The Day and the Hour

Keeping the Promises

I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3)

The end of days is all about Abraham. Namely, the promises that God made to Abraham. God is on the hook to keep those promises. He needs to make the children of Abraham into a great nation. He needs to bless the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He needs to bless all the nations that bless Israel so that, through Abraham, "all the families of the earth will be blessed." Likewise, God needs to smite those who curse Abraham's children, so it's equally true that "all the families of the earth will be cursed" in Abraham so long as they persist in cursing his children. In the end of days, God will make good on all of these promises.

In addition, God needs to deliver the promised land to the children of Abraham as a permanent possession. He promised Abraham, "To your descendants I will give this land" (Genesis 12:7), "For all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever" (Genesis 13:15). So far, that hasn't happened. The children of Israel inhabited the land, as God promised, but they have not yet received it as a permanent possession. Even today, as the Jewish people have returned to the promised land and established a Jewish nation within it, their presence in the land is fiercely contested by the nations.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Promised Land Game

Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you. (Genesis 13:17)

The Bible's prophecies place the drama of the end of days on the stage of the land of Israel. All the action centers around the Holy Land and the holy city, Jerusalem. Think of it like an enormous board game spanning the whole world and four thousand years of history. The board game requires two players with opposing objectives. The objectives of the first player require Him to get the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob back into the promised land. Then, He must grant them permanent possession of that land and sovereignty over it without fear of conflict with other nations so that they can prosper therein. To accomplish these objectives, the player needs to gather up the exiles of Israel and bring them safely to the land. Then, He needs to establish a sovereign Jewish kingdom there. (A restored Davidic monarchy will do nicely.) He needs to extravagantly bless the people in the land. To finally win the game, He needs to subdue all the other nations of the world, effectively annexing them into a global kingdom administered from Jerusalem. At that point, the children of Abraham have permanent possession of the land, and all of the promises God made to Abraham are fulfilled. That's called "the final redemption."

The Final Redemption = When God returns the Jewish people to the land of Israel permanently, subdues the nations, and establishes a global kingdom under the sovereignty of the Davidic Messiah King.

Sure, it sounds simple enough for a skilled player, no more difficult than a game of Monopoly, but some big challenges make this board game especially difficult. That's because there's another player with the job of thwarting those objectives. He is at work "to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth." He uses the nations to prevent the Jewish people from remaining in the promised land and from establishing a universal Davidic kingdom (Revelation 20:8). He subtly undermines the efforts of the first player by enticing the children of Israel into covenant disloyalty. When that happens, the rules require a series of covenant curses that erode their sovereignty over the land and, after a certain point, forcibly expel them from the land, thereby sabotaging the first player's success. At that point, the next round in the game begins.

Nobody knows how many rounds of this game we have to play, or how many redemptions there will be before the final one. The good news is that the first player has a foolproof strategy to win the game in the end. He's so confident in this strategy that He's already publicized each move He is going to make. He's going to raise up a righteous Son from the house of David who can gather the exiles of the people back to the land, reestablish the Davidic kingdom, and conquer the nations. Then, He is going to tie up the other player so that he can't deceive the nations or entice the people into covenant disloyalty (Revelation 20:2-3). Needless to say, the second player has a lot of anxiety about the first player's plan. He is working hard to make sure it doesn't happen.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Battle of the Nine Kings

They arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar-four kings against five. (Genesis 14:8-9)

Abraham's nephew Lot took up residence in the wicked city of Sodom. He had not been there long before a great war swept him up along with all the citizens of the city. It plays out like an early round of the promised land board game explained above, so it's worth taking a moment to look at the Battle of the Nine Kings. The story foreshadows the climactic battles for the Holy Land that are to take place in the end of days.

The Battle of the Nine Kings involves both physical armies and spiritual forces at war for possession of the promised land. Chedorlaomer's forces swept into the land of Canaan and defeated everyone in their path. They defeated the Rephaim (giants), who were rumored to be descendants of the Nephilim (Deuteronomy 2:20-21). They subjugated the Susim, the Emim, and the Horites, relatives of the Anakim and Rephaim who occupied the territories that would later be known as Moab and Edom (Deuteronomy 2:10-12, 22).

Bera, the king of Sodom, and four other local Canaanite kings made a stand against Chedorlaomer's forces: five local kings against four Mesopotamian kings. A dramatic battle took place among the tar pits near the Dead Sea. The Mesopotamian invaders routed the Canaanites. They looted and plundered Sodom and Gomorrah, and they carried away all the goods and food supplies. They also deported the population, including Lot and his family.

The forces of Chedorlaomer came from the same nations that, in later years, would vex the land of Israel and Abraham's children: Assyria and Babylon. Much as Chedorlaomer carried off the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Assyrians and the Babylonians deported the children of Israel. Chedorlaomer also allied himself with the "king of Goiim," i.e., the "king of nations," a presage of the war of Gog and Magog when the antichrist (king of the nations) will gather "together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore" (Revelation 20:8). In that day, the king of the nations will face off against the King of the Jews.

The Battle of Nine Kings has a surprise ending. Abraham enters the battle to redeem his kinsmen. With only a small group of followers, he miraculously defeats the invading armies. He liberates the captives and returns them to the land. He goes up to Salem (Jerusalem) and receives the blessing of Melchizedek, the righteous king and priest who rules that city:

First of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. (Hebrews 7:2)

A righteous king of peace ruling over Jerusalem foreshadows the Messiah and the Messianic Era.

