IN DEFENSE OF
ISRAEL
Mike Taylor
In the world in
which we live in,
there are no other
people that have
been persecuted more
than the Jewish
people. People who
claim to be
Christians, believe
that
Israel
has been replaced
and has no place in
the heart of God,
even though God
called them “His
chosen people.”
In Genesis
chapter 12 we find
the following
proclamation by God:
12:1 Now
the LORD had said
unto Abram, Get thee
out of thy country,
and from thy
kindred, and from
thy father's house,
unto a land that I
will show thee:
12:2 And
I will make of thee
a great nation, and
I will bless thee,
and make thy name
great; and thou
shalt be a blessing:
(what is that
blessing?
God's final remark
in verse 3 is the
most fundamental
reason God chose
Abraham, and thus Israel
and his descendants:
to bless mankind in
the Person of Jesus
Christ. Christ is
the center, the
focus, of
everything.)
12:3 And
I will bless them
that bless thee, and
curse him that
curseth thee: and in
thee shall all
families of the
earth be blessed.
Before God called
Abram to leave his
father and the
family he had known,
the human race was
called the nations,
until God made a
covenant with Abram,
who became Abraham
and was called “a
friend of God.”
Throughout
all of the bible, we
see a personal,
intimate
relationship, both
good and bad, that
God had with this
selected race of
people that became
the nation of
Israel,
named after Jacob,
who became
Israel
after wrestling with
the Spirit of the
Lord. God dealt with
these people to be a
witness to the whole
world. God spoke to
Moses, His desire
for a peculiar and
special people:
19:5 Now
therefore, if ye
will obey my voice
indeed, and keep my
covenant, then ye
shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me
above all people:
for all the earth is
mine:
19:6 And
ye shall be unto me
a kingdom of
priests, and a holy
nation. These are
the words which thou
shalt speak unto the
children of
Israel.
When studying your
bible, you see a
trend that develops
with mortal man,
even a special
people. Man, when he
is following what
God says and obeys
His voice, the
blessings flow until
in this ancient
time, Israel became the greatest nation on
earth in the time of
David and into the
reign of Solomon.
But when man does
not follow God’s
commandments and
obey His voice, then
because of His
disobedience, he
experiences curses,
exile, and death at
the hand of his
enemies. It happened
many times to
Israel
and God was patient
with them for
hundreds of years
and sent many
prophets to warn
them, but they
failed miserably and
were scattered to
the four winds after
Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
For almost 2000
years, the Jewish
people (so named
because of the tribe
of Judah)
were a nation no
more. They were
persecuted, hunted
down, and killed
because of Gentile
nation prejudice of
being “the killers
of Jesus Christ.”
Yes, the Jews did
indeed have a
indirect hand in the
crucifixion and
death, (right along
with the Romans), of
our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, as was
His plan from the
beginning. When
Jesus was speaking
about what would
happen to the nation
of Israel,
which during the
time of Jesus was
being ruled in
servitude to Roman
conquerors, Jesus
said in Matthew 21:
42
“Did
you never read in
the Scriptures: "The
stone which the
builders rejected
has become the chief
cornerstone? This
was the Lord's
doing, and it is
marvelous in our
eyes"? Therefore I
say to you, the
kingdom of God
will be taken from
you and given to a
nation bearing the
fruits of it.”
Jesus was speaking
of a time coming
when the nation of
Israel
would lose the
commission that was
given to them, to be
a royal priesthood
to all the nations
of the earth and a
peculiar people.
They were to be a
witness, or
intermediary for the
gentile nations
though the Levitical
priesthood, until
the time of the
revealing of their
Messiah. But as we
should
know, they
failed miserably.
But they are no
better, or worse
than we are, because
as humans, we fail
miserably when
looking to ourselves
and not following
God’s leadership
through His Holy
Spirit.
So, if God has
rejected the
children of
Israel,
what was their
purpose? Was Israel
God's failed trial
run at ruling
humans, or was there
something more to
it? Why did God
choose Israel? What makes Israel
so special? Where
does
Israel
fit in the grand
scheme of God's
plan?
