7 posts tagged “israel”

As you’ve read what is written on this blog, you’ve probably felt a certain sense of fear at some point.  As the truth has been revealed to you, a fear of the future, the beasts and what we face has slowly crept into your consciousness.  How can we stand against these beasts?  How can we be expected to fight them?  They have too much control…..too much power.  If I reject their mandates and their decrees, I will face imprisonment, persecution or death.  How can I, one person, stand against them?  God tells us that we can stand against overwhelming odds.  We can win against forces that seem much stronger than ourselves.  We can do so not because we are particularly strong, or intelligent or cunning.  We can do so only by drawing near to our Lord and following His plan for us.  It is He who wins battles and defeats evil.  It is He who strengthens us and leads us in this war.  He is looking for those with a heart like His own that will follow Him wherever He leads.

 “The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?

 When evil men advance against me
       to devour my flesh,
       when my enemies and my foes attack me,
       they will stumble and fall.

 Though an army besiege me,
       my heart will not fear;
       though war break out against me,
       even then will I be confident.

 One thing I ask of the LORD,
       this is what I seek:
       that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
       to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
       and to seek him in his temple.

 For in the day of trouble
       he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
       he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
       and set me high upon a rock.

 Then my head will be exalted
       above the enemies who surround me;
       at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
       I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
       be merciful to me and answer me.

 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
       Your face, LORD, I will seek.

 Do not hide your face from me,
       do not turn your servant away in anger;
       you have been my helper.
       Do not reject me or forsake me,
       O God my Savior.

 Though my father and mother forsake me,
       the LORD will receive me.

 Teach me your way, O LORD;
       lead me in a straight path
       because of my oppressors.

 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
       for false witnesses rise up against me,
       breathing out violence.

 I am still confident of this:
       I will see the goodness of the LORD
       in the land of the living.

 Wait for the LORD;
       be strong and take heart
       and wait for the LORD.” (Psalm 27 – written by David)

We have discussed fear in another post and have learned how the Bible instructs us to overcome our fears.  So, in this post, we’re going to focus on how the Lord expects us to stand against our enemies in the face of overwhelming odds.  As I’ve mentioned before, the Book of Revelation tells us that most will not stand against these beasts.  They will look at these entities and be overwhelmed by their worldly influence and power.  It appears that most will join them instead of standing against them.

“Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"” (Revelation 13:4)

This short verse gives us a very clear picture of our future.  What are we told?  Many will follow satan and these beasts.  Many will be afraid of them.  Many will think about how to overcome them, but in the end, they will fail to stand against the beasts due to their worldly power.  If we look at these entities from a worldly perspective, they will look unbeatable.  A world-wide political beast wielding the world’s military and police power coupled with a religious beast that will force unbiblical doctrine on the world – it will seem to the world that there is no way out – if you can’t beat them, join them.  Of course, the Bible tells us we must stand against them.  We must worship our Creator and reject the mark.  How can we find the courage and strength to stand when others fall?  By relying on our Lord’s wisdom and strength – not our own.  Remember, this is His war, we are not asked to make our own plans to fight the enemy, we must draw close to Him and be obedient in order to follow His plan.

There are many examples in the Bible of how the Lord has strengthened both men and women to accomplish His will – but I don’t think there is another example in the Bible that as closely resembles what we face as the story of David and how he overcame Goliath.  Even if you’ve never read the Bible, chances are that you’ve heard about this story.  It’s a popular story because the little guy finds the strength to overcome the bully. Why do you think movies like Rocky and The Lord of the Rings are so popular?  We all like to hear stories of how the underdog somehow overcomes great odds and beats the favorite.  While you’ve probably heard about David’s battle with Goliath, have you ever read about David’s life?  You may know that David later became king of Israel and ruled for many years, but do you know how he got there?  Did he live a privileged life that led up to his becoming king?  No.  Did he come from a long line of kings and was next in line to the throne?  No.  Did he become king because he was physically and mentally strong?  No.  Super Intelligent?  No.  Did he avoid all temptations and sin?  No. Did he always follow the Lord’s plan for him?  No again.  David became king because he loved the Lord.  We’re told that he knew the Lord’s heart.  David is the only human being in the Bible (other than Jesus) described as having a heart like the Lord’s.  The Lord tells us that David had a heart like His.  We’re going to briefly look at David’s life and learn what it can teach us.

This story begins in 1 Samuel chapter 16.  The Lord has instructed Samuel to travel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king.

“Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
      "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
      Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
      Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:4:13)

Pay very close attention to what we’re told here.  Does the Lord look at us the same way the world looks at us?  No.  The Lord sees our hearts – not our appearance.  How does the world look at us?  Most of the world looks at how pretty or handsome we are, how thin we are, how physically strong we are, how much money we have, the people we know, etc. – but the Bible is clear, God does not look at these worldly things.  The Lord looks at our hearts.  Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, but all were rejected.  Who did the Lord select to be king?  The youngest son who was tending sheep.  A shepherd was most likely the worst job offered to anyone.  Take note that his father didn’t even bother to bring him initially before Samuel.  What does this tell us?  It tells us that Jesse probably didn’t consider him a possibility.  Why choose David when there are older, stronger, better looking sons to choose from?  Does the Lord choose the arrogant, the proud, the strong?  No, the Lord chooses those for authority that love Him, worship Him and are obedient to Him. 

The battle with Goliath begins in 1 Samuel Chapter 17:

“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet  tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” (1 Samuel 17:1-11)

Imagine this scene.  One huge man is terrorizing an entire army.  The entire army cowers as this man yells insults.  Full grown men are afraid and do nothing.  Sound familiar?  We all face our own Goliaths.  We have all had someone or something that has bullied or insulted us and we didn’t know how to handle them…..so we did nothing.  Most of us are even now doing nothing as our government and our leaders are removing more and more of our freedoms.  How should we respond?  Let’s continue with David’s story to find the answer.

 “Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit.  See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." (1 Samuel 17:12-19)

For 40 days, no one in the entire army of Israel is willing to take on this man.  Keep in mind what we were told earlier – “from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power”.  So, no one in the army is doing anything about Goliath and circumstances are bringing David to the battle.  Events are being set in motion that will result in David becoming king of Israel.

“Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.” (1 Samuel 17:20-24)

So, once again the army of Israel cowers in fear and for the first time, David hears Goliath’s insults.

“Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."

David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

 When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

 "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.  What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."

 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." “ (1 Samuel 17:25-33)

David attempts to determine what is happening and his brother attacks his character.  Have you ever followed the Lord and been ridiculed?  We should expect it from the world.  Undaunted, David turns to others and is told the situation.  He then offers to fight Goliath.  Remember, David is still a young boy….maybe 14 or 15 years old.  Is he fighting alone?  No.  He is being led by the Lord.  David knows that he does not fight alone.  A young boy offers to fight the mightiest warrior their army has ever seen.  If you were king, how would you respond?  You would probably respond the same way Saul did – by telling him he’s crazy.  How can a young shepherd boy fight a seasoned warrior?

“But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
      Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

How does David respond?  The Lord will deliver this Philistine to us.  The Lord has saved me before and He will do so again.  Why has the Lord told David that this Philistine will be delivered to him - ‘because he has defied the armies of the living God’.  He defies our Lord.  The Lord is placing David on His path for him and at the same time He delivers victory to the army of Israel.

“Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
      "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:38-40)

David has such a strong faith that he removes his armor.  What does this boy take into battle?  A sling, 5 stones in a shepherd’s bag and his staff.  If you were Goliath, how would you respond to his boy?  Probably the same way Goliath did – with unbelief and insults.

“Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.  He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (1 Samuel 17:41-44)

Goliath can only see the boy in front of him.  By following false gods, he is spiritually blind.  He sees no danger in front of him.  He laughs and insults – not realizing that he is taking on his Creator. 

“David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

David’s respond should have given Goliath pause.  Something in Goliath’s mind should have sounded an alarm.  Where has this boy found the courage and strength to fight when Israel’s army flees from me?  Who speaks with authority and confidence like this in the face of overwhelming odds?  He doesn’t sound like a boy – he sounds like a man given authority.  Where is this authority coming from?  Blinded by pride and arrogance, Goliath walks right into a battle with God.  Should the outcome surprise us?

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.
      When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.” (1 Samuel 17:48-54)

What can we learn from David’s encounter with Goliath?  Do we need money, power, military might or the latest weapons to defeat our enemies?  No.  As long as we are following the Lord and His laws – as long as we are close to Him, He will protect us and deliver us according to His will.

So, when the beasts of Revelation tighten control over the world, should we fear them?  Should we go along with their false doctrine?  No.  We must stand against the enemies of God.  They don’t realize that they defy the Lord.  Being blinded by pride and arrogance, they are focused on worldly wealth and power and don’t realize that they are fighting against God.  We must praise and worship our Father and allow Him to guide us.  If the Lord is with us, who can be against us?  Best of all, we’re told their fate.  The Bible tells us that they will suffer the same fate as Goliath.

I encourage you to study the life of David.  Mike McClung (Lionheart Ministries) has created many CD’s on the heart of David.  I have also listed a book entitled ‘Facing Your Giants’ by Max Lucado that documents David’s life and how it applies to us.  You will find that David did not have an easy life.  He endured many trials and tribulations after his confrontation with Goliath before becoming king.  The king of Israel tried to kill him.  He was rejected by his family and his people.  He even fled to his enemies and was rejected.  He spent time living in a cave after being rejected by everyone.  Through all of this, the Lord never left David.  We must always remember this.  Even though things will get difficult, the Lord will help us and give us our true purpose.  We must always stay close to Him.  When the world tells us it’s impossible to stand against the beasts, don’t believe it.  Nothing is impossible with God on our side.

In the previous post we reviewed Satan’s overall plan of controlling the world through the two ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13.  We discussed the reasons why these ‘beasts’ are created and who they are really going to target – true followers of Jesus Christ.  We also discussed how much of the Christian world has incorrectly placed the physical nation of Israel at the center of end time Biblical prophecies instead of followers of Jesus Christ.  In the next few posts, we’re going to examine this topic and begin to look at who Jesus and the New Testament tells us is the true ‘Israel’ and what He had to say about the physical nation of Israel.

I realize that what is written here is very difficult for us to accept.  If you consider yourself a Christian, you have found that many of the popular beliefs concerning end time prophecies - and even Christianity itself - are either not true or contain subtle deceptions – which has caused you to take a very hard look at your spiritual life.  If you are a Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Scientologist, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim – a follower of anything other than what God has given us in the Holy Bible, you’ve had to do the same.  If you are Jewish and do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah because this is what you’ve been told your whole life, you’ve had to do the same.  If you’ve continued reading to this point, even though it conflicts with what you have believed your entire life until now, then you’ve heard the quiet voice telling you that this is the truth and to continue on.  It’s not easy.  I’ve been there.  To me, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do…or probably will ever do – overcoming the world’s deception to seek and find the Truth. Real Truth.  To see the world as it truly is.  To see the spiritual war as it truly is.  Accepting the fact that you’ve been deceived by an evil, spiritual being is not easy.  Understanding that although you love your parents, children, relatives, friends, religious teachers – they may have misled you about what the truth really is.  You must remember this – regardless of whatever you have been told and/or believed for your entire life, it is up to each of us to overcome the world and believe the Truth before we die.  The truth is that there is only one way and one way only to enter the kingdom of heaven – through Jesus’ sacrifice for us.  There is no other way.  You must overcome the world and its lies. Lies that pull you away from the truth.

If you read through the Bible you will notice that servants and prophets of God cannot do anything in this world without His help.  True servants of the Lord cannot compete with Satan’s servants and prophets without Divine guidance and help.  Why?  Because the world wants to hear a worldly view of things – and true servants of the Lord do not speak from a worldly viewpoint.  True servants spiritually discern what the Lord asks them to say and do and speak from a heavenly viewpoint – and it’s not what the world wants to hear.  The world wants the party to continue – let the good times roll.  Stock markets will always rise, world economies will always grow, pursuit of wealth above all else is a worthy goal, focus on yourself and what you can get, need a religion? – we have many for you to choose from, faith in Jesus Christ and His teaching is not politically correct, true believers in Jesus Christ have lost their minds…etc.  Why was I told that stock markets and our economy would crash?  Why was I told that gold would rise?  Why have I spoken of 11/11 and the fall of Rome?  These are signs that have been given to me.  At first I wasn’t sure what it all meant.  My mind could not grasp what the overall plan was/is – and I still can’t.  I run the race placed before me – I do what I’m asked to do when I’m asked to do it and trust that God can handle the rest – because He can and will.  I was given these signs, not to profit from them in any way – they were God’s way of saying – PAY ATTENTION to what this man is saying. 

