The player is loading ...
Nov. 17, 2020
The People of the Bible (3D Bible Part 6)
The calling on Israel and the calling on the Christian church are referenced in Acts 1:6-8. Learn the difference in how God is using the Jewish people and how He is using the church today.
Series Summary: Join Susan Michael for the 3D Bible Series and take a journey to the world of the Bible—where it comes alive and can change your life. We live in an increasingly secular society that questions everything about the Christian faith. Learn how to find the answers you are looking for about the authenticity of the Bible, the amazing story it tells, and what it means for you.
Show Links:
Isaiah 62 Prayer Signup: https://icejusa.org/Isaiah62_Pledge
Thou Shalt Innovate by Avi Jorisch: https://www.icej.store/store/product/books/israel/thou-shalt-innovate-how-israeli-ingenuity-repairs-world
http://www.outofzionshow.com
http://www.icejusa.org
https://www.instagram.com/outofzion_icej/
https://www.facebook.com/susanmichaelicej/about/
Sign up for emails about upcoming shows: http://www.outofzionshow.com
More info on Susan: https://www.icejusa.org/susans-blog
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,160
Welcome to Out of Zion with Susan Michael, an exploration of the Bible and the land of
2
00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:08,320
Israel.
3
00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:13,080
From ancient biblical sites to the story behind the stories, join Susan on a journey through
4
00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,640
the most exciting book on the planet.
5
00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,560
Hit the subscribe button for future episodes which will deepen your faith and bring the
6
00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:21,360
Bible to life.
7
00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,600
And now here's our host, Susan Michael.
8
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:30,160
Well, hey there, welcome back.
9
00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:39,480
This is the 3D Bible series, part 6, The People of the Bible, both Jews and Christians.
10
00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:40,480
Let's get started.
11
00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,640
We have a lot to cover today.
12
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,840
You know, there's a scripture and Acts that I want to start with because in this verse,
13
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:53,880
we see the calling on the Jewish people and the calling on the church come together.
14
00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,240
And that's in Acts chapter 1 verses 6 through 8.
15
00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:06,040
Now Jesus has been crucified and he has been resurrected and he has spent 40 days with
16
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:11,720
the disciples and Acts that says teaching them about the kingdom and teaching them and
17
00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,000
he's now about to ascend into heaven.
18
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:21,680
They're standing on the Mount of Olives and he says to them, they said to him actually,
19
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:28,080
Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
20
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:33,440
And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father
21
00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,640
has put in his own authority.
22
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:43,000
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be witnesses
23
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:51,360
to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to all the ends of the earth.
24
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,440
Now this is very, very interesting.
25
00:01:54,440 --> 00:02:01,000
The disciples have spent three years at the feet of Jesus and now they've spent 40 days
26
00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:06,080
with him teaching them everything he wanted to leave with them before he ascended into
27
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:07,440
heaven.
28
00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:13,440
And the burning question on their mind was, are you at this time going to restore the
29
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,840
kingdom to Israel?
30
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,880
And Jesus did not say, you're all wrong, you got it all wrong.
31
00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,200
Oh, you know, haven't you been listening to me?
32
00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,280
He didn't say that.
33
00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:25,400
He didn't rebuke them.
34
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:26,600
He didn't correct them.
35
00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:33,280
He simply answered their question about the timing and he said the times and seasons are
36
00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,480
not for you to know.
37
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:40,920
And then he goes on and tells them what they need to know as the church which is that you
38
00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:45,960
will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and you will go out and be witnesses for me.
39
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:55,880
So in this verse we see the calling on Israel and this future physical restoration and we
40
00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:02,640
see the calling on the church to go out into all the world and to preach the good news
41
00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:05,360
of the gospel.
42
00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:14,240
So the, I want to now talk about this calling on the Jewish people.
43
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,560
You know, to do that I want to give just a little bit of a review of things that we've
44
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,520
just recently covered.
45
00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,840
We know that the story of the Bible is the story of God's plan to redeem the world and
46
00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:33,360
that central to that story is the Jewish people and they're calling to be the vehicle of God's
47
00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,120
redemptive plan.
48
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,920
And so we discussed how that there is no Old Testament story versus New Testament story
49
00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,640
or Old Testament plan versus New Testament plan.
50
00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:50,400
There was no plan A that failed and then plan B. And there's no plan A people that failed
51
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,360
replaced by plan B people.
52
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:59,800
And that's why we see in this verse in Acts both a referral to the restoration of the
53
00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:05,400
kingdom of Israel and a referral to the calling on the church.
54
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:11,920
So Israel's story as we've learned it is that to be the vehicles of God's redemptive
55
00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:13,880
plan in the earth.
56
00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:20,760
And when God chose Abram and he said to him, I'm going to make you a great nation.
57
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:26,800
And so he decided at that point to create a people to work through to bring about his
58
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:28,280
plan a redemption.
59
00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:34,640
And I wanted to review that and I want to stop right here for one really important reason.
60
00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:42,080
Today in today's culture there is kind of an aversion to any one people group being what
61
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,200
we would call exceptional.
62
00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:51,760
So we have a big battle in the United States against the idea that America is exceptional.
63
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:56,880
And so when it comes to the chosenness of the Jewish people, they're called in the Bible
64
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,800
the chosen people.
65
00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:07,960
It comes across in today's culture and society as being a little arrogant and that this people
66
00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,400
group is better than the other people's group.
67
00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:17,080
And so that's why I want to review this, that God did not line up all the peoples of the
68
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,600
earth and say, okay, I like this people group better than the rest.
