Continuation
of:
Continuation
of:
''And so all Israel will be saved!''
Circumstances
surrounding the Spiritual Salvation of
Israel
There is probably general agreement
that the spiritual salvation of Israel will be connected to the coming of
the Messiah. This, as we have seen from the cross references to Romans 11:26,
will be preceded by an ingathering of the people as well as the restoration
of the land. This we see today, complete with the problems with people also
claiming the land Israel had to deal with when they arrived in the land the
first time. This time, though, it should be easier since they are not
facing nations but a bunch of Arabs whom the nations pass off as a nation
with rights, but they are not a nation, viz.
Arab activist
Musa Alami is quoted by Joan Peters [From Time Immemorial, p. 13] as writing
in October 1949, "The people are in great need of a 'myth' to fill
their consciousness and imagination," and adding that indoctrinating
this nationalistic myth would create "identity" and "self-respect."
Almost 30 years later, PLO Military Department head Zuheir Muhsin said,
"Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only
tactical purposes.
The founding of
a Palestinian state is a new tool in the continuing battle against Israel."
- for more quotes see
israel-politics/arabs.html.
The Arabs would actually not have been such a problem had it not been for the territorial claims of Islam.
The nations of the world are trying
to solve the problem by forcing negotiated peace agreements on Israel, which
the Bible refers to as false peace.
Jeremiah
6:14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace,
peace,' they say, when there is no
peace.
As we can see today, this peace is not going to become a reality without violent confrontations. At the time of the Armageddon war, we see a categorical statement in Ezekiel 38:8-12 that the ingathered nation
| will be living in peace. The Lord says this to the nations who will lead this onslaught: |
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Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety....11 You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people--all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land. |
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At the moment Israel is set to continue the surrender of her ancient heritage of Judea and Samaria (West Bank). But we need to remember that all the mountain cities of the West Bank belonged the Israelites in biblical times. The Philistines lived in the plains and coastal lands in those days.
But we can see in the scriptures above that Israel will again live on the mountains and in the center of the land. This might be the result of the wars on the mountains of Israel that still lie ahead, and not the Armageddon war in the valley of Megiddo. From the revelations to Zechariah, it seems that events in end-times in Israel will have the following chronological order:
| 1. |
Securing control over the former Judea
and Jerusalem |
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| Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God. 6 "On that day I will make the |
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| leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples (neighboring countries), but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. 7 "The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. | ||
| 2. | Revelation who the Messiah
is: It begins with a restoration of people's emotional security and faith in the Lord to protect them against the aggression of the nations.. Zech 12:8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. 9 For my plan is to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem. The Spirit will enable the people to discern who the Messiah is: Zech 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. |
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| 3. |
The People will repent |
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| 4. | The Lord will cleanse the Land |
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Zechariah 13:1 "On
that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 "On that day, I will
banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered
no more," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will remove both the prophets and
the spirit of impurity from the land. |
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| 5. |
The Nations will be drawn to
Jerusalem |
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| 6. |
The Lord (Messiah) will descend to
wage the war against the nations |
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| 7. | Paradise-like conditions will be restored |
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| Zechariah 14:6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. | ||
| 8. | The Lord (Messiah) will rule over
the new earth Zechariah 14:9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. |
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| 9. | The Nations will have to go to
Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles Zechariah 14:16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. (Verse 17 shows that there will even then still be rebellion in the nations) |
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The Relevance
of Zechariah 13:7
Attention needs to be drawn to this prophecy that was inserted in the
center of the chronological sequence of events surrounding the coming of
the Messiah.
Zechariah
13:7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to
me!" declares the LORD Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will
be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little
ones.
.
| We again find this prophecy in Mark 14:27, quoted by Jesus to show that the time had come for it |
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| to be fulfilled by his
capture and execution by the Romans. Mark 14:27 "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. |
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What wasn't repeated, was the warning: "and I will turn my hand against the little ones", which referred to the action that followed against the Jews that left them scattered among the nations for nearly 2,000 years.
Jesus, however, continued his prediction of what was to happen to him with the startling revelation in Mark 14:28 that he will rise again: But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.
It was this miraculous resurrection that proved that he was the Messiah, and it will again be proved when he reveals himself to the Jews, as was prophesied in Zechariah 12:10.
This will be made possible by the spirit
of grace and supplication that will be poured out on them, something Jesus
stated to be the only way to be able to discern who the Messiah is.
John 3:5
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God
unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
I Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the
man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God
except the Spirit of God. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking
by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say,
"Jesus
is Lord," except by the Holy
Spirit.
.
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My
Burden for the Jews |
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In my involvement with Jews and Israel
the past twenty years, I have hardly ever felt it my place to talk to them
about salvation. As I understood my assignment, it was to support the physical
restoration of Israel, in line with the following
scriptures, |
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I was, nevertheless, very concerned
about the tribulation that would hit the Jews and Israel before the coming
of the Messiah. I was hoping that the Holocaust of World War II could have
been what the Bible refers to as
Jacob's
Trouble that was to come
for the Jews. I wasn't all that concerned for myself, because I was hoping,
like other Christians, that there would be a way out via a RAPTURE
- Not that I wasn't all that convinced that there would be a RAPTURE of those
who are in the Messiah, although Dr.
