Covenant unto them' says God (in the New Covenant), and we are assured that `His gifts and calling are without

repentance (change of mind)' on His part (Rom. 11:25-29). This is also the burden of the Old Testament prophets,

for while they portray Israel's punishment for their unbelief, they also insist on the nation's restoration (Ezek.

37:12-14,21,22; Deut. 30:1-6).

The New Covenant is a national one and is made with Israel and Judah (Jer. 31:31) and at the end of it Jehovah

describes the ordinances of the sun and moon, day and night, and says `If those ordinances depart from before Me,

saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever' (Jer. 31:36). Could

language be more definite or explicit?

The amazing thing is that we are privileged to live in a day when God's word is beginning to be fulfilled

concerning the restoration of Israel's nationality. For nearly 2000 years the seed of Abraham has wandered over the

earth in judgment with no settled home of their own (Deut. 28:64,65). They have been without a king, a prince and

a sacrifice as Hosea 3:4 foretells. At last, however, a representative number of them are back in the promised land

and they are a nation once more. True, they are in unbelief, but the fig tree is indeed beginning to bud and put forth

the leaves of national life. We do not know what those who deny the future of literal Israel make of this undoubted

fact from a scriptural point of view, but it must be recognised as such. The Lord Jesus Christ forewarned that this

pointed to the imminence of His Second Coming to the earth (Matt. 24:32 and 33 marg.), thus ending the present

times of the Gentiles.

Let those who are not ready in heart and mind for this tremendous event think well and realise that the only way

to be prepared is to put their trust in the Lord Jesus and receive Him as their personal Saviour now while the

opportunity lasts, thus being secure for eternity, for `He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto

God BY HIM' (Heb. 7:25).

As we search the Word of God, we are unable to find any other plan on His part for the blessing of the world and

the establishment of His kingdom upon earth except through the Jewish race, and there will be no settled peace for

the world until the Prince of peace returns and Israel, the medium for world blessing is back in their land, restored

and converted. They will then have their real Day of Atonement when they shall look upon Him Whom they

pierced and shall mourn (Zech. 12:9-14), and at last believe on Him as their Messiah, Saviour and King. They will

then be a nation born again spiritually and at last a ready, willing and cleansed channel to take the good news of

salvation and the kingdom to all Gentile nations and so the Abrahamic promise in Genesis 12 shall be literally

fulfilled and the knowledge of the Lord shall finally cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9). The Lord

Jesus Christ `shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth' (Psa. 72:8) for the

kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and

ever (Rev. 11:15).

Then, at last, armaments and all weapons of destruction shall be abolished and nations shall not learn war any

more (Micah 4:3). This will last for 1000 years (Rev. 20:4), hence the term `millennium' which means a thousand.

It will be a blessed time of peace and security when Satan and sin will be restrained, and will be characterised by

increased fruitfulness of the earth (Isa. 30:23) and lengthened life (Isa. 65:20). Then, at last the kingdom prayer,

taught by the Lord, shall begin to come to fulfilment, `Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in

heaven' (Matt. 6:10).

After the 1000 years are finished, the ages complete their course and God creates a new earth wherein saved

nations walk in the light of the Heavenly Jerusalem which comes down from heaven to the new earth (Rev. 21:1-3;

Thus, in considering the first sphere of blessing for the redeemed, we see that, omitting the parenthesis of the

present age in which we live, while Israel is in unbelief and unusable by God, we have a consistent line of teaching