Grace to You Weekend

John MacArthur: Should God cast away his people Israel? No, God will not cast away his people. On the contrary, God will save his people. I've been in Israel a couple of times and one of the most wonderful things that you're able to say to those people over there is the fact that there's a great future for you. God is going to redeem this entire nation.

Phil Johnson: Welcome to Grace to You Weekend, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson.

Phil Johnson: With all of the turmoil in the Middle East these days, especially where the nation of Israel is concerned, perhaps a question has come into your mind: What is God's plan for Israel? How should we think about the promises God made to that nation in scripture? And if you're a Christian, why do you need to know what God has in store for Israel? What's the practical value of that?

Phil Johnson: Consider those questions with John MacArthur today as he continues his study, The Return and Reign of Jesus Christ. So now, if you're able, turn in your Bible to Zechariah chapter 10 as John begins the lesson.

John MacArthur: The entire 11th chapter of Romans deals with the question that is introduced in the first verse of that chapter, and the question is, has God cast off his people Israel?

John MacArthur: That's a very vital question. That's a question that theologians are still discussing today. That's a question that is highly debated and heatedly discussed in theological seminaries and colleges around America and around the world. Has God cast off his people Israel?

John MacArthur: The next verse of the 11th chapter of Romans answers the question. And that is the second verse. And the second verse simply states the fact that God has not cast off his people Israel, that that is the remotest possible thought. It says God has not cast away his people, whom he foreknew.

John MacArthur: In other words, by the time you get to the 11th chapter of Romans, God is still dealing in the fulfillment of his promises to Israel. He has not set them aside. And from then, as you progress through the 11th chapter, Paul develops that particular thought.

John MacArthur: What is in fact, God's plan for Israel? And it culminates in verse 26 of Romans 11, which says, "So all Israel shall be saved as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."

John MacArthur: Why is God going to fulfill that? "For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." And verse 29 says, "And the gifts and callings of God are without repentance."

John MacArthur: Should God cast away his people Israel? No, God will not cast away his people. On the contrary, verse 26 and following says, God will save his people.

John MacArthur: I've been in Israel a couple of times and one of the most wonderful things that you're able to say to those people over there is the fact that there's a great future for you. God is going to redeem this entire nation. God has not cast you off.

John MacArthur: And one of the reasons that America has been such a great friend of Israel is because of the Christian testimony of America. The Israelis know that there are many of us who believe in the restoration of Israel. They know that. There are many evangelical Christians who have made friends with Israelis.

John MacArthur: So this is a promise that has not been negated. God is going to redeem the nation of Israel.

John MacArthur: In Isaiah chapter 59, and verse 20 and 21, we read concerning this same fulfillment, this same prophecy, "And the redeemer shall come to Zion." That was quoted in Romans 11. "And unto those who turn from transgression in Jacob," says the Lord. "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My spirit that is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed," says the Lord, "from henceforth and forever."

John MacArthur: In other words, God says there is a forever plan for Israel. There is a forever message that will abide in Israel, that culminates when the redeemer comes to Zion.

John MacArthur: Now three things that stand out in that prophecy should be taken note of. One, the redeemer will come out of Zion. He will be Jewish. Two, he will turn ungodliness away from Jacob. Three, he will take away their sins.

John MacArthur: So there is coming the redeemer who will turn them away from their ungodliness and forgive their sins, and that is salvation. This all comes under what Jeremiah calls the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was a covenant of death, the New Covenant is a covenant of life.

John MacArthur: And Israel will experience the New Covenant, according to Jeremiah 31 and verse 33. It says this: "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days," says the Lord, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God and they shall be my people."

John MacArthur: "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," says the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more."

John MacArthur: Now, when Israel is saved, what happens? What all is involved in their redemption? That is the theme of chapter 10. Just exactly what occurs? What are the constituent benefits of salvation? These features are the features that will really come to Israel in the day of their salvation.

John MacArthur: This is what you can tell any Jew, or any Gentile for that matter, about what God is going to do for Israel in the day when Jesus comes.

