Category: Topical Bible Study

2015 November/December – Jesus is a Jew

Jesus is a Jew

“I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”  

– Revelation 22:16

By Mike Wingfield

A few weeks ago, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of our president, openly declared at a massive gathering in Washington D.C. that Jesus was a “Palestinian.” This is nothing new! For several years, the Palestinian leadership, while speaking to Christian tourists in Manger Square in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, has declared that Jesus was a Palestinian freedom fighter. Those who know the Word of God realize this is an absolute lie!

We are living at a time when the world rejects the truth about the Biblical Jesus. Many people have created their own version of Jesus. We live in a culture with a secular, consumer-oriented mindset that celebrates diversity instead of truth. Thus, it is very attractive for people to create a Jesus that meets their needs and desires. This mindset is expressed in a very popular contemporary song we hear at Christmas, entitled “Some Children See Him.” The lyrics are: “Some children see Him lily white, the baby Jesus born that night. Some children see Him bronzed and brown, the Lord of heaven to earth come down. Some children see Him almond-eyed, this Savior whom we kneel beside. Some children see Him as dark as they, sweet Mary’s Son, to whom we pray. …” This is not a song that true believers should sing or celebrate. Clearly, the Biblical Jesus is not everything to everybody in every culture. He is the sinless and eternal incarnate God-Man, who must be identified as the Jewish Lamb of God!

The denial of Jesus’ Jewish incarnation is part of a very devious and rapidly growing global movement aimed at destroying Biblical Christianity. This movement is motivated by a hatred for the Jewish people in general and the nation of Israel in particular.

This hatred of Jews and Israel has always existed within certain strains of the professing church. The denial of Jesus’ Jewishness is the ultimate extension of the dangerous doctrine of “Replacement Theology,” which teaches that God has permanently divorced the Jewish people as His chosen people. Those who proclaim this message say the church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. This teaching is a part of the dangerous apostasy of the last days. It has permeated churches in America. It is reported that approximately 67 percent of the pastors in the U.S. are teaching this! Therefore, it is very important that we know what the Bible teaches and are able to expose this lie about our Lord and Savior. What we think and believe about Jesus is at the very heart and foundation of our faith.

As we begin to examine the evidence that Jesus is a Jew, we must not forget the context of the entire Bible. The Bible is a divine revelation by the Holy One of Israel, given through the prophets and apostles of Israel. Many of the names of the God of the Bible directly connect Him with the Jewish people. The message about the Messiah and Redeemer of the Bible is immersed in the land, history, customs, and language of the Jewish people. Jesus declared to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) Therefore, the attempt to alter the Jewish identity of Jesus ignores the very divine fabric of the sovereign plan of God for all of mankind.

Let us begin to examine the Biblical evidence of the Jewish identity of Jesus. I pray that this brief overview of this Biblical truth will strengthen your faith and enable you to defend the truth about our Savior. As we shall discover, to err on this truth leads to dangerous and deadly consequences.

His Past: Jesus’ Incarnation and Earthly Ministry as a Jew

The New Testament begins with a clear statement about the Jewish identity of Jesus. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) The Holy Spirit moved the Apostle Matthew to begin the New Testament with the genealogy of Jesus Christ through His legal father, Joseph. Matthew 1:1-17 traces the ancestry of Joseph through King David to Abraham. It is absolutely necessary to demonstrate that Jesus has the legal right to the throne of David. (2 Samuel 7:12-16) If Jesus is not a Jewish descendent of King David, then He could not be the Messiah and rule over Israel during the future millennial kingdom! (Luke 1:31-33) Obviously, this is a major teaching of the Scriptures. Not only is Jesus the legal descendent of King David, but through His mother, Mary, He is also a physical descendent of King David. Luke 3:12-38 traces the physical ancestry of Mary through King David and Abraham to Adam. Therefore, it is biblically indisputable that Jesus was legally and physically born a Jew.

