Having a consistent hermeneutic is key to understanding all of the Scriptures - prophecy included. When the Bible speaks of Israel – Old or New Testament, it is the physical, ethnic nation being spoken of. There are promises specifically given to the nation of Israel that remain fixed and unconditional. By faith in Christ, Gentile believers become spiritual descendents benefiting from promises in the New Covenant. Promises given specifically to the nation of Israel are not transferable to the spiritual descendents, the Church.
Today Israel is under the judgment of God for having rejected Jesus, their Messiah, but their future remains unchanged since Genesis 12. Believing Jews today are a testimony to God’s faithfulness to His promises to their nation. These are critical issues that must be understood if the balance of the book of the Revelation is to be understood accurately.
As chapter seven opens, two visions prepare the way for the opening of the seventh seal. We are told that angels restrain the next judgment for an interlude during which 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of the physical nation of Israel are sealed. Being sealed indicates ownership and security. Those sealed preserve a remnant of the nation through the coming judgment to be poured out on all who do not have the seal (Revelation 9:4.)
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In the fall of 1969, Gil began a full-time teaching ministry as Senior Pastor of Indian Hills Community Church. He also earned his Ph.D. from the California Graduate School of Theology. The focus of Pastor Rugh’s ministry is systematic, verse-by-verse teaching of the Bible. As a...