John MacArthur: Feature number one, and I'm going to jump into verse 4 for number one and then backtrack. Feature number one, the first thing Israel will receive is a divine redeemer, the divine redeemer. Verse 4. "Out of him," and the him there refers back to its antecedent in verse 3, which is the house of Judah. So, "Out of Judah came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, and out of him every oppressor together."

John MacArthur: Now let's go back and look at this verse. Zechariah reminds the people that the Messiah is coming and he identifies him in this verse. Really, this is one of the richest Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, and it's not one that's studied very often, and yet it's just really loaded.

John MacArthur: In many of the former prophets, you haven't heard of the former prophets and the latter prophets, okay? The former prophets are the prophets who prophesied prior to the Babylonian exile. The latter prophets are the prophets who prophesied after they came back from exile.

John MacArthur: Now, the former prophets had many things to say about the Messiah. Many things about what he would be, and how he would look, and how he would fulfill prophecy, and so forth. Many of the things that were clearly stated in the former prophets are then picked up again by the latter prophets.

John MacArthur: Now Zechariah, as a latter prophet after the exile, picks up three things about the Messiah that are from the former prophets. He calls the Messiah a cornerstone, a nail, and a battle bow.

John MacArthur: Now these three things give us a tremendous insight into the Messiah. The first one is that he is called in Hebrew, `pinah`, and that means the cornerstone. Verse 4 calls him simply the corner. That's a Messianic title. And in the former prophets, such as Isaiah 28:16, it says, "Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, and he that believes shall not be ashamed."

John MacArthur: So Isaiah prophesied that he would be a stone, a tested stone, a precious stone, a cornerstone, a foundation stone. That has to be Jesus Christ. None other than Jesus Christ. And as you look at the New Testament, you find that Jesus Christ repeatedly is stated to be the cornerstone.

John MacArthur: In Romans 9, verse 32, it says, "They stumbled at the stumbling stone," as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed." And it's clear that Paul is referring to Jesus Christ, who is the stumbling stone over which Israel stumbled.

John MacArthur: In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 23, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling stone." In Ephesians, the stone takes a little bit of a different approach, and in Ephesians 2:20, it says, "And you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone."

John MacArthur: So sometimes he is a stone of stumbling and sometimes he is a cornerstone, and sometimes he is a precious stone. But that is a common Old Testament designation. Daniel chapter 2, verse 34 calls him a stone. In fact, Daniel calls him a stone cut out without hands, and he is the crushing stone that comes in judgment to destroy the Gentile world powers. So Jesus is a stone. The Messiah will be a stone.

John MacArthur: Here, it is not the crushing aspect that is emphasized. That's emphasized in other parts of the Bible that he is a smiting rock, Matthew 21:44, a crushing stone of judgment. That is not the emphasis here. Zechariah says he is a cornerstone. He is a stone that holds up the walls. He is a supporting stone. He will give support and he will give stability. That's the idea. For the safety and stability of a building, almost everything depends on the foundation. Anybody who builds knows that.

John MacArthur: And what Zechariah is saying here is really the same thing. He is saying Christ is the one who will come and give stability to Israel, and that's the thing they've needed for so many centuries. Baron, David Baron in his great commentary on Zechariah says, "The great architect of the universe has purposed for himself from all eternity to raise out of frail imperfect human materials a glorious temple for his own eternal habitation through the Spirit, which when completed shall show forth even more than the material temple of the universe to principalities and powers, the infinite power and manifold wisdom of God."

John MacArthur: "And in order to ensure that temple's eternal safety, he has bestowed great care on the foundation. He himself has laid it, and the tried and precious cornerstone, which he has laid as the basis of this mystical structure, is his own son, who is perfected forevermore, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail."

John MacArthur: And so we can say let the storms rage and let infidelity assail, and let men and devils do their utmost, when God sets Jesus as the cornerstone, the foundation stands sure. And we know that now, don't we? Because Christ is the cornerstone of the foundation of the church. And we have seen the church stand and weather the storm. And someday he'll become the cornerstone of Israel.

