Why Israel?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Today I want to bring some clarity to whats going on in Israel as it relates to the Bible and the End times.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he walked around on this earth for 40 days, was seen by his disciples & Mary several times and then by over 500 people at one time.
In Acts 1:6
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
Then it says,
After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.
These two angels declared that
Jesus 2nd coming will be literal, physical and visible.
Jesus 2nd coming will be literal, physical and visible.
The New Testament Epistles refer often to the Second Coming, and the theme of imminence runs through all of the passages dealing with the subject. The Bible emphasize that it will happen suddenly, without warning and believers should be in a state of continual readiness.
Kathy’s dad pastored for over 50 years and was a Bible Scholar on what the Bible says about th end times. He traveled to Israel 11 times and became friends with several high ranking government officials during that time. He traveled to Israel 11 times and became friends with the founding prime minister, David Ben Gureon. It was David Ben Gureon who decleared Israel a nation on May 14, 1948. The United states recognized Israel as a nation within hours and within days, 5 Arab nations attacked and invaded Israel.
David Ben Gureon is the George Washington of Israel.
David Ben Gureon is the George Washington of Israel.
We have 5 hand written letters from David Ben Gureon to my father in law, Pastor Kathy’s dad. He dad understood Bible Prophecy and even made a record of one of his teachings.
Pic of the record cover
Let’s look at Israel. Some of the questions you may be hearing these days are:
Why is Israel so Important today?
Why is Israel so Important today?
Is Israel part of the end time details God has orchestrated?
Is Israel part of the end time details God has orchestrated?
Why is there so much fighting in Israel over the years?
Why is there so much fighting in Israel over the years?
Why do so many countries want to destroy Israel?
Why do so many countries want to destroy Israel?
Why do some preachers get excited whenever Israel is at war?
Why do some preachers get excited whenever Israel is at war?
Is Israel part of the end time details?
Is Israel part of the end time details?
Is Israel really entitled to the land?
Is Israel really entitled to the land?
These are just a few of the questions you hear out there today. The answers to these questions and more are in the Bible. That’s one reason the Bible is important to us, it gives us the answers.
Genesis gives us a history of the world and mankind. It starts with creation. In Gen 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve, and how sin entered the world. It talks about Noah, and the Flood that covered the earth. After the water receded, God said in Gen 9:1
Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.
Then in Gen 11, we come to the story of the Tower of Babel. The people had become prideful and wanted to glorify themselves by building a tower. They somehow thought that it would make them like God.
As they are building this tower, God brings confusion to their land by causing them to all speak different languages. Now they can’t communicate with each other.
In Gen 12 we have the calling of Abram, whose name is later changed to Abraham. It says in Gen 12:7
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
God tells Abraham that through him, the nations of the world will be blessed. God tells him that he will have many offspring… to many to count. Now, he is a little confused because the problem he has is that he is old and doesn’t even have one child.
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.
Think about it. It would be pretty hard to believe you were going to be a great nation when you don’t have any children.
Abraham waits… and waits … and waits and then his wife Sarah comes up with a plan. It was her plan, not God’s.
She encourages Abraham to sleep with her hand maiden (servant) Hagar, so that he could have a son through her. It would still be Abraham’s child. So Sarah felt that at least they would have a child through Hagar.
The child that was born was Ishmael. But
Ishmael was not God’s plan.
Ishmael was not God’s plan.
Afterwards, to make a long story shorter, Sarah has a child by Abraham and his name is Isaac.
Isaac is God’s Plan
Isaac is God’s Plan
Later on in chapter 21, Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac, and she becomes angry and tells Abraham to get rid of Ishmael and his mother Hagar.
Abraham is upset and speaks with God about it. But God speaks to him and says,
But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”
Notice something here.
God told Abraham to submit to his wife Sarah.
God told Abraham to submit to his wife Sarah.
God gave Sarah the ability to tell her husband what she wanted for her family and God told Abraham to obey her. Guys, your wives are your partners and are to be listened to and even to be obeyed. This idea that men are the king of the house is a mis-interpretation of scripture.
