THE GLORY OF
ISRAEL
By Matt Leasher
Throughout the past
six decades that we
have seen the nation
of Israel
miraculously
restored in their
Biblical homeland we
have watched them
endure constant
threats and
conflicts attempting
to wipe them out
from the land that
God promised to
them, however,
anyone that has any
solid knowledge of
the Bible knows that
this will never
happen again.
(Jeremiah
31:35-36).
The purpose that
they are back in the
land is to begin to
prepare it for the
return of the Lord
Jesus Christ,
whether they even
realize it or not.
The Bible
makes it very clear
that when Christ
returns he will set
up his Kingdom in
Israel. (For all of
the specific details
see Ezekiel chapters
40-47).
Throughout
the Bible God
preserved Israel
because the promised
Savior would come
through that nation
and the Bible shows
us that God will
also use Israel as
the centerpiece of
His second coming as
well.
We know that
Heaven is wherever
Jesus is, (not a
fairy tale land of
unicorns and various
other figments of
many people’s
imaginations), and
since we also know
that Jesus will be
setting up His
Kingdom in Israel,
then our future
heavenly home is
also going to be in
Israel!
So then, do
we not owe it to
Israel to protect
and honor her in all
of the most utmost
possible ways that
we can?
You say that God can
protect His own
land?
Well, this is
true and He will but
meanwhile we should
be honoring His land
just as we honor His
word and His word
says that Israel
belongs to Him.
When we stand
by Israel we are
showing that we are
standing by God.
Anyone that
is against Israel is
against God and He
has made that very
clear in Genesis 12:
2-3.
I will make you a
great nation;
I will bless you and
make your name
great;
And you shall be a
blessing.
I will bless those
who bless you,
And I will curse him
who curses you;
And in you all the
families of the
earth shall be
blessed.
This blessing was
given to Abraham and
the land that God
had promised to him
and all of his
descendants.
This same
blessing was also
passed down to Jacob
by his father Isaac,
Abraham’s son.
(Genesis 27:29).
Jacob’s name
would later be
changed to Israel,
(Genesis 32:28)
which means “he
who strives with
God”.
We certainly
have seen the nation
of Israel striving
with God throughout
history even in
modern times, but
throughout all of
it’s struggles God
has preserved
Israel’s existence
even during the 1900
years of its
dispersal.
While the
Jews were scattered
throughout the four
corners of the
earth, the Lord
preserved a remnant
of the chosen people
from the chosen land
until it was
ordained for them to
return to the chosen
land.
We watched
this begin to happen
with the 1917
Belfour Declaration
that allowed the
Jewish people to
begin to migrate to
their ancient
homeland culminating
in 1948 with the
founding of the
Jewish state of
Israel.
However, in
between those two
high points the Jews
had to endure the
horrific
persecutions of the
Nazi holocaust.
This was
another failed
attempt to wipe out
the Jews as a race
that was also
attempted by the
Persian Empire in
the Book of Esther.
Now today, in the
age of nuclear
weaponry, we see yet
another threat from
radical Iran to wipe
out the nation of
Israel and its
people.
(Ironic how
history repeats
itself being that
Persia was
attempting to
eliminate the Jews
in the Book of
Esther and Persia
became today’s
modern day Iran). We
also see Russia
aiding Iran with
their nuclear
program and most
recently Turkey
getting on board
this anti-Israel
alliance.
In other
words, we see the
fulfillment of
Ezekiel 38 and 39
about to take place!
All of the
chess pieces are
moving into
position.
The real sad
thing is that all of
this is going
unnoticed by your
average citizen in
the West since the
media finds it more
important to
announce who was
eliminated from
“Dancing With The
Stars” this week as
their top story
rather than posting
the war games that
Iran is conducting
in the Gulf or the
immense amounts of
weapons of mass
destruction that are
being passed back
and forth by Iran,
Russia, Syria,
Lebanon and Turkey
just in the last few
weeks.
Even if the
media did supply the
proper coverage of
these things going
on in the Middle
East most people
wouldn’t even
realize that it is
Bible prophecy
setting up to be
fulfilled.