For almost 3 years I’ve told people to get out of the stock market, sell your home or get out of adjustable rate mortgages if you’ve over-leveraged yourself, do what you can to get out of debt and most importantly, prepare yourself spiritually – because the good times (I use the term ‘good’ very loosely here) are coming to a close for us.  And for 3 years, it seems as if few have taken anything I’ve said seriously – either because they thought I’ve somehow lost my mind or they didn’t want to face the truth.  With God’s help – people are going to pay attention.  This is how spiritual warfare is waged – Satan tries to suppress the truth, but if God wants it known – it will be known.

If I live a nice, quiet life – few will read what is written here and you’ll know that what I have said and done is of my own accord.  If, at some point in the future, I’m at the center of a firestorm of controversy – including both religious and political leaders - you’ll know, as I know, that our Creator is getting our attention and at the same time – delivering a message.  In a future post I will talk about the warfare I have experienced, because you will learn, as I have learned, that if you do the will of God – Satan takes notice.  He will try to get in your way and shut you down.  Failing to do this – he will attempt to get the world to rise up against you.  I expect it – as should you.  Jesus battled Satan and demons during His time here – you and I are expected to do the same.

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Mathew 16:23)

“When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” (Mathew 8:28-32)

“The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” (Mark 1:33-34)

Let’s get back to the topic of Israel.  We’re going to take a look at more excerpts from Steve Wohlberg’s book ‘End Time Delusions’.  Steve spends a large section of his book on this topic and does an excellent job of reviewing many popular beliefs about the nation of Israel in the light of the New Testament.  As we examine Scripture on this subject, keep one thing in mind.  Many popular beliefs on how Israel fits into end time prophecy require Old Testament prophecy assumptions, while the New Testament is crystal clear on how Jesus viewed who was truly an ‘Israelite’.  An example would be the popular belief that Ezekiel’s prophecy regarding the restoration of the nation of Israel applied to the end times – and was fulfilled in 1948.  The assumption is that this prophecy applied to our modern times and did not refer to the restoration of Israel after their Babylonian captivity.  You will see that most popular beliefs require this type of an assumption – while the New Testament is clear.  I don’t believe that anyone can say that God does not have a plan to bring the physical nation of Israel back to Him, but what we’ll see as we examine Scripture is that this nation is not the center of end time prophecy as so many believe.

All truth passes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Second, it is violently opposed.  Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. –Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Why are the eyes of so many people fixed upon Jerusalem?  There are many reasons, yet one big one is clear.  The fact is, literally millions of Christians who study prophecy firmly believe Planet Earth’s final events will one day swirl around the Middle East, Jerusalem, and the Jews.  According to what is commonly understood, what happens to the modern nation of Israel is definitely connected with an upcoming bloody battle of Armageddon, the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age.

Here’s just a few examples illustrating this current Israel-and-the-end connection:

1.       The Christian movie, The Omega Code (1999), which grossed $2.4 million in its opening weekend, firmly connects the Bible’s end time prophecies with a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

2.       Left Behind: The Movie (2001) also connects Jerusalem with end-of-the-world events.  It opens with a surprise Russian attack on Israel.

3.       The September 1, 1999 issue of Newsweek, focusing on millennial issues and Bible prophecy, reported, “….the predominant issue in Christian prophecy is the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple.” “….for true believers, ground zero for apocalyptic zealotry remains the city of Jerusalem.”

4.       Time magazine, July 1, 2002, commenting on apocalyptic theories reported: “Israel [is] …the land where events must unfold in a specific way for Jesus to return.”

5.       Newsweek, June 2, 2003: “Many…evangelicals believe that Jesus won’t return until the Jewish state is fully re-established, including Jerusalem.”

The list is endless……..

It may sound like blasphemy to some, but the purpose of this highly explosive section of End Time Delusions is to reexamine the accuracy of these current teachings, especially in the light of Jesus Christ, of the New Testament, and the book of Revelation.

In our journey, we will answer these core questions: What did the Master mean when He said of Nathaniel, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” (John 1:47, emphasis added)?  What did Paul have in mind when he wrote, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6)? Why does the New Testament refer to two Israels – an “Israel after the flesh” (1 Corinthians 10:18) and “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:14-16) in Jesus Christ? Finally, what is the true meaning of Revelation’s mysterious prophecies about 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel, Mystery Babylon, the Euphrates River running dry, and Armageddon, “the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 7:4; 16:13-16; 17:5)?

Before we go any further, I want to remind you what I revealed in the Preface of this book.  I’m Jewish, and I love Jewish people.  Many of my relatives are Jewish, but sadly, most do not believe the good news of Jesus Christ.  They don’t realize Jesus Himself lived a perfect Jewish life and that His death fulfilled ancient Hebrew prophecies about the birth, sinless life, suffering, death and resurrection of a Jewish Messiah (see Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 53).  Like Paul, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

But here’s the key.  In the midst of my love for Jewish people and Israel, I am also a student of prophecy, and in my research, I have come to a frightening conclusion.  In the midst of popular prophetic theories about the modern Israeli nation, the war-torn city of Jerusalem and Armageddon, I’m convinced there are some gigantic errors – Israel Delusions – being taught worldwide which are not in harmony with the exact words of Jesus Christ or the true meaning of the Book of Revelation.  To His Jewish disciples, our Lord warned, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).  As a Jewish believer, I have taken this warning seriously.”

Y2K prophecies failed.  No terrorist explosions took place in Jerusalem on the eve of the new millennium.

You are about to discover solid New Testament proof that many 21^st century Christian predictions about modern Israel will also fail.  Yet God’s Word will be fulfilled.

We continue our discussion on the nation of Israel and end time prophecy.