So Sarah sends Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness
So Sarah sends Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness
but God takes care of them. Gen 21:20
And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer,
Abraham is promised a covenant by God that included land. In Gen 17:8
And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel. Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.”
The original promise to Abraham was land
The original promise to Abraham was land
The land that many think Israel stole from the Palestinians.
Pic of Israel
Isaac had a promise with a covenant that involved land
Isaac had a promise with a covenant that involved land
Ishmael had a promise of blessing but no land.
Ishmael had a promise of blessing but no land.
Isaacs descendants are the Jewish people and,
The Jews are the ones with the promise of the land.
The Jews are the ones with the promise of the land.
today,
Ishmael’s descendants are those in the Muslim world, and there is NO Promise of land.
Ishmael’s descendants are those in the Muslim world, and there is NO Promise of land.
So what’s happening today in the nation of Israel is all about these two sides saying that the land is theirs. But when you trace it back to the Old Testament, it’s a war between Ishmael vs. Isaac… two different family trees (Baby Mama’s).
Israel is the family tree that God gave the land to, and for all the generations that followed.
Israel is the family tree that God gave the land to, and for all the generations that followed.
Modern Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948.
Modern Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948.
The USA was the first country to recognize them as a country, and we did so within 11 minutes of when it was announced. Trumen was the president that recognized them in spite of political pressure not to.
On the eve of May 14th, 5 Arab nations, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, attacked Tel Aviv.
Can you imagine? You have been a nation for a few minutes and 5 countries attack you.
Let me say this loud and clear. God has always had his hand on Israel. The Jewish people are his chosen people.
Yes, some of them have been killed over the years, but the nation of Israel has always had miraculous things that held them together or put them back together.
Both sons of Abraham have his blood in them, but the bitterness and hatred has raged for centuries between these two family lines. We need to pray for both of these lines of the family. All of this that we see today is two parts of the same family that can’t get along.
Israel was always called to be a different people from the other nations of the world ….. and for the sake of the other nations of the world. Like Israel, we Christians are called to be different.
While different nations have tried to eliminate the Jews, God says there will always be a remnant.
God says the land is His land in Ezekiel 36:28
“And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
Now, let’s talk about the city of Jerusalem for a minute. David’s son, Solomon, builds a Temple. When he builds this Temple, it’s the place where God’s presence actually comes down on earth and takes up residence right there in Jerusalem….right there on that mountain….right there where the Temple was.
When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”
The glory of the Lord was in the Temple and it was strong.
The Jewish people were looking for a Messiah, the promised one, but they missed it with Jesus.
The Jewish people were looking for a Messiah, the promised one, but they missed it with Jesus.
Of course, Jesus is the Messiah, the promised one but they didn’t recognize it.
Now the jews are praying at the Western Wall (Wailing wall) which is a close to where the presence of the Lord used to come down.
What they have missed is that the presence of God is not there anymore. His presence through the Holy Spirit is in all believers of Jesus.
The Presence of God used to be in the Temple, now it’s in followers of Christ.
The Presence of God used to be in the Temple, now it’s in followers of Christ.
It used to be that to experience the presence of God, you had to go to Jerusalem. Now because Jesus lived a sinless life, took our sins on himself and paid the price for those sins by dying on the Cross and then rising from the dead, His presence is in His followers all the time, no matter where we are.
Now,
The Holy Spirit goes into all the world through you and me.
The Holy Spirit goes into all the world through you and me.
The presence of God is all over the place. He is on the move.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Here again, Jerusalem is at the center. Jerusalem has been the central part for many years. God’s presence was there. The church was launched from there. Jesus ascended from Jerusalem…
One day there will be a New Jerusalem
One day there will be a New Jerusalem
Rev 21 & 22 describe the new Jerusalem as it comes down from heaven. It’s 1400 miles wide and long and 1400 miles high. That’s 7.4 million feet in every direction. Planes fly at 35,000 feet and we think that’s high.
The New Jerusalem doesn’t need the sun nor the moon to sine because it’s light comes from the glory of the Lord.
The city of Jerusalem is a very strategic place.
