The majority of conservative evangelicals in America still look to the nation of Israel for the future fulfillment of Bible prophecy. This thinking greatly affects our Middle East policy, where much of our national attention is currently directed. It also greatly affects how we read the Bible, pray, and view the future.  

The theological foundation for looking to national Israel for future fulfillment of prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27. The majority of conservative Christians have not studied this passage. Nevertheless, they build their thinking about Bible prophecy from presuppositions that come from this passage. The key presupposition is this: There is a gap between the 69^th and 70^th week of Daniel’s prophecy.   

To this point, many might say, “So what?” Here is why it is important to understand the “gap theory”: According to this doctrine, the gap is known and taught as the church age that we have lived in since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

According to this line of thinking, Jesus came and offered the kingdom of God to the Jews, who rejected it. Therefore, at His resurrection, He instituted a parenthetical gap known as the church age. The church age will end with the rapture of the saints, and then the nation of Israel will receive the kingdom that Jesus originally offered. Thus, Bible prophecy will be fulfilled through the nation of Israel. 

The problem with this line of thinking is that it goes directly against the teachings of the New Testament apostles. The apostle Paul did teach a parenthetical gap, but that gap is not the church age. It is the age of the law of Moses. In Galatians, Paul explains,  

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise (Gal. 3:16-18). 

Then Paul adds, 

But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law… Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (the law) (Gal. 3:23-25). 

Paul places the parentheses in time around the law of Moses, which was given to help God’s covenant people develop a conscience that defines sin. The law “was added because of transgressions, till the Seed (Jesus) should come…” (Gal. 3:19). Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutelage of the law. The closing parenthesis was placed on that age with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It was finalized with the fall of Jerusalem and final destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.  

Today, we are no longer under the “guardians and stewards” of the law. We have received the full adoption as God’s sons: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal. 4:1-7). The parenthetical gap of the law is closed. With that parenthesis closed, national Israel no longer has any bearing on Bible prophecy. There is no biblical difference between the nation of Israel and China, Russia, Germany, Iraq, the U.S., Syria, etc. All need to come into Christ. 

We who make up the church, who have come into Christ and experienced spiritual rebirth by the person of the Holy Spirit, are the Israel of God today (1 Pet. 2:9). As Paul exhorts, “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). There are no parentheses around the church age! 

... to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Eph. 3:21).  

Benjamin C. Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.