69
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,920
So I'm going to work with them.
70
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,600
That's not what happened at all.
71
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:33,360
God needed a people to work through so he created them for this purpose.
72
00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:38,320
He chose Abram who was unable to have children and said, I'm going to make of you a great
73
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,600
nation.
74
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:45,800
And through a miracle, Abraham and Sarah were able to then have the child Isaac and
75
00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:47,240
the nation was born.
76
00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:55,200
So God literally created this people to fulfill this calling of being his people.
77
00:05:55,200 --> 00:06:01,280
And he told Abraham that anyone that blesses them will be blessed because they're helping
78
00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:02,560
God's plan.
79
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:07,880
They're siding with God and anyone that curse them would be cursed.
80
00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:15,760
So by putting this spiritual law into operation, God was guaranteeing the survival of his people
81
00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,280
that there would be those that would bless them and help them and he was going to bless
82
00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:26,360
anyone who helped them so that they would survive because there was a lot for them to
83
00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,520
do and a lot for them to endure.
84
00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:35,360
So as we talked earlier, the calling on them could be seen as a birthing call.
85
00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:43,480
And we have that, you know, they birthed into earth these products that we enjoy salvation
86
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:44,480
through.
87
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,760
We learn about the covenants and the promises and the law of God and I mean the very Bible
88
00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,440
we have came from them.
89
00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:57,640
So everything that we hold dear as Christians came from the Jewish people.
90
00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:03,960
And so this is their calling and in order to make them into a nation, as we said last
91
00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:11,080
time, he would need a land and so he gave them a piece of land.
92
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:19,440
So, but starting then I want to start from here for this week after that review is that
93
00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:27,800
because of this calling on the Jewish people to be this vehicle of God's redemptive plan,
94
00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:33,640
there would be tremendous suffering as a consequence.
95
00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:43,000
And the New Testament confirms this in Revelation 12 and it's quite a long section here so I'm
96
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,960
not going to read it all but I'm going to jump from a few verses to make my point.
97
00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:55,400
Here in Revelation 12 the apostle John has a revelation and he sees Israel as a woman,
98
00:07:55,400 --> 00:08:01,240
a pregnant woman who is clothed with the sun and the moon and 12 stars around her head
99
00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:09,320
which symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel and she's pregnant with a child and she's in labor
100
00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,720
and in pain is about to give birth.
101
00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:17,560
Then it says, and then there was another sign and it was this great fiery red dragon and
102
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:24,200
the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as
103
00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,440
soon as it was born.
104
00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:32,600
So she bore a male child who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron so she bore the
105
00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:38,920
Messiah and her child was caught up to God in his throne, the child was taken to heaven
106
00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,520
and the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God.
107
00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:51,800
And then this talks about a great war in heaven and it says, now when the dragon saw that
108
00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:57,960
he had been cast to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child
109
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:03,680
but it describes how she is kept safe from this and then it says, and the dragon was
110
00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:12,040
enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep
111
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:18,800
the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
112
00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:26,480
So this woman who birthed the Messiah and is being persecuted for it because God kept
113
00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:34,960
her safe then the dragon goes after the rest of her other children, her other offspring
114
00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,400
which are Christians.
115
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:42,560
The spiritual attack is actually against the male child.
116
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:44,080
That's the whole point.
117
00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:50,640
It was to destroy the male child but the dragon wasn't able so he goes after the woman and
118
00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,640
then after her offspring.
119
00:09:53,640 --> 00:10:01,680
And so the tactic of this spiritual warfare against the woman Israel is to, number one,
120
00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:07,360
wipe her off the face of the earth because if the dragon can get rid of her then God's
121
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,040
plan through her would come to an end.
122
00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:17,400
For sure if we can just keep her off the land then all of God's promises and his plans
123
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,280
would not come true.
124
00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:26,120
And it's very, very interesting here that we as Christians then also suffer this spiritual
125
00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:33,080
attack because we also have a role to play and that is the calling that's on the church.
126
00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:39,520
And so the Christians today are the most persecuted religious group on the earth and there have
127
00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:47,080
been more martyrs in the last century than in all the previous centuries added up together.
128
00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:54,760
So obviously this persecution of the dragon is in full force and it is not just against
129
00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:00,480
Christians it is against the woman against Israel.
130
00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:09,600
Now there's a very interesting verse in Psalm 83 that describes this pursuit of Israel,
131
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,440
of the Jewish people.
132
00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:20,200
And it says here in Isaiah, sorry, in Psalm 83 it says, Oh God, those who hate you have
133
00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:29,520
said, let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel would be no more.
134
00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:37,800
So it's a battle between the forces of hell and God himself and these forces hate the
135
00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,960
people of God, the Jewish people and the church.
136
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:50,000
But when it comes to the persecution of the Jewish people it is very clear that there's
137
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,640
a relentless spirit after them to destroy them.
138
00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:59,480
And when we look at the history of the Jewish people and we see the influence of anti-Semitism
139
00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:06,160
generation after generation after generation and one day in a future episode we'll just
140
00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:14,440
talk about anti-Semitism because it is just an astounding story of the evil pursuit of
141
00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:15,440
the Jewish people.
142
00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:22,200
And we can look at history and we can see the threats of annihilation and the attacks
143
00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,840
to wipe this people off.
144
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,240
Just a summary of this history.
145
00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:32,880
It began, we read about it in the Eau Testament in the story of Esther and the evil spirit
146
00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:37,680
behind it, evil Haman that wanted to wipe out the Jews.
147
00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:41,080
The Jews of the Persian Empire were the Jews of the world.