The Battle of the Nine Kings foreshadows the dramatic confrontations of the end of days and its resolution in Jerusalem, where the righteous Messiah King will bless the children of Abraham who have been liberated from the nations. The King of the Jews will usher in an age of peace and take up His throne in Jerusalem. He will host a great banquet in Jerusalem, and at the banquet "many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:I1). The banquet in the kingdom will take place after the Messiah defeats the enemies of Israel. Then they will say, "Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:20).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

So Shall Your Decendants Be

He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." (Genesis 15:5)

After the Battle of the Nine Kings, the LORD promised Abraham a great reward for his steadfastness. Abraham complained that, as yet, he had no heir who could inherit the land promised to him. The LORD took him out from his tent and told him to look up into the nighttime sky. He told Abraham to count the stars. When Abraham found that he could not count the number of the stars in the sky, the LORD said to him, "So shall your descendants be" —uncountable.

Are the Jewish people really uncountable? Thanks to relentless efforts to wipe out the Jewish people through genocide, persecution, or assimilation, only a small number of Abraham's descendants through Isaac and Jacob survive. Today, the Jewish people are few in number, around 15 million, about 0.2 percent of the population on planet Earth. Hardly an uncountable number.

The prophets foresaw this and warned that, in the end of days, only a remnant will remain. The remnant will be miraculously preserved by God's protection: "Out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 37:32).

Yeshua warned that the tribulation of the end of days will need to be cut short if any of the remnant are to survive: "but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short" (Matthew 24:22). (The term "elect" refers to the chosen people.) The book of Revelation designates a selected remnant of 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel who will be supernaturally protected through the last days in order to guarantee that Abraham has surviving children who can receive the promises that God made to him.

What about all the rest of Abraham's children who have perished over the centuries without receiving the promises? Will they be left out of the promises that God gave to Abraham? The LORD offered a solution to this problem in the form of the resurrection of the dead. In the end of days, the righteous sons and daughters of Abraham will be resurrected to share in the final redemption and to benefit from the promises that God made to their father (Isaiah 26:19-21; Ezekiel 37). Then they will recline at a banquet with Abraham their father in the land promised to him (Isaiah 25:6-9, cf. Matthew 8:11).

What will the resurrected people be like? Yeshua says that they will be like angels. The seer Daniel says that they will be like the stars. He says that the righteous resurrected who "sleep in the dust of the ground will awake... to everlasting life" and "will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:2-3).

Like the stars forever... so shall your descendants be:

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. (I Corinthians 15:41-42)

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)

Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: "In the future the faces of the righteous will resemble seven joys: the sun, the moon, the expanse, the stars, lightning, lilies, and the menorah of the Temple" (Sifrei, Deuteronomy I:10).

When the children of Abraham are resurrected to shine brightly like the expanse of heaven—like the stars forever and ever-then Abraham's descendants will show forth as an uncountable host splayed across the canvas of eternity.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

144,000 Explored

Revelation 7’s list of the tribes of Israel is one of the most intriguing textual puzzles in the entire book. In Revelation 7:4–8, John hears the number of those “sealed” — 144,000 — 12,000 from each of twelve tribes:

Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh,
Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:4-10, NASB Bible)

If you compare this to the standard tribal listings in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Numbers 1, Deuteronomy 33, Joshua 13–21), you’ll notice several oddities. Namely, two tribes are missing or modified:

• Dan is completely omitted.

• Ephraim is replaced by his father Joseph.

There are several theological and symbolic reasons that could explain the listing in Revelation 7. Judah comes first because the Messiah — “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5) — is the central figure. The entire sealing begins under Messiah’s authority, not by birth order.

Why is Dan omitted? The most common explanation is that Dan was historically associated with idolatry.

• Judges 18:30–31 describes the tribe of Dan setting up a carved image and their own priesthood.

• 1 Kings 12:28–30: Jeroboam established a golden calf in Dan as one of the centers of false worship.

Because of that, later Jewish tradition sometimes viewed Dan as symbolizing apostasy or idolatry. Early Christian interpreters (like Irenaeus and Hippolytus) even speculated that the Antichrist would come from the tribe of Dan — though that’s not in Scripture, it reflects the same theme.

Ephraim is suspected to be replaced by Joseph for similar reasons as Dan. Ephraim also became synonymous with idolatry and rebellion in the northern kingdom (see Hosea 4:17: “Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone.”). By listing “Joseph” instead of “Ephraim,” Revelation may be restoring the father’s name as a symbol of faithfulness, removing the stigma attached to the idolatrous northern tribes.

Levi is normally excluded from land-based lists (since the Levites had no territory). But in Revelation, land isn’t the focus — spiritual identity is. Levi’s inclusion may symbolize the priestly calling of all Israel (cf. Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9).

Is 144,000 an actual number of people or symbolic? The number 12 × 12,000 = 144,000 represents fullness or covenantal completeness — the totality of God’s people, not necessarily a literal census.
The slightly altered list may be John’s way of signaling that this is not a political or genealogical registry, but a theological one — a purified, restored Israel.

Revelation’s altered tribal list isn’t a mistake — it’s a theological statement:

God is restoring a purified Israel, faithful to the covenant, sealed and protected for the coming tribulation and kingdom.

The absence of Dan and Ephraim dramatizes that idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness exclude one from the sealing, while the inclusion of Levi and Judah highlights the Messianic and priestly faithfulness of the redeemed.

An Argument about Repentance

In order to keep the promises He made to Abraham, God will send the Messiah to redeem Israel, subdue the nations, and establish the kingdom. It's not a question of if but when. In the days after the destruction of Jerusalem, the question of when burned hot in the heart of every Jew.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and Rabbi Yehoshua escaped the destruction of Jerusalem by smuggling their teacher out of the besieged city in a coffin. Their teacher, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, was not actually dead. He feigned death only to escape the rebels who held the city and prevented him and his disciples from leaving before the Romans arrived. The rebels did not want anyone surrendering to the Romans, which is exactly what the three rabbis did as soon as their little funeral procession got clear of the city walls. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai asked the Romans for permission to start a Torah academy in the city of Yavneh, along with his pallbearers, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua.

