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What we have here is one of those unconditional promises. It’s pretty educational as it is found in the midst of Israel’s rebellion as a nation and the subsequent rebellion of her newly coronated King Saul.

Think it through. God made an unconditional promise amid Israel’s disobedience that pointed ultimately to Jesus their messiah and my Lord and Savior. Near fulfillment was found in David but David was only a man, and failed. However, his throne was established forever.

Today, there is a lot of consternation in secular and some religious circles about who Israel is. Are they God’s chosen people, are they genetically Israel, are they spiritually Israel? The real question is who is Jesus and who is the king?

Now there is no king in Israel, just as in the time of Judges. Israel is a nation and to deny that is absurd. They are not operating in obedience the the law of Moses completely because they are not serving God religiously as prescribed in the law. That would require the Levitical priesthood be operational along with the prescribed sacrifices. That system is not nor was not prescribed to the church because all the law is fulfilled in. Christ. However Jews today deny Jesus is their messiah so like Israel in 1 Samuel, they find themselves in disobedience though God still plans to fulfill his unconditional promise through Jesus to them. This is undeniable if you read scripture and take prophecy literally. N.T. Wright can spiritualize all the prophecy he wants but at the end of the day, he and the Church of England believe they replace Israel. They have to spiritualize and allegorize the prophecy of Ezekiel to get away with that.

Just because the next king Israel sees will not be Jesus, doesn’t mean Jesus is not going to be Israel’s king. Just because Israel cannot really keep the law the way it’s intended because they are blind and have, as a nation, rejected their messiah and will continue to do so until revival breaks out at the hands of two witnesses and 144,000 Jewish male virgins, doesn’t  mean they will not be restored spiritually as a nation.

Just like when Saul was anointed king, it was good to understand God’s word and his promises to his covenant people, so today it is good as well. That takes nothing away from the promises given to the Church. Even in the first century before Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The church was called to honor God’s words and his covenant promise to Israel. That is the clear teaching of Romans 9-11. Folks can get emotional and label people who hold to a literal view of scripture and Bible study, but at the end of the day, regardless of what everyone says and thinks, God will fulfill his word as promised. Yes, it is all going to be fulfilled and n Christ and for the church that is past tense as all our promises are in him. For those who will comprise the millennial Israel prophesied all throughout the Old Testament but clear as a bell in Ezekiel and Zachariah, they are still in rebellion though God has formed them and working out his purposes for them and the fulfillment of his word. Of course, they need to be saved and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior! He is the way, the truth and the life. However, as Paul pointed out, they are blinded until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. So, we preach the gospel to Jew and gentile alike. We don’t go in a campaign to destroy Israel just because they still reject their messiah. We also don’t blame them for killing Jesus. He laid his life down, he just used their belief to facilitate his sacrifice for their sin and mine.

There is a lot of nonsense circulating concerning Israel identity, but the real issue is the identification of the King. Saul could have been legit, but he wasn’t. Israel at some point will build a temple and institute worship as prescribed n the Old Testament to validate their legitimacy spiritually yet it won’t be legitimate because it will be hijacked by a man identified as the antichrist. It will be the contemporary equivalent to King Saul only much worse and more diabolical. Then, after all that the unconditional promise that I already have spiritually will be fulfilled literally in Israel in Jerusalem.

The phrase “Christian Zionist” is a catchy phrase being twisted to make someone think that if you believe in a literal view of scripture, you somehow support every geopolitical aspiration of the Likud or Republican parties. That is also nonsense. The scripture informs one’s view of of geopolitical affairs; it does not define it. Bible believers already know and understand that our trust is in God, not man nor political devises. That is not to say one does not have opinion and preferences, but our Salvation is Jesus and I’m not familiar with one party that is loyal to Jesus (though Jesus is represented well by some in politics and in political parties). Because I do believe the Bible, it is clear to see the next declared “theocracy” which will be married to the Roman Catholic theocracy, will be illegitimate. It has already been written but you will not nor cannot see it if you allegorize scripture and it’s clear unfulfilled prophecy. 

Think it through. God made an unconditional promise amid Israel’s disobedience that pointed ultimately to Jesus their messiah and my Lord and Savior. He will return at the end of Daniel’s 70th week just as he said.