148
00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,200
The Persian Empire was so big.
149
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:47,960
That would have been the end of the Jewish people had Haman succeeded but we have the
150
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:53,000
story of Esther and how she interceded and God intervened.
151
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:59,440
But after that we have, after the time of Jesus we have the rise of Islam out of Arabia
152
00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:06,760
and it tried to wipe out the Jewish people in the lands that were in their way and their
153
00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:14,640
pursuit and then the Jewish community thrived in Spain and then we had the Spanish Inquisition
154
00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:20,360
and just wiped out the Jews of Spain, either they had to flee or they had to convert or
155
00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,440
they were killed.
156
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:30,080
And then we have the growth of the Jews in Europe and we know the devastating tragedy
157
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,360
of the Holocaust to wipe them out.
158
00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:39,160
And now today the largest community of Jews now is in Israel.
159
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:43,560
They've just barely about to pass the one half mark.
160
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:51,360
And it's no coincidence that we have evil powers in Iran threatening to annihilate Israel.
161
00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:58,880
So it's a pursuit of the Jewish people that there's no explanation for it except a biblical
162
00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:03,160
explanation, a spiritual explanation.
163
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:10,560
But God promised in Jeremiah 31, 36 that they would never cease to be a nation before
164
00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:16,080
him and surely they have survived all of this miraculously.
165
00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:22,280
You know there's a famous quote by the German Chancellor Bismarck who is said to have been
166
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:28,160
speaking to the German Kaiser and this was back in the 19th century but he said, you
167
00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:34,760
know the German Kaiser asked him, he said Bismarck can you prove the existence of God?
168
00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:40,520
And Bismarck said the Jews, your majesty, the Jews.
169
00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:46,880
Their survival is such a miracle and such a testament to God's promise that they would
170
00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,960
never cease to be a nation before him.
171
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,520
So now in our day they have not just survived but they've returned home.
172
00:14:55,520 --> 00:15:01,280
God's birthing people have returned to their land and as we covered in a previous episode
173
00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:09,800
Isaiah 1111 said that God would bring them back a second time, the first time being under
174
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,280
the Persians and then we had the second exile.
175
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:21,600
This is the second return and it is foretold in Isaiah but the very next verse in Isaiah
176
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:29,600
says something very, very interesting that in this return that God would raise a banner
177
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,360
to the nations.
178
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:37,760
He says here that then the Lord will set his hand again a second time to recover the
179
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:44,800
remnant of his people and he will set up a banner to the nations and will assemble the
180
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:51,400
outcast of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
181
00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:52,600
the earth.
182
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:57,080
So the return of the Jewish people to their homeland is a banner to the nations.
183
00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:58,840
Well what does that mean?
184
00:15:58,840 --> 00:15:59,840
What is a banner?
185
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,920
Well a banner is a sign.
186
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:03,760
It carries a nation.
187
00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:11,160
It carries a sign of victory in a battle but I believe in this instance it carries a message
188
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,040
to the nations and it's a message that is twofold.
189
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:21,960
It's both positive and negative at the same time and it's a message that proclaims I am
190
00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:27,280
a faithful God and I am fulfilling my promises.
191
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:33,480
I am gathering my outcast back and he's getting the attention of the nations that this is
192
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,520
what he is doing.
193
00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,480
Well for you and I we're believers.
194
00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:39,600
We rejoice in that.
195
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,880
I rejoice in the faithfulness of God to the Jewish people and what he's doing because
196
00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:51,120
that means he's faithful to all of his promises and I can believe in him and trust in him because
197
00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:57,000
he is a faithful God and his promises are true and his word is true so I can rejoice
198
00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,760
in that.
199
00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,520
But if you're not walking with the Lord and if you're actually opposed to him in what he's
200
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:09,760
doing, it's a message of warning that I am a faithful and true God and I'm fulfilling
201
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:10,760
my promises.
202
00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:16,600
I'm gathering my children as I promised and there's a day of reckoning coming for the
203
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:20,160
nations that oppose them.
204
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,000
So it is a word of warning to the nations.
205
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:30,760
You could say that Israel, the regathering of Israel in a way is a test.
206
00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:35,120
It's a test of the nations.
207
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:42,760
In Joel chapter 3, God says here, for behold in those days and at that time when I bring
208
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:50,920
back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all the nations and bring
209
00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:57,200
them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will enter into judgment with them there
210
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,720
on account of my people.
211
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,560
My heritage is real.
212
00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:08,160
So see, warning, it's a warning that judgment is coming to the nations on how they treat
213
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,720
and have treated his people.
214
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:17,320
Now, Jesus also said that when he returned, he was going to judge the nations based on
215
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:22,080
their treatment of his brethren, the Jewish people.
216
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,400
We have this in Matthew 25.
217
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:25,400
It's a long passage.
218
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:31,160
I won't read it, but he describes gathering the nations before him that when he returns,
219
00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:36,120
he's going to sit on the throne of judgment and he's going to gather the nations as the
220
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:38,480
sheep and the goats.
221
00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,400
And for those that were good, he's going to bless them.
222
00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,600
For those that are the goat nations, he tells them.
223
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:52,640
This is because of what you did to these, the least of my brethren.
224
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:59,960
Now many times we hear this verse as though it's applied to the needy or the poor.
225
00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:06,920
And okay, Jesus does care about the needy and the poor, but we've got to read this scripture
226
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:13,400
in its context to understand what he was really describing here.
227
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:20,360
The Old Testament context is that judgment would come to the nations based on their treatment
228
00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,640
of the children of Israel.