Although they were both disciples of the same teacher, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua disagreed about almost everything. They spent their years at Yavneh arguing. When the topic of the coming of the Messiah and the timing of the final redemption arose, they argued about that, too.

The argument is recorded in a famous passage of the Talmud (b. Sanhedrin 97-98), and it goes like this. Rabbi Eliezer claims that the final redemption will not happen until all Israel repents. He says, "If the Jewish people repent, they are redeemed, and if not, they are not redeemed."

Eliezer cites passages from the Torah and the Prophets, such as Jeremiah 3:22, "Return, O faithless sons, [and] I will heal your faithlessness." He quotes Isaiah 30:15, "In repentance and rest you will be saved ... but you were not willing." He cites several other similar passages to prove his point that redemption is contingent upon Israel's repentance.

He could have argued his case all the way back to the Torah when Moses first predicted the exile and the final redemption. Moses says that, after all the curses of the Torah have befallen the people, and Israel is suffering in exile among the nations, the people will remember the covenant and repent. The Jewish people will "return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you" (Deuteronomy 30:2-3).

Many other passages from the Torah and the Prophets could be invoked to prove that repentance is a prerequisite of redemption. Therefore, Rabbi Eliezer concludes that the redemption will not come unless the nation repents by returning to their covenant obligations as spelled out in the Torah.

Eliezer's colleague Rabbi Yehoshua disagrees. He insists that God has set an appointed time at which the redemption and the end of days will come, whether Israel merits to be redeemed or not. He insists that the day of the LORD will come by the will of God, not on the basis of Israel's repentance.

Yehoshua cites Isaiah 52:3, "You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money." He interprets this to mean that Israel will be redeemed without the merit of repentance. He cites several other passages that seem to indicate that God has established a set time when the redemption will occur with no reference to any prerequisites. For example, he points to Daniel 12:7 where the angel Gabriel swears that this current age will endure only "for a time, times, and half a time" before "all these events will be completed." No repentance required. Rabbi Eliezer found himself unable to counter that one.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Prodigal Son

Rabbi Eliezer tended to lean toward the teachings of Yeshua and His emphasis on repentance. Some of his parables are similar to the parables of the Master. Eliezer taught his own disciples to "Repent one day before you die," meaning, repent every day. The Romans once arrested him on charges of being a secret follower of Yeshua. There were legitimate reasons for the charges. His colleagues among the sages chastised him for listening to the teachings of a disciple of Yeshua. So it's not surprising to discover that Rabbi Eliezer held the opinion that repentance is a prerequisite for redemption. Yeshua seems to have held that opinion, too.

All of Yeshua's teachings emphasized repentance as a catalyst that can trigger the redemption and bring the kingdom-the Messianic Era. That was Yeshua's main message: "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Yeshua taught that, if the nation would only repent, they could bring the redemption and avert the punishment due to them. They could avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, save the Temple, and forgo returning to exile among the nations. Yeshua's teachings presented a straight and narrow path for entering the kingdom, and He urged the people to seek first the kingdom before it was too late.

Yeshua's parable of the prodigal son illustrates the principle (Luke 15:II-32). The father of the prodigal is gracious and forgiving, waiting for his son to return, but he cannot restore his son until he returns. The prodigal son does not find redemption until he comes to his senses, repents, and returns to his father's household with his confession, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:21). Likewise, Yeshua urged the Jewish people to repent before it was too late. Unfortunately, the generation did not heed His warnings. They did not repent. The nation forfeited the opportunity to bring the kingdom. Imagine a version of the parable where the prodigal son never comes to his senses. He never returns to his father's household. There is no reconciliation.

Rabbi Eliezer held the same opinion as Yeshua: "If the Jewish people repent, they are redeemed, and if not, they are not redeemed."

If that's the case, what hope does the world have? We are no closer to seeing a national revival among the Jewish people than we were in the days of the apostles. Since the Enlightenment Era, most Jewish people have been happy to live secular lives without concern for the Bible's commandments. If Yeshua Himself was unable to inspire sufficient repentance to merit the redemption two thousand years ago, what hope does this modern secular era have? Will the redemption ever come?

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Repentance or an Appointed Time?

On the fortieth day after His resurrection, Yeshua appeared in the midst of His disciples as they once again reclined around a table in the holy city of Jerusalem. He told them that He was going to send them out with the message, "that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). They were to testify as His witnesses and proclaim His message "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts I:8).

The disciples took advantage of the opportunity to pose the question that pressed on all their minds: "Master, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts I:6). After all, that is the job of the Messiah. They were eager to see Yeshua seated on the throne of David in Jerusalem, ruling over all Israel and the entire world.

Yeshua answered, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts I:7). His answer indicates that there is a set time for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. It is a date that "the Father has fixed by His own authority." That sounds more like the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua, who taught that the Day of the LORD will come at a time appointed by God, whether the nation merits it or not. God has fixed a specific, appointed time at which He will bring the final redemption.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Hidden in God’s Heart

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD" anointed Yeshua "to bring good news to the afflicted ... to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 6I:I-2). The terms "favorable year of the LORD" and "day of vengeance of our God" refer to the same event: the Day of the LORD.

On that day, the LORD will avenge the blood of His people as He pours out His wrath on the nations and upon the wicked. At the same time, He will show His favor for His people Israel and for the righteous from the nations who are called by His name. Therefore, the Day of the LORD is the "favorable year of the LORD" for the righteous, but the wicked will experience it as "the day of vengeance."

One of the most vivid prophecies in the Bible depicts the Almighty on "the day of vengeance" in the "year of redemption" as a warrior in garments stained red with the blood of His enemies:

From the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come. (Isaiah 63:3-4)

The sages frequently cited this passage from Isaiah when describing the coming of the Messiah and the fury of the Day of the LORD. They quoted Isaiah 63:4 to prove that God has established an appointed time when He will carry out His vengeance and redeem His people. However, no man can know when that day will come because God keeps the specific appointed time hidden in His heart. He says, "The day of vengeance was in My heart." (Remember, biblical Hebrew uses the word "heart" the way that English speakers use the word "mind.") It means that God has concealed the Day of the LORD in His innermost thoughts and has not revealed the timing to anyone.

