Biblical
Zionism
How Jews Become Biblical Zionists
“1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for {the Jews of national} Israel is, that they might be saved. 2
For I bear them {the Jews of national Israel}
record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3
For they {the Jews of national Israel} being
ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the
law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But
the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine
heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from
above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to
bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it {‘it,’ the righteousness that comes ‘by grace
through faith’}? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in
thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach {as follows}; 9
That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans
10:1-11).
There
are two kinds of righteousness spoken of in the Bible. There is man-kind,
or Law-kind righteousness, and there
is God-kind righteousness. Man-kind
righteousness can be achieved. This was the “righteousness which is of the
Law” (Romans 10:5; Mosaic Covenant). The
“righteousness which is of the Law” could not save anyone’s soul. Law-kind
righteousness had to do with practical sanctification before God and the
salvation of the life of an already “born again” person. Law-kind
righteousness was external and never was intended to be salvational.
God-kind righteousness is
essential to the salvation of the soul. God-kind
righteousness cannot be achieved. God-kind righteousness must be imputed or imparted. Imparted God-kind righteousness is necessary to enter God’s presence. The issue of imputed and imparted
righteousness cannot be understood apart from understanding dispensational
transitions. A dispensational transition
took place at the end of the Mosaic Covenant at the beginning of the New
Covenant (referring to the already, not
yet position of Dispensationalism regarding the New Covenant). The New Covenant began to unfold on the Day of Pentecost fifty days after the Passover and Crucifixion of
Jesus.
As is
the case with most of Covenant (Replacement) Theology and Reformed Theology, they
continued to propagate the heresy of process
salvation through practical sanctification.
Process salvation includes those that believe in the cleansing of sin
through sacramentalism (the conference of God’s grace through the hands of
ordained clergymen or priests in the ritual sacraments through which the
clergymen/priests conferred the grace of God to penitent participants).
Adding these things to the understanding of
these issues in what modern day professing Christianity
believes regarding very similar problems of the doctrine of salvation about
which Paul addressed to national Israel, helps us understand why much of Christianity has the same failure as national
Israel and why Romans chapter ten is equally applicable to sacramental process
salvationists as it was/is to the Jews.
Because
the Priesthood of national Israel failed as the depositors of truth and
keepers of the Law, the Gospel in the Law (Mosaic Covenant) had been
completely perverted and distorted.
There was not one single aspect of the Mosaic Covenant that was intended
to provide salvation to those who kept the conditions of that covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was a sanctificational covenant with national
Israel and was a blessing and a curse
covenant.
I do not
believe we can truly understand what Paul is saying to national Israel in
Romans chapter ten until we understand the details of God’s intent in giving
the Mosaic Covenant within the Abrahamic Covenant to them as a nation. The Mosaic Covenant is detailed in its
fullest sense in Deuteronomy chapter eleven.
Notice that Deuteronomy chapter eleven does not once
mention salvation; because these are not conditions for salvation. The Levitical Priesthood evolved into the “scribes
and the Pharisees” who corrupted the sanctificational nature of the Mosaic
Covenant making the conditions for God’s blessing salvational conditions. The Mosaic Covenant was given as a
stewardship/dispensation of truth to be administrated over the nation of Israel
by the Priesthood of Israel as a Theocracy in Sacerdotalism (Theocracy: God
ruling over Israel through truth through chosen/elected Representatives of the
people).
“1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and {as an expression of loving the LORD} keep {observe, preserve, and/or reserve} his charge {custody with the
idea of preservation}, and his
statutes {ordinance or legal,
governing, decree of Law}, and his
judgments {various judicially decreed sentences for breaking
God’s individual ordinances}, and his
commandments {used collectively of
the Law as a whole}, always {from one
sunset to the next; i.e., continuously} 2
And know ye this day: for I speak
not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the
chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his
stretched out arm, 3 And his miracles, and his
acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and
unto all his land; 4 And what he did unto the
army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water
of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the
LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; 5 And
what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; 6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of
Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them
up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was
in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 7
But your eyes have seen all the great
acts of the LORD which he did {only
the males over the age of twenty years living at the time of the failure in
faith at Kadesh-Barnea were cursed to die in the Wilderness. ‘No males under twenty years of age, no
females, and none of the tribe of Levi, were objects of the denunciation.’[1]} 8 Therefore
shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, {so}
that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to
possess it; 9 And that ye may prolong your
days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and
to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 10
For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of
Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it
with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: 11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is
a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 12 A land which
the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always
upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 13 And it shall come to pass, if {conditioned upon doing
what verse 1 says} ye {the Jews of national
Israel} shall hearken diligently unto my commandments {the whole Law corporately} which I command you this day, to love
the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 That I will give you {the blessing of} the rain of your land
in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather
in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And
I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be
full. 16 Take
heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and
serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then
the LORD’S wrath {the curse} be
kindled against you {the Jews of national Israel}, and he
shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her
fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD
giveth you. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up {treasure}
these my words {the blessing and curse
instructions regarding the Mosaic Covenant} in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your
hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in
thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them
upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land
which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon
the earth. 22 For if ye shall diligently keep
all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your
God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23
Then {conditional blessing} will the LORD drive out all these nations
from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than
yourselves. 24 Every place whereon the soles of
your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the
river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for
the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the
land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. 26
Behold, I set before you this day a
blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command
you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey
the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I
command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God
hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou
shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. 30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the
way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the
champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? 31
For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your
God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. 32
And ye shall observe to do all the
statutes and judgments which I set before you this day” (Deuteronomy
11:1-32).
