The salvation of nations is a subject that can be considered from different
points of view. We can interpret that it refers to nations, countries or
people, ethnic groups or tribes who are saved; or that some people from some
nations are saved; or that saved people may come from different nations. If
the believer has understood correctly the doctrine of Eternal
Security of Salvation, which is a fundamental matter for the Christian,
for the spiritual development of his life and for the ministry of the
Church, then he will have no doubts about his personal salvation.
However, up to this point we were dealing with salvation from a personal
perspective, but now we shall do it from a national; nations, people, ethnic
groups, tribes.
FROM BABEL TO BABYLON – FROM EMPIRE TO CIVILIZATION – EMPIRES OF HISTORY
Many empires have existed through history, and they have all been passing by
or have been destroyed. We can remember Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece,
Rome, Spain, Charles V, England, and now we would talk of Europe, in which
many see the precursor of another roman empire, once some countries leave.
While those nations that exist and those that have existed in history –even
those that will come to exist before the return of Jesus Christ in His
eternal kingdom– have been originated by us, although many will think it was
God, because since Babel humanity was scattered due to the division through
tongs. On the other hand there is a nation that was created by God, with a
purpose. That nation is no other than Israel, and the purpose, to receive,
keep the Word of God, the prophecies, the Law and to provide the Messiah of
all humanity …because salvation comes from the Jews, John 4:22.
However we saw that through history, and after the beginning of Church era,
that Israel has not kept that privileged status, but was scattered through
the world, between the nations. It would be the Church that would take the
Gospel to the world, even though the Word and the Messiah proceed from the
Jews. But there is a final prophecy for Israel. On the other hand not only
Israel and the Church are mentioned in the Bible referring to the nations
that would be saved, but the Texts talk about people of all the nations,
which makes us believe that it refers to all that have existed along
history: Revelation 7:9.
ISRAEL: GOD CREATED NATION
We all know the story of Abraham, haw God took him out of his land, from Ur
of the Chaldeans, and out of his relatives and out of his father’s house,
Genesis 12, and sent him to a new land, the Promised Land. Also God called
Abraham to become father of nations. He gave him a son when he was elder,
when his wife Sara could not conceive, whom he called Isaac. He had two
children, Jacob and Esau, and God chose Jacob before they were born, Genesis
25:23. To him, due to his inclined heart to God, the same as his father
“grandfather” Abraham, changed his name from Jacob to Israel. The rest we
know well, also how after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, called Moses and
took them out of Egypt, the house of slavery, and took them to cross the Red
Sea, through the desert and to receive the Law at Sinai until that promised
Land to Abraham.
Israel received God’s Law, for them and for the entire world. Received the
Word of God, the prophets, king David, built the temple of Solomon, and
after their disobedience were invaded, taken captives and scattered. But
many loved God. Finally the prophesized Messiah came, of the descendants of
king David, according to the prophecy, John 7:42, Micah 5:2. From this
moment the apostles were chosen. They received and wrote the New Testament
that we have today, 2000 years after, through the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. Prophecies have been fulfilling and the Gospel continues to
transform lives, while the Words of Jesus Christ are being fulfilled. The
end of the Message is the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory to
establish the Kingdom of God, to which we are called.
The New Testament was also given to the Jews, except one author. In deed the
apostles who were author were all Jews or Israelites, except Luke, who was a
gentile, the doctor and friend of the apostle Paul, author of the Gospel of
his name and of Acts. Therefore what Israel has provided to the world, to
the nations, is the most important that humanity could receive. It is a must
that Israel is protected for that. Their faith in Yahshua - Jesus Christ,
the Messiah depends of God who has a plan for all things and for all,
including Israel. At the end of history, the Jews will receive the Messiah.
Therefore Israel is a nation created by God with those purposes.
ARE THERE SAVED NATIONS AND OTHERS THAT WILL NOT?
Abraham was called by God to be blessing to all the nations, a model to
follow for his love to God and his obedience, trust and for being the father
of faith, and father of all nations on Earth doe to that, Genesis 18:12, as
an example that God is delighted with all those who love Him, no matter
which nation they are from. This is the correct way to understand the
existence of Israel and of the other nations, for God loves us all, but each
has a purpose.
Other nations, as well as Israel have been formed, but in these cases by
men, but with the blessing of God, as is the case of the USA, in which
constitution God is honored in good faith, but in present times all things
deteriorate, according to prophecies, especially that of apostasy,
2Thesalonians 2:3. As well as this nation, others have adopted, permitted of
promoted Christian faith, as it may be the case of the protestant nations,
or in the last years South Korea, and now China, as a fruit of
missions and to the
surprise of many. On the other hand we see how Israel is ahead in world
technology, now that they have returned to their land and the Messiah is
awaited.
But let’s deal with the matter of salvation, for we have already proven that
God blesses those people and nations that love God in their majority. We can
just remember the missions sent by many countries, the good deeds and
support to countries in the third world, and on the contrary others do
little or nothing. In the same way God blesses those who love their
neighbor. The Bible reveals to man that God is for those who, He in His
sovereignty, love and purpose, has chosen for eternal life. Does this happen
also with some nations? If God, at individual level is Who chooses, calls,
justifies and saves, He must also be the one to take to a good end His own
work, otherwise it makes no sense having given His Son on the Cross to save
the Church, which, according to Jesus, He holds by the hand and does not let
it get lost, John 10:27-30. Revelation 5:9 reveals to us that the four
living beings and the twenty four elders who are in the presence of God sing
a new song that sais: ...Thou art worthy to take the book, and open the
seals thereof: for Thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out
of every kindred, and tong, and people, and nation.