The rabbis said that not even King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, was able to ascertain the timing of the Day of the LORD because the matter is concealed in God's heart. They said, "If anyone ever tells you when the redemption will come, tell him, the time of redemption is concealed, as it says [in Isaiah 63:4], 'The day of vengeance was [concealed] in My heart' (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:9).

Therefore, it's not possible to calculate the end or predict a specific date or year when the Messiah will come. Many have tried, but they have all been Ioo percent wrong 1oo percent of the time. They often attempt to correlate Bible prophecies with numerical sequences, dates, and times as if the day and hour of redemption is secretly encoded in the Bible. They try to solve it like a puzzle. They try to crack the code. They assemble clues and proof texts. They agonize over timelines and charts correlating Daniel's seventy weeks with the book of Revelation. But the rabbis say this effort is futile because the timing of the end of days is concealed in God's mind, and He has not revealed it. No matter how we torment the Scriptures, they are not going to give up this secret.

Yeshua told His disciples, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Acts I:7; Matthew 24:36). By the same token, however, Yeshua's warning against predicting dates indicates that God's authority has pre-ordained an appointed time for the change of epochs. Our Father in heaven knows "that day and hour," even if He has not told anyone else. Therefore, it sounds like Yeshua agrees with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

I Will Hasten It In Its Time

So far, we have learned that there are two opinions regarding the timing of the final redemption, the day of vengeance, and the coming of the Messiah (i.e., the Day of the LORD). On the one hand, Rabbi Eliezer says that Israel must repent to merit the redemption. On the other hand, Rabbi Yehoshua says that God has set a fixed time for the final redemption, and when that time comes, it will happen whether Israel is worthy or not. The day and hour of that time remains concealed -but there is a predetermined day and hour.

• RABBI ELIEZER: Israel must repent to merit the redemption

• RABBI YEHOSHUA: The redemption will occur at the appointed time, whether Israel merits it or not.

We have also learned that the teaching of Yeshua can be construed to support both sides of the argument. The Talmud also supports both sides of the argument. The discussion in the Talmud points us to another prophecy from Isaiah that reconciles the opinions of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua:

Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. The smallest one will become a clan, and the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time. (Isaiah 60:21-22)

The prophecy speaks about the final redemption and the coming kingdom. Isaiah says that, in the Messianic Era, all the Jewish people will be righteous. This is similar to Paul's emphatic declaration about the redemption, "so all Israel will be saved" (Romans II:26, cf. m.Sanhedrin iI, b.Sanhedrin 9o). In that day, the Jewish people will take permanent possession of the Holy Land. God will prosper the Jewish people on the soil of the land of Israel, and they will experience miraculous population growth. These things will happen when the kingdom of heaven comes.

But why does the prophecy say that God "will hasten it in its time"? It seems like another contradiction. The words "in its time" imply that there is a set time for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Yet, God says that He "will hasten" the fulfillment of the prophecy:

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi pointed out a contradiction. It is written that Messiah will come "in his time," but it also says, "I, the LORD, will hasten him." This means, "If Israel is worthy, I will hasten him: if not, [I will bring Messiah] at the due time. (b.Sanhedrin 98a)

According to the interpretation presented by the third-century rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, the verse means there are two possible ways that the end times might play out. If Israel repents and returns to covenant faithfulness, God will find the nation worthy of an early redemption. He will hasten it. If the nation does not repent, it will need to wait until the appointed time arrives.

Think of the appointed time for the redemption as a deadline that functions as a failsafe. If the Jewish people never accrue sufficient merit to deserve being redeemed, God will redeem them anyway when the appointed time comes. However, He doesn't want to wait that long. He wants to make Israel worthy of an early redemption through repentance and godliness. If the nation repents and accrues sufficient merit, God will hasten the end times and bring the redemption early. In this way, He will keep the promises He has made in the Torah and the Prophets about redeeming Israel if the nation repents.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Cutting the Days Short

God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions." (Genesis 15:13-14)

Yeshua mentions the idea of hastening the end by cutting short the days. When discussing the tribulations destined to befall the world before the redemption, Yeshua says, "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short" (Matthew 24:22). These words indicate that the allotted time of travail and tribulation in the end of days will be cut short for the sake of the chosen people. It's another example of hastening the end.

Likewise, God cut short the sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt for the sake of the elect.

On the day that God made the covenant with Abraham, He appeared to him and told him that his children would be "strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years." (The final tally was four hundred and thirty years [Exodus 12:40].)

But hold on right there! Were the children of Israel really enslaved and oppressed in Egypt for four centuries? Not nearly. Jacob's grandson Kohath was numbered among those who entered Egypt (Genesis 46:11). Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram had a son named Moses. Moses was eighty years old when the children of Israel left Egypt. Add up the years from the genealogy of Moses, and you get something closer to two hundred years (Exodus 6:16-20). The rabbis determined that the sojourn in Egypt lasted only 210 years.

So what happened here? God tells Abraham that his children will be redeemed after four hundred years of slavery in a foreign land, but after only about half that time, He redeems them! The sages explained that God originally planned to make the sojourn in Egypt last four hundred and thirty years. But under the heavy burdens of Egyptian servitude, the people turned to Him. They repented and cried out to Him. He heard the groaning of the people of Israel and saw their afflictions. He was moved by their penitence in suffering, and He decided to hasten the day of redemption (Exodus 2:23; Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:23; Exodus Rabbah 3:3).

But how could God go back on His word? He had already set a date for the redemption. "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). How did the LORD redeem them early without breaking His word?