Jesus’ godly parents raised Jesus under the law of Moses and followed all of the Jewish traditions and customs of their day. Jesus was circumcised according to the law on the eighth day. (Leviticus 12:1-3; Luke 2:21) He was redeemed with the payment of five shekels according to the Jewish law. (Numbers 18:15-16; Luke 2:22-23) Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem every year to keep the feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:41) The account of Jesus sitting with the experts of the law at the temple when He was only 12, certainly illustrates that He was diligently schooled in the Old Testament Scriptures. Luke 2:47 states “And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

All of Jesus’ names and titles are Jewish. The angel told Joseph that the baby Mary was to deliver was to be called “JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The name “Jesus” was a common Jewish name, the same as the Old Testament name of Joshua.

Hundreds of times in the New Testament, the name Jesus is accompanied by the title “Christ.” The Greek word (the language of the original New Testament) “Christ” is the translation of the Hebrew word (the original language of the Old Testament) “Messiah,” which means “anointed one.” Literally, the name Jesus Christ means “Jesus the Messiah.” Obviously, in the larger context of the Bible, it is understood that Jesus was recognized by the New Testament writers as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Therefore, when a person refers to Jesus as Christ, they are openly recognizing that Jesus is a Jew.

Jesus was also called “the King of the Jews” (John 19:19), “the King of Israel” (John 12:13), “the son of David” (Mark 10:47), “the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), “Rabbi” (John 3:2), and “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 19:19). All of these titles indicate that Jesus was a Jew.

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Jewish Messiah and the God of Israel in the Old Testament. While speaking to a Jewish audience in John 8, Jesus declared that He lived at the time of Abraham. He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Many times in His earthly ministry Jesus said “I am…” Jesus knew that His people would connect these “I am” statements to the appearance of God to Moses at the burning bush, when He identified Himself as the “I AM THAT I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) In the very next verse, God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel that the “I AM” is “The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:15) Therefore, in all of His “I am” statements, Jesus was claiming to be the eternal God of Israel that revealed Himself to Moses and to Abraham. Jesus taught His followers that He was the direct and literal fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. (Luke 24:26-27, 44-47)

The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the redemptive fulfillment of all of the Jewish sacrifices in the Old Testament. (Hebrews 9:11-10:14) Most perfectly, He is the ultimate Passover Lamb. (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 5:7) When Jesus was introduced to His generation at His baptism, John said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Throughout the book of Revelation, Jesus is called “the Lamb.” (Revelation 5:6, 12, 13; 7:9; 12:11; 14:4; 19:7, 9; 21:14, 22-23, 27; 22:3) Certainly, this unique title of Jesus within the context of the Bible speaks of His Jewish identity.

According to the gospels, Jesus practiced and taught about the Jewish customs in His time, and kept the Biblical traditions of His day. He observed the Feasts of Israel and visited the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem frequently.
[Click here to view the picture]

www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/09/christianity-judaism

This artist’s portrayal of what Jesus may have looked like is probably more accurate than the more famous images that in many ways deny or ignore Jesus’ Jewish identity.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was distinctly Jewish. Some people think that because Jesus is the cornerstone of the church (Ephesians 2:20) that His ministry was a Christian ministry. Therefore, they conclude that He was a Christian, not a Jew. However, we must remember that Jesus always spoke of the church in the future tense (Matthew 16:18) because the church was not born until the Feast of Pentecost after Jesus had ascended back to heaven. (Acts 2) Jesus never preached in a church. He preached in Jewish synagogues throughout Israel. (Mark 1:39) Furthermore, it is a mistake to think that a Jew cannot be a Christian. All of the early church believers from Acts 1-9 were Jewish. A Jew is a person who has a physical ancestry that is traced back to one of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, a Christian is a person who has spiritually entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Spiritual salvation is “of the Jews.” (John 4:22) The gospel of Christ is the “power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first.” (Romans 1:16) Therefore, while Jesus is the cornerstone of the church, and the church is built upon Him, in the strictest sense, Jesus was not a Christian, but a Jew. As explained by the Apostle Paul, the life of the church comes from its Jewish roots in Jesus Christ and the Jewish Scriptures. (Romans 11:11-24)

