Israel is the gift of God to the world. The punishment of Judah and its dispersal throughout the nations of the world, and eventual re-gathering to the holy land, take up a significant portion of the old testament i.e. Zech 8:7 “I will re-gather you”, Zech 8:13 ”So will I save you and you will be a blessing.”
Through the suffering and ubiquitous presence of the Jewish people, no one can truly avoid seeing the reality of the word of God. People may deny and make excuses to disbelieve this monumental sign from God, but every one knows of the Diaspora; and because of the Palestinian conflict, no one can remove the specter from before their eyes and plead ignorance. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive, and has plans for this planet.
The Jewish people did not fail, but performed an unprecedented service, through their suffering, to all mankind; to reveal our maker, give us proof of his word by the fulfillment of copiously repeated prophecies, so that we may believe, and through all of this, give us hope.
The fantastical idea of the reality of God relegated to the genre of fairy tails and legends by so many intellectuals, is given reason for reconsideration, and in a snowstorm of contradictory opinions, the reality of Israel breaks through with its crystal clear message: we must keep our eye on Israel.
The Jews are still serving us to this day as a beacon on a hill. They are prevented from accepting their Messiah, and the universe shaking implications that he is, until they have completed their service to the world when in their defense, God will introduce himself to that world in the most spectacular way (Zech 12 and 14), and then the Jews will know their Lord and become his ministers to the nations as the law goes out from Jerusalem, Zech 8:23 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you’."
For now you could say that Israel is bait to lure the forces of Satan to try ever harder to exterminate them. Ezek 38:4 “I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. V5 Persia (Iran), Cush (Aria including Ethiopia) and Put (Libia) will be with them, all with shields and helmets,”
The resurrection of Israel is the super sign that God’s victory is at hand. Satan can’t win, but like a child having a tantrum, he will break and deface anything belonging to the one he failed to destroy; this means Israel, but in this he will also fail, and the Messiah will certainly destroy him.
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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom.
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If the end time prophecies of Revelation had any chance of ever being fulfilled, there would need to be a nation of Israel in existence.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting that the Hebrew language, after being dead for centuries, was revived, starting in the late 1800's?
It is also curious that the plight of the Jews was the core issue of World War II, and the nation of Israel was re-founded in direct reaction to Hitler's attempted genocide of the Jewish people. A Jewish homeland had been discussed for decades prior to that, but it took WW II to galvanize world opinion that this was necessary and beneficial.
In 1967, Israel regained control of David's capital city, Jerusalem.
I have no problem entertaining thoughts that we might be living in historically significant times. It's something which should give all of us pause for thought. I do, however, have a big problem with the charlatanic spiritual predators of our past, who exploited us and spiritually raped us to their own advantages, and have splintered up and are still funding their own retirement plans with the same theories.
Prophecy should be one very small element that encourages our belief, and motivates us to seek God. It should never be a tool of manipulation used to aggrandize or enrich any individual or collective.
BB
"Prophecy should be one very small element that encourages our belief, and motivates us to seek God. It should never be a tool of manipulation used to aggrandize or enrich any individual or collective."
ReplyDeleteAmen to that BB...it is an interest of mine, and since it is used to control, and frighten people, I intend to go over how I read it just to point out that there is other perspectives, hopefully it will stimulate some people to not just swallow a predigested scenario, including mine.
Last evening, I went to my local Berean Bookstore, and obtained a copy of Dr. David Jeremiah's excellent book, "What in the World is Going On?"
ReplyDeleteOne of the chapters dealt with the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948, and the disproportionate influence which the Jewish people have historically enjoyed in whatever nations in which they have lived. As one example, 22% of all Nobel Prize winners have been Jewish, in spite of Jews accounting for less than 1% of the world's population. And, Jews have been very prominent in science, the arts, education, politics, business and finance, and in general, all measurable areas of achievement.
I believe that admiration for the Jewish people, and the realization that they are indeed God's chosen people(as are Christians), is one of the very few "keepers" that we can legitmately retain from Armstrongism.
BB