The sages explain that He simply moved the start time of the four-century-long prophecy to begin on the day He uttered it to Abraham rather than starting on the day that the children of Israel entered Egypt. (The Apostle Paul taught the same chronology in Galatians 3:17). You could argue that Abraham and his descendants were also strangers in a land that was not theirs, i.e., the land of Canaan. Rashi does the math like this:

There were 400 years from the birth of Isaac until Israel left Egypt. Isaac fathered Jacob at the age of 60, and when he entered Egypt, Jacob himself said, "The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years" (Genesis 47:9), making together 190 years. Therefore, they were in Egypt 210 years. (Rashi on Genesis 15:13)

Moreover, in the same prophecy, the LORD also said to Abraham, "In the fourth generation they will return here" (Genesis 15:16). Which one was it to be? Four hundred years in Egypt or four generations? The sages speculate that God might have meant, "If they repent, I will redeem them after four generations, but if not, after four hundred years ... At the end of [four generations], He did not delay the redemption for even the blink of an eye" (Tanchuma, Bo 9:2).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

An Early Wedding

Imagine if we had been living in the days of Moses and tried to predict the date of the redemption from Egypt based on the prophecy from Genesis 15. We would not have been ready for the redemption when it came. We would have been expecting another two hundred years in Egypt.

The exodus from Egypt sets the pattern for the final redemption (Jeremiah 16:14-15). God does not want to wait until the appointed time before He redeems Israel. He is eager to redeem His people. The LORD was so eager to redeem His people from Egypt that He hastened the redemption by cutting the days in Egypt short. When "they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God," He counted it to them as repentance. "So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Exodus 2:23-24).

Yeshua taught a similar approach to the end of days. He taught a path of repentance to hasten the coming of the kingdom. Consider my adaptation of the following parable to illustrate the point:

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who planned a wedding feast for his son one year from the date. But the prince loved the princess. He was so eager to be wed that he would not wait until the time appointed. What did he do? He told the princess to purify herself, beautify herself, adorn herself in her bridal garments, and come to the palace to appear before his father, the king. When the king saw the young couple prepared for the wedding, and when he set his eyes upon the beautiful bride already adorned in all her finery, he said to her, "Why should we wait twelve months? Why shouldn't you become my daughter this very day!"

If the generation of Yeshua had proven itself worthy, He could have ushered the Jewish people into the Messianic Era early, but since they were not found worthy, the redemption will come later, "in its time." Therefore, He tells His disciples, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts I:7).

Much of Christianity has grappled with how to reconcile Yeshua as the Davidic King with the significance of His death on the cross. Some Talmudic sages of a later era also understood the triumphant and tragic prophecies about the Messiah to predict two different Messiahs, the Son of David (מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָוִד, Mashiach ben David) and the Son of Joseph (מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף, Mashiach ben Yoseph).

"Our Rabbis taught [the following.]The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (may he reveal himself speedily in our days!): Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee, as it is said, I will tell of the decree, etc., this day I have begotten you; ask of me and I will give the nations as your possession [see Psa. 2:7-8]......But when he will see that Messiah the son of Joseph is slain, he will say to him: Lord of the Universe, I ask of You only the gift of life. As to life, he would answer him: Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you, as it is said, He asked life of you, and you gave it to him, [even length of days forever and ever; see Psa. 21:5]." (Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a)

Another passage from the Talmud, which reveals a rabbinic understanding of the merit-based reward of the Messiah's coming to redeem Israel, shows an alternative attempt to harmonize the triumphant, cloud-riding Messiah with the tragic, meek, and suffering servant riding on a donkey. It proposes that the prophecies describe two potential Messiah trajectories, which will depend on the condition of the covenant people.

"[In Isa. 60:22] it is written: b'itah (in its [own] time [will the coming of Messiah happen]), but it is also written, achishenah (I [the Lord] will hasten it)! [The resolution:] If they are worthy, I will hasten it; if not, [it will simply happen] in its [appointed] time... [In Dan. 7:13] it is written: And behold, one like a son of man (bar enosh) came with the clouds of heaven, but [in Zech. 9:9] it is written: [Behold, your king comes to you...] lowly and riding upon a donkey!..... [The resolution:] If they are meritorious, [he will come] with the clouds of heaven; if not, lowly and riding upon a donkey. King Shapur [I, the Great; ca. 240-270 CE] said to [Rabbi] Samuel: You maintain that the Messiah will come [riding] on a donkey. I will rather send him a white horse of mine! He replied: Have you a horse of a hundred colors?" (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

This passage introduces a profoundly conditional view of redemption:

If Israel is worthy, the Messiah will come quickly (“I will hasten it”); if not, He will come at the appointed time (“in its time”).

This dovetails perfectly with Yeshua’s kingdom message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His call to repentance was a call to hasten the kingdom, echoing prophetic logic rather than overturning it.

You could even say that the Gospel narratives portray a failed “achishenah” (hastening) scenario — the nation was not ready, so redemption was postponed until “its appointed time.” That theme fits naturally with Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem (“you did not recognize the time of your visitation”) and with the apocalyptic patience urged in Habakkuk 2:3 and Revelation 6:10–11.

In Christianity, the suffering messiah and the triumphant messiah are one and the same messiah The Talmud interprets Isaiah 60:22 as meaning that God has a set time for redemption: "I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." According to the Talmud, if the nation repents, God will hasten the redemption; if not, it will occur at its appointed time. Yeshua's proclamation of the kingdom and His call to repentance aimed to "hasten" that redemption. Had the generation repented, they might have seen the full revelation of the kingdom. But since they were found unworthy, the redemption remains for a future, appointed time.

As the prophet Habakkuk says, "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3). This expectation of a coming kingdom remains central to the faith, as believers continue to wait for the fulfillment of God's promises in His appointed time.