All of Jesus’ associates in His ministry were Jewish. His disciples were Jewish. (Mark 1:16-20) His audience was almost exclusively Jewish. (Matthew 10:5-6) His opponents were the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 22:15-40) His message consisted of an offer of the kingdom of God to Israel. (Matthew 10:7; Luke 8:1) While identifying with the Jewish law and prophets, and proclaiming a kingdom message, Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah in His transfiguration. (Luke 9:28-36)

Furthermore, Jesus’ earthly ministry took place within the land of Israel. He was born in Bethlehem, and grew up in Nazareth. He was tempted in the Judean wilderness. Jesus’ ministry was centered in Galilee. He fulfilled many prophecies about Himself in Jerusalem. He preached in Israel’s cities and villages. He visited Jacob’s well at Sychar. He performed miracles throughout Israel. He was buried in a Jewish tomb, and ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives. Jesus was recognized as a Jew by His historical contemporaries. The Jewish people called Jesus rabbi, the Son of David, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of Galilee, a prophet of Israel, and Messiah. All of these names and titles would clearly mark Him as a Jew. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water from Jacob’s well at Sychar, she responded: “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (John 4:9)

During His ministry, Jesus identified with the Jewish people, calling them “my brethren.” (Matthew 25:40; 28:10) Those who hate Jews should remember that Jesus is Jewish and that the Jewish people are His people. Those who hate or harm the Jewish people are touching “the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)

His Present: Jesus is the Jewish God-Man in Heaven

The same Jesus who appeared to the disciples as the resurrected Jewish Messiah, is the same Jesus who is in heaven today. Several years after the ascension, Jesus spoke to Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus in the language of the Jews, Hebrew. (Acts 26:14) Today, Jesus functions as our Jewish High Priest in heaven. Hebrews 2:16-17 declares: “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” Therefore, we must conclude that Jesus is the eternally glorified Jewish God-Man in heaven. His Jewish robe of flesh that He began to wear during His earthly incarnation will continue to be the nature of His divine revelation in His state of eternal glorification. This was certainly the declared truth of the two angels to the disciples on the Mount of Olives at Jesus’ ascension to heaven. They said: “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

His Future: Jesus will return to earth as the Jewish King of Kings

When Jesus bodily returns to this earth in His awesome revelation at the end of the Tribulation Period, He will have the same resurrected body that He ascended to heaven with almost two thousand years ago. The ancient prophet of Zechariah wrote that when Jesus returns, His people will mourn when they recognize that their Messiah is the One that was crucified outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem in 30 A.D. Zechariah wrote: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. … And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 12:10; 13:6)

When Jesus returns as the Jewish “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16), He will return first to the Mount of Olives. (Zechariah 14:4) He will judge the surviving Gentile nations on the basis of how they have treated His Jewish brethren. (Matthew 25:40) He will establish His kingdom of peace upon all of the earth, ruling from the “holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6) As promised to His apostles in the Upper Room at His last Passover, He will once again celebrate the Passover with all of the redeemed nation of Israel in Jerusalem. (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18) It is emphatically clear from Scripture that the kingdom over which Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will reign will be a Jewish kingdom. (Isaiah 2:1-5; 60:1-22; Zechariah 14:16-21)

Why is all of this so relevant and significant to our faith? According to the gospel, our faith is firmly anchored in the person of the biblical Jesus! Our faith must be grounded in the historical Jesus whom the apostles portrayed in the gospels. To change anything about His spiritual or physical identity as determined by the eternal “counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), is to reject the Lamb of God! Rejecting God’s Lamb is the same as rejecting God’s salvation. They are one and the same. Jesus said to His Jewish disciples as they celebrated the Passover, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Contrary to what many believe, God has not divorced the Jewish people from His calling as a people set apart unto Himself for His eternal purposes. The Lord said to Israel through His servant Moses: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers…“ (Deuteronomy 7:6-8) God’s choice of Israel as His chosen people is not based upon their performance, but upon His unconditional promises and unchanging character. It is not based upon Israel’s accomplishments, but God’s faithfulness. At the end of the Old Testament, even after all of Israel’s rebellion against Him, the Lord declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