229
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:30,840
So when Jesus says that they will be judged based on their treatment of his brethren,
230
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,760
he's talking about the Jewish people, the children of Israel.
231
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:42,040
Now I believe that you and I, as Gentile Christians, were grafted into that tree and
232
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:49,120
spiritually this also applies to the church because we are also Jesus's brethren.
233
00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:55,120
We are a part of his family and there will come judgment on the nations, I believe, for
234
00:19:55,120 --> 00:20:00,920
their treatment and for their persecution of the Christian people as well.
235
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:10,000
But nevertheless, Jesus here was talking about his physical brethren, the Jewish people.
236
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:16,560
So the calling on the church is what we've read in the very opening and acts that we
237
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:22,000
were to go out into the world and witness to Jesus.
238
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,280
There were different descriptions of that great commission, but it said that we were
239
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,280
to go out and to teach the nations, to disciple the nations.
240
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,000
We were to baptize.
241
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,920
We were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons.
242
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:41,760
We were to teach the nations to observe all that Jesus commanded them.
243
00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:43,960
That's the great commission on the church.
244
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:51,640
We are to go out individual by individual, person to person, people to people, and bring
245
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,640
the good news of Jesus to them.
246
00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,600
But the calling on Israel is quite different.
247
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:07,920
The calling on Israel is to be that physical people in that physical location that brings
248
00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,640
and welcomes the physical return of the Messiah.
249
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:19,320
He's going to come to that place and to that people as he comes to establish the kingdom
250
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,720
of God to the world.
251
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:26,480
And that's why their return is a banner to the nations.
252
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,000
It's a warning.
253
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,200
He's coming.
254
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,880
The King is coming.
255
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:38,480
So get ready and be warned of judgment if you're on the wrong side of the equation.
256
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,280
So the calling on the church and the calling on Israel is very different, but yet they
257
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:44,880
overlap.
258
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,760
They complement each other, I should say.
259
00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,880
They complete each other.
260
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:56,440
So when you hear someone say that, well, God no longer works with the Jewish people.
261
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,080
He now works with the church.
262
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,520
The church has replaced the Jewish people as the people of God.
263
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,160
This shows you no way.
264
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:12,520
The calling on the church is not the same as the calling on the Jewish people.
265
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,080
And it is still in place.
266
00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:20,760
And the calling on the church is very much still in place and very important.
267
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:26,600
You could say that the calling on the church is to go out and proclaim the wonderful news
268
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:31,000
of what God has brought to the earth through the Jewish people.
269
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,600
This great salvation that we're proclaiming came through them.
270
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:40,840
So their role is one and our role is another.
271
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:45,960
That's why we understand the significance of the Jewish people and their return to the
272
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,000
land and why we need to stand with them.
273
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:58,680
And we understand that it is something opposed by the very powers of the devil of hell.
274
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,720
And therefore they need our prayers.
275
00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,200
They need our support.
276
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,440
They need our encouragement and our love.
277
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:13,680
And I think that the perfect verse to describe the kind of prayers that we need to be praying
278
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:21,400
in these days as the church is found in Isaiah 62 verses 6 through 7.
279
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,720
And it says here, I've said, Watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, and they shall never
280
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,200
hold their peace day or night.
281
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:40,040
You who make mention of the Lord, keep not silent and give him no rest until he establishes
282
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:45,720
and he makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.
283
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:54,600
The day that Jerusalem is made a praise in all the earth is the day when that new Jerusalem
284
00:23:54,600 --> 00:24:01,240
comes down and is married with the old Jerusalem, takes over the old Jerusalem, that the kingdom
285
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:06,440
of God comes to earth and the nations are going to come up to Jerusalem.
286
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:11,400
They're going to learn war no more and they're going to be taught of his word and truly the
287
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,680
word will go out from Zion.
288
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:22,960
So out of Zion is where you are now and I hope that this word has been a blessing to
289
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:30,600
you as you understand the great calling on the Jewish people, the calling on the church
290
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:37,480
and how God is working in the physical and in the spiritual all at the same time.
291
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,200
So we have a link in today's show notes.
292
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:47,040
I invite you to become a part of our Isaiah 62 prayer initiative.
293
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,600
If you will sign up every month, we're going to send prayer points.
294
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,000
They come out from Jerusalem.
295
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:53,240
They go all around the world.
296
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:58,120
We have Christians all around the world praying with us every month.
297
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,640
We pray for Israel, we pray for the Middle East, we pray for current events, we pray
298
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,280
for the ministry of the ICEJ there in Israel.
299
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:13,080
And I ask you, I invite you to become a part of that Isaiah 62 prayer initiative.
300
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:18,880
I also have a book that we can recommend that we're going to link to in the notes.
301
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,360
It's kind of, it's not a theological book.
302
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:27,080
It's not about scripture, but it's about the people of Israel because you know there
303
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:32,240
are a lot of lies, a lot of propaganda against Israel.
304
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:39,280
And the purpose of it is to make the people of Israel look so evil and look so bad that
305
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,600
no one would support them.
306
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:47,880
And this book is called Thou Shalt Innovate and it's about 10 Israeli people and their
307
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:56,000
stories how that in their quest to help someone or to help some people somewhere in the world
308
00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:03,680
that they invented some new innovative technology or product, something that's saving lives
309
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:08,880
all around the world, something that's blessing people all around the world.
310
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,320
Why?
311
00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:16,080
Because of the goodness of the people of Israel and their desire to bless others and to help
312
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:21,120
others to be a light to the Gentiles as the Bible said that they would be.