Humility, that low, sweet root, from which all heavenly virtues shoot. –Thomas Moore (1779-1852)

Have you ever heard of a wrestling match between a human being and an angel? As far as we know, it happened only once in history.  The details of this ancient story will soon take on explosive significance in our study of Israel and Bible prophecy.

Abraham lived about 4,000 years ago.  He had a son named Isaac who had a son named Jacob.  It was Jacob who wrestled with the angel, and as a result, the angel changed Jacob’s name to ‘Israel’.  In order to understand this strange encounter and its deep meaning for us today, we must study some history about Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob as recorded in Genesis 27.

“When Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see,” he decided to bless Esau, his firstborn son, before he died (Genesis 27:1-4).  But first he sent Esau out to the field to hunt for his favorite meal.  Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, had other plans.  Realizing the importance of her husband’s blessing upon the firstborn, she coveted that blessing for her younger son, Jacob, who was more spiritual than Esau.  While Esau was out hunting in the field, Rebekah quickly prepared a meal and convinced Jacob to take the food to Isaac while pretending to be Esau (see Genesis 27:5-17).

When Jacob brought the dish to his father, he lied, saying, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me” (verse 19).  When Isaac inquired how he had killed an animal so quickly, Jacob lied again, saying, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me” (verse 20).  Suspiciously, Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob lied a third time, saying, “I am” (verse 24).  Isaac finally believed Jacob’s deception and gave him the blessing (see verses 25-29).

Soon afterward Esau returned from the hunt and Isaac realized he’d been tricked. “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing” (verse 35), the father said to his older son.  Then “Esau hated Jacob” and said in his heart, “I will kill my brother Jacob” (verse 41).  Rebekah discovered Esau’s plot and send Jacob away to her relatives in a far country, where he remained for 20 years (see Genesis 27:43; 31:41).  Jacob never saw his mother’s face again.

Twenty years later Jacob headed home.  Surrounded by a large caravan of family and servants, he sent messengers ahead of the group to tell Esau he was coming.  But the men returned with the news that Esau and 400 soldiers were on their way to meet him.  Fear gripped Jacob’s heart.  He felt a deep sense of guilt over his past sin of deception and was terrified for the safety of his family.  So Jacob “arose that night” and “was left alone” to plead with God for forgiveness and deliverance (Genesis 32:22,24)

Then “a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day” (verse 24).  This Man was really “the Angel” (Hosea 12:4).  Unaware of this, and assuming this must be his still angry brother Esau, Jacob struggled all night for his life.  At the crack of dawn, this powerful Stranger revealed Himself, not as a foe, but as a heavenly Friend.  He touched Jacob’s hip, “and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him” (verse 25).

Jacob suddenly realized this powerful Being was now his only hope.  Broken and helpless, he clung to the Messenger, saying, “I will not let You go unless you bless me!”

The Angel then asked, “What is your name?”

“And he said, ‘Jacob’.”

“And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed’” (verses 26-28, emphasis added).

This is the first time the word “Israel” is used in the Bible, and the context reveals its deep spiritual significance. In the beginning, “Israel” was a special name given only to one man, to Jacob, by the Angel of God.  In the Bible, people’s names mean more than they do today.  Back then, names were often descriptions of people’s characters.

Jacob literally meant, “deceiver”, or “crook”.  When Esau discovered Jacob’s sin of deception, he said to Isaac, “Is he not rightly named Jacob?”  (Genesis 27:36).  Thus the name, “Jacob,” was a description of his character and of his sin.  When the Angel said, “What is your name?”, he knew the answer, but he wanted Jacob to say his own name, which represented a humble confession and turning away from his sin.  Jacob passed the test, repented, and placed his entire dependence upon God’s love and mercy.

The response, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,” revealed that God had given him a new character.  According to the margin of the New King James Bible, the word “Israel” literally means, “Prince with God”.  Thus the name “Israel” itself was a spiritual name, symbolizing Jacob’s spiritual victory over his past sin of deception.  In other words, the man “Jacob” was now a spiritual “Israel”.  As we shall see, this truth about a spiritual Israel will take on explosive significance in our study of Israel and Bible prophecy.

Israel had 12 sons “who came to Egypt” (Exodus 1:1-5).  One son, named Joseph, had dreams (see Genesis 37).  Remember this, for we will come back to it.  The children of Israel multiplied in Egypt and were forced into slavery until the time of Moses.  Then God told Moses, “Say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn….Let my son go”’” (Exodus 4:22-23).  Here’s an important development in biblical thought.  The name “Israel” is now being expanded.  It no longer refers only to Jacob, but also to his descendants.  The nation is now “Israel”.  Thus, “Israel” first applied to a victorious man, then a people.  It was God’s desire that this new nation of Israel should also be victorious, as was Jacob, through faith in Him.  God called this new nation “My son, My firstborn”.  Remember this also.  It will become important shortly.

The next paragraph below contains little phrases about Israel which may seem dry at first, but amazing things can happen when you water a dry seed.  Those little phrases will soon sprout into trees of towering significance when we turn to the New Testament.  Take special note of them.

Israel was “a vine” God brought “out of Egypt” (Psalm 80:8).  God said, “But thou, Israel, art My servant…the seed of Abraham” (Isaiah 41:8).  God also spoke of “Israel My elect” (Isaiah 45:4).  Again, God said through Isaiah, “Behold! My servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth” (Isaiah 42:1-3).  All of these words originally applied to the physical nation of Israel.  Don’t forget this.

In about 800 B.C., the Lord said through the prophet Hosea, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son” (Hosea 11:1).  Yet by this time, Israel had failed to live up to the meaning of her own name.  She had not lived victoriously, as a “Prince with God.”  The Lord sadly declared, “They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images” (Hosea 11:2).  Yet God had a special plan.  That small, solitary sentence, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son,” is actually like a tiny bomb that will soon explode with tremendous importance as we turn to the New Testament.

Israel Part 3

We continue in ‘End Time Delusions’:

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. –Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

Approximately 800 years had passed since the time of Hosea the prophet.  Finally, Heaven’s prophetic clock struck twelve.  “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2:1).  Because King Herod felt threatened by this newly born potential rival to his throne, he sent soldiers who cruelly “put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem” (Matthew 2:16).  Yet God warned Joseph in advance of the slaughter.  “Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word” (verse 13).  So the family arose and “departed for Egypt” (verse 14).