There is good news
and bad news
concerning what has
happened to
Israel
for the last 2000
years. First, let’s
discuss the good
news of Israel’s
failure to follow
God and to accept
His only begotten
Son, as the Savior
of their souls. The
good news is that
because
Israel
rejected Jesus as
their Messiah, and
rejected the message
preached by the
apostles noted in
the book of Acts,
that the message was
taken to the
Gentiles, especially
by Paul the apostle,
who had been known
as the Pharisee,
Saul, before his
conversion on a
dusty road to
Damascus.
Paul writes
Romans 11:26-32:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The
Deliverer will come
out of
Zion,
and He will turn
away ungodliness
from Jacob; for this
is My covenant with
them, when I take
away their sins."
Concerning
the gospel they
are enemies for your
sake, but concerning
the election they
are beloved for the
sake of the fathers.
For the gifts and
the calling of God
are irrevocable. For
as you were once
disobedient to God,
yet have now
obtained mercy
through their
disobedience, even
so these also have
now been
disobedient, that
through the mercy
shown you they also
may obtain mercy.
For God has
committed them all
to disobedience,
that He might have
mercy on all.
That folks is it in
a nutshell. In God’s
eternal wisdom, He
blinded the Jewish
people to the truth
and the revelation
of Jesus Christ as
their long awaited
Messiah, so God
could have mercy on
us, the gentiles and
eventually on us
all. But is God done
with the nation of Israel?
Some in modern
evangelical
religions seem to
think that God has
abandoned Israel
and has replaced her
with the church.
That contradicts the
above scripture, and
as we all know, God
cannot lie. The
church will be God’s
first fruits into
His kingdom, but as
He says, “He will
take away their
sins.” But do they
deserve it? Do you?
Of course, we do not
deserve the
sacrifice Jesus made
on His cross, almost
2000 years ago,
during Passover
season.
But for the
sake of His promise
to the fathers of
the Jews, namely,
Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob and because of
His Holy Name, He
will confirm and
honor the covenant
He made with their
father Abraham when
He called him into
the
land
of Canaan.
We read in Ezekiel
the 37th
chapter about the
prophecy of the
“valley of dry
bones”. We won’t
take time to quote
the entire chapter,
so take a moment and
read that chapter
and meditate what
the meaning of the
passage means to Israel. They were a nation
scattered, lost as a
people, blinded to
the truth, and
seemingly beyond
hope. But God has
called them again
and they were
prophesied to be a
great nation again,
a vast army. For
2000 years, this
passage lay dormant
in the annals of
history, until 1948
when beyond all
reason, beyond all
human comprehension,
and against all
odds,
Israel
became a nation
AGAIN. It has never,
never, ever happened
in all of the
history of the
world. There has
never been a nation
destroyed,
scattered, and
forgotten, and then
reconstitute itself
to be the same
nation as it was
centuries before
with essentially the
same customs,
language, and
culture. I repeat,
NEVER!!
Why has this
happened? Because
God is not done with
them, until He saves
THEM ALL!! He wishes
to show mercy, as it
is written in Roman
chapter 11:
11:30 For
as ye in times past
have not believed
God, yet have now
obtained mercy
through their
unbelief:
11:31 Even
so have these also
now not believed,
that through your
mercy they also may
obtain mercy.
11:32 For
God hath concluded
them all in
unbelief, that he
might have mercy
upon all.
Did you get that? He
will have mercy upon
all. That includes
us, the church in
the Age of Grace and
upon the nation of Israel
in the time of
tribulation when He
will purge them as a
refiner of silver.
Malachi
chapter 3:
3:2 But
who may abide the
day of his coming?
and who shall stand
when he appeareth?
for he is like a
refiner's fire, and
like fullers' soap:
3:3 And
he shall sit as a
refiner and purifier
of silver: and he
shall purify the
sons of Levi,
and purge them as
gold and silver,
that they may offer
unto the LORD an
offering in
righteousness.
3:4 Then
shall the offering
of
Judah
and
Jerusalem
be pleasant unto the
LORD, as in the days
of old, and as in
former years.
God has used
Israel
and its descendents,
to move along the
plan of God and
introduce His
salvation through
the Hebrew people,
namely the nation of Israel. He has now reconstituted
that nation again
into a nation long
thought of destroyed
for these end times
we live in.
Zechariah
prophesied and wrote
down what we have
seen and will see in
the near future.