Clearly, we can see that the “righteousness
which is of the law” (Romans 10:5) refers to the national righteousness of national
Israel as they fulfilled the conditions of the Mosaic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant (the Law) was never
intended to be an avenue for individual salvific righteousness. The righteousness of salvific justification
could never be achieved by any
means. Nor was Law keeping ever intended
to be a means for justification; i.e. the imputation
or impartation of God-kind
righteousness to the believing sinner (depending upon the point in history before or after the Day of Pentecost).
If individuals within the nation of Israel broke the Law, the leaders of national
Israel were required to administrate justice according to the “judgments” for
various failures as detailed within the Law.
If the leadership of Israel failed to administrate justice, God’s
“curse” would come against the nation of Israel. If the leadership of Israel faithfully
administrated the “judgments” of the Law, God’s blessings would remain upon the
nation of Israel. This is the context of
God’s promise to Solomon in II Chronicles 7:14 after the prayer of dedication
of the new Temple in Jerusalem.
“12 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said
unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an
house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:12-14).
Clearly, individual salvation of every
Jew in the nation of Israel was not part of God’s blessing promise should the leadership of Israel administrate
justice as defined by the Mosaic Covenant (the Law). This was never God’s intent in giving the Law
to national Israel. Nevertheless, this
is what most of Israel’s leadership had come to believe and had been teaching
the Jewish people for centuries.
Therefore, most of the Jews had “2b a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:2b-3). This is the context with which we begin in
Romans chapter ten.
There
is little doubt that Romans chapter ten is directed to Jews within national
Israel who had been misled by the Mosaic Covenant Priesthood into misplacing
their faith in keeping the Mosaic Covenant (Moralism and Ritualism) to be saved. Because the objective facts of their faith were misdirected, the actions of
their faith and the purpose for those actions were wrong and heretical. Although they had both “zeal for God” and
faith in God, both their zeal and their faith were based on their ignorance of the
necessity of God-kind righteousness. Therefore, they remained lost in their sins.
It is
not enough to merely believe in
God. People need to believe the correct
things about God, about themselves, and they need to understand what God has
done to deliver them from the condemnation of sin before they can respond to
the Gospel according to God’s directions.
We can find a straight-line
pattern in Romans 10:1-13 of God’s expectations (responses) to an
understanding of the details of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Understanding
their ignorance of the necessity of God-kind
righteousness and understanding
they could never attain or achieve that kind of righteousness through Moralism
or Ritualism, they needed to repent
of their “dead works” (Hebrews 6:1) and the sin of achieved self-righteousness
(Romans 10:1-7).
2. They need to understand
that salvation could not come through any form of human accomplishment, but
only “by grace through faith” in the
sinless life, the finished propitiatory
Cross-work of the death of Jesus Christ, His burial, and His
resurrection/glorification (Romans 10:8).
3. They need to act
upon these understood and believed details of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ by:
A. Confessing
Jesus to be Jehovah incarnate (Romans 10:9-10)
B. Believing
with their hearts every detail of the Gospel and resting their eternal souls in the Person of Jesus and His
preserving care (Romans 10:9-10)
C. Confessing Jesus to be Jehovah, the sinner is then directed to call on the Name of Jesus to save him
(Romans 10:13)
Obviously,
Romans 10:1-13 is dealing with salvation, defining and detailing a Biblical
response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (“believe”), and a biblical response to
the Person of Jesus Christ (“confess . . .as LORD”). Yet, there is still a fundamental
perpetuation of ignorance today within most of professing Christianity regarding the difference between the righteousness
that comes by man’s doing and the righteousness that comes “by grace through
faith” in God’s doing (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ).
“And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD {Jehovah} shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32a).
“11 For the scripture saith {in Joel 2:32a}, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over
all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:11-13).
The
words receive and confess are very much interrelated. They are not the same as believing as the Soteriological Reductionists would have
us think. Neither is receiving Christ equal to confessing Christ as LORD. The important truth regarding receiving and confessing is Who we are receiving
and confessing. Understanding the Person that we are receiving and confessing gives considerable depth to what we are doing as these
two terms interrelate with believing.
This understanding then connects us deeply, intimately, and intricately
to the spiritual convictions that turned our hearts from sin to “repentance toward God, and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) that must precede receiving and confessing
Jesus as LORD.