John MacArthur: You know, there's something else about this cornerstone concept that struck me as I was studying it, and that is that a cornerstone holds up two walls. It's in the corner. It holds up two walls. And without pushing the point too far, I think it's kind of interesting to realize that the cornerstone Christ holds up the two walls that make up the redeemed people, and that is the church and Israel. And where there used to be a wall between us, we now have a common cornerstone.

John MacArthur: And someday when Israel enters its kingdom, we'll enter it with Israel. And when we go into eternity, we'll go in together, and I dare say by the time we hit eternity, there won't be any way to tell us apart. In fact, for all those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ today, who are a part of Israel, they'll have to find a spot in both walls. He is the cornerstone for two people, and he will give stability and solidarity and foundation to Israel. That's the promise of God for them. The day is coming when you're going to get solidarity.

John MacArthur: The second thing that he calls this divine redeemer is the nail. Now that's a most interesting term in Hebrew. It refers to two kinds of nails in its use in the Old Testament. One is a tent stake. When they would put a tent up, they would run great pieces of rope out from the extremity of the tent on its outer part, and they would drive a stake into the ground to hold the tent. You've seen it in any tent you've ever seen.

John MacArthur: But the word not only has to do with a tent stake, but it is also used, and I'll show you where in a minute, to refer to the great nail that they drove into the middle post of the tent. Now when they put up a tent in those days to live in, in their traveling, it was a big tent. It wasn't some little dinky pup tent, it was a big tent. And in the middle they would have a pole, almost like a ship's mast. And there weren't any walls to hang anything on, so the pole in the middle, into it was driven a big nail in which the valuable ornaments of the house were hung.

John MacArthur: Whatever glorious art displays were to be hung in the tent, they were hung on the nail driven into the post. Often, according to one writer that I was reading, the wealth of that entire family would be hung on that peg for the admiration of all who came in. Now I really believe that that's precisely what God is going to do with Jesus Christ. It is possible that he's referring here to the idea that he's the nail to hold the tent of Israel together. But I think if we connect up with what else we find in the scripture about this nail concept, what God is really going to do is that God is going to make Christ the nail in the midst of his kingdom on which all the glory of the kingdom hangs. Do you see? That's the essence of the picture.

John MacArthur: If you go back to Zechariah 6:13, it says, "He shall build the temple of the Lord and bear the glory." In other words, Christ will build the temple, and within that temple he will bear the glory. See? He will bear the glory. The glory will be hung on him. Full millennial splendor will be his.

John MacArthur: Let me give you another reason why I believe this is probably the meaning here. Look in your Bible at Isaiah 22. Isaiah 22. As one old preacher I heard said, "Turn to Isaiah." Isaiah 22, verse 23. Now watch this. And this is talking about, as so often we've told you, it's talking about a human fulfillment and then a future fulfillment in Christ. The human fulfillment of this prophecy is Eliakim. Eliakim was a very wonderful man, a very godly man. And Eliakim is the historical fulfillment, but Messiah is the ultimate.

John MacArthur: In verse 23, he says, and we'll go right to the Messianic element, "I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house." Now watch 24. "And they shall hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups to the vessels of flagons."

John MacArthur: Chapter 10 again in Zechariah, we come to the third term to describe the redeemer. He is called the battle bow. The battle bow. Now, the Lord has already given us indication of what this is. Go back to chapter 9, verse 13. When he judged the Greece, Antiochus Epiphanes, he says, "I bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you like the sword of a mighty man."

John MacArthur: There you can see God already pictured as if he is an archer pulling a bow. And here God is seen as the battle bow itself. He is a conqueror without equal. He is a warrior who will come and destroy the enemy. Read Revelation 19:11. He comes in power to conquer and destroy.

John MacArthur: So, the first part of their salvation is that they will receive the divine redeemer, who is a cornerstone, nail, and battle bow. Now, the result of this is that every oppressor together shall be scattered. What the verse is saying actually in the Hebrew is that all oppressors will be put out together. Israel will no more be oppressed. The divine redeemer will conquer the enemy.

