God does not break his promises. Let me repeat this: God does not break his promises. Acts 3:18 says,
“But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way.” (Acts 3:18 emphasis mine)
Acts 3:18 provides us a crucial hermeneutical principle for interpreting Old Testament Messianic prophecies:—Just as it said they would be fulfilled. “But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets” [i.e. What the OT predicted.] “that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way” [i.e. Not in any other way].
This principle needs to be consistently applied to God’s prophecy of a future, reconstituted national Israel at the consummation. There is no warrant to “reinterpret,” “spiritualize,” “flatten,” “reread” or “replace” the promises God make to national Israel in the Old Testament. But many feel the need to do this in order to maintain their faulty preconceived theological constructs (e.g. historic premillennialism, amillennialism, postmillennialism).
Darrell Bock speaks briefly on this point here:
http://mydigitalseminary.com/progressive-dispensationalism-darrell-bock/
What (if any) future role does the physical nation of Israel yet have to play in God’s plan?
God’s covenantal commitment to Israel is honored when he restores Israel in the future as Romans 11 teaches and as Acts 3:18-22 declares by calling people to look to what the OT says to understand what Jesus will do when he returns. It does not say to reread or change the way you read those texts.