These passages (Sukkah 52a and Sanhedrin 98a) likely preserve earlier traditions rooted in Second Temple apocalyptic thought (Daniel, Zechariah, etc.) but developed further in rabbinic interpretation.

Even in a hypothetical scenario where Israel fully repented at Yeshua’s first coming, something like the cross would still be intrinsic to the logic of the covenants. Here’s why:

• Atonement precedes kingdom.
  Every covenant renewal in Israel’s story required blood—Passover before Sinai, Yom Kippur before Sukkot, death before life. The sacrificial pattern isn’t optional; it’s woven into the Torah and temple system.

• The Messiah’s suffering was foreseen as essential.
  Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12–13, and Psalm 22 all describe a righteous sufferer whose affliction brings purification and covenant restoration. The idea isn’t just that “someone must die,” but that the Servant’s suffering restores Israel’s relationship with God, paving the way for the kingdom.

• Repentance alone cannot erase sin; it invokes atonement.
  Even under Mosaic law, repentance must be coupled with sacrifice (Lev. 5:5–6). So even if Israel had corporately repented at Yeshua’s call, that repentance would still lead to the need for divine atonement — the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world.

In short, repentance might have hastened redemption, but it would not have removed the necessity of atonement. The form and timing could differ, but the cross (or something fulfilling that same redemptive role) would remain central.

It’s easy to frame the cross as a tragic consequence of Israel’s rejection — and indeed, that’s part of the story. But the deeper biblical logic views the cross as covenantal ratification, not mere reaction.

• Yeshua Himself said, “This is My blood of the covenant” (Matt. 26:28).

• In biblical tradition, covenants are sealed with blood (Exod. 24:8; Heb. 9:16–22).

• Thus, the crucifixion functions as the divine act that secures the covenant promises and opens the way for resurrection and restoration.

So even in a world where Israel welcomed her King, the cross could have been the coronation through sacrifice, rather than the consequence of rejection. The necessity isn’t in the violence of men, but in the self-offering of the righteous one.

This is the key distinction.
The rabbinic teaching you quoted from Sanhedrin 98a concerns the timing and mode of redemption — “I will hasten it”vs. “in its time.”

• If the nation is righteous → the redemption comes swiftly and gloriously.

• If not → it comes through suffering and delay.

So, when applied to the Messiah:

• If Israel had been ready, the kingdom might have dawned without the long delay of the “times of the Gentiles.”

• Yet even then, the covenant would still have been sealed through the suffering and vindication of the Servant.

Thus, the cross wasn’t optional; only its context—whether embraced in repentance or enacted through rejection—could differ.

Every biblical covenant is sealed in blood:

• Noahic → with a burnt offering (Gen 8–9)

• Abrahamic → with the divided animals (Gen 15)

• Mosaic → “Behold the blood of the covenant” (Exod 24:8)

• Davidic → tied to sacrificial worship at the temple (2 Sam 7; Ps 89)

The “New Covenant” prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 31:31–34) follows the same pattern. So even if Israel had embraced Yeshua as King, He would still have offered Himself as the korban, the covenant sacrifice — not as a victim of rejection but as a voluntary act of covenant inauguration.

In that case, His suffering might have resembled the binding of Isaac (the Akedah): a willing offering that reveals obedience, trust, and divine provision — not a judicial execution. The cross would still display divine self-giving love, but through acceptance rather than betrayal.

Isaiah 53’s Servant suffers “for” Israel — not necessarily because Israel kills him, but on behalf of Israel to bear its iniquity.

So even in a repentant generation, the Servant could have entered suffering vicariously, identifying with Israel’s past sins and brokenness to bring purification and renewal.
Think of Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9 — righteous Daniel confesses and bears guilt for the nation. The Messiah’s suffering would function like that, but climactically.

After such a covenantal offering, resurrection and enthronement would follow naturally as divine vindication — “He asked life of You, and You gave it to Him, length of days forever and ever.”
This is precisely how Psalm 21 (quoted in Sukkah 52a) envisions the Davidic king’s life restored and exalted.

Thus, even in the “hastened” scenario, suffering and vindication would remain the twin pillars of redemption: the Lamb slain and the Lion enthroned.

So the necessity of the Servant’s suffering does not depend on human rejection; it flows from God’s covenantal logic:

Blood establishes the covenant; resurrection secures the promises.

The only variable is how that suffering enters history — through rebellion and delay (“in its time”) or through repentance and acceptance (“I will hasten it”).

In short, even in a repentant Israel, Yeshua would still have suffered — but not as a casualty of unbelief; rather as the covenant Lamb and enthroned Son. The cross would still stand at the center, but as voluntary coronation rather than tragic necessity.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Though He Tarries

The Talmud offers another proof text to reconcile the argument between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. Habakkuk 2:3 is read to mean that the Messiah is scheduled to come at "an appointed time," but God "hastens toward the goal" by cutting the days short:

For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)

The third-person masculine form of the Hebrew verbs and pronouns in Habakkuk 2:3 can be read as "it" or "him," lending itself to a direct prophecy about the Messiah: "He hastens toward the goal and He will not fail. Though He tarries, wait for Him; for He will certainly come, He will not delay." Maimonides formulated his famous statement of faith about the coming of the Messiah based upon that reading of Habakkuk: "I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah. Though He may tarry, I await Him every day" (Ani Ma'amin, Thirteen Principles of Jewish faith).

In view of the above discussion about how repentance hastens the redemption, the passage can be paraphrased as follows:

The vision about the coming of the Messiah will be fulfilled at the appointed time; through repentance, the Messiah hastens toward the goal, and He will not fail to bring the redemption. Without repentance, the Messiah tarries. Nevertheless, wait for Him, for He will certainly come. When the appointed time arrives, there will be no delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)

The Prophet Habakkuk goes on to say that, by faith in the fulfillment of this prophecy about the coming redemption, "the righteous will live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). According to the apostles, "live by his faith" means life in the World to Come. The righteous will "live by his faith" when he receives salvation from the wrath of God and entrance into eternal life in the age to come through the resurrection of the dead (Romans I:17; Galatians 3:II; Hebrews 10:38).

