So, currently, during the day while I’m working, I’m listening to a guy teach a Sunday School class to a group of adults on the book of Hebrews. His insight is amazing. We’re somewhere around chapter 9, but I’m not exactly sure, as I said, I’m working while listening. The information sticks, but the details like where we’re reading from sometimes escape me. In any case, God made a connection in my mind in what he told me through this teacher and it’s so great, I wanted to post it so I could always have my thoughts written out, as well as if anyone else ever reads this, maybe they can be edified by it as I was.
The idea is this…
In the Old Testament the nation of Israel chose NOT to believe God when He promised He would give them the ‘Promised’ land. They had seen His power. They had tasted His blessings. They knew He was God. Yet, corporately as a nation as a whole, they chose to believe that they would die if they tried to take the land of Canaan. In fact, they actually complained that they didn’t understand why God would bring them out of slavery in Egypt just to watch them die and their children die in battle against the Canaanites. In essence, they didn’t believe God would keep His word and give them the land of Canaan (which is symbolic of being given salvation). As such, they planned to stone Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and then return to Egypt (which is symbolic of being in bondage to sin).
Wait a second, Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. ALL nations were to be blessed through Israel. How would ALL nations (the Gentiles, the world, more specifically… me) be blessed if Israel didn’t believe God and was sentenced to not being accepted into Jesus’ salvation?
In my paraphrase, God said, “You’re worried about your kids? Ok, I’ll take care of them. I’ll let them into Canaan (the promised land, my rest, the rest from my works, my Sabbath, my salvation) and they will be cared for, but because you have not believed in Me, you will not enter. Because you have not believed Me, you will wander the wilderness (symbolic of “a lonely place” later on in the gospels) until every one of you dies.”
In other words, the excuse Israel gave was their kids. So, because they were unbelievers, they weren’t saved, and the choice to believe Jesus fell to their children. Their children did believe and were saved.
Parallel this with the nation of Israel not recognizing (believing) that Jesus was their Saviour. They were given EXACT information as to who their Saviour would be, and even an EXACT date that He would make Himself known back in the book of Daniel. Yet when He did, they didn’t believe Him. Beyond that, their response was “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! May his blood be upon us!” They didn’t believe Jesus was the One who created everything. They didn’t believe that Jesus was the One who made the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They didn’t believe Jesus was the I AM from the burning bush. They didn’t believe Jesus was the One who brought them out of their bondage in Egypt. They didn’t believe Jesus was the One that spoke to them from Mount Horeb. They didn’t believe Jesus was the One who wrote the 10 commandments with His own finger in stone. They didn’t believe Jesus would take them into the promised land. They didn’t believe Jesus was God. And why not? When you stop and think it through, it’s really understandable that Jesus is God – as Israel would’ve understood. Think about it. When God made His promise to Abram, did He say, I am God “the Father”? No. When God reiterated His promise to Isaac and later Jacob, did He say, I am God “the Father”? No. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush did He say, I am God “the Father”? No. There is no mention of God “the Father” in the Old Testament. So when Jesus shows up in the New Testament why should there be any doubt that Jesus is God based on the miracles that everyone saw Him perform and the way in which He identified Himself? Yet, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! May his blood be upon us!” And so it is.
Because they didn’t believe Jesus was God – because they didn’t believe Jesus was their Saviour, “…blindness, IN PART, was given to the Jews…” But wait, how will ALL nations (the Gentiles, the world, more specifically… me) be blessed if the nation of Israel is again blind? Jesus goes on to say, “…until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.”
While growing up, I’ve often wondered how the nation of Israel could be so stupid. How could they see God’s power, see Him, hear His voice, and still disbelieve Him; at times so blatantly as to make a golden calf and call it God. Why wouldn’t they call out to Him if they had doubts? How could they so easily forget the 10 plagues God used to spiritually dethrone all of Egypt’s false gods and bust them out? Now I think I know why. God had the nation do this so it would be recorded and He could show Christians like me the similarities between the nation of Israel who didn’t believe Jesus would keep His word by taking them into Canaan (saving them), and someone today not believing Jesus would keep His word by taking them into Eternal Life (saving them).
So the Jews are again blindly wandering in a lonely place of unbelief while others are being brought by into salvation by Jesus. And as soon as Jesus has every Gentile in that He has always known will choose to believe Him, He will take the blindfold off of Israel and they will recognize Him as their Saviour by the nail prints in His hands.