As
we have seen, all these individual responses to the Gospel message are
individual and different responses. Yet,
they are very much interrelated. If
one’s faith response truly exists, it must lead us to the next response. Believing that Jesus is a holy, righteous,
and just Person, and that we are sinners before Him, necessitates that we will
respond in humility before Him in repentance.
If repentance is not the response of this understanding, we do not
really understand Who Jesus is or the consequences of our sinfulness before
Him. He is the just Judge and we are
already condemned and guilty sinners before Him (John 3:18).
“16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but
he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And
this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that
they are wrought in God” (John 3:16-20).
It is important that we connect all
these terms (repent, receive, believe, and confess) to the next interrelated
word, which is call. Romans 10:13 is a quote from Joel 2:32. Although the truth and application is
relevant to all sinners (the intent of the word “whosever”), Paul’s instruction
in Romans 10:13 is directed primarily in this text to the Jews of national
Israel (Romans 10:1) of which the vast majority needed to be saved in order to
become part of true Israel (“born again” Israel). Our understanding of Romans 10:13 must come
from our understanding of Joel 2:32. Our understanding of these two texts
cannot be contradictory. Our understanding of these two texts must be complimentary.
The word
“call” from Joel 2:32 is translated from the Hebrew word qara' (kaw-raw'). Although the primary meaning of the word
simply means to address someone by their name, the context of Joel 2:32
gives us a much deeper meaning by the implication of the circumstances that
surround the instruction. The context of
Joel chapter two is the restoration of national Israel from God’s national
judgment due to national Israel’s failure to keep the conditions of the Mosaic
Covenant.
The Mosaic
Covenant was a “blessing and a curse” covenant for national Israel. Because the leadership of national Israel
failed to enforce the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant, God judged national
Israel with the Times of the Gentiles
(the 70 weeks of years or 70 Heptads of Daniel; Dan. 9:24). Sixty-nine of those weeks have already been
fulfilled in history. The seventieth week
of years (Heptad) is the Seven Year Tribulation of God’s promised judgment of
the nations. After this seventieth week,
God will restore national Israel to world dominion under the Lordship of Jesus
Christ.
God’s
judgment upon national Israel during the Times
of the Gentiles has taken the form of various captivities and
persecutions. Although individual Jews
could repent, believe, and be saved at any time during the Times of the Gentiles, God required national repentance for the
restoration of national Israel. This
national repentance will take place during the Seven Year Tribulation in God’s
judgment of the nations.
There were numerous movements that
sought to lead the nation of Israel into repentance down through the years of
the Times of the Gentiles. The last movement was at the time of Jesus
Christ from a group known as the Baptists
(“Sons of Righteousness” or Zadok). At
the time of Christ, the spokesman for this group was a prophet and preacher
named John the Baptist. We cannot
separate his ministry from the message of God regarding God’s continued desire
to restore repentant national Israel.
However, the leadership of Israel refused to repent.
“1 In those days came John the
Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair,
and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all
Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of
vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 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. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the
trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you
with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,
and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in
his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew
3:1-12).
Understanding this historical and
prophetic context, we can understand the statements of Joel 2:32a and Romans
10:13. God was allowing individual
deliverance and salvation to “whosoever” was willing to repent, believe, and
call unto Jehovah for salvation. These saved
individuals could then expect to be part of God’s Zion promises to Israel. In Romans 10:13, the Word of God is telling
us that Jehovah’s Name is now Jesus. Any
individual, either Jew or Gentile, could call upon the Name of Jesus
recognizing Him as LORD and be saved from God’s judgment and damnation. This message was part of Peter’s message on
the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two and Peter’s second message to the
rulers and leaders of Israel in Acts chapter four.
“And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts
2:21).
“1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple,
and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being
grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the
resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid
hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now
eventide. 4 Howbeit many of them which heard
the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
6
And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many
as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they
asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9
If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what
means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him
doth this man stand here before you whole. 11
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the
head of the corner. 12 Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1-12).
We
cannot separate the mission of the Church corporate and every local church of
Jesus Christ from the mission of proclaiming the message of the Gospel to the
“Jew first.”
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
“4 Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to
every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal
life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the
Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh
good, to the Jew first, and also to
the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans
2:4-11).
A unity
of a group of people from all nations, cultures, and ethnicities is created
when individuals from all these nations, cultures, and ethnicities recognize
through faith the Person and work of Jesus Christ. That unity is called “the regeneration” (the again genesis). Anyone can enter “the regeneration” by being
“born again” of the Spirit of God. Being
“born again” of the Spirit of God does not come by keeping the Commandments
(Moralism) or through participation in some religious ritual (Ritualism). Being “born again” of the Spirit of God is a
supernatural regeneration of a sinner into a saint in the eyes of God in the
instant that sinner repents of sin, believes the objective facts of the
“finished” work of Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection, confesses
Jesus to be Jehovah God in human flesh, receives Him as the Lord of their
lives, and calls on Him to save their souls.
There is no other Name and no other Way.
“Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them
that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, our
Lord, both theirs and ours” (I
Corinthians 1:2).
“5 Thomas saith unto him,
Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me” (John 14:5-6).
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
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Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.
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