The next sentence after Matthew 2:14 is almost unbelievable in its prophetic implications.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew wrote that Joseph, Mary and Jesus remained in Egypt “until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son’” (verse 15).

Do you realize what you just read?  Matthew is quoting Hosea 1:11 which, in its historical context, referred to the nation of Israel being called out of Egypt in the time of Moses.  Yet here the very first Gospel writer picks up this text and declares it “fulfilled” in Jesus Christ!  Here Matthew is beginning to reveal a principle he develops throughout his book.  Paul also taught the same principle, as we shall see.

Remember, the first time the name “Israel” is used in the Bible, it was a spiritual name given to one man, to Jacob (see Genesis 32:28).  That name had to do with Jacob’s spiritual victory.  It meant, “Prince with God”.  Even so, in the beginning of the New Testament that same name is beginning to be applied to one Man, to the Victorious One, to Jesus Christ, the Prince of God.

There are amazing parallels between the history of Israel and the history of Jesus Christ.  In Hebrew history, a young man named Joseph had dreams and went to Egypt (see Genesis 37, 39).  In the New Testament we find another Joseph who had dreams and went to Egypt (see Matthew 2).  In Hebrew history, when God called Israel out of Egypt, He called that new nation “My son” (Exodus 4:22).  When Jesus came out of Egypt, God said, “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matthew 2:15).  When Israel left Egypt, the people went through the Red Sea.  They were “baptized…in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2).  In the third chapter of Matthew, we read that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan “to fulfill all righteousness” (verse 15).  Then God called Jesus, His “beloved Son” (verse 17).

After the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they spent 40 years in the wilderness.  Immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, He was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness” for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-2).  At the end of those 40 days, Jesus resisted the devil’s tricky temptations by quoting three key Scriptures.  All were from Deuteronomy, the very book God gave Israel during her 40 year sojourn in the wilderness!  What does this mean?  It means that in Matthew’s book, Jesus was repeating the history of Israel, point by point, and was overcoming where they had failed.  In other words, Christ was showing Himself to be the primary Israel, the Prince of God, the Victorious One who overcomes all sin.

After healing large numbers of people, Jesus “warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘Behold! My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, until He sends forth justice to victory’” (Matthew 12:16-20).

Here Matthew is doing the same thing he did with Hosea 11:1.  He is quoting Isaiah 42:1-3, which, in its original context, referred to God’s “servant”, which was “Israel….My Servant” (Isaiah 41:8).  Once again, under inspiration from the Holy spirit, the first writer of the New Testament said that Isaiah 42:1-3 was being “fulfilled” by God’s “Servant”, Jesus Christ.

What about those other seemingly dry little phrases about the nation of Israel?  It’s time to water them too.  They must now grow into trees that reach Heaven.  In Psalm 80:8, Israel was called a “vine”.  Yet Jesus Christ declared, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).  God referred to the nation of Israel as “My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22).  Yet Paul later called our Messiah “the first-born over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).  The prophet Isaiah clearly called Israel, “the seed of Abraham” (Isaiah 41:8).  Yet Paul wrote, “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” (Galatians 3:16).

That last text is the clearest and the most explosive of them all!  In the Old Testament, God definitely called “Israel…the seed of Abraham” (Isaiah 41:8).  In Galatians 3:16, Paul plainly wrote that Abraham’s seed does not refer to “many”, but to “one…..who is Christ.”  What does this mean?  It means that when Paul looked back – just like Matthew did – at Old Testament statements about “Israel”, he saw them as inherently foreshadowing the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  To Paul, the Messiah is the “Seed”.  Jesus Christ is the perfect Israel!

Yet there’s more.  In Genesis and Exodus, the name “Israel” not only referred to one victorious man, to Jacob, but also to his descendants, who became Israel.  The same principle is revealed in the New Testament.  Right after calling Jesus the “Seed”, Paul told his Gentile converts, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed” (Galatians 3:29).  Thus in the New Testament, the name Israel not only applies to the one Victorious Man, the true Seed, Jesus Christ, but also to those who belong to Christ.  Believers in Jesus are infused into the “Seed”.  In other words, true Christians are part of God’s spiritual Israel.

These fundamental New Testament facts will soon take on explosive significance when we examine what the Book of Revelation really teaches about Israel, Babylon the Great and Armageddon.

Amazing isn’t it? We continue to learn the truth of God’s prophetic Word and we’re also learning how most of the Christian world has allowed itself to be deceived about what Jesus and the New Testament teaches us about Israel.

Beware of the half truth.  You may have gotten hold of the wrong half. –Author Unknown

Have you ever been hit so hard on the head you started seeing double?  From what I have studied, the Christian world needs a compassionate bonk on the head with the truth of the New Testament.  Then more Christians would start seeing double about the subject of Israel.  According to Paul, there are two Israels.  The proof?  The Jewish apostle wrote, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6).  In this chapter, we will discover that there is an “Israel after the flesh” (1 Corinthians 10:18) and an “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), composed of both Jews and Gentiles who have personal faith in Jesus Christ, God’s true Messiah.

Paul wrote, “Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’  Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-7).  Paul’s argument is that because Abraham was a man of faith, only those who have faith are his spiritual children.  We might call this the concept of “faith lineage”.  This truth is like a key that can open a lock in our heads.  Once the lock is open we can understand the shocking principle of two Israels.

John the Baptist understood and boldly preached “faith lineage”.  When a group of tricky Pharisees and Sadducees came to question John’s right to baptize, the wilderness prophet astonished them by shouting, “And do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:9-10).

Those Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t have real faith like Abraham did, yet they claimed to be his children.  John the Baptist exposed this delusion.  “Don’t think that!” he thundered.  John then laid the “ax” to the root of the trees by saying that if they didn’t bear “good fruit” through faith in God like Abraham did, they would be “cut down and thrown into the fire” (verse 10).  Clearly natural lineage alone is not enough.  Without faith and a spiritual connection with the Almighty, those Jews were doomed.

Jesus Christ taught the same truth.  A certain group of Jewish people once said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus responded, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39).  They also claimed to be Abraham’s children, but they lacked true faith.  By saying, “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus denied their claim.  Christ continued, “But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father” (John 8:40-41).