313
00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:27,160
So Thou Shalt Innovate will introduce you to some of the people of Israel just so you
314
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:29,960
can get to know them on a personal level.
315
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,920
So we link to it in our show notes.
316
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,880
I hope that you've learned something this week.
317
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,280
Join me back here next time.
318
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:43,400
We're going to talk about the God of the Bible and then we're going to wrap up our 3D Bible
319
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,920
series and what does it mean for you?
320
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:47,920
I'll see you then.
321
00:26:47,920 --> 00:27:10,000
Until then, God bless.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,160
Welcome to Out of Zion with Susan Michael, an exploration of the Bible and the land of
2
00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:08,320
Israel.
3
00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:13,080
From ancient biblical sites to the story behind the stories, join Susan on a journey through
4
00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,640
the most exciting book on the planet.
5
00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,560
Hit the subscribe button for future episodes which will deepen your faith and bring the
6
00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:21,360
Bible to life.
7
00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,600
And now here's our host, Susan Michael.
8
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:30,160
Well, hey there, welcome back.
9
00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:39,480
This is the 3D Bible series, part 6, The People of the Bible, both Jews and Christians.
10
00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:40,480
Let's get started.
11
00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,640
We have a lot to cover today.
12
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,840
You know, there's a scripture and Acts that I want to start with because in this verse,
13
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:53,880
we see the calling on the Jewish people and the calling on the church come together.
14
00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,240
And that's in Acts chapter 1 verses 6 through 8.
15
00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:06,040
Now Jesus has been crucified and he has been resurrected and he has spent 40 days with
16
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:11,720
the disciples and Acts that says teaching them about the kingdom and teaching them and
17
00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,000
he's now about to ascend into heaven.
18
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:21,680
They're standing on the Mount of Olives and he says to them, they said to him actually,
19
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:28,080
Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
20
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:33,440
And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father
21
00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,640
has put in his own authority.
22
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:43,000
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be witnesses
23
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:51,360
to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to all the ends of the earth.
24
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,440
Now this is very, very interesting.
25
00:01:54,440 --> 00:02:01,000
The disciples have spent three years at the feet of Jesus and now they've spent 40 days
26
00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:06,080
with him teaching them everything he wanted to leave with them before he ascended into
27
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:07,440
heaven.
28
00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:13,440
And the burning question on their mind was, are you at this time going to restore the
29
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,840
kingdom to Israel?
30
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,880
And Jesus did not say, you're all wrong, you got it all wrong.
31
00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,200
Oh, you know, haven't you been listening to me?
32
00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,280
He didn't say that.
33
00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:25,400
He didn't rebuke them.
34
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:26,600
He didn't correct them.
35
00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:33,280
He simply answered their question about the timing and he said the times and seasons are
36
00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,480
not for you to know.
37
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:40,920
And then he goes on and tells them what they need to know as the church which is that you
38
00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:45,960
will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and you will go out and be witnesses for me.
39
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:55,880
So in this verse we see the calling on Israel and this future physical restoration and we
40
00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:02,640
see the calling on the church to go out into all the world and to preach the good news
41
00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:05,360
of the gospel.
42
00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:14,240
So the, I want to now talk about this calling on the Jewish people.
43
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,560
You know, to do that I want to give just a little bit of a review of things that we've
44
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,520
just recently covered.
45
00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,840
We know that the story of the Bible is the story of God's plan to redeem the world and
46
00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:33,360
that central to that story is the Jewish people and they're calling to be the vehicle of God's
47
00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,120
redemptive plan.
48
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,920
And so we discussed how that there is no Old Testament story versus New Testament story
49
00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,640
or Old Testament plan versus New Testament plan.
50
00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:50,400
There was no plan A that failed and then plan B. And there's no plan A people that failed
51
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,360
replaced by plan B people.
52
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:59,800
And that's why we see in this verse in Acts both a referral to the restoration of the
53
00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:05,400
kingdom of Israel and a referral to the calling on the church.
54
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:11,920
So Israel's story as we've learned it is that to be the vehicles of God's redemptive
55
00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:13,880
plan in the earth.
56
00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:20,760
And when God chose Abram and he said to him, I'm going to make you a great nation.
57
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:26,800
And so he decided at that point to create a people to work through to bring about his
58
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:28,280
plan a redemption.
59
00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:34,640
And I wanted to review that and I want to stop right here for one really important reason.
60
00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:42,080
Today in today's culture there is kind of an aversion to any one people group being what
61
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,200
we would call exceptional.
62
00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:51,760
So we have a big battle in the United States against the idea that America is exceptional.
63
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:56,880
And so when it comes to the chosenness of the Jewish people, they're called in the Bible
64
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,800
the chosen people.
65
00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:07,960
It comes across in today's culture and society as being a little arrogant and that this people
66
00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,400
group is better than the other people's group.
67
00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:17,080
And so that's why I want to review this, that God did not line up all the peoples of the
68
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,600
earth and say, okay, I like this people group better than the rest.
69
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,920
So I'm going to work with them.
70
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,600
That's not what happened at all.
71
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:33,360
God needed a people to work through so he created them for this purpose.
72
00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:38,320
He chose Abram who was unable to have children and said, I'm going to make of you a great
73
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,600
nation.
74
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:45,800
And through a miracle, Abraham and Sarah were able to then have the child Isaac and
75
00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:47,240
the nation was born.
76
00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:55,200
So God literally created this people to fulfill this calling of being his people.
77
00:05:55,200 --> 00:06:01,280
And he told Abraham that anyone that blesses them will be blessed because they're helping
78
00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:02,560
God's plan.
