Messianic Perspectives

--Guest (Female)--

The book of Numbers records a remarkable series of four prophecies, including a startling prediction about the coming of the Messiah. But what makes these four prophecies even more amazing is that God gave them not through Moses or through a Jewish prophet, but through a pagan priest named Balaam.

Stay tuned as Dr. Gary Hedrick discusses Balaam's four prophecies, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

--Guest (Female)--

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Aiello.

Today, our Bible teacher is Dr. Gary Hedrick, and he's talking about four remarkable prophecies given through a pagan priest named Balaam. I'll be back at the close of the program to tell you about our special offer. And now, with today's installment, here's Gary Hedrick.

--Dr. Gary Hedrick--

Welcome, listening friend. It's always good to have these few moments to share together with you, to bring you up to date with what's happening in our ministry to the Jews, and to fellowship around the Word of God.

Let's get started in this series of studies dealing with Balaam's four prophecies. And isn't it interesting that God would use a pagan prophet like Balaam to reveal God's future plan for his people Israel?

The first prophecy Balaam gave is found in Numbers chapter 23, verses 7 through 10, and it has to do with God's special plan for his people Israel. Then the second prophecy is found in Numbers chapter 23, verses 18 through 24. And this one has to do with the second coming of the Messiah, the son of David, and the time when all Israel shall be saved.

The third prophecy is in Numbers chapter 24, verses 3 through 9, and it describes the future millennium when God pours out his blessings upon Israel and upon the whole world. And finally, the fourth prophecy is in Numbers chapter 24, verses 15 through 19, where God makes an interesting distinction between the first and second comings of the Messiah.

And this fourth part of Balaam's prophecy is so very important, especially to our Jewish friends, because this is precisely what the rabbis have never understood. And that is that Messiah ben Joseph, the suffering Messiah, and Messiah ben David, the kingly Messiah, are actually one and the same person. He's the same person, but he comes on two separate occasions, approximately 2,000 years apart.

We'll talk about that in more detail later. And I hope you'll encourage your Jewish friends and neighbors to tune in, especially when we come to that fourth prophecy.

You know, listening friend, there's a heresy that has infected the Evangelical Church in our generation. It's known by several names, but one of the most popular is Replacement Theology. The Replacement Theologians teach that God is finished with his people Israel.

They say that when the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah in the first century AD, God at that point in time rejected them. They say that the Christian church has replaced Israel in God's plan. They teach that all the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament have now been transferred to the church.

They say that transfer took place either at the cross, or at Pentecost, or with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, depending on whose interpretation you choose to believe. But they all agree that Israel has been replaced by the church.

Now let me tell you something, my friend, and you listen to me carefully. The Bible teaches nothing even remotely resembling Replacement Theology. Now what the Bible does teach is that there is a certain sense in which the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ may be considered spiritual Israel, because the Book of Galatians says that Gentiles have become sons of Abraham by faith. And it says that we are Abraham's spiritual seed there in Galatians 3:29.

But that does not mean, listen, that does not mean that God has cast away his people Israel. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:1. He says in verse 1, "I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."

Verse 2, "God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew." How could you make it any clearer than that? You see, Paul knew that the church had not replaced Israel in God's prophetic plan for the world. In fact, when you read the prophetic scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, each of those prophetic verses is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

And when all the pieces of the prophetic puzzle fall into place, you begin to see God's plan for Israel. And what the scriptures teach is this. First, God chose Israel to be the vehicle through which he would reveal his marvelous plan of redemption to the world. He entrusted Israel with his Word, the oracles of God.

He spoke through her prophets. He revealed himself to the world through Israel. Later, however, Israel strayed from the Lord, and he judged her by sending her into captivity among the nations. Then, according to the prophetic scriptures, after a prolonged period of dispersion, the Jews call it the Diaspora, the dispersion, Israel would be restored to the land.

First, a partial restoration in a state of unbelief, which is what happened in 1948, and what we see today. And later, a complete restoration, when Israel receives the Lord Jesus Christ as her Messiah and Redeemer and Savior, which is what will happen at the beginning of the future millennial kingdom. This is what the prophet Hosea was referring to in Hosea chapter 3, verses 4 and 5.

Let me read this to you. This is where he says in verse 4, "For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim." Verse 5. "Afterward," and always notice those time words in scripture, because time words are very important in understanding the sequence of prophetic events.