John MacArthur: So, promise number one, in Israel's redemption, a divine redeemer. Number two, divine reign, verse one. A divine redeemer and divine reign. Look at verse one. "Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain. So the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain to everyone, grass in the field."

John MacArthur: Now, first of all, let's back up to verse 17 of chapter 9. When he's talking there about the kingdom and what it'll be like, he says, "Grain shall make the young men cheerful and new wine shall make the maids cheerful," as implied. In other words, God is going to bring great harvests. Grain will flourish, grapes will flourish. And all you have to do is ask the Lord for it. Verse 1 of chapter 10. In the time of the latter rain, God is going to bring rain.

John MacArthur: Now, people have discussed whether this is literal rain. I think it is. Yes, first of all, literal rain. I think in the time of the kingdom, God is going to make it rain in order that crops will flourish. Stuff is going to grow like it has never grown before. Now I've been out on the desert outside of Jerusalem to the east, down to the Dead Sea a couple of times, and that is real desert. But when the Lord makes it rain, and I mean it is going to rain in the kingdom.

John MacArthur: Watch what happens. Isaiah 35:1. "And the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them." This is when the kingdom comes. Now listen to the next one. "And the desert shall rejoice and blossom like what? The rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it." And if you've ever been to Lebanon, Lebanon, before it was denuded so much, the only thing I can tell you about Lebanon is Lebanon is so fertile and so green and so lush. Parts of it look like Lake Arrowhead area. Incredibly beautiful area.

John MacArthur: And he says the desert is going to look like Lebanon. And it's going to look like Carmel, and it's going to look like Sharon, and the valley of Sharon is the coastal valley, which is so green and beautiful. And Carmel is the range of mountains that goes up the coast to the north that is so green and nice. And the desert is going to look like that. Well, in order for that to happen in the desert, folks, you're going to have to have some real rain. God is going to make it rain, real rain.

John MacArthur: And verse 6. "The lame man's going to leap like a deer, the tongue of the dumb is going to sing. And in the wilderness, watch this, shall waters break out and streams in the desert, and the parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water. In the habitation of jackals, where each lay shall be grass with reeds and rushes." Water everywhere. It's going to be like a water field in the desert. Literal rain.

John MacArthur: But it's more than that. Because while the Bible always promises a literal kingdom, with literal rain, and literal water, and literal fields, growing with literal crops, it also speaks of spiritual blessing poured out on the people of God. It's a truth in and of itself, and it's also an illustration of a spiritual truth, that God is going to pour out the rain of marvelous blessing.

John MacArthur: In fact, in Hosea 6:1, "Come, let us return to the Lord, for he's torn and he will heal. He has smitten, he will bind us up. And after two days he will revive us, and the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." Now watch this. "Then shall we know if we follow to know the Lord, his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth." In other words, God's outpoured blessing is likened to the rain.

John MacArthur: And so the latter rain here, the latter rain is the spring rain that comes in March and April that's so indispensable to the crops. And he says you're not only going to get literal latter rain, you're going to get the latter rain of God's blessing. I think all of that is encompassed in this thought in Zechariah 10:1.

John MacArthur: And the word here is most interesting. It says he will give them, look at this, "showers of rain." And the word there is a very special word in the Hebrew. It doesn't mean a violent destructive rain, but the Hebrew means a productive ample rain. It isn't going to be flooding them out. So the rain clouds will pour their water, and the clouds of God's blessing will pour their blessing.

Phil Johnson: You're listening to Grace to You Weekend, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur. John's current study is called The Return and Reign of Jesus Christ.

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Phil Johnson: Now, for our entire staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Watch Grace to You Television Sundays on Direct TV Channel 378, and then be back next week when John MacArthur shows you how Israel will be transformed when the people of Israel finally accept Jesus as their rightful king, and what that transformation will mean for the rest of the world. It's another half hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You Weekend.