79
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:07,880
They're siding with God and anyone that curse them would be cursed.
80
00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:15,760
So by putting this spiritual law into operation, God was guaranteeing the survival of his people
81
00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,280
that there would be those that would bless them and help them and he was going to bless
82
00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:26,360
anyone who helped them so that they would survive because there was a lot for them to
83
00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,520
do and a lot for them to endure.
84
00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:35,360
So as we talked earlier, the calling on them could be seen as a birthing call.
85
00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:43,480
And we have that, you know, they birthed into earth these products that we enjoy salvation
86
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:44,480
through.
87
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,760
We learn about the covenants and the promises and the law of God and I mean the very Bible
88
00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,440
we have came from them.
89
00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:57,640
So everything that we hold dear as Christians came from the Jewish people.
90
00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:03,960
And so this is their calling and in order to make them into a nation, as we said last
91
00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:11,080
time, he would need a land and so he gave them a piece of land.
92
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:19,440
So, but starting then I want to start from here for this week after that review is that
93
00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:27,800
because of this calling on the Jewish people to be this vehicle of God's redemptive plan,
94
00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:33,640
there would be tremendous suffering as a consequence.
95
00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:43,000
And the New Testament confirms this in Revelation 12 and it's quite a long section here so I'm
96
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,960
not going to read it all but I'm going to jump from a few verses to make my point.
97
00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:55,400
Here in Revelation 12 the apostle John has a revelation and he sees Israel as a woman,
98
00:07:55,400 --> 00:08:01,240
a pregnant woman who is clothed with the sun and the moon and 12 stars around her head
99
00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:09,320
which symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel and she's pregnant with a child and she's in labor
100
00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,720
and in pain is about to give birth.
101
00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:17,560
Then it says, and then there was another sign and it was this great fiery red dragon and
102
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:24,200
the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as
103
00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,440
soon as it was born.
104
00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:32,600
So she bore a male child who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron so she bore the
105
00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:38,920
Messiah and her child was caught up to God in his throne, the child was taken to heaven
106
00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,520
and the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God.
107
00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:51,800
And then this talks about a great war in heaven and it says, now when the dragon saw that
108
00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:57,960
he had been cast to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child
109
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:03,680
but it describes how she is kept safe from this and then it says, and the dragon was
110
00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:12,040
enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep
111
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:18,800
the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
112
00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:26,480
So this woman who birthed the Messiah and is being persecuted for it because God kept
113
00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:34,960
her safe then the dragon goes after the rest of her other children, her other offspring
114
00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,400
which are Christians.
115
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:42,560
The spiritual attack is actually against the male child.
116
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:44,080
That's the whole point.
117
00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:50,640
It was to destroy the male child but the dragon wasn't able so he goes after the woman and
118
00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,640
then after her offspring.
119
00:09:53,640 --> 00:10:01,680
And so the tactic of this spiritual warfare against the woman Israel is to, number one,
120
00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:07,360
wipe her off the face of the earth because if the dragon can get rid of her then God's
121
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,040
plan through her would come to an end.
122
00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:17,400
For sure if we can just keep her off the land then all of God's promises and his plans
123
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,280
would not come true.
124
00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:26,120
And it's very, very interesting here that we as Christians then also suffer this spiritual
125
00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:33,080
attack because we also have a role to play and that is the calling that's on the church.
126
00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:39,520
And so the Christians today are the most persecuted religious group on the earth and there have
127
00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:47,080
been more martyrs in the last century than in all the previous centuries added up together.
128
00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:54,760
So obviously this persecution of the dragon is in full force and it is not just against
129
00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:00,480
Christians it is against the woman against Israel.
130
00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:09,600
Now there's a very interesting verse in Psalm 83 that describes this pursuit of Israel,
131
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,440
of the Jewish people.
132
00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:20,200
And it says here in Isaiah, sorry, in Psalm 83 it says, Oh God, those who hate you have
133
00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:29,520
said, let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel would be no more.
134
00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:37,800
So it's a battle between the forces of hell and God himself and these forces hate the
135
00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,960
people of God, the Jewish people and the church.
136
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:50,000
But when it comes to the persecution of the Jewish people it is very clear that there's
137
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,640
a relentless spirit after them to destroy them.
138
00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:59,480
And when we look at the history of the Jewish people and we see the influence of anti-Semitism
139
00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:06,160
generation after generation after generation and one day in a future episode we'll just
140
00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:14,440
talk about anti-Semitism because it is just an astounding story of the evil pursuit of
141
00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:15,440
the Jewish people.
142
00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:22,200
And we can look at history and we can see the threats of annihilation and the attacks
143
00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,840
to wipe this people off.
144
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,240
Just a summary of this history.
145
00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:32,880
It began, we read about it in the Eau Testament in the story of Esther and the evil spirit
146
00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:37,680
behind it, evil Haman that wanted to wipe out the Jews.
147
00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:41,080
The Jews of the Persian Empire were the Jews of the world.
148
00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,200
The Persian Empire was so big.
149
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:47,960
That would have been the end of the Jewish people had Haman succeeded but we have the
150
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:53,000
story of Esther and how she interceded and God intervened.
151
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:59,440
But after that we have, after the time of Jesus we have the rise of Islam out of Arabia
152
00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:06,760
and it tried to wipe out the Jewish people in the lands that were in their way and their
153
00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:14,640
pursuit and then the Jewish community thrived in Spain and then we had the Spanish Inquisition
154
00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:20,360
and just wiped out the Jews of Spain, either they had to flee or they had to convert or
155
00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,440
they were killed.
