Page 33 - Eschatology - Student Ebook

How did Israel become a country?

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Jesus’s 2 Coming
Jesus clearly told his disciples that He would return to earth someday in the future. At his ascension, the
angles told the disciples, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has
been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into
heaven." (Acts 1:11 NASB). Jesus was asked when he would set up his kingdom in Matthew 24, and
Jesus described all sorts of events that would take place just before His return. But His plan was to
establish the Church, His bride, between His first coming and His final coming.

The Mystery of the Church.
Prophets in the Old Testament looked into the future seeing Israel and its relationship with the Messiah,
but they did not see the “mystery” of the Church. It was like looking off into the distance and seeing a
series of mountain ranges. They could see the tops of the mountains in the distance but could not see
down in the valley. God has decided to establish a bride for Himself in the valley between Israel’s
rejection of their Messiah and their acceptance of His second coming. This valley is often called the
“church age” which parallels the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21).

Major prophetic books say little or nothing about the church. It is a mistake to interject the Church into
Matthew 24-25 or other major prophetic books which center on Israel.

This is important. The second coming of Christ is when Jesus comes to earth as Messiah and is received
by Israel. He will set foot on the Mount of Olives and will march victorious through the eastern gate into
Zion there to establish His thrown as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. World-wide worship will
commence in the temple as He sits on His thrown. The city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as no other on
earth. These events are described by many of the major prophets in the Old Testament and in the book
of Revelations.

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