What is even
more frightening
than this is that
the administration
that is in office
for our nation today
has given Israel a
colder shoulder than
almost any prior
administration since
Israel became a
nation in 1948.
The last time
Prime Minister
Netanyahu was here
to visit the White
House president
Obama walked out on
him and left him
sitting there to
have dinner alone
after Netanyahu had
attempted to show
him that he was not
responsible for the
timing of his
announcements of new
settlement projects
in east Jerusalem
that offended Joe
Biden’s visit to
Israel, and that he
also wasn’t
conceding on the
project either.
The Obama
administration is
pushing for a two
state solution where
Israel will have to
give up more land to
the Palestinians who
could have plenty of
land if they turned
around and looked to
the open deserts of
the east, but they
want to be a thorn
in Israel’s side and
take all of their
land.
That is their
real plan.
They aren’t
looking to live with
them they are
looking to live
without them.
Israel needs
our support and if
we turn our backs on
them we will be
cursed just as God
said in Genesis 12.
Since God has
allowed America to
become world’s
strongest nation, it
is our duty to
protect what is His.
As Christians we owe
it to Israel to
support them. Why is
that you ask?
The answer is
found in Romans 11.
Because of
Israel’s blindness
to Christ we, (the
Gentiles) have been
given salvation,
(Romans 11:11).
The apostle
Paul gives us the
analogy of the
Gentiles being
grafted in like
branches on an olive
tree.
A real olive
tree is able to
re-grow a broken
branch if it is
transplanted back
onto the tree.
Paul’s analogy is
not too far fetched.
The olive
tree that Paul is
talking about is the
divine blessing from
Abraham through
faith in Christ.
The olive
tree is not Israel
nor is it the
Church.
Israel and
the Church have both
partaken of
Abraham’s blessing,
(the olive tree).
First Israel
and now currently
the Church but the
Church must be
careful to not
become boastful
about this blessing
because it began
with Israel!
“…do not boast
against the
branches. But if you
do boast, remember
that you do not
support the root,
but the root
supports you.”
(Romans
11:18)
As this blessing
began with Israel it
will also end with
Israel but not until
the full number of
Gentiles are saved.
For I do not desire,
brethren, that you
should be ignorant
of this mystery,
lest you should be
wise in your own
opinion, that
blindness in part
has happened to
Israel until the
fullness of the
Gentiles has come in.
(Romans 11:25)
When the full number
of Gentiles has come
in then the Rapture
of the Church will
take place and once
that happens God’s
attention will turn
back to Israel and
Israel will know
Christ as the Lord,
henceforth Daniel’s
70th
week, (a.k.a. the 7
year tribulation),
will begin.
It has been
part of God’s
program that Israel
remains blinded to
Christ until the
“fullness of the
Gentiles has come
in” which are those
that are called out
for Christ name.
(Acts 15:14).
The Church
are the people
called out for
Christ name.
The Greek
word for Church is
ekklesia which
literally means “a
called out
assembly”.
Israel was
the first “called
out assembly”.
One of the signs
that we are very
close to the return
of Christ is the
fact that so many
Jews in recent years
are converting and
becoming believers
and recognizing
Christ as the
Messiah.
These are
known as Messianic
Jews or “completed
Jews”. This
conversion of Jews
cannot fully take
place until Jesus
returns and is in
their sight.
“And I will pour on
the house of David
and on the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit
of grace and
supplication; then
they will look on Me
whom they pierced.
(Zechariah 12:10)
We should be praying
for Israel and while
we are praying we
should pray for our
nation’s current
administration, that
they do the right
thing and stand by
Israel.
As we can see
Israel’s reason for
existence is of a
divine purpose. An
examination of
Israel’s beginnings
all the way up to
its future glory
reveals a purpose
that every human
being has a part in
providing that they
have accepted Jesus
Christ as their
personal Savior.
Israel is and
will be the complete
fulfillment of God’s
promises.
Who doesn’t
want to be a part of
that?
I bring My
righteousness near,
it shall not be far
off;
My salvation shall
not linger.
And I will place
salvation in Zion,
For Israel My glory
(Isaiah 46:13)