Ancient Nation

Dr. Couch, who is the "Ancient Nation" in Isaiah 44:7? ANSWER:  The passage says "Let the one who is like Me 'From the time that I established the ancient nation'"? Unger writes: "God alone is the Architect of history, and His plan and purposes from time and eternity enable Him to know the course of events. As Israel's God and King, He appointed (established) this people, called here the ancient people (nation), giving them prophetic disclosures from ancient times."    I have been saying for years that God is the Author of history. This is the what Unger is saying also!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (10/10)

What is Happening in the Nations?

Dr. Couch, where are we today, with what is happening in the nations of the world? ANSWER:  We are into the rebellion of the nations, the hardness of heart, and the rejection of Christ as the Savior of the world! Isaiah said it well. God has to bring upon the planet judgment in order to cause the peoples of the earth to listen to Him. He said "When the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness" (Isa. 26:9b).    But the world can grow extremely hardened in its reaction to punishment. The next is not a contradiction but it does lay down a truth that we need to look carefully at. "Though the wicked are shown favor, the wicked man does not learn righteousness; instead he deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, and does not perceive the majesty of the Lord" (v. 10).    Only the punishment of the seven year tribulation will awaken the world to its awful sinfulness. We are getting closer to that day! But the believers in Christ need not fear. The church will be taken out of here before that terrible time arrives. Paul writes that the Thessalonians turned to God from their idols:    "to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:9b-10).    I read the other day from some "big" Bible teacher that the only place the rapture is mentioned is in 4:13-18. How foolish and blinded such a teacher can be! And he is only fooling himself and those who look to him as one who explains God's Word! These verses in chapter one give us the same scenario of the blessing that is coming to the believer in Christ. God will remove His Own from the earth before that terrible seven year tribulation comes upon the earth. What a glorious Day!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (6-10)

Who is Christ Referring to in Matthew 21:43?

Dr. Couch, what nation is Christ speaking about in Matthew 21:43? Some say this is the church; some say it is referring to the Jews of another generation. What do you say? ANSWER:  The passage reads: "I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (the Jews of that generation), and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it."    We interpret by observation, observation, observation.    And we observe that Christ is speaking about the "kingdom of God." We know by an undisputed fact that every time "the kingdom of God" and "the kingdom of heaven" is mentioned it is referring to the millennial kingdom of Christ that is yet to come. And that millennial kingdom is the messianic rule of the Son of David sitting on His throne in Jerusalem.    In the verse before (v. 42) Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 about "the stone which the builders rejected." Those verses in Psalm 118 are talking about Israel and about the "festival sacrifices" and the altar where sacrifices are offered. There is nothing here about the church!    Matthew 21:43 ties into Psalm 118 and Christ starts the verse with "Therefore ..." He is drawing a conclusion about how "The builders," the Jews in Christ's day are to someday be replaced by that other nation. Those who argue that this "nation" is the church quote 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Romans 10:19 and claim that in these passages the church is called "a nation." The Romans passage where "nation" and "people" are mentioned is a quote from Deuteronomy 32:21. This could certainly be a reference to the Gentiles but that is a long stretch to the idea of the church. The church is "the called out" ones (mainly but not exclusively) Gentiles. And to say that God will make Israel jealous by the Gentiles coming to the Lord is still not calling this group of Gentiles the church!    In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter is writing to one segment of the church, the Jews, to those who "are aliens" (or strangers), the Jews who are in the Diaspora (the scattered ones), the Jews who were driven from the Holy Land (1:1). In 1 Peter 2:9 Peter calls these believing Jews "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession." He is compiling several OT passages about the nation of Israel. He says of them that they "were not a people, but now you are the people of God" (v. 10). Now, as Jews, they are "to keep their behavior excellent among the Gentiles" (v. 11). This puts those Peter is writing to in opposition to the Gentile believers, members of the church.    To conclude: Peter is not saying this nation is the church! Neither is Christ saying that in Matthew 21:43!    So the other nation is a later generation of Jews to whom the kingdom of God will be given. Again, the "kingdom of God" is always the Jewish messianic future kingdom; it never is the church!    When interpreting the Bible, keep the lines straight. Don't mix concepts together in order to make a preconceived point. Let the Bible speak for itself.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Feb., 10)

The Significance of Japheth

Dr. Couch, what is the significance of Japheth as mentioned in Genesis 9:27? Does this name have any significance with what is happening with the nations today? ANSWER:  You have some keen insights about history! Yes, this is an important passage about the nations. Japheth in Hebrew means "May he have space." Japheth was the father of the European peoples, the Indo-European nations. The sons of Japheth would "be enlarged" or blessed by God in that they will "dwell in the tents of Shem." Shem is the distant father of the Jewish people, the Shemites, or Semites.    Genesis 10 that follows immediately after 9:27 is called by the Rabbis, "a Messianic document." It lists all the nations of the world, all that come from Noah's three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The Japhethites, the Europeans have been most blessed by the Jewish people, i.e., through Christianity and by the blessings that were bestowed upon Europe by the Jews themselves.    Unger has said that verse 27 shows that "Jehovah was the peculiar property of the Shemites. The Japhetic line is predicted to enjoy not only expansion of temporal possessions, but spiritual blessings as well. Christianity has had great outreach upon the Japhetic peoples of Europe and America."    Are cultures equal? Yes and no! All peoples are sinners and need the saving grace of Christ, but all peoples have not been equally blessed by the Lord with salvation. It's a fact of history that the Europeans have been most blessed by Israel and the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. America was founded by Reformation followers and by Europeans who came to these shores driven by spiritual issues. Other cultures have not been so blessed. In fact, other cultures may pull down America because their heritage is not the same. But it also must be said, in reference to America, the Europeans have allowed the cultural degeneration of others to weaken morally this nation. While in one sense we can understand how we have been weakened, we have thrown away our own blessings and heritage ourselves.    The prophecy by Noah in Genesis 9:27 is a large and broad prediction. But it has still dictated the direction of history. Now, there is "no place to hide." The moral and spiritual protection of any culture is over! The nations are now polluted, something that was in a sense foretold in early Genesis. Much more could be written on this issue, but I hope that this helps.    -- Dr. Mal Couch (1-10)