So those who will inhabit the Kingdom of God will represent all the nations,
origins and cultures. This does not mean that there will be saved nations
and others will not.
On the contrary, indeed there are certain nations blessed and others which
are not, due to their foundation and the majority of their members, who love
God, empirically take for example the protestant nations. We will close this
subject overseeing that in the times we are living in this new XXI century
we find that we come to the end of civilization due to the accelerated
deterioration of human moral to global level, the upcoming of dictatorial
leaders and the fulfilling of the prophecies of the Bible. This is a sign of
the end times, as the Bible prophesizes, 2Timothy 3.
THE CHURCH: NATION SAVED BY GOD
In the same way as God created Israel with a purpose, He has also created
the Church, which is formed by people of every tribe and tong, people or
nation, including Israel, for another purpose. It deals with a purpose of
conclusion of the first: comprise all origins, races, ethnic groups, people,
tribes, nations and tongs in one people for God earned by His Son Jesus
Christ on the Cross at Calvary, where there is no more Jew or Greek, but
where all are called to form the Body of Christ, if we have received the
faith in the work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ – Yahshua.
The Church is an advance of the Kingdom of God on earth. The behavior in
good deeds, the taking in of refugees, the world missions, the fight for
justice for the liberation of the oppressed, reflect that the Kingdom of God
is Heaven, where justice will be one of the essences of everyday life for
all. In the Kingdom of God, there will be no hospitals – as the song of Juan
Luis Guerra tells– nor oppressed, no cry, but justice, liberation, true
friendship, peace, joy and love of God for all, true reflection of what true
Christians give their neighbor.
I have made a selection of Bible Texts which are fundamental to study this
theological subject, in which we find the bases of the salvation of nations:
The Text in Revelation 5:8-10:
...And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden
vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open
the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth.
The Text of
Hebrews 10:34-45:
...Then Peter
opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 36 The word which
God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he
is Lord of all:) 37 That word, I say, ye know, which was
published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the aptism
which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39 And we
are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and
in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God
raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; 41 Not to all the
people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and
drink with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded
us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was
ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give
all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him
shall receive remission of sins. 44 While
Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the
word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also
was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
In the Text of
Revelation 21:24:
...
And
the nations
“of them which are saved”
shall walk in the light of it:
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
This is without a doubt the Text that King James Version has made famous in
this translation, used to justify about those “nations” that would be saved,
meaning people, not nations (the word is the same “ethnos”) but the original
Greek Text “Textus Receptus” as opposed to some corrupted Texts had omitted
the part which includes the requirement to be in the Kingdom: to be saved.
The last Text is the judgment to the nations in Matthew 25:31-46:
...
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And
before him shall be gathered all nations:
and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right
hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto
them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was
an ungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a
stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was
sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then
shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred,
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we
thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or
when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And
the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I
was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye
took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye
visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick,
or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he
answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one
of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go
away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
The collection of
Texts can be completed with: Genesis 18:18 – 22:18 with Galatians 3:8,
Psalms 33:12; 47:8; 72:11; 82:8; 102:12-15, Isaiah 2:2-4; 60:3; Ezekiel
39:21; Daniel 7:14; Joel 3:2; Zechariah 14:2-12,16; Matthew 24:14; 25:32;
28:19; Mark 11:17; 13:10; Luke 21:24; Revelation 7:9; 15:4; 21:24 and 22:2.
CONCLUSION
Israel was the
nation that God formed for a specific purpose, which we have evaluated and
for which we must be grateful and preserve it. The Church receives and
comprise the result of that purpose: the total number of those people who
were chosen by God, of all nations including Israel, of all times during
history.
We see two groups
of people making the scene of Revelation 7, when John receives the
revelation of Jesus Christ, Yahshua about the 144.000 sealed of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel, and on the other hand, the multitude
clothed with white clothes, of all nations and tongs on earth, which were
won through the Gospel.
And how those
people of those nations of gentiles, non Israelites where saved before the
times of the Church? And how come the children of Israel can be saved, if
salvation requires faith in the work of the Son of God and they did not
believe or did not come to know Him? The answer is in the doctrine of the
election of God, before the foundation of the world. God, as we already
studied in the previous study
The Security of
Salvation, chooses and saves those to whom He will give faith to
believe, because He has created us and knows our hearts. All the chosen,
therefore, with independence of the time when they lived, at the end will
believe in the work of His Son Jesus Christ – Yahshua and will be saved.
The salvation of
nations has helped us understand that they are not nations as such, but the
people who form them and their lives of faith of a majority who pray and
fight for Christ, and make some nations be more blessed than others, and
that we know that everywhere God has chosen those who will be saved for the
Kingdom of God, whether Jews of Gentiles, and they all form part of the Body
of Christ – Yahshua.
Finally we can
come to a conclusion about the purpose that God has had to initiate history
with Adam and Eve, from them Cain and Able, and after Noah, begin a new
adventure that came to the formation of Israel, for the blessing of all
nations –although hated by the anti-Semites, who will have to give account
before God, in the court of Christ as all other racists will have to do–
for, after rejecting the Messiah, as a nation, to call all nations “Matthew
28:16-20” to be disciples of Christ for eternal salvation of those chosen
and receivers of the faith in the Cross of Christ. We close with the Text of
Revelation or Apocalypse, which, although it refers to those who come out of
the Great Tribulation, I think it tells truly what will happen at the end of
time, in chapter and verses 7:9-10:
...After this
I beheld, and, lo, a great
multitude, which no man
could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Amen.