(Continued: Chapter V- Israel The Channel of World Blessing)

According to the prophetic Word, there will be a mighty revival that will sweep around the world during the first part of the Tribulation, the last seven years of the Christian Dispensation. Isaiah the Prophet speaks of the conditions that will obtain throughout the world "in that day." This phrase is used technically by the prophets to refer to the Great Tribulation. Concerning that time the Prophet says, "In that day shall men look unto their Maker, and their eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 8 And they shall not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images" (Isa. 17:7,8). The word in the original Hebrew, translated man is the King James Version and men in the American Standard Version (1901 edition), is used both in the singular and in the plural number. The facts of the context have to determine which is meant. The possessive pronoun their, modifying Maker, is in the plural number and has as its antecedant the word man. This fact shows that the word man in this instance has a plural connotation. Men, therefore, is the correct rendering. In the clause, "in that day shall men look unto their Maker ...," men here refers to men in general. We may be safe in saying that more than half the people of the earth will turn to the Lord in that time.

The conclusion that there will be a mighty world-wide revival in the Tribulation, as set forth in Isaiah 17:7,8, is confirmed by Isaiah 24:14-16a: "These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea. 15 Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea. 16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous." Isaiah 24:1-20 is a vivid description of the Great Tribulation. Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and engaged in his ministry there. He sees the world writhing in pain and anguish. In contrast with the suffering of the times, he, looking westward, sees a mighty spiritual movement and exclaims, "These ... shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea [the west]." Obviously these have the joy of the Lord in their souls; for, notwithstanding the hardships which they are enduring, they are shouting for the majesty of Jehovah—He is sovereign of the universe and will solve the problems of the world in due time. These joyous ones send a message to those in the East, saying, "Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east [probably Holy Land], even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea." This message from the western world seems to electrify, spiritually speaking, those addressed, who take up the battle cry of the saved: "Wherefore glorify ye ... the name of Jehovah ... in the isles of the sea." Then the Prophet sees this spiritual movement fanning out to the utmost part of the earth. Everywhere the songs are being sung, the heart of which is "Glory to the righteous." Thus in the Tribulation Isaiah sees a world-wide revival.

"In that day" the song which consists of Isaiah 26:1ff. will be sung in the land of Judah, State of Israel. This song deals largely with prophecy. In verse 9 appears this statement: "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." Those singing this song will do so with sincerity of heart. According to this statement, "When thy [God's] judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." What is the meaning of this sentence? Since the Prophet is talking about the Tribulation, "in that day," the judgments referred to are the special judgments which God will send upon the world at that time, and which are set forth symbolically and graphically in Revelation, chapters 6, 8 and 9, and 16. Who will learn righteousness at that time? The Prophet answers this question: "The inhabitants of the world." What is the significance of the phrase, "the inhabitants of the world"? Will literally all the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness? Such cannot be the meaning, because we know from many passages that such an interpretation is not correct. Can it mean only a few—a mere handful of people? Or does it mean the greater portion—more than half the world? An examination of this idiom, whenever used, shows that it always indicates that the greater portion of the persons or things under consideration is meant. From these three passages examined, one can see that the Prophet foresaw and foretold a world-wide revival, which occurs in the Tribulation, and in which the greater portion of the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Since God plans to bless all nations in and through Abraham and his seed, and since this mighty revival, of which we learn in the three Isaiah passages studied, is world-wide in its scope, the possibility—yes, the strong probability—is that the Lord will use Israel to bring it about. When one studies carefully Revelation, chapter 7, taking the language at what it says, that which is suggested as a possibility or a probability is lifted to the high level of absolute certainty.

When one considers the great commission to evangelize all nations (Matt. 28:19,20), to him Revelation, chapter 7, is one of the most important passages in the Bible. Because of its bearing upon world evangelization, I herewith give the chapter in full:

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying,

Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? 14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat: 17 for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes (Revelation, chapter 7).

From the position of chapter 7 in the Book of Revelation, it is clear that this mighty world-wide revival occurs in the first half of the Tribulation. According to verses 1-4, 144,000 persons of the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed against being injured in any way. These verses are similar to the situation mentioned in Ezekiel 9:1-8. In both instances those marked are thus protected from the judgments which the Lord sends upon the people against whom He is pouring out His wrath.

In verses 5-8 there are listed twelve tribes of Israel from each of which twelve thousand persons are selected. How is this language to be interpreted—symbolically or literally? It is to be understood literally unless there is positive evidence that it is used symbolically. One will search in vain for evidence pointing in the direction of symbolism. When the Lord said that Israel wandered in the wilderness forty years, how is that language to be taken? Literally, of course. Jeremiah foretold that the Babylonian captivity would last for seventy years. How is that statement to be taken? Literally, of course. Paul stated that from the promise made to Abraham to the giving of the law there were 430 years (Gal. 3:17). How are we to understand this period of 430 years? Literally, of course.

How are we to interpret the 144,000 of this chapter? Some answer that they are the same ones mentioned in Revelation 14:1-5. The 144,000 of this latter passage are people who have lived clean, spotless lives, and who "were purchased from among men ..." (vv. 4,5). The 144,000 of Revelation, chapter 7, are from the twelve tribes of Israel. They are, therefore, of Jewish extraction and can under no conditions be interpreted as being the 144,000 spotless persons purchased from among men of chapter 14.