God is so good. God is so good. God is so good. He’s so good to me!
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Blinding Unbelief
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
For They Have Consulted Together with One Consent
So I've been listening to different scholars speaking on prophecy and one man in particular has stood out to me. His name is Walid Shoebat. I originally heard him speak on a podcast called Salvation Revelation by Frank Lordi that I subscribed to via iTunes.
Mr. Shoebat was a former PLO terrorist who became a Christian while trying to convert his Christian wife to Islam. He has now become an advocate for Israel. Walid was born in Bethlehem and as a result of being raised Muslim, he has a different view of the bible than those of us Christians that were raised here in the West.
It was Mr. Shoebat that pointed out to me that all of the nations that are listed by name in the bible as being judged by Christ upon His 2nd coming just happen to be Muslim nations.
-Isaiah: Egypt, Lebanon, and Edom
-Habakuk: Midian
-Psalms: Ishmaelites, Syria, & Iraq, Moab, Hagarenes, Gebal, Ammon, Amelek, Philistia, Tyre, & Assur
-Ezekiel: Turkey
I find this VERY interesting.
Mr. Shoebat was a former PLO terrorist who became a Christian while trying to convert his Christian wife to Islam. He has now become an advocate for Israel. Walid was born in Bethlehem and as a result of being raised Muslim, he has a different view of the bible than those of us Christians that were raised here in the West.
It was Mr. Shoebat that pointed out to me that all of the nations that are listed by name in the bible as being judged by Christ upon His 2nd coming just happen to be Muslim nations.
-Isaiah: Egypt, Lebanon, and Edom
-Habakuk: Midian
-Psalms: Ishmaelites, Syria, & Iraq, Moab, Hagarenes, Gebal, Ammon, Amelek, Philistia, Tyre, & Assur
-Ezekiel: Turkey
I find this VERY interesting.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Israel to be Divided
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This is an article I read on World Net Daily today. I find that it's pretty important to stay on top of any news of Jerusalem being divided up as this will affect the whole world eschatologically whether non-Christians want to believe so or not.
Thus shall he [Antichrist] do in the most strong holds, with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39 KJV+)
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert handed to PA President Mahmoud Abbas a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from most of the strategic West Bank and for parts of the Israeli Negev desert – Israeli territory undisputed by the international community – to become part of a Palestinian state.
WND last week quoted a top Palestinian official stating Olmert told the PA he intends to accelerate negotiations the next few weeks to reach a deal on paper outlining a Palestinian state before he steps down from office next month.
Olmert earlier this month announced he will resign from office after his Kadima party holds internal elections next month to choose a new leader. He said he is stepping down due to a criminal investigation, described by police officials as "serious," in which he is accused of corruption and financial improprieties.
The Haaretz report says the deal, confirmed by diplomatic sources speaking to WND, was rejected last night by the Palestinians unless certain key modifications were made.
The plan grants the Palestinians passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on territory that would be jointly patrolled by Israel and the PA. The passageway would give the Palestinians access to areas close to central Israeli population centers.
Much of the plan previously was published by WND in a series of articles in recent months.
According to the plan Olmert sent to the PA, land to be annexed to Israel would include the large West Bank Jewish community blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion and the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and some land in the northern West Bank adjacent to Israel. The rest of the West Bank would be handed to the Palestinians.
An area from the Israeli Negev nearly equivalent in land mass to the territory Israel would retain in the West Bank would be transferred to the West Bank – marking the first official Israeli plan that calls for pre-1967 land to be given to the Palestinians. Pre-1967 refers to Israeli territory that was not reconquered in the 1967 Six Day War.
Mark Regev, Olmert's spokesman, refused to confirm yesterday to WND the existence of the plan as reported by Haaretz.
But Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas' spokesman, told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA the plan presented by Olmert showed a "lack of seriousness" since it did not provide for a contiguous Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The U.S. plan also called for peripheral eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem to become part of a future Palestinian state, but those sections of the plan seemed to have been placed on hold for now.
Olmert is considered a lame duck prime minister and according to polls has little standing with the Israeli population, but he has vowed to forge ahead with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations started at last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state by the end of the year.
Last week a top PA negotiator told WND Olmert has stated he plans to grant the Palestinians a state on paper before he steps down from office next month.
"Papers are very important. It puts limits on the new prime minister," said the PA negotiator, speaking to WND on condition of anonymity. "For example, the weak point of Israeli-Syrian negotiations are papers signed by former prime ministers that now must be abided by, during current negotiations.
"Olmert told us his goal is to reach an agreement on paper," the negotiator said.
He said the agreement will likely encompass understandings regarding the transfer of much of the West Bank to the Palestinians. He said he "hopes" the issue of Jerusalem is broached but that it might not be mentioned on paper beyond a declaration of agreement to negotiate further.
Thus shall he [Antichrist] do in the most strong holds, with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39 KJV+)
JERUSALEM – A detailed proposal for the creation of a Palestinian state that reportedly was presented by Israel to the Palestinian Authority in recent weeks was heavily influenced by the U.S. and is largely based on an American-drafted plan, World Net Daily (hereafter, WND) has learned.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert handed to PA President Mahmoud Abbas a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from most of the strategic West Bank and for parts of the Israeli Negev desert – Israeli territory undisputed by the international community – to become part of a Palestinian state.
WND last week quoted a top Palestinian official stating Olmert told the PA he intends to accelerate negotiations the next few weeks to reach a deal on paper outlining a Palestinian state before he steps down from office next month.
Olmert earlier this month announced he will resign from office after his Kadima party holds internal elections next month to choose a new leader. He said he is stepping down due to a criminal investigation, described by police officials as "serious," in which he is accused of corruption and financial improprieties.
The Haaretz report says the deal, confirmed by diplomatic sources speaking to WND, was rejected last night by the Palestinians unless certain key modifications were made.
The proposal calls for Israel to evacuate 93 percent of the West Bank, while the Palestinians would receive territory equivalent to 5.5 percent of the West Bank, located in the Israeli Negev desert.
The plan grants the Palestinians passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on territory that would be jointly patrolled by Israel and the PA. The passageway would give the Palestinians access to areas close to central Israeli population centers.
Much of the plan previously was published by WND in a series of articles in recent months.
According to the plan Olmert sent to the PA, land to be annexed to Israel would include the large West Bank Jewish community blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion and the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and some land in the northern West Bank adjacent to Israel. The rest of the West Bank would be handed to the Palestinians.
An area from the Israeli Negev nearly equivalent in land mass to the territory Israel would retain in the West Bank would be transferred to the West Bank – marking the first official Israeli plan that calls for pre-1967 land to be given to the Palestinians. Pre-1967 refers to Israeli territory that was not reconquered in the 1967 Six Day War.
The plan would be set out on paper and implemented on the Israeli side in stages, while the PA would need to first retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas before Israel would give them most of the West Bank.
Mark Regev, Olmert's spokesman, refused to confirm yesterday to WND the existence of the plan as reported by Haaretz.
But Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas' spokesman, told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA the plan presented by Olmert showed a "lack of seriousness" since it did not provide for a contiguous Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israeli diplomatic sources said Olmert will now offer a new draft plan in the immediate future.
The plan Olmert already presented was adapted from a detailed American proposal sent earlier this year to the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating delegations, diplomatic sources said.
The plan Olmert already presented was adapted from a detailed American proposal sent earlier this year to the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating delegations, diplomatic sources said.
The U.S. plan also called for peripheral eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem to become part of a future Palestinian state, but those sections of the plan seemed to have been placed on hold for now.
Olmert is considered a lame duck prime minister and according to polls has little standing with the Israeli population, but he has vowed to forge ahead with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations started at last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state by the end of the year.
Last week a top PA negotiator told WND Olmert has stated he plans to grant the Palestinians a state on paper before he steps down from office next month.
"Papers are very important. It puts limits on the new prime minister," said the PA negotiator, speaking to WND on condition of anonymity. "For example, the weak point of Israeli-Syrian negotiations are papers signed by former prime ministers that now must be abided by, during current negotiations.
"Olmert told us his goal is to reach an agreement on paper," the negotiator said.
He said the agreement will likely encompass understandings regarding the transfer of much of the West Bank to the Palestinians. He said he "hopes" the issue of Jerusalem is broached but that it might not be mentioned on paper beyond a declaration of agreement to negotiate further.
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