156
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:30,080
And then we have the growth of the Jews in Europe and we know the devastating tragedy
157
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,360
of the Holocaust to wipe them out.
158
00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:39,160
And now today the largest community of Jews now is in Israel.
159
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:43,560
They've just barely about to pass the one half mark.
160
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:51,360
And it's no coincidence that we have evil powers in Iran threatening to annihilate Israel.
161
00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:58,880
So it's a pursuit of the Jewish people that there's no explanation for it except a biblical
162
00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:03,160
explanation, a spiritual explanation.
163
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:10,560
But God promised in Jeremiah 31, 36 that they would never cease to be a nation before
164
00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:16,080
him and surely they have survived all of this miraculously.
165
00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:22,280
You know there's a famous quote by the German Chancellor Bismarck who is said to have been
166
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:28,160
speaking to the German Kaiser and this was back in the 19th century but he said, you
167
00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:34,760
know the German Kaiser asked him, he said Bismarck can you prove the existence of God?
168
00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:40,520
And Bismarck said the Jews, your majesty, the Jews.
169
00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:46,880
Their survival is such a miracle and such a testament to God's promise that they would
170
00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,960
never cease to be a nation before him.
171
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,520
So now in our day they have not just survived but they've returned home.
172
00:14:55,520 --> 00:15:01,280
God's birthing people have returned to their land and as we covered in a previous episode
173
00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:09,800
Isaiah 1111 said that God would bring them back a second time, the first time being under
174
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,280
the Persians and then we had the second exile.
175
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:21,600
This is the second return and it is foretold in Isaiah but the very next verse in Isaiah
176
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:29,600
says something very, very interesting that in this return that God would raise a banner
177
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,360
to the nations.
178
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:37,760
He says here that then the Lord will set his hand again a second time to recover the
179
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:44,800
remnant of his people and he will set up a banner to the nations and will assemble the
180
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:51,400
outcast of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
181
00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:52,600
the earth.
182
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:57,080
So the return of the Jewish people to their homeland is a banner to the nations.
183
00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:58,840
Well what does that mean?
184
00:15:58,840 --> 00:15:59,840
What is a banner?
185
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,920
Well a banner is a sign.
186
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:03,760
It carries a nation.
187
00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:11,160
It carries a sign of victory in a battle but I believe in this instance it carries a message
188
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,040
to the nations and it's a message that is twofold.
189
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:21,960
It's both positive and negative at the same time and it's a message that proclaims I am
190
00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:27,280
a faithful God and I am fulfilling my promises.
191
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:33,480
I am gathering my outcast back and he's getting the attention of the nations that this is
192
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,520
what he is doing.
193
00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,480
Well for you and I we're believers.
194
00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:39,600
We rejoice in that.
195
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,880
I rejoice in the faithfulness of God to the Jewish people and what he's doing because
196
00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:51,120
that means he's faithful to all of his promises and I can believe in him and trust in him because
197
00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:57,000
he is a faithful God and his promises are true and his word is true so I can rejoice
198
00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,760
in that.
199
00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,520
But if you're not walking with the Lord and if you're actually opposed to him in what he's
200
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:09,760
doing, it's a message of warning that I am a faithful and true God and I'm fulfilling
201
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:10,760
my promises.
202
00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:16,600
I'm gathering my children as I promised and there's a day of reckoning coming for the
203
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:20,160
nations that oppose them.
204
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,000
So it is a word of warning to the nations.
205
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:30,760
You could say that Israel, the regathering of Israel in a way is a test.
206
00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:35,120
It's a test of the nations.
207
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:42,760
In Joel chapter 3, God says here, for behold in those days and at that time when I bring
208
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:50,920
back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all the nations and bring
209
00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:57,200
them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will enter into judgment with them there
210
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,720
on account of my people.
211
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,560
My heritage is real.
212
00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:08,160
So see, warning, it's a warning that judgment is coming to the nations on how they treat
213
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,720
and have treated his people.
214
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:17,320
Now, Jesus also said that when he returned, he was going to judge the nations based on
215
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:22,080
their treatment of his brethren, the Jewish people.
216
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,400
We have this in Matthew 25.
217
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:25,400
It's a long passage.
218
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:31,160
I won't read it, but he describes gathering the nations before him that when he returns,
219
00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:36,120
he's going to sit on the throne of judgment and he's going to gather the nations as the
220
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:38,480
sheep and the goats.
221
00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,400
And for those that were good, he's going to bless them.
222
00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,600
For those that are the goat nations, he tells them.
223
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:52,640
This is because of what you did to these, the least of my brethren.
224
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:59,960
Now many times we hear this verse as though it's applied to the needy or the poor.
225
00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:06,920
And okay, Jesus does care about the needy and the poor, but we've got to read this scripture
226
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:13,400
in its context to understand what he was really describing here.
227
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:20,360
The Old Testament context is that judgment would come to the nations based on their treatment
228
00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,640
of the children of Israel.
229
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:30,840
So when Jesus says that they will be judged based on their treatment of his brethren,
230
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,760
he's talking about the Jewish people, the children of Israel.
231
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:42,040
Now I believe that you and I, as Gentile Christians, were grafted into that tree and
232
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:49,120
spiritually this also applies to the church because we are also Jesus's brethren.
233
00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:55,120
We are a part of his family and there will come judgment on the nations, I believe, for
234
00:19:55,120 --> 00:20:00,920
their treatment and for their persecution of the Christian people as well.