Turn over to the 12th
chapter in your
bible.
12:2 Behold,
I will make
Jerusalem
a cup of trembling
unto all the people
round about, when
they shall be in the
siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
12:3 And
in that day will I
make
Jerusalem
a burdensome stone
for all people: all
that burden
themselves with it
shall be cut in
pieces, though all
the people of the
earth be gathered
together against it.
God will defend His
people and will in
the end, reveal
Himself to His
people and they will
believe as a nation.
Zechariah
12:10 And
I will pour upon the
house of David, and
upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the
spirit of grace and
of supplications:
and they shall look
upon me whom they
have pierced, and
they shall mourn for
him, as one mourneth
for his only son,
and shall be in
bitterness for him,
as one that is in
bitterness for his
firstborn.
And that soon to be
future event, God
says this in Hebrews
chapter 10:
10:16 This
is the covenant that
I will make with
them after those
days, saith the
Lord, I will put my
laws into their
hearts, and in their
minds will I write
them;
10:17 And
their sins and
iniquities will I
remember no more.
Remember the
beginning of the
message? “I will
bless them that
bless you, and will
curse them that
curse you.’? Every
member of God’s
church, His true
church, must pray
for
Israel,
must stand with her,
and must believe the
Words of Almighty
God. Anyone who
lifts a hand against
her will be cut to
pieces. Anyone who
thinks they are so
powerful that they
can undermine the
nation of Israel in these last days, I
believe, is going
against God Himself.
Look all around us.
Have we not been
blessed when we
stood shoulder to
shoulder with God’s
chosen people? And
if we try and divide
His land, (as it
belongs to God), and
do evil to a people
God has made an
unbreakable promises
to then I fear for
that nation. My
fellow Americans, I
fear for us. We must
stand up and make
known our voice loud
and clear, that we
stand with
Israel.
Not because they
deserve it, but
because God said it.
They don’t
deserve, but then
again, neither do
we.
As we fast approach
the coming time of
Jacob’s trouble and
seven year
tribulation, John
spoke of
Israel
as a people in the
Revelation chapter
12, we see a symbol
of the nation of Israel,
as woman with 12
stars about her
head, as a crown,
and the moon under
her feet.
12:1 And
there appeared a
great wonder in
heaven; a woman
clothed with the
sun, and the moon
under her feet, and
upon her head a
crown of twelve
stars:
12:2 And
she being with child
cried, travailing in
birth, and pained to
be delivered.
The next few verses,
we see the Red
Dragon, Satan the
devil, appear to
wait to devour the
child, which
is Jesus Christ,
which he tried many
times, but when he
thought he had won
at the crucifixion,
his victory was his
ultimate
defeat.
12:5 And
she brought forth a
man child, who was
to rule all nations
with a rod of iron:
and her child was
caught up unto God,
and to his throne.
Jesus has risen and
been taken to the
right side of God
the Father waiting
for setting up His
kingdom, here on
earth.
But notice the next
lines?
12:6 And
the woman fled into
the wilderness,
where she hath a
place prepared of
God, that they
should feed her
there a thousand two
hundred and
threescore days.
All through this
chapter, God
protects His people,
so to say that God
is done with the
Israelites, is to
ignore scripture
references to the
contrary. We see
many references to
standing with Israel in the annals of this
website, but we must
continue to make our
case known and our
voice heard where we
stand on the side of
God’s chosen people
and what He called
“the apple of His
eye.”
Pray for our
leaders. And if they
won’t follow
standing with Israel,
or live by what this
nation was founded
upon. Then pray for
leaders that will.
But as individuals
that are responsible
to God for our
actions, our
thoughts, and
obedience to His
Word. Pray for
Israel,
because she is the
door to end time
events, and Jerusalem is the key and the clearest
indicator of how
close we
really are
to the return of our
Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ to
receive His church
unto Himself. So
come Lord Jesus.
If I can help you
with anything, pray
with you, or just
listen, send me an
email to
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net,
or visit me on my
website at
www.churchofgod-usa.org,
for biblical
instructions on how
to be obedient to
our great God and
King, Jesus Christ
to the glory of God
the Father. This is
Mike
Taylor
wishing you well,
until we meet at
Jesus feet.
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