“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
“His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” (Mic 5:2)
Journal,
I would like to follow two interconnecting tracks for this study. The first has to do with the question, ‘Who was Jesus from eternity?”
The second track has to do with the question, ”How should Christians look at the nation of Israel?’
As for who Jesus was from eternity, let me share a video that deals with this subject from both the Old Testament prophets, and the new covenant apostles of the Lamb. The video will keep me from having to list many Scriptures that speak to the issue of who Jesus (Hebrew, ‘Yeshua’] really is.
Afterwards we will take a closer look at the nation of Israel, and how Christians should view that small nation at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo3gh2mnOtw[/youtube]And now for how Christians should view …
The Nation of Israel
[pullquote align=”left”]A senior member of Iran’s parliament on Saturday vowed that no amount of offensive or defensive capabilities will save Israel from destruction at the hands of its Muslim neighbors. – Israel Today[/pullquote]What was the last question the apostles asked Jesus just before His ascension?
Listen carefully:
“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying,
“‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them,
“‘It is not for you to know times …
“… or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'” (Act 1:6-8)
Notice that Jesus did not evade their question. In fact He answered it by saying, “It is not for you to know the times of epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”
It wasn’t for the apostles to know the time that the kingdom would be restored to Israel. He then gave to them their instructions that would carry into the church age. They would be given power to serve as His witnesses in all the earth.
This brings us back to the prophecy of Micah:
“…One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.”
Israel Under Kingdom Rule
The Lord had already told the religious minded Jews, that they were going to lose the benefits of being under the direct rule of God. (This is what the term, ‘kingdom of God’ means.)
He did this by way of a parable that pictured how the Jewish people would crucify their own Messiah. Listen –
“Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘”THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
“‘Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (Mat 21:42-44)
The direct rule of God would be removed from Israel. In turn it would be given to the people of the Messiah. The prophet of old said that God’s new Messianic people would be given a new name. The new name would identify them as the people of God.
Thus we hear the apostle Peter say,
“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;…
“… but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1Pe 4:14-16)
It important to keep in view that the people of Messiah consists of both Jews and Gentiles. We have been made a special people in all the earth and will always be God’s chosen people.
So a question remains, ‘How, then, can the kingdom of God be restored to the nation of Israel?’
It all begins with the salvation of this tiny nation.
The Salvation of Israel
It is also important to understand that no person on this planet, Jew or Gentile, can be saved aside from acknowledging and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
This is exactly what is going to happen to the nation of Israel. The prophets and the apostles foretold this coming event.
First the prophet –
“In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.
“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zec 12:8-10)
Now hear the apostle –
“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.’
“THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” (Rom 11:25-27)
When does this happen? Jesus said that no one knows. However, the Bible does give us a very important clues.
We just read one of the clues spoken to us in the book of Zechariah. It will happen when the surrounding nations decide to invade Israel and Jerusalem.
So …
What should Christians feelings be towards Israel
Betty and I have walked the streets of ancient Jerusalem. I’ve stood at the gate called beautiful. We’ve been on the Sea of Galilee in stormy weather. We’ve been to Masada, to Nazareth, to Jericho, and many other places.
We’ve been to the Western Wall. (Also called the Wailing Wall.) We marched with about 5000 Christians through Jerusalem to the Knesset, and there we prayed for Israel.
How should we feel about Israel? We should both rejoice and we should pray for Israel. We should laugh with her. We should weep with her. Her redemption is drawing nigh.
Oh yes, there is much more to be said with regard to Israel coming back under the direct rule of the Lord God. After all, when Israel accepts Jesus Christ as her Lord and King, then we have the fulfillment of what the Lord said,
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
“For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’“ (Mat 23:37-39)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIS-i7eYsms[/youtube]
In the meantime listen to this wonderful song by the Hoppers, ‘Jerusalem’.
Always in Christ,
Buddy
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