Do you believe there is a future for Israel?

Briefly explain your view of what this

means. Also briefly explain the reasons for your view and which Scripture passages (OT
and NT) have most influenced your view.

I think there is a future for the nation Israel but not necessarily from Old Testament prophecy.
From Saucy’s article, I would embrace the “dominant position” which states that the OT
prophecy of Israel is not talking literally about the current country of Israel.1 The prophecy
about Israel refers to the people of God. Before Christ, that was the Jewish race (i.e., the nation
of Israel). But when Christ came and died on the cross, salvation lost its restriction to a particular
race but rather is offered to those who accept Christ’s gift of salvation. Thus, the prophecy about
Israel is about the people of God – who are now Christians, not a race of people. With the
expansion of salvation being available to all people, it expands the reach of OT prophecy.

One passage of scripture that supports this is John 3:16 – unlimited atonement. In Acts 10, Peter
had a vision of animals on a sheet being lower from the sky – it was interpreted as salvation now
being offered to Gentiles as well as Jews. There are many more verses that support this
perspective, but due to the word limitation on this assignment I cannot discuss every verse.

Read Isaiah 60:1–22 and Amos 9:11–15. Do you believe these passages are referring
exclusively to future things, or is there some sense in which these passages are being
fulfilled today? Explain the reasoning behind your answer and include any other Scripture
passages that have helped inform your opinion.

When these two passages were written, they were intended for ancient Israel – not exclusively
for future things (or for our era). Isaiah 60 has to do with the welcoming the rebuilding and
restoring of the temple in Israel. This time was a prosperous one for Israel and enabled them to
utilize their resources for enhancing the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Regarding verses 5-7 of
this passage in Isaiah, John Watts writes that “Jerusalem can rejoice because her former poverty
is transformed by gifts from Arabia and Phoenicia that support the restoration of the temple and
supply clothes, money, perfume, and sacrificial animals (cf. Ezra 7:15–20; Neh 2:7–8). Arabia
was the district immediately to the south and west of Judah. It had control of major land trade
routes. Phoenicia included the ports of Tyre and Sidon. It had access to commercial wealth from
the entire eastern Mediterranean.”2 The Amos passage has to do with “some time in the
indefinite future (“at that time”) a key Davidic Transjordan military headquarters (Succoth) will
be rebuilt so as to help Israel subdue ‘all the nations.’”3

If the prophets were writing for that era, can it be applied to today? I would say yes – that speaks
to the timelessness of the Bible. It is the word of God – the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can

1
Saucy, L. R. "A Rationale for the Future of Israel." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 28
(1985): 433.
2
John D. W. Watts, vol. 25, Word Biblical Commentary : Isaiah 34-66, Revised Edition, Word Biblical
Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2005), 865.
3
Douglas Stuart, vol. 31, Word Biblical Commentary : Hosea-Jonah, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas:
Word, Incorporated, 2002), 399.
lead the writer to compose a work intended for an intended people, but also be useful to future
generations. That is the supernatural effect of the Bible.

James Fogal