Who are these 144,000 of Revelation, chapter 7? They are servants of our God ... (v. 3). They are, therefore, Jews who are servants of God. They are not drones, but servants. Since they are servants, they must be serving God—otherwise God would not call them His servants.

What service do these 144,000 render to God? This question is not answered categorically, but from the context one can be absolutely certain as to what they do. Immediately after mentioning the sealing of these servants of God, John speaks of the greatest revival of all ages. "After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Rev. 7:9,10). As we have seen, God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that in their seed would all nations be blessed. In Revelation, chapter 7, we see all nations being blessed as never before. It is God's plan to save people through the preaching of the gospel (I Cor. 1:21; II Cor. 5:18,19; Rom. 10:17). Evidently there are certain ones who conduct this world-wide revival. The mentioning of the sealing of the 144,000 Jews in this connection implies that these sealed servants of God are the ones who conduct this mightiest of all soul-saving campaign.

A person cannot give that which he does not have. The Jews, as a people, do not have the message of the gospel. It will have to be given to them before they can give it out. Since they are going to preach to the world, and since they do not now have the gospel, obviously it will yet be given to them.

Do the Scriptures give any hint as to who is to give the gospel to Israel? According to Isaiah 40:1-10, there is a group of people who have words of comfort for the Jewish people, and who are exhorted to comfort them. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins ... 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!" (Isa. 40:1,2,9b). In Isaiah 62:10-12 those people who trust God and really believe that He answers prayer are urged to preach, heralding the Second Coming of the Messiah.

Upon the faithful people who know God and His truth, God lays the burden of proclaiming redemption to the entire Jewish nation. Are we heeding the Lord's admonition? There is no time for delay. "The King's business requires haste." Let us arise in the strength of Israel's God and do the King's bidding.

One of the elders asked John saying, "These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they?" John replied that he did not know. Then the elder said to him, "These are they that come out of the great Tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Note the statement, "These are they that come out of the great Tribulation." Literally, the Greek text declares that they come out of "the tribulation, the great one." This is the strongest idiom possible to emphasize the fact that the Tribulation concerning which he is speaking is the great one, one that is differentiated from all others. There is but one Great Tribulation, the one with which the Christian Dispensation closes.

To the churches which Paul established on his first missionary tour and which he visited, the Apostle declares that "through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:21,22). It is clear that Paul meant that all who would live godly in Christ Jesus should suffer persecution. No Christian of any period can hope to escape being persecuted on account of his godly life in Christ Jesus. Some interpreters claim that in Revelation 7:14 John was talking about the same tribulations mentioned by Paul. Such a position is impossible since John by the idiom which he used pointed to a definite time and called it the Tribulation, the Great one.

In the discussion thus far, we have seen that God has at different times and in sundry ways partially fulfilled the promise made to Abraham—that in his seed should all families of the earth be blessed. Now let us see what the Scriptures say concerning the final and complete fulfillment of this promise. In Psalm 67 the answer to our question is found. The Book of Psalms is Israel's song book—inspired and infallible. Since Psalm 67 is one of the hymns of the inspired Psalter, its message is final:

67 God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
And cause his face to shine upon us; [Selah]
2 That thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise thee, 0 God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
4 Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
For thou wilt judge the peoples with equity,
And govern the nations upon earth. [Selah]
5 Let the peoples praise thee, 0 God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
6 The earth hath yielded its increase:
God, even our own God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

The entire Psalm is a prayer and at the same time a prophecy. In vision the Psalmist sees the nation of Israel praying for God to bless it, "that thy way may be known upon earth, thy salvation among all nations." At the time that the nation of Israel is praying this petition, God's way will not be universally known upon earth, neither will His salvation be the joyful experience of the nations. Seeing and understanding God's plan for Israel to be the channel of world blessing, and seeing that the promise has never been fully realized, the penitent remnant of the nation of Israel will pray for forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with God in order that they might make known His way among the nations and that all people might have an opportunity to be saved.

Continuing their petition, the remnant will ask the Lord imploringly, "Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For thou wilt judge the peoples with equity, And govern the nations upon earth" (Ps. 67:4).

In what way and for what reason does the remnant want the peoples of earth to praise God? In this connection, these words on the lips of the penitent remnant of Israel are virtually a pledge to the Lord, assuring Him that they will make Him known among the nations if He will forgive and restore them to fellowship with Himself. For the necessary inference from these facts is that God will let the nations of earth praise Him by His forgiving and using Israel to make Him known among the nations.

Three times the worshipers implore God to bless them that they may prove a blessing to all peoples of the world (vv. 3,4,5 ). As we have already seen, God promises to bless all nations in and through the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In this passage we see Abraham's seed praying that they may be used of God as a channel of world blessing, as God foretold (Gen. 12:1-3). Then will be fulfilled the marvelous prediction, "In days to come shall Jacob take root; Israel shall blossom and bud; and they shall fill the face of the world with fruit" (Isa. 27:6).