Long before ‘putting pen to paper’ I am thinking about the next blog topics and seeking God’s direction. I knew that I was supposed to continue writing about Israel but wasn’t sure what, specifically, to address. “What should I say in the next Israel blog?” I inquired of the Lord. “Israel, My beloved” was the first thing that popped into my head. Hmm. Never crossed my mind. One of the great things about being 78 is that there are decades of observing patterns, choices and consequences. I have learned that following the direction of an immediate response when seeking an answer from God is always the right approach. Today we talk about God’s love for Israel.
Here comes a sidebar God story: right after writing the above I decided to get outside and do some grass trimming. Normally I would just slip on my canvas shoes. However, I felt nudged to put on my boots. Minor hassle, but boots it is. About twenty minutes later the weed whacker jumped and hit the front of the boot. If I’d been in my slip-ons there’d probably have been a nasty injury. Thank you God for warning me. What an amazing God we serve!
Back to the main theme.
When Googling “Israel My Beloved”, up popped numerous references to God’s love for Israel – Duet 4:37,7:8, 10:15, 33:3; 1Kings 10:9, Ps. 47:4, Hosea 3:1, 11:1, Malachi 1:2-3, Rom 9:13, 11:28
God told Israel that His anger towards them would not last forever: Is 12:1, 54:9, 57:16; Jer 3:5, 18:20; Ez 16:42, 21:17; Ps 85:3, 103:9, Hosea 11:9, 14:4; Rom 5:9 compilation courtesy of bible.knowing-jesus.com
Through His prophets God made many restoration promises to the Jews. Among them:
- Israel would have to buy back the land ( Jer 32:44)
- Jews would return to their own land (Ez 34:13)
- Israel would be brought back to life (Ez 37:10-14)
- Jews would return from all over the earth (Zech 8:7-8; Is 43:5-6; Jer 16:14-15)
- Ruins of Israel would be rebuilt (Amos 9:11, 13)
- Israel re-established as a united nation (Ex37:21-22)
- Israel would be reborn in a day (Is 66:7-8)
- Hebrew language would be restored (Zeph 3:6)
- Israel’s deserts would be like garden of Eden (Is 51:3)
- Trees would grow in Israel (Is 41:18-20)
- Israel’s fruit would fill the earth (Is 27:6)
- Israel would be prosperous (Deut 30:3-5; Ez 36:11)
- Israel would re-gain Jerusalem (Zech12:6; Luke 21:24)
- Jerusalem would be the focus to the nations (Micah 4:1)
- Surrounding nations would plot against Israel (Ps 83:2-8)
- Israel’s army would be powerful (Lev 23:3, 7-8; Is 41:12-14)
- Israel would prevail over its enemies (Is 41:12-14)
- God would watch over the Jews (Jer 31:10)
The previous blog ended by calling attention to God’s silence for about 1800 years. Hundreds of prophecies remained suspended in time. Nothing happened. No wonder there was a “Replacement Theology” school of thought. This movement believes that since Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, all the promises made to Israel were transferred to the Church. Today, it’s hard to support Replacement Theology as we see these and many other prophecies being literally fulfilled in the last 100 years. Fulfilled in my lifetime. The re-establishment of Israel as a nation is Number One on the Watchmen on the Wall’s “Why Now” list. There can be no Second Coming without an Israel.
“But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:8-11)
It is critical that the Church wake up to the importance of Israel; without Israel there is no Second Coming. Israel is God’s Beloved and, fortunately for us, we are grafted into the root (the Jews) and thus the promises of eternal life. (Rom 11:11-31)
Next time we will continue on the subject of Israel, looking at the God-ordained beginnings of modern Israel. I don’t know how long God will have me cover the topic of Israel, but it is the cornerstone of the Bible and the focus of the end times so there may be several more blogs.
Please, neither offhandedly accept nor reject what is said in this blog. Check it out. Look it up for yourself in the Bible. If you are a child of God, you are in good hands and there is the most wonderful eternity waiting for you. If you are not a Christ follower, now is a really good time to honestly explore the truth claims of the Bible.
Ringing the Bell 