And the reason is because God doesn't always put things in chronological order. But when you see a time word like afterward, then you know there's a sequence here. And he says in verse 5, "Afterward, shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days."

Now let me tell you what he's saying here. First of all, in verse 4, Hosea prophesies that the children of Israel will abide for many days, and that's a Hebrew euphemism, by the way, meaning a long time, many days. The children of Israel shall abide many days without three things. Now notice what he says. First, they'll be without a king or prince, meaning they'll have no nation, no sovereignty.

Secondly, they'd be without a sacrifice or an image, meaning there'll be no more ark of the covenant for the sacrificial ceremonies, and eventually no temple at all. And thirdly, they'll be without an ephod or teraphim, meaning they would have no further direct revelation from God. The ephod, of course, was the priestly garment which contained the Urim and the Thummim in the Old Testament.

That's how God revealed his will to the High Priest in the Old Testament. So, there's no more nation of Israel, there's no more worship of God in Jerusalem, no sacrifice, and no direct revelation from God through the priesthood. So what's Hosea chapter 3, verse 4 describing? That's right.

It's describing the dispersion of Israel and the occupation of Jerusalem, the Israeli capital, by Gentiles. And the prophet says that this dispersion would endure for a very long time, many days. And of course, in retrospect, we can look back and see that the dispersion has already lasted for 2,500 years, from the time of the Babylonian captivity up until now.

This is the period of time our Lord referred to in Luke 21:24 when he said, "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." You see, these prophetic teachers who say the times of the Gentiles came to an end in 1948 when Israel became a state, they're wrong.

Listen to me. The present Israeli occupation of Jerusalem is only temporary, according to the prophetic scriptures. During the last half of the tribulation period, the holy city Jerusalem will once again be occupied by Gentile military forces, the armies of the Antichrist. And it's only at the end of the tribulation when Messiah appears that the times of the Gentiles will come to an end.

So Hosea chapter 3, verse 4 is a reference to the times of the Gentiles, the period from the Babylonian captivity up until the end of the tribulation period, when Jerusalem is controlled and dominated by Gentile forces. Then he says, "Afterward," verse 5, that is, after the times of the Gentiles. "Afterward, shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their king."

And this is the second David, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And they shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days, it says. And this is what happens at the close of the tribulation period, when the Lord ushers in his millennial kingdom of worldwide peace and prosperity.

Now let me ask you, does that sound to you like God is finished with the Jews? Does that sound to you like God has cast off his people Israel? Absolutely not. You see, the prophetic plan of Almighty God, as revealed in the scriptures, runs on four tracks. And if you can understand this, if you can just get this down, you'll understand God's prophetic plan.

First, there's God's program for the angels. And that includes Lucifer and the fallen angels, as well as the holy angels, that whole subject. Secondly, there's God's program for the Gentiles. Thirdly, there's God's program for the church. And fourthly, there's God's program for Israel. Those are the four great sweeping prophetic themes that you find running through the entire Word of God from the very beginning to the very end, from Genesis to Revelation.

The angels, the Gentiles, the church, and Israel. And if you eliminate any one of those four major prophetic themes, as some people have done by saying that God has concluded his program for Israel, if you do that, if you eliminate any one of them, then you've missed a major part of God's prophetic plan.

Now, on the next broadcast, before we get into Balaam's prophecies in the Book of Numbers, I want to show you from the prophetic scriptures how the restoration of the nation Israel in 1948 was, contrary to what some people are teaching these days, was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Join us then, won't you?

--Guest (Female)--

Thank you, Gary, and thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. It's always good to have you with us as we look into God's word together.

Now, let me tell you about our special offer. It's the compact disc, which includes all of the programs in this current series of studies on Balaam's four prophecies. And it can be yours for a gift of just $6 or more to Messianic Perspectives. Just visit our secure online store at MessianicSpecialties.com to place your order.

If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas, 78293. When you write, just ask for the series Balaam's four prophecies. Balaam is spelled B-A-L-A-A-M, or just ask for CD number GT20. That's GT20 and enclose $6.

To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. Have you enjoyed this edition of Messianic Perspectives? Why not continue to learn about the Jewish roots of your Christian faith by inviting a speaker from CJF Ministries?

Call our toll-free number 1-800-926-5397, and we'll be happy to handle all of the details. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too.

I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on Balaam's four prophecies, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

--Guest (Female)--

Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas, and is made possible on this station by the free will contributions of our listeners in this area.