In Habakkuk 2, the prophet is crying out for justice in a broken world, and God tells him, essentially: “It’s coming. Be patient. Live by faith in the meantime.”

And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4)

These stories lay the groundwork for the New Testament vision of faith—not as vague belief, but as trust in God’s future promises. In particular:

• the resurrection of the body

• the return of Jesus

• the kingdom of God fully established on earth

• and justice finally given on the Day of the Lord

And the church's role—our role—is not to claim those things have already happened. It’s to wait, trust, and live faithfully in the tension between what has begun and what has not yet been fulfilled.

That last line is often mistranslated or misunderstood. The Hebrew doesn’t say “he will live by faith” as in mental belief. It says “he will live by faithfulness”—reliability. The righteous person survives because of their trustworthiness and loyalty.

But here’s the twist: some scholars have pointed out that in this context, the word faithfulness might not even refer to the person—it could refer to God’s word. In other words, the righteous one lives because he trusts that God’s promise is reliable. The emphasis is on believing God’s oracle, even when the world seems to fall apart.

This fits perfectly with the context of Habakkuk. In chapter 1, the prophet cries out to God about injustice. God’s reply? “I’m raising up the Babylonians.” Habakkuk is stunned: “How can You use people more wicked than us to bring judgment?” God’s response in chapter 2 is firm: “Write this down—it’s going to happen. It’s certain. Wait for it.”

So how do you know who truly believes? It’s the one who acts on the oracle. The faithful person flees Jerusalem when Jesus warns about its fall (Luke 21:20–22), not the one who shouts prayers and stays behind, thinking God will surely intervene. That’s not faith—that’s presumption.

To use a simple analogy: if my son is sitting in the road facing away from traffic, and I yell, “Get out of the road! A truck is coming!”—how can I tell if he trusts me? If he says, “Dad, I’ve been sitting here all day. I’m fine,” that’s faithlessness. But if he jumps up and runs, that’s faith. That’s the response God is looking for.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Hastening the Redemption

These interpretations of Isaiah 60:22 ("1, the LORD, will hasten it in its time") and Habakuk 2:3 ("the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal") not only reconcile the debate between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, they also make room for our active participation in the process of bringing the redemption. We can help hasten the day.

In the previous lesson, we looked at the story of Jonah for an example of how repentance can alter the outcome of a prophecy. We learned that the Bible's prophecies about doom and divine punishment are intended to encourage people to repent in order to avoid doom and divine punishment. That's the whole point of sending a prophet to warn people about bad things that are going to happen. You aren't supposed to shrug your shoulders and just let the bad things happen. Do something to prevent them by turning back to God and by spreading a message of godliness and righteousness.

In Jewish eschatology, biblical prophecies about what is going to happen in the future are only potential outcomes. There is no sense of fatalism; the future is not written in stone. Instead, it's always in motion as we interact with it through the choices we make. Rather than hard and fast timetables of prophetic events that must occur in a certain sequence at specific preordained dates, the course of history is more like a conversation between God and man. Man's choices alter the outcome of events. God's promises will ultimately be fulfilled, and His word will not be broken, but there's more than one way for that to happen.

Therefore, one should not sit around and wait for the end of the world. Instead, we should participate with God in correcting the world through repentance and good deeds. We can partner with Him in averting catastrophic punishments and hastening the coming of the Messiah. Every commandment and good deed we do tips the scale of merit one point toward redemption and away from destruction. That's the heart behind the gospel message, "Repent, the kingdom is at hand."

In proclaiming the kingdom and the message of repentance, Yeshua attempted to "hasten" the redemption. If the nation had repented, they might have attained the kingdom and the revelation of the Messiah, thereby averting the disastrous doom that hung over the nation. The gospel story begins with John the Immerser warning the people, "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). He urges them to repent before it's too late, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). All of Yeshua's teachings and warnings advance that same message in an effort to hasten the redemption and avert catastrophe, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

Even though the deadline appointed by the Father's own authority had not yet arrived, Yeshua worked to hasten the redemption. That's why the demons were surprised by His presence and complained, "What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29). This explains the urgency of the message and the drama of the Gospels. The future was not fait accompli (accomplished fact), just waiting to play out. Instead, every individual's personal response to Yeshua and His message contributed to how the story would end.

The message has not changed. Repentance, good deeds, and godly living hasten the redemption. Disciples of Yeshua participate in this drama of hastening, not passively waiting for history to play out but actively pursuing the redemption and the Day of the LORD as an objective through repentance, good deeds, and holiness. Yeshua still sends us with the same message He sent the apostles, "that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). We are on His mission to hasten "the coming day of God" through "holy conduct and godliness":

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:11-13, emphasis added)

"1, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." So may it be God's will speedily in our days, Amen. (Song of Songs Rabbah 8:19)

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Kingdom Zionism: God’s Unbroken Promise to Israel and the World

When Yeshua’s disciples heard Him talk about the End of Days, they envisioned a time when God would finally remove foreign oppression and restore peace to Israel—a time when the Jewish people would live securely in their own land under the Torah and under the rule of the Messiah, a Jewish king from the line of David.

Growing up, I often heard Christian teachers ridicule the disciples for holding these expectations. They claimed the disciples were trapped in an “Old Testament mindset” and failed to grasp God’s supposed new plan for the world. But where did the disciples get these ideas? Were they really so far off base?

In Genesis 13:15, we find the roots of their expectations, God promises Abraham that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. From that point forward, the entire Bible—every story, every prophecy—revolves around the relationship between the people of Israel and this land.