B. Batarseh seems quite convinced
that there would be.
The last years, however, my burden for Israel has become focused on the
shorter term problems, the disaster Israel's mostly atheist, leftist,
political leaders were bringing on the country. I am totally convinced that
this
peace
process is the "peace,
no peace" the Bible talks about, complete, lately, with the whitewashed wall,
as in
Ezekiel 13:10 "'Because they lead my people astray, saying, "Peace,"
when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover
it with whitewash. 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that
it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones
hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses,
will people not ask you, "Where is the whitewash you covered it with?" 13
"`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my wrath I will unleash
a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall
with destructive fury. 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with
whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be
laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in
it;
and you will know
that I am the LORD.
I have therefore been praying ardently that this scripture be fulfilled, because "So they will fall among the fallen;" and you will be destroyed in it;" show that those who perpetrate the false peace will be brought down when their efforts are foiled - the OSLO "abomination," Arafat and his gang of terrorists, and Israel's leftists (including those in the Likud executing their policies) will all go down together!
Pursuing the PROPHETIC angle has become central in my involvement in Israel ever since my calling was changed to "OBSERVE" (1998: the fulfillment of God's words - see "Calling") It lead me to starting the page, "Prophetic Wakeup Call!" |
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As can be seen in my analysis of things soon to happen, my future has become as dependent on these things happening, and SOON, as the Jews and Israel are - see Tribulation and Holyland Camping
As my insight in politics in Israel grew, I became more and more skeptical of the agendas and discernment of political parties and politicians with religious affiliations. They are of different categories:
Kippa wearing leftists: Their altogether
unbiblical beliefs and agendas are totally beyond me. Why do they want
to be appear to be religious, but then call Jews rightwing and fanatical
who base their actions on scripture, like those who settle on the mountains
of Judea and Samaria. They overturn the God's of Israel's sovereign decision
that Isaac and Jacob are to be the heirs of Abraham and not Ishmael
and Essau.
Obviously they fall in the category of the "whitewashers" in Ezek. 13:10-14
and will be brought down with fellow secular leftists - they are probably
also what they are due to also being globalists, Freemasons, newagers,
humanists, etc.
Religious political parties: They are
generally rightwing, except for the leftist Meimad Party led my Orthodox
Rabbi Melchior, that is affiliated with the leftist Labor Party. They
are therefore part of the whitewashers. The biggest of the (more) rightwing
parties is Shas (11 MKs) followed by the NU (National Union - 7 MKs)
and the NRP (National Religious Party - 6 MKs). The most basic reason for
especially Shas to participate in the political system is to finance their
religious system of yeshivas schools and welfare programs for their Talmud
studying, large family, unproductive society. (See
"Holy
Loafers").
The NU and NRP are more nationalistic and Biblically Zionistic, although,
not with the level of discernment of Biblical proclamations that I would
like them to have; especially with regard to Allah of Islam being a different
god and that Islam is a terror generating religion. They make general statements
about not giving away Gods land, but they don't declare outright that Israel
is prohibited to negotiate with the other people claiming Israel's land.
.
My prayer is:
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The most likely scenario that will elevate the situation out of control of the powerful leftist political rulers could be (a) a collapse of the Temple Mount - due to natural phenomena or an attack on it, like a bomb blast, or (2) a missile attack on Israel by Syria and Hezbollah - no doubt also involving the Palestinian terrorist army - a product of the Oslo peace process.
The only way Israel will survive as a state and a nation is from an all-out war that will totally defeat her enemies before the world powers, the U.S.A, U.K. or Europe can intervene - as described in "Prophetic Wakeup Call!"
.
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All people can be saved
via Israel's God
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| The following portions from Isaiah show how intensely the God of Israel is involved with living creatures on earth and the well-being and salvation of all of mankind (verse 22), not just Israel. | |
Isaiah 45:18 For this is what the LORD says--he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited--he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right. 20 "Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. 21 Declare what is to be, present it--let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. 22 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth ("Let all in the world look to me for salvation" - Living Bible); for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. 24 They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'" All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. 25 But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.
In Isaiah 45:25, however we find a qualification for the salvation of non-Jews: "But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult." It is clear that non-Jews can only be saved when they become part of Israel. It is in line with Ephesians 2:12, Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ...... Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Israel's physical restoration will lead to gentiles (the rest of mankind in general) seeking God, as well as Christians (those called by my name) who had already found God (verse 17).
Acts 15:12 Then all
the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how
many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren,
listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles
to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of
the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16'After
this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen
down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest
of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My
name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' NKJV
Christians also seeking
God could be due to general apostasy that will occur in the end-times, but
also in our opinion, to confusion among gentile believers due to God seeming
to favor and be pre-occupied with the Jews and Israel although they hadn't
yet acknowledge Messiah. If we are correct in our assessment, there will
therefore be Christians among the ten "from the nations" who want to join
the Jews in the following prophecy:
"In those days ten
men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the
hem of his robe and say, `Let us go with you, because we have heard that
God is with you.'" Zechariah 9:23.
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