The LORD shall add to me the Son of [His] right hand.”
Let this sink in for a moment. The way that the 12 tribes are listed in Revelation 7 describes the Bride of Christ and the complete story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ marrying His bride after delivering her from her affliction. This is fulfillment of the prophecy regarding Israel in Hosea 2:14,16,19: “Therefore I am now going to allure her (Israel) … “In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband‘; you will no longer call me ‘my master… [and] I will betroth you to me forever.”
Not only is this evident of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, it also points us to the understanding that believing Israel is the Bride of Christ. It always has been, and what we see above is incontrovertible proof in my opinion. Does Scripture confirm this elsewhere? Yes.
Revelation 21:9-12, “And there came unto me one of the seven angels … saying, come hither, and I will shew thee the bride, THE LAMB’S WIFE. And he … shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem … which had a wall great and high, and twelve gates… and names written thereon which are the NAMES OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL.”
But what about us? What about Gentile Christians? Those of us that are Gentiles who now have a relationship with YHWH the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have been “grafted in” to the household of God through Jesus Christ. As believers in Yeshua ha’Maschiach we have become fellow citizens with the saints and are members of the household of God and “are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Eph 3:6). As believers who have been incorporated into believing Israel we experience the blessings of the New Covenant today. “National Israel” will experience her blessings when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in and she believes again and is grafted back in. Then all of Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-26).
It is, therefore, no surprise that after John describes the 144,000 that he then sees a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb. We come out of the Great Tribulation and are invited to this wedding (Matthew 22:9-10). Revelation 19:9, “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’” Indeed, and as the prophecy in Hosea concludes, “… Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’” (Hos 2:23b). Whether this is intended for restored national Israel who now believes, or to Gentiles that are grafted in, we’ll have to wait and see. It may even allude to both.
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Excellent article. Clear, concise, to the point.
Further to the issue of pre-trib vs post-trib rapture, here’s a bit of personal history in support of Dalton’s comment about reading with an open mind.
I was not raised in dispensationalism, but rather in a theologically liberal Canadian denomination. As a result I knew almost nothing about eschatology except for a vague hope that Jesus would return to finish what he started. The details were very fuzzy to me (not surprising because I didn’t even have saving faith yet, although I was reading and studying the Bible). The good thing about this liberal fuzziness was that I had an open mind on eschatology. So, when I eventually came to Christ, was baptized in the Holy Spririt and began reading the Bible with new eyes, I had no preconceived grid through which to understand the passages that Dalton mentions. To me it was very clear that Jesus said every eye would see his coming, and that the rapture would be a visible public event. It was also clear that he had a lot to say about tribulation. Putting those two simple observations together, I could never make sense out of the pre-trib rapture view. It just seemed to complicate things that are quite simple when taken at face value (sorry if that offends anyone, it’s not intended to).
Shalom – and BTW thanks for the excellent book Dalton. Almost finished reading it.
Just took the time to read the above comment by ICA on the 144,000. Thank you for this insightful exposition.
I am glad that there are believers of all thoughts because as plans move along we may all be somewhat surprised as to just how they occur. We need each and everyone of us standing at whatever post the Spirit has put us so that we can guard and direct the body of Christ on home.
Thanks for What you do!