God reaffirmed His promise to both Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would possess the land. When the Israelites were freed from Egypt, their entire hope centered on returning to that land. The blessings for obedience to the Torah were tied to the land, just as the punishments for disobedience were. When Israel rebelled, those warnings came to pass: they were expelled by the Babylonians. Yet God promised to bring them back—and He did.

During the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the prophets spoke of a final redemption, a future age when God would gather the exiles once more, restore the Davidic monarchy, and establish His kingdom through the Messiah, the son of David.

By the days of Yeshua, the people were largely back in the land, but they lacked sovereignty. There was no Jewish king, much less one from David’s line. Yeshua’s message was a call to repentance—so that God might usher in that long-awaited kingdom. But when the nation failed to respond, Israel was once again driven from the land, this time by the Romans.

For centuries, much of Christianity has taught that God abandoned His people at that point. Theological ideas like realized eschatology—which claims that the Messianic promises were already fulfilled in Yeshua’s time—and replacement theology—which asserts that the Church replaced Israel—spiritualize the biblical promises and sever them from the Jewish people and their land.

But God’s plan never changed. When He promised the land as an eternal possession to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He meant exactly that—eternal. God always keeps His word.

The disciples weren’t misguided at all. They drew their expectations straight from Scripture—and from Yeshua Himself. In Luke 1, when Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied that God would raise up a deliverer from the house of David to save Israel from their enemies and allow them to live in peace in their land.

The journey has taken far longer than anyone imagined, but as we approach the End of Days, we must remember: God never breaks His promises. His literal promises never became spiritual metaphors. The story of the Bible is the story of the people of Israel and the land of Israel.

In more recent times, the longing of the Jewish people to return to their land became known as Zionism—a word that has, unfortunately, become controversial. While the modern political movement of Zionism began in the late 19th century, the yearning to return home has been embedded in the Jewish soul since the day we were exiled. It shapes our prayers, our holidays, and our deepest hopes.

Throughout the centuries, even as empires rose and fell, there was always a Jewish remnant in the land. Many more tried to return, often facing immense hardship. Ironically, it was a secular—and even anti-religious—political movement that finally opened the floodgates for large-scale Jewish immigration. Like other nationalist movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Zionism emerged out of desperation to restore dignity and safety to a long-persecuted people.

The establishment of the modern State of Israel marked the first time in 2,000 years that the Jewish people regained sovereignty over their land. It arose amid the global upheavals following colonialism and two devastating world wars.

Because of these secular beginnings, some hesitate to embrace Zionism, believing that only the Messiah should reestablish Israel in the land. Yet many religious Jews view the return as part of God’s redemptive process—a first step in the fulfillment of prophecy.

There are many expressions of Zionism, each with its own motivations and visions for how to live out this ancient promise. Under the umbrella of religious Zionism, some work within political systems to advance Israel’s restoration, while others distrust those systems and pursue more radical paths—even violent ones.

However diverse the perspectives, one truth remains constant: the return to the land of Israel is not a new idea—it is the heartbeat of the Bible and the enduring hope of the Jewish people.

In the aftermath of the Holocaust and the rebirth of the State of Israel, a wave of Christian Zionism swept through the Church. Many Christians were moved by a sense of prophetic fulfillment or a renewed zeal for evangelism. Yet beyond the excitement of End Times speculation, there were—and still are—believers who hold a sincere conviction that God’s covenant with Israel remains unbroken and His promises eternal.

Sadly, in today’s volatile world, there has been a resurgence of theologians teaching that the Jewish people are no longer God’s chosen people and that they have no claim to the land promised to Abraham. But neither Yeshua nor His apostles ever imagined that God meant anything other than what He said in the Torah. The prophets believed Him when He promised to return the people of Israel to their land—and so did they.

Their vision—what we might call Kingdom Zionism—was far greater than the political or military triumph of Israel’s enemies. It was more than the physical return of the exiles or the restoration of safety and sovereignty. Kingdom Zionism envisions not only the return of Israel to her land, but also the return of the world from its exile from God.

When King Messiah reigns over the earth, He will bring peace and justice to all nations. He will end corruption and war, remove oppressors, and provide abundance for the needy. He will teach His Torah to all humanity so that, as the prophets said, no one will need to say to another, “Know the Lord,” for everyone will know Him. Our faith is wholly in Hashem to bring about that final redemption.

But what do we do until that day?

As disciples of the King Messiah, our task is to begin His work here and now. We are called to repent—and to lead others to repentance. We are called to bring peace where there is strife, justice where there is injustice, to expose corruption, oppose war, and care for the suffering and the poor, wherever they may be.

If Messiah’s mission is to teach the nations about Hashem and to bring Israel back to Torah and mitzvot, then that must also be our mission. If His role is to gather the exiles and restore them to their land, then we too share in that calling—to support the return of the exiles to their God-given home.

When we see Jewish people returning to the land and Torah being renewed in Israel, these are signs that the Kingdom is beginning to break into our world. They should strengthen our faith and fuel our resolve to labor toward that coming day when the goodness of the Kingdom will flood the earth.

This would not be the first time Hashem has accomplished His will through imperfect people or seemingly ordinary circumstances. Consider the lineage of King David—the forefather of Messiah—woven through unexpected, even scandalous, stories. David himself confessed, “I was conceived in sin.” His life was marked by human frailty, confronted by the prophet Nathan, yet God remained faithful. He allowed David’s son Solomon to build the Holy Temple and promised that David’s line would endure forever, culminating in the Messiah.

Redemption often sprouts from unlikely soil—from the messy, the mundane, and the flawed. We should not be naïve or ignore wrongdoing; sin must be confronted and corrected. We have a duty to oppose injustice and corruption wherever we find them. It is clear that we have not yet reached the final restoration promised in Scripture—there is still much work to be done.

Yet we must not overlook what God is doing with His chosen people and the land He swore to give them so long ago.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.