Samuel Whitefield - Israel and the Great Commission: How the Great Commission Fulfills Gods Purpose for Israel and the Nations

How Does Israel Relate to the Great Commission?

The phrase Great Commission is the term we use most often to describe the assignment God has given the church in this age. Its a term that comes from the words of Jesus:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:1920)

While there is much more to the church than the Great Commission, it is a concise summary of the churchs assignment in this age. When most people think of the Great Commission, they think primarily of evangelizing the nations, but the task includes much more.

For the last two thousand years, the church has been struggling with how Gentile followers of Jesus should relate to Israel. Through much of church history, believers assumed God was finished with any unique destiny for the Jewish people and had transferred her promises to the church. For centuries, most of the church thought this was a settled issue, but the twentieth century changed all that.

For nearly two thousand years, Israels story seemed finished, and then a madman started a world war and made his success in that war dependent on the annihilation of the Jewish people. The sudden reemergence of the State of Israelsomething that defied all oddsimmediately followed his gruesome attempt at genocide. Within the space of a decade, the world was suddenly forced to deal with the Holocaust and the establishment of the modern State of Israel. From 1948 to today, the nations continue to wrestle with the question of Israel, and second to the person of Jesus, Israel has become perhaps the most polarizing issue in the earth.

The issue of Israel has especially challenged the church. One part of the church sees Israel as a relic of the past that is no longer significant to Gods redemptive plan. Another part of the church sees a unique ongoing purpose for Israel in Gods redemptive plan and sees deep, biblical significance in the events of the twentieth century. Israel is vigorously discussed and debated in the church, but rarely discussed in the context of the Great Commission.

However, if Israel is significant and if the Great Commission is the churchs primary assignment in this age, we must view the question of Israel through the lens of the Great Commission to understand the state properly. Many believers see the Great Commission as a New Testament assignment that shifts the focus of the church away from Israels story to the nations. Part of Gods redemptive plan is to fulfill His promises to Israel because Israel and the nations are deeply connected in the context of the Great Commission. The command to go to the nations of the earth is not a new mission. It is the continuation of a mission that began in the Old Testamenta mission that is for the sake of Israel and the nations.

The purpose of this book is to understand Israel and the nations in the context of the Great Commission by examining the connections between key Old and New Testament passages. As we examine these passages, we will see the Great Commission was in Gods heart from the beginning because it advances His purposes for Israel and the nations.

We do not have the space to examine in detail many of the passages and biblical themes referenced in this book. I would encourage readers to take advantage of other resources that further develop the passages and biblical concepts mentioned in this book.

We will discover the Great Commission has its roots in the Old Testament. It is not a new command but part of the progression of Gods redemptive work. In the same way, Israels story does not end with the Old Testament. It is an ongoing story that depends on the nations to come to fulfillment.

An Unprecedented Moment in Church History

Before this age can come to an end, the gospel must be preached to every people group on the earth. The church has labored for nearly two thousand years to fulfill this mission, and we are living in the first generation in human history where it is possible. A tremendous amount of work remains to be done, but we are living in an unprecedented moment in church history. It has tremendous implications for how we understand the task of the church in our generation. As significant as this moment is, the evangelization of every people group is only one component of the Great Commission. To fully grasp the task of the church in this age, we need to understand the entire scope of the gospel mission.

The subject of the Great Commission and missions is not just about evangelism. Evangelism is only one aspect of missions. Missions exists to disciple the nations, and the core of discipleship is teaching the nations to observe all that Jesus commanded:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:1920)

Missions is ultimately intended to prepare the earth for the return of Jesus, and the task is not complete until everything is accomplished that must happen before Jesus comes.

When we look at the Scriptures, there are two key signs that occur in the earth before the return of Jesus:

1. There must be a saved remnant in every tribe and tongue.

1. A global controversy will erupt over the city of Jerusalem and the salvation of all Israel.

We live in the first generation in human history where these two signs could potentially be fulfilled. For centuries, the church has engaged in missions, but we are the first generation that has the potential to evangelize every people group. One hundred years ago, we did not even know where every people group in the earth was located, but now we have the possibility of seeing each people group receive a witness of the gospel. This is truly unprecedented.

At the same time, we are the first generation in over two thousand years to have a sovereign State of Israel setting the context for a global controversy. Furthermore, we are the first generation in human history with a global controversy around the city of Jerusalem. Never have all the nations of the earth been connected to the global controversy over Jerusalem.

If only one of these signs were happening in our generation, it would be significant. Both signs occurring in our generation at the same time demands our attention. We need to understand how these two signs are related, how the Bible says both will come to resolution, and what the role of the church is in their resolution to grasp all that is included in the Great Commission.

People tend to focus on Israel in the Old Testament and the nations in the New Testament, but a careful study of the Scripture reveals that Israel and the nations are woven together in the plan of God by the Great Commission. From the beginning in the Old Testament, the Bible makes promises to Israel and the nations; however, the Old Testament never explains completely how all these promises will be fulfilled. When we come to the New Testament, the Great Commission does not shift the storyline away from Israel to the nations; on the contrary, it brings together Gods promises to Israel and the nations.

The Great Commission is not solely a command to go to the nations. It is the glue that binds together the promises to Israel and the promises to the nations. The commission is the way God is going to fulfill His promises. The church has tended to treat Israel and the Great Commission as two unrelated subjects when they are part of a single mission in Gods heart. When we recognize this, we can better see the unity of Gods plan and the role the church plays in it to fulfill His promises to Israel and the nations.