In examining the Bible, five distinct periods, administrations, or economies are apparent.  They are shown in the chart below.  Every believer in Christ should understand this framework since it goes to the heart of understanding the Scriptures and one's place in them.  While all the Scriptures are for the believer in Christ, not all of them are to him.  For example, we do not need in this age to fear, as David did, that God would remove his Holy Spirit from us (Ps. 51.9-11).  God the Holy Spirit has permanently indwelt everyone who has put his trust in Christ. 

As one can see from the above chart, the five periods are Mankind, Israel, Church, Kingdom, and Eternity.  Israel is reprised following the removal of the Church (Rapture) during the Tribulation (as Jesus called it) or the "time of Jacob's trouble" as Jeremiah referred to it.  Daniel referred to this period as the 70th week in Israel's history.  If one studies the Scriptures without theological bias, under a literal, historical hermeneutic, these five periods are distinct and manifest.

God began his communication and revelation with all of mankind.  This went on from the first to the twelfth chapter of Genesis.  At that point a change occurred.  God selected a particular man, Abram (Abraham), and made an unconditional covenant (see the discussion on covenants) with him.  When God called Abraham he created a new race, the Hebrews or the Jews.  It is through this new race that God specifically began to reveal himself. 

The period of Israel extended from Abraham to the ministry of the apostle Paul.  When one reads the Old Testament, it is impossible to miss that there was one event, greatly anticipated, for Israel--the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom.  Israel yearned for God's promise to be fulfilled in which they would be safe from their enemies and preeminent among the nations.  When Jesus began his ministry, he proclaimed himself as the Messiah and that the kingdom of God was near.   Had Israel repented and accepted him, the kingdom would have come.  But the nation of Israel refused to repent and rejected him.  Even after Jesus' resurrection, Peter addressed the nation with a message of repentance--the same message that John the Baptizer and Jesus had proclaimed.  Again, had the nation repented, the kingdom would have been established.  Israel, however, continued to reject the message of Jesus as Messiah.  In the plan of God, Israel was supposed to be the instrument of God's blessing to the world.  This plan included bringing the good news of the Messiah and his kingdom to the Gentiles.  

Since Israel rejected her Messiah and the kingdom of God, did this mean that God's plan was thwarted and that there was no hope for the Gentiles?  No, God had an unrevealed secret, a "mystery" as Paul called it.  God in grace raised a Pharisee, an enemy of those believing in Christ, to reveal his grace to the Gentiles.  But what of Israel?  Is God through with the nation?  Have they forfeited their blessings and have God's promises to them been nullified?  Tragically, most of Christendom maintains that Israel forfeited its blessings with their rejection of the Messiah and that God has supplanted national Israel with the Church.  The majority of seminaries and pulpits teach that the Church has assumed the promises God made to Israel in an allegorical or spiritual way.  This teaching is erroneous.  The Scriptures are clear that God is not through with national Israel.  His plan for the nation remains intact and he will establish his kingdom and fulfill the promise and prophecies in the Old Testament when the nation repents, which they will do in a future day.  His promise to Abraham was unconditional and is still in force.  Daniel prophesied a total of 70 weeks of years from the time of the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem and to end sin for the nation of Israel.  At 69 weeks of years he prophesied that the nation would reject the Messiah.  This occurred when Jesus was crucified.  A final week of seven years yet remains.  This week is described as the Tribulation or the "time of Jacob's trouble".

Israel was supposed to be an instrument of blessing to Gentiles.  But blessing has come to the Gentiles not because of Israel's willingness and obedience but because of her obstinacy.  It is through the fall of Israel rather than the nation's rise that Gentiles have become blessed.  In revealing and explaining this whole matter in Romans 9-11, Paul is compelled to simply magnify God and his matchless wisdom (Rom. 11.33-36).  God's plans can never be thwarted by the will of men.  It may appear that they can be but they cannot.  He knows the end from the beginning and is sovereign in all his activities. 

After God called the apostle Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles, he revealed to him a mystery.  This was what we call the Church, the body of Christ.  In this newly created entity, there is no Jew nor Gentile.  Such distinctions have vanished.  In the Church every believer is "in Christ", "seated in the heavenly places", and indwelt with God the Holy Spirit.  The Scriptures declare that the Church is Christ's body.  This is a time of unprecedented grace and blessing to individual believers--both Jew and Gentile--in Christ.   As noted above, God is not through with national Israel.  The age of Israel will be reprised.  The final week in Daniel's prophecy (the last week in the period of Israel) will begin when God removes the Church from the earth.  Theologians refer to this event as the Rapture.  This will occur when the body of Christ, the Church, is complete.  

The long awaited kingdom, unfulfilled in Jesus' first advent will be fulfilled at his second advent.  At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return to earth and save national Israel which has finally repented (which they had failed to do under the preaching of John the Baptizer, Jesus, Peter, and Stephen).  He will establish his long anticipated kingdom.  In the kingdom, peace and righteousness will reign and Israel will be preeminent among all the nations of the earth.  They will occupy the land promised by God to Abraham from the Nile to the Euphrates Rivers.  All the unconditional covenants (Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New) that God made with the nation will come to fruition and fulfillment.  Jesus will personally reign in Jerusalem for 1000 years as David's greater son.  

In eternity, God will create an entirely new universe.  The New Jerusalem, which is to say the true Jerusalem, will descend from heaven upon earth.   Literally, there will be heaven on earth.  Death will be no more and the possibility of evil will have ended.  God and man will dwell together for all eternity in unimaginable joy and adventure.

tw~| a)gapw~nti h(ma~j kai\ lu/santi h(ma~j e)k tw~n a(martiw~n h(mw~n e)n tw|~ a(i/mati au)tou~.

©1998 Don Samdahl.  Anyone is free to reproduce this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold.

Updated Thursday, November 04, 2004