Dispensational Proof 10
10. The Prophets
Probably the most common answer I give about why I am a dispensationalist is, “I read the Minor Prophets in a straight forward way.” They are clear in the promises they give to Israel. The language in the minor prophets does not match what was taking place in the return from captivity. The prophets clearly went beyond their current events to the time when the true Messiah would return and be king over the land promised to Israel. As well, Jerusalem would take on a whole new dimension under the Messiah. The prophets as a unit declare proof for dispensationalism by a simple reading that considers several questions. 1. Who was declaring the message to the prophet? 2. Who was God speaking to through the prophet? 3. What did God communicate to the listeners in their specific context? 4. How did the listeners understand the message communicated by the prophet of God? These simple questions with a common sense hermeneutic will bring one to the conclusion that the prophets are for the chosen people of God, Israel. Although much prophecy has been fulfilled, there is still much that God desires to accomplish with his chosen people.
Certain Old Testament prophets revealed both the captivity of Israel and the return of Israel to their land. Many times, the prophets like Isaiah, Haggai, and Jeremiah proclaimed not only an exile and return but also an eternal place for Israel in the land with a king ruling over them and all the nations of the earth. This was not just hyperbole but God’s commitment to His promises.
“On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God. Amos 9:11-15 (NKJV)
An amazing thing happens in Acts 15 well after the church was instituted by God in Acts 2. James in speaking to the council in Jerusalem, speaks of the prophecy as if it is happening before their eyes and that the prophecy is still in effect with future events yet to happen. According to Acts 15:14 the Gentiles are visited first and then the Tabernacle of David will be rebuilt.
Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’ “Known to God from eternity are all His works. Acts 15:14-18 (NKJV)