“We have one Father – God,” they countered.  “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me….You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:41-42, 44).

What an atomic text!  Jesus was talking to some Jewish people who claimed to be Israelites, the children of Abraham, yet they were only following God outwardly, not in heart.  Jesus said they weren’t really Abraham’s children at all because they lacked true faith and were following lies.  Their lineage actually went back to satan, the first liar.  Soon we will separate God’s truth from satan’s lies when we look at what Revelation really teaches about Israel, the 144,000, Mystery Babylon and Armageddon.

Jesus Christ also taught “faith lineage” in John chapter 1.  A spiritually-minded Jew named Nathanael was wondering whether Jesus of Nazareth was really his Messiah.  Retiring to a favorite spot under a fig tree, he prayed about the matter.  Soon a friend introduced him to the Savior.  When Jesus saw Nathanael, He joyfully declared, ”Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” (John 1:47).

Nathanael had a natural lineage that went back to Abraham.  Yet he had more.  In his spiritual life, he had gained victories over guile, which means deception.  When Jesus discerned Nathanael’s spiritual lineage to Abraham and Jacob, He called him “an Israelite indeed.”  Just as Jacob himself had become a spiritual Israel, even so had Nathanael become “an Israelite indeed.”  He was part of God’s true spiritual Israel.

Just as there are two Israels, even so are there two kinds of Jews.  There are Jewish people in the flesh and Jewish people in the Spirit.  In words of warning to certain Jews who were breaking the Ten Commandments, Paul wrote, ”Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God….For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.  Therefore, if an uncircumcised man (a Gentile) keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?....For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:17, 25-26, 28-29).

Did you catch that?  Someone who is “called a Jew” because he is a physical descendant of Abraham, and yet who lives as a lawbreaker, is “not a Jew”.  His “circumcision has become uncircumcision”.   To God, he is a Gentile.  And the believing Gentile, who through faith keeps “the righteous requirements of the law,” his uncircumcision is “counted as circumcision”.  To God, he is a Jew.  Thus John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and Paul all agree – natural lineage is not enough.  Whether or not someone is “an Israelite indeed” depends upon one’s faith and spiritual character.  Paul summarized, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).  Anyone today can become one of these “Jews”, no matter who their earthly parents are.

These concepts of “faith lineage”, Jews being counted as Gentiles, and vice versa, lead us to one of the biggest issues facing the prophecy-minded Christian world.  This issue is at the core of prophetic interpretation.  In it, we are faced with two options.  One is the truth, the other a lie.  One leads to Heaven and the other, possibly, to hell.

The big question is, “What about the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament?”  If we conclude those promises must be fulfilled to “Israel after the flesh” (1 Corinthians 10:18), then we must conclude that Jerusalem and the modern Jewish nation will eventually become the epicenter of the final battle of Armageddon.  But if we conclude that those promises can legitimately be fulfilled to God’s Israel in the Spirit, then we must re-study the Book of Revelation to discover how its end time prophecies apply to true Christians – Jewish or Gentile – who love Jesus the Messiah with all their hearts.

Paul deals with this explosive issue in Romans 9:2-8.  His words require careful thought.  Sorrowfully, Paul wrote about his Jewish “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises” (verses 2-4).  God did make promises to Israel in the Old Testament.  Yet what if some Jews do not have true faith in Him?  Can God fulfill His promises to an unbelieving Israel after the flesh?  If not, has His Word failed?

Paul’s answer to these important questions is vital: “Not that the word of God has taken no effect.  For they are not all Israel who are of Israel” (verse 6).  Notice that the truth of two Israels is Paul’s assurance that God’s Word will not fail.  Look carefully: “They are not all Israel [the Israel of God] who are of Israel [of the Jewish nation].” Thus a Jew can be of the Jewish nation, and yet not be part of the Israel of God.  Now here’s the explosive question: To which Israel will God fulfill His promises?

Paul continues, “Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham: but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called’” (verse 7).  Since not all physical descendants of Abraham are automatically God’s true children, therefore His promises are for those “in Isaac”.  Abraham had two sons.  The first was Ishmael, who was born after the flesh.  The second was Isaac, who was born when Abraham had faith in God’s promise (see Genesis 16:1-3, 15;21:1-3; Romans 4:18-21).  In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul shockingly reveals that Ishmael represents unbelieving Jews, while Isaac represents Jews and Gentiles who have faith in Christ!  “Now we, brethren [as believers in Christ], as Isaac was, are children of promise” (Galatians 4:28).  The “children of promise” are those who “receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14).  Therefore, the Israel that is “in Isaac” is the Israel of God in the Holy Spirit.  Paul concludes, “That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed” (Romans 9:8, emphasis added).  “Counted as the seed” means that, although some may be Gentiles, they’re in.

Here is an eight point summary of Paul’s rather detailed reasoning:

1. God made promises to Abraham and his seed (Galatians 3:16).
2. Abraham’s seed would continue “in Isaac” (Romans 9:7).
3. Isaac was born when Abraham had faith in God’s promise (Romans 4:19-21).
4. Isaac represents everyone who believes in Jesus and who receives the promise of the Holy Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:14; 4:22-28).
5. All who have faith in Jesus Christ – Jews or Gentiles – “are counted as the seed” (Galatians 3:14; Romans 9:8; 10:12).
6. This seed is “the Israel of God” in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16, 29; 6:14-16).
7. God will fulfill His promises to this Israel (Galatians 3:29; 4:28; 6:14-16).
8. Thus God’s promises to Israel have not been made of “no effect”, even though some Jewish people don’t believe in their own Messiah (Romans 9:6-8).

Here we have the answer to the issue that means so much in prophetic interpretation.  The Bible is clear.  God will fulfill His Old Testament promises to those “in Isaac”, that is, to any human being who follows Abraham’s example and who becomes part of His Israel in the Spirit through faith in the Messiah.  Thus the issue is not race, bloodline, genealogy, or ethnicity, but personal faith – a faith available to all (see Romans 10:12).  Those who are only “the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed” (Romans 9:8).  We should not expect God to fulfill His promises to unbelieving Israelites of the flesh (or to lips-only Christians of the flesh for that matter), unless, of course, they individually become true believers in the Messiah.

Let’s look at one more controversial section before we close this chapter.  What about Paul’s question, “Has God cast away His people?” (Romans 11:1)  These words are being quoted around the world to prove that God has not cast away any Israelites of the flesh.  How can we explain this?  First of all, the same chapter does describe “the casting away” of some Jewish people who don’t believe (verse 15).  Second, notice Paul’s answer to his own question: “Certainly not!  For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham.” Thus Paul uses himself as an example to prove that God has not “cast away His people”.  Who are “His people”?

In the next three verses, Paul refers to Israel’s apostasy in the days of Elijah.  God told His prophet, “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (verse 4).  In Elijah’s time there were also two Israels.  One followed Baal, the other followed God.  Then Paul made this pointed application.  “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (verse 5).  Just as in Elijah’s time there was a faithful remnant of Israel, even so in Paul’s time there was also a faithful remnant of believing Jews, who, like himself, had been saved by grace.  Based on the context of Romans 11:1-5, it is this faithful remnant of Israel, made up of Jews like Paul, which God has certainly not “cast away”.

Man has no choice but to choose. –Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

From the summit of Mt. Sinai, God Almighty thundered to Moses: “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.  Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’” (Exodus 19:3-6, emphasis added).

Notice the words “if” and “then”.  God said “if” Israel obeyed, “then” they would be His special treasure.  That tiny word “if” involves a big issue.  It concerns conditions.  God loved Israel, and chose her apart from any obedience on her part.  He brought the people out of Egypt, bore them on eagles’ wings, and brought them to Himself.  Yet, contrary to popular opinion, God’s use of “if” made it clear that the continuation of His favor to the Israelites was conditional upon their response to His goodness, upon their choices to obey (see also 1 Samuel 2:30; Jeremiah 18:7-10).  In other words, those of the chosen nation must themselves choose correctly, or the consequences would be disastrous.

Forty years later, Israel entered the promised land and remained there for about 800 years.  During this period, many responded to God’s love by obeying His voice.  But the majority strayed from the path of righteousness.  Again and again, God manifested His mercy by sending prophets and pleading with Israel to return to His covenant.  Yet apostasy continued and deepened.  Finally, after hundreds of years of warning, disaster struck.  In 722 B.C., the northern tribes were carried away by the cruel Assyrians.  In 586 B.C., Judah was taken to Babylon.  Such was the result of wrong choices.

In 586 B.C., the armies of Babylon demolished Jerusalem and burned its temple with fire.  The Jews were removed from their land and carried into captivity.  Yet, in the mercy of God, this exile was not to be permanent.  The prophet Jeremiah predicted that God “would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:2).  After 70 years, the Jews would leave Babylon, return to their land, and rebuild their temple and their city.  God was giving His chosen nation another chance to respond to His love.  In simple terms, the Lord was saying: “You blew it.  Let’s try again!”

This new opportunity is revealed in the prophecy of the “seventy weeks”, which we examined earlier in this book.  Previously, we studied this highly controversial day-for-a-year (see Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6) period in the context of the “seven year tribulation” theory.  Now it’s time to approach this period again, but in a different light.  We will view it in relation to the ongoing favor of God toward Israel as a nation.

Near the end of the Babylonian captivity, Gabriel told Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).  This 70 week period (490 years) was “determined” for Daniel’s people, the Jews.  During that period, the chosen nation would have another chance “to finish the transgression” and “to make an end of sins”.  Near the end of that period, something big would happen.  The Messiah would come “to bring in everlasting righteousness.”  As we shall soon see, Israel’s status as a special nation under divine favor would then be determined by her choice to receive or reject that Messiah.

Gabriel told Daniel when the seventy weeks would begin, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks” (Daniel 9:25).

Persia conquered Babylon in 538 B.C.  Then King Cyrus issued a decree for the Jews to return to their land and to rebuild their temple (see Ezra 1:1-3).  Later, King Darius issued another decree that led to the completion of the temple (see Ezra 6:1, 8).  Still later, King Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to rebuild the wall around the city (see Nehemiah 1:3, 2:1-9).  Yet the predicted “command to restore and to build Jerusalem” did not occur until King Artaxerxes issued a lengthy decree giving Ezra official authority to “set magistrates and judges” over Jerusalem and to “execute judgment” upon all who refused to follow the laws of God and the king (Ezra 7:21, 25-26).  Of the four options to consider as a starting point for the 70 week prophecy, this was the only decree which fully restored civil authority to Jerusalem and the Jewish state.

That commandment occurred “in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” (Ezra 7:7), which was 457 B.C.  This date – 457 B.C. – is listed in the margin of Ezra 7 in many modern Bibles and has also been confirmed by the widely acclaimed Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Zondervan, 1982) as the starting point of the 70 week prophecy. Gabriel said, “From the going forth of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks (49 years) and sixty two weeks (434 years)” (Daniel 9:25).

7 weeks (49 years) + 62 weeks (434 years) = 69 weeks (483 years)

Going forward 483 years from 457 B.C. comes to A.D. 27, the time of “the Messiah the Prince” (Daniel 9:25).  The word “Messiah” means “Anointed One”.  In A.D. 27 – the exact year specified in Daniel’s prophecy – Jesus Christ was “anointed” by the Holy Spirit at His baptism (see Matthew 3:16-17); Acts 10:38) which officially marked the beginning of His public ministry.  Right after His baptism Jesus declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15, emphasis added).  Christ’s words, “The time is fulfilled,” can apply to no other time prophecy except Daniel 9!  Jesus knew He was fulfilling that ancient prediction.

7 weeks (49 years) + 62 weeks (434 years) + 1 week (7 years) = 70 weeks (490 years)

We have previously seen that during the final 70^th week (from 27 to 34 A.D.), Jesus Himself “confirm[ed] the [new] covenant” (Daniel 9:27, KJV).  He did this personally during the first 3 ½ years, and then during the second 3 ½ years He “confirmed” His word through His disciples as they preached mainly to Jews (see Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4).  In the “midst” of the last seven years (in 31 A.D.), when “His hour had come” (John 13:1), the ultimate confirmation came when Jesus caused “the sacrifice…to cease” (Daniel (9:27, KJV) through His painful death on the cross.