235
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:10,000
But nevertheless, Jesus here was talking about his physical brethren, the Jewish people.
236
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:16,560
So the calling on the church is what we've read in the very opening and acts that we
237
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:22,000
were to go out into the world and witness to Jesus.
238
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,280
There were different descriptions of that great commission, but it said that we were
239
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,280
to go out and to teach the nations, to disciple the nations.
240
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,000
We were to baptize.
241
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,920
We were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons.
242
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:41,760
We were to teach the nations to observe all that Jesus commanded them.
243
00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:43,960
That's the great commission on the church.
244
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:51,640
We are to go out individual by individual, person to person, people to people, and bring
245
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,640
the good news of Jesus to them.
246
00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,600
But the calling on Israel is quite different.
247
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:07,920
The calling on Israel is to be that physical people in that physical location that brings
248
00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,640
and welcomes the physical return of the Messiah.
249
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:19,320
He's going to come to that place and to that people as he comes to establish the kingdom
250
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,720
of God to the world.
251
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:26,480
And that's why their return is a banner to the nations.
252
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,000
It's a warning.
253
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,200
He's coming.
254
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,880
The King is coming.
255
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:38,480
So get ready and be warned of judgment if you're on the wrong side of the equation.
256
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,280
So the calling on the church and the calling on Israel is very different, but yet they
257
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:44,880
overlap.
258
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,760
They complement each other, I should say.
259
00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,880
They complete each other.
260
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:56,440
So when you hear someone say that, well, God no longer works with the Jewish people.
261
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,080
He now works with the church.
262
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,520
The church has replaced the Jewish people as the people of God.
263
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,160
This shows you no way.
264
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:12,520
The calling on the church is not the same as the calling on the Jewish people.
265
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,080
And it is still in place.
266
00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:20,760
And the calling on the church is very much still in place and very important.
267
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:26,600
You could say that the calling on the church is to go out and proclaim the wonderful news
268
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:31,000
of what God has brought to the earth through the Jewish people.
269
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,600
This great salvation that we're proclaiming came through them.
270
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:40,840
So their role is one and our role is another.
271
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:45,960
That's why we understand the significance of the Jewish people and their return to the
272
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,000
land and why we need to stand with them.
273
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:58,680
And we understand that it is something opposed by the very powers of the devil of hell.
274
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,720
And therefore they need our prayers.
275
00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,200
They need our support.
276
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,440
They need our encouragement and our love.
277
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:13,680
And I think that the perfect verse to describe the kind of prayers that we need to be praying
278
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:21,400
in these days as the church is found in Isaiah 62 verses 6 through 7.
279
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,720
And it says here, I've said, Watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, and they shall never
280
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,200
hold their peace day or night.
281
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:40,040
You who make mention of the Lord, keep not silent and give him no rest until he establishes
282
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:45,720
and he makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.
283
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:54,600
The day that Jerusalem is made a praise in all the earth is the day when that new Jerusalem
284
00:23:54,600 --> 00:24:01,240
comes down and is married with the old Jerusalem, takes over the old Jerusalem, that the kingdom
285
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:06,440
of God comes to earth and the nations are going to come up to Jerusalem.
286
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:11,400
They're going to learn war no more and they're going to be taught of his word and truly the
287
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,680
word will go out from Zion.
288
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:22,960
So out of Zion is where you are now and I hope that this word has been a blessing to
289
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:30,600
you as you understand the great calling on the Jewish people, the calling on the church
290
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:37,480
and how God is working in the physical and in the spiritual all at the same time.
291
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,200
So we have a link in today's show notes.
292
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:47,040
I invite you to become a part of our Isaiah 62 prayer initiative.
293
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,600
If you will sign up every month, we're going to send prayer points.
294
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,000
They come out from Jerusalem.
295
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:53,240
They go all around the world.
296
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:58,120
We have Christians all around the world praying with us every month.
297
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,640
We pray for Israel, we pray for the Middle East, we pray for current events, we pray
298
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,280
for the ministry of the ICEJ there in Israel.
299
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:13,080
And I ask you, I invite you to become a part of that Isaiah 62 prayer initiative.
300
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:18,880
I also have a book that we can recommend that we're going to link to in the notes.
301
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,360
It's kind of, it's not a theological book.
302
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:27,080
It's not about scripture, but it's about the people of Israel because you know there
303
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:32,240
are a lot of lies, a lot of propaganda against Israel.
304
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:39,280
And the purpose of it is to make the people of Israel look so evil and look so bad that
305
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,600
no one would support them.
306
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:47,880
And this book is called Thou Shalt Innovate and it's about 10 Israeli people and their
307
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:56,000
stories how that in their quest to help someone or to help some people somewhere in the world
308
00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:03,680
that they invented some new innovative technology or product, something that's saving lives
309
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:08,880
all around the world, something that's blessing people all around the world.
310
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,320
Why?
311
00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:16,080
Because of the goodness of the people of Israel and their desire to bless others and to help
312
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:21,120
others to be a light to the Gentiles as the Bible said that they would be.
313
00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:27,160
So Thou Shalt Innovate will introduce you to some of the people of Israel just so you
314
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:29,960
can get to know them on a personal level.
315
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,920
So we link to it in our show notes.
316
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,880
I hope that you've learned something this week.
317
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,280
Join me back here next time.
318
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:43,400
We're going to talk about the God of the Bible and then we're going to wrap up our 3D Bible
319
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,920
series and what does it mean for you?
320
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:47,920
I'll see you then.
321
00:26:47,920 --> 00:27:10,000
Until then, God bless.
Join the Email List
Listen On