The city of Jerusalem is a very strategic place.
Why is there so much hatred of the Jews in our world?
Why is there so much hatred of the Jews in our world?
Satan hates God, so he hates God’s people and God’s plan.
Satan hates God, so he hates God’s people and God’s plan.
So Satan hates the Jews, so if you hate Jews or Israel, you are siding with Satan and not God. Guess what, we are grafted in as God’s people too so Satan hates you and I as well.
Satan hates the church because the church is the Body of Christ.
Satan hates the church because the church is the Body of Christ.
That’s why Satan has tried to eliminate the Jews. Hitler killed 6 million Jesus. Stalin is believed to have killed 20 million.
Satan fights you and I and the Church because he hates God so he hates us. He hates us whenever we move forward.
How does he fight us? he discourages us. He brings problems on us. He tries to divide us.
He make you think that you can’t afford to tithe, and when we fall for it, it cripples our blessings from God and weakens our faith. It also reduces the effectiveness of the church. Not tithing brings only bad things into your life. And that’s what Satan wants.
Satan has always been against the Jewish people. Many believed that if they could eliminate the Jews from the face of the earth, then they could, in essence, eliminate GOD from the planet.
That’s the real reason these Muslim groups want to kill Christians and Jews. If they can eliminate the Jews and the church, they could then prove that Our God is not real and that the Bible is wrong.
That’s what we are seeing today.
Hamas’ stated goal from the beginning is to kill all the Jews.
Hamas’ stated goal from the beginning is to kill all the Jews.
These Muslims and others in the region are indoctrinated from an early age to hate Jews.
We need to pray for the 230 hostages that Hamas has taken. You can’t negotiate with an enemy who counts it a blessing to lie to you and whose intent is to kill you.
Israel is trying to survive.
Our job is to pray for Israel and support them as we can. Our main job though is to win as many Jewish people to the Lord as we can, and as many Palestinian people to the Lord as we can. That’s the answer.
Both groups need a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Both groups need a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Many of the Jewish people have walked away from God and are experiencing judgement right now. They need to become saved just like us… through Jesus.
Eventually, the Jewish People will recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Eventually, the Jewish People will recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
God is going to do something that will show them who He is.
When we see Israel go to war like this, we may think… Is this the end? Is Jesus getting ready to come back?
Ezekiel 37 & 38 are prophetic books about the end times, but it’s not easy to figure out.
Right now, Hezbalah is positioned to the North of Israel. They are backed by Iran. Iran and Russia are working together. Ezekiel says that Persia will invade Israel from the North. Persia is modern day Iran.
Russia is threatening to get involved because the United States is threatening to get involved. China is coming to the aid of Russia as in North Korea.
Many of the countries around Israel are threatening to get involved against Israel.
Who knows, but this could explode into WW3. These countries have all been prophesied about in Ez 37 & 38.
Here is the thing. When it all comes down, where will you stand?
I began this message talking about the 2nd coming of Jesus… the Rapture of the Church.
I don’t know if we are at the end or not, but we are getting closer. But the question is this.
Are you ready for the return of Jesus?
Are you ready for the return of Jesus?
If not, don’t keep messing around. We are close. People are laughing at Preachers who are saying these things, but…
The people laughed at Noah until it began to rain, but then it was too late.
The people laughed at Noah until it began to rain, but then it was too late.
Don’t let your hesitancy of what should happen in the world today slow you from turning your life over to Jesus.
Is this the end? No one knows.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
If Jesus didn’t know while he was here, no preacher know either. Until he comes back, we are commanded to go into all the world and share the good news… that’s what we need to do and what we will be doing.
This is definitely a time to pray.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.
There are so many that need Jesus in that area of the World. There are Israeli Christians who were Jewish and some who are Palestinian. We need to pray that a revival sweeps the land and that they come to faith in Christ.
Remember that the first terrorist the church ever had to deal with got radically saved even when he did not want to be saved.
The first terrorist against the church was radically saved. His name was Paul.
The first terrorist against the church was radically saved. His name was Paul.
We need to all be ready.
Altar time.