Here’s the big question: What was the true significance of these events to Israel’s status as God’s chosen nation?  The answer can only come through a careful study of the closing scenes of our Messiah’s life before His feet were spiked to a tree.

Israel – Part 6

He saw the city and wept over it. –Luke 19:41

“Then came Peter to Him, and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’  Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21-22).  Christ’s response to Peter’s question is quite interesting.  While He obviously was not saying that human forgiveness toward offenders should have a limit, “seventy times seven” equals 490, which just might have been a subtle reference to the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9!

As we have seen, the 70 week period represented another opportunity for the chosen nation to demonstrate faithfulness to God.  Israel’s first temple had been destroyed and her children carried to Babylon because she had rejected God’s warnings through His prophets.  Yet through divine love and mercy, another opportunity was granted her “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins” (Daniel 9:24).  Israel returned to her land and built a second temple.

Though Israel had sinned more than “seven times”, God’s forgiveness toward the nation was extended to “seventy times seven”.  Near the close of this period, One greater than the prophets would come.  Then Israel’s destiny as a nation would be determined by her response to God’s Son.

Near the end of our Messiah’s earthly life, He beheld Jerusalem “and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation’” (Luke 19:41:44).

When Jesus spoke to Peter about forgiveness being extended “until seventy times seven”, He knew the 70 week prophecy was soon to end.  He also knew its awful significance to Israel as a nation, to Jerusalem, and to its second temple.  Chapters 21-23 of Matthew reveal the sad, final, and explosive encounters between Jesus Christ and the leaders of His chosen people.  It’s now time to see the true meaning of those encounters.

During the week before His crucifixion, Jesus “went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, “It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a “den of thieves”’” (Matthew 21:12-13).  At this point, Jesus still called the second temple, “My house.”  But a change would come.

“In the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.’ Immediately the fig tree withered away” (verses 18-19).  Here the fig tree was a symbol of the Jewish nation.  The “seventy times seven” countdown was nearing its close.

“When He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching” (verse 23).  Their plan was to expose the humble Nazarene as a false Messiah and have Him put to death.  Jesus then told those leaders a parable that outlined the entire history of Israel in one panoramic sweep, culminating with their murderous designs.

“There was a certain landowner [God] who planted a vineyard [Israel] and set a hedge around it [God’s love], dug a winepress in it and built a tower [the temple].  And he leased it to vinedressers [Israel’s leaders] and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants [the prophets] to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first [continued mercy], and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all [notice the word, “last”], he sent his son to them [near the close of “seventy times seven”], saying, ‘They will respect my son.’  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him [their final sin]” (Matthew 21:33-39, emphasis added).

Jesus asked those leaders, “’Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?’  They said to Him, ‘He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons’” (verses 40-41).  Did they realize what they were saying?  Hardly!  They had pronounced their own doom.

Looking His antagonists squarely in the eye, Jesus declared in words of burning truth, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (verse 43).  The Master Himself said it.  The kingdom of God would be “taken” away from unbelieving Israel in the flesh and given to another “nation”.  Why?  Because of their horrific sin of crucifying “the Son” (see verses 38-39).

In His next parable, Jesus outlined the same historical sequence but added details of the destruction of Jerusalem and the call of the Gentiles.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited.  ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding.’  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city” (Matthew 22:2-7).

This literally took place in 70 A.D.  Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled: “The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26).  Continuing the parable, Jesus said, “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding’” (Matthew 22:8-9).  Thus Christ represented the call of the Gentiles at the end of the “seventy weeks”.

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).  Matthew 23 contains the Savior’s final words of agony over Israel, His chosen nation.  Eight times during His last public exchange with Israel’s leaders, our Messiah cried out, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”  Finally, with a broken heart, the Son of the Infinite God declared: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:37-38).  This time God was not saying: “You blew it.  Let’s try again.”  Israel’s decision to crucify Christ would have permanent consequences.  The result would be a searing separation – a painful, divine divorce.  As a Jewish Christian myself, I want to stress that the pain was on God’s side.  It was unbelieving Israel that divorced herself from Christ, her Faithful Lover, not vice versa.

Then “Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down’” (Matthew 24:1-2).  In A.D. 70, the second temple was destroyed by Romans and more than one million Jews perished.  Such was the terrible results of that divine divorce.

Based on Daniel 9 and the teaching of our Messiah, we discover that the prophecy of “seventy times seven” represented the limits of national forgiveness for the Jewish nation – as a nation (this does not apply to individuals).  When Stephen was stoned by the Sanhedrin in 34 A.D., that moment was fraught with awful significance.  It was so weighty that Stephen, “being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” “Look!” the holy martyr cried, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55-56)

This is the last excerpt from Steve Wohlberg’s book ‘End Time Delusions” that I will use on this blog.  The remainder of Steve’s book details additional prophecies about Israel and other prophecies in the Book of Revelation that I have also discussed on this blog.  I highly recommend that you purchase Steve’s book.  There are not many books on bible prophecy in today’s world that are accurate – this is one of them.

I realize that this is difficult to believe if you are Jewish.  As Steve and I have both learned, God’s truth is the truth – regardless of what we think the truth is.  Steve is Jewish and could see God’s truth – and made the decision to follow God – not his own version of God’s plan.  I considered myself a Christian – but realized that I was deceiving myself.  Many of the things I was told about bible prophecy and Christianity my entire life – were not true.  It also became clear to me that I was not following Jesus Christ, but our enemy.  I came to that place that Steve and everyone else who knows the truth comes to – that place of humility and repentance.  That place where you realize the world is full of lies and deception – and you seek God with all of your heart because you know you need Him to cleanse you.  That place where you place everything you have at His feet and tell Him that you will give up everything in the world to know Him – and gain salvation.

While much of the world will continue to reject Him and His truth – each one of us must choose who we will follow.  Will we believe in God and His truth – even if it contradicts what we’ve been told throughout our lives?  Will we follow the Lord – even it if costs us our wealth, our relationships with relatives and friends?  Are we prepared to give up everything to know Him?  Will we seek the truth when others refuse and try to lead us away?  You must ask yourself – will I give up everything to know and understand the truth?  If you choose to seek God and His truth and leave the world and its deception behind – you will have chosen life – for eternity.