God’s blessings upon the nation of Israel in the last days is not because of their faithfulness to Him. Concerning the last days and the supernatural return of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel, Ezekiel wrote: “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes; O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.” (Ezekiel 36:22)

The question of God’s divorcement of Israel was being considered in the early days of the Church Age. When the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome in 56 A.D., he was directed by the Holy Spirit to deal with this matter. He wrote: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” (Romans 11:1-2) Later in this same chapter, Paul explained that the very spiritual life of the predominately Gentile church flows out of believing Israel. Using the analogy of Israel as a domesticated olive tree and the Gentiles as a wild olive tree, Paul explains that the Gentile believers in Jesus Christ have been grafted into the Jewish faith, both of which have the same Jewish roots. (Romans 11:11-24) The predominately Gentile church enjoys the life and fruit of God because of its connection to the Jewish roots of faith. (Romans 11:18) This text explains that the Gentile church has not replaced the Jewish salvation through a Jewish Savior and a Jewish revelation, the Word of God. Believing Gentiles have been grafted in, but the Jewish roots have not been altered! To take away the Jewish identity of Jesus is to kill the Jewish roots and would thus kill the true church which receives its life from the Jewish roots.

Therefore, anyone who willfully rejects the Jewish identity of Jesus and hates the Jewish people has been deceived and is in opposition to God. According to Psalm 83:2-4, those who hate Israel also hate God and are the enemies of God. The rejection of a Jewish Jesus and the hatred for Israel are one and the same! This fact is illustrated in the life of Adolf Hitler. On April 12, 1922, Hitler said: “My feelings as a Christian point me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God’s truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. Today, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before in the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross.”

Hitler arrived at his conclusions because of the writings of a German pastor, Martin Luther. While Martin Luther was instrumental in bringing about the reformation, he failed to fully grasp the entire revelation of God. Unfortunately, Luther was trapped in the false teachings of Replacement Theology that had preceded him in Catholicism. His anti-Semitic writings and statements clearly illustrate this. His anti-Semitic teachings ultimately led Hitler and the Germans to brutally murder one-half of the world’s Jewish population in the Holocaust.
[Click here to view the picture]

A member of Westboro Baptist Church during a public rally

The statements of Jesus (Matthew 10:22; 24:9), and the context of the prophetic Scriptures (Revelation 12) indicate that at the end of this age there will be a great revival of hatred for Jews and for Israel. At this very hour we are witnessing an incredible resurgence of hatred being directed toward the Jewish population in Israel. Even here in the United States, anti-Semitism is growing out of control. As in Nazi Germany, this movement toward socialism and a godless agenda is being fueled by a professing church that rejects a Jewish Jesus and openly adopts replacement theology. These parallels are very frightening!

We continue to hear that the fastest growing religion in the world and in America is Islam. Islam teaches that Jesus was not Jewish, but is a Muslim. They believe that when their Islamic messiah arrives he will be accompanied by Jesus, who they say will destroy churches, break crosses, and kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. Obviously, underlining all of this is the Islamic hatred for Israel and the Jewish people. The most dangerous and venomous hatred for Israel and the Jews is propagated within Islamic circles around the world. The reason Islam is growing so rapidly around the world is because it proclaims a message that the godless world wants to hear and mimic. A part of that attractive message is a hatred for Jews, Israel, and the church.

The war that ISIS is waging in the Middle East is based upon their view of a Muslim Jesus, which is traced back to the teachings and lifestyle of their founding prophet, Mohammed. This is why ISIS is decapitating and crucifying Christians. ISIS continues to state that their ultimate goal is to capture Jerusalem and kill all of the Jews in Israel. This is exactly what the Antichrist and his armies will do on a global scale during the Tribulation Period.

My friend, I hope that you are beginning to see how dangerous and deadly it is to deny that Jesus is a Jew. On the surface it may appear that this is not a serious matter. However, to deny the Jewish identity of Jesus is to unravel the very divine fabric of the Word of God. God’s eternal choice of the Jewish people covers the entire Bible from Genesis 12 to the last chapters of the Bible in the book of Revelation. As a matter of fact, the eternal city in which we will dwell forever is called the “new Jerusalem.” (Revelation 21:2) This city will have 12 gates, on which will be written “the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 21:12) And, the 12 walls of the city will contain “the names of the twelve [Jewish] apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14)

I wish to conclude this article with a quote from biblicalaracheology.org: “To wrench Jesus out of his Jewish world destroys Jesus and destroys Christianity, the religion that grew out of his teachings. Even Jesus’ most familiar role as Christ is a Jewish role. If Christians leave the concrete realities of Jesus’ life and of the history of Israel in favor of a mythic, universal, spiritual Jesus and an otherworldly kingdom of God, they deny their origins in Israel, their history, and the God who has loved and protected Israel and the church. They cease to interpret the actual Jesus sent by God and remake him in their own image and likeness. The dangers are obvious. If Christians violently wrench Jesus out of his natural, ethnic and historical place within the people of Israel, they open the way to doing equal violence to Israel, the place and people of Jesus. This is a lesson of history that haunts us all [as we begin the 21st century].” (www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/was-jesus-a-jew)

Major Oil Discovery in Israel

Several news sources are reporting that a major oil deposit has been discovered by Israel on the Golan Heights near the border with Syria. Those who have completed this exploration indicate that the size of this oil pocket will make Israel energy independent for several years. All of this follows the discovery of massive natural gas deposits off the coast of Israel in the last few years.

These reports are significant because they illustrate that Israel is becoming a major economic player in the Middle East. According to Ezekiel 38:12-13, the nations of the Middle East will join Russia in a war to seize Israel’s wealth. With the military forces of Russia and Iran gathering in Syria to fight against the Sunni radicals that are attempting to overthrow the Syrian government, and this discovery of oil, just a few miles away on the Golan Heights, all of this could be setting the stage for the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel. “Sputnik News, an international news agency wholly owned and operated by the Russian government, is already claiming that the oil belongs to Syria. ‘The oil deposit lies in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as Syrian territory but has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war between Israel and Arab states.’” (www.breakingisraelnews.com)

Jewish Immigration up by 35 percent

One of the most frequent prophetic promises in the Bible is the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland- Israel in the last days. The Lord has declared: “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” (Jeremiah 30:3) Israel’s population now stands at 8.4 million, of which 6.3 (74.9 percent) are Jewish. In the last Jewish year there was a 35 percent increase in Jewish immigration to Israel over previous years. Most of these Jewish people came from Ukraine (26 percent), France (25 percent), Russia (21 percent), and the United States (9 percent).

I have witnessed this immigration trend during the 30 years I have been traveling to Israel. I remember asking several Israeli Jews why they immigrated to Israel and their response was, “Something inside of me said it was time to come home.” In the 1990s, I remember being in the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and watching an entire jet load of Russian Jews flood the immigration lines.

The Lord is speaking to the world through this process. In Ezekiel 36:22-24, God said to the returning Jews in the last days: “I do not this for your sakes: O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, … And I will sanctify my great name, … and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”

The Lord of heaven has married the Jewish people to the land of Israel. (Isaiah 62:4-5) “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6) The world, and especially the current U.S. administration is attempting to remove the Jewish people from the heartland (the “West Bank”) of what the Lord has promised to His chosen people. The world is at war with God. To God, the inhabitants of the earth are “as grasshoppers.” (Isaiah 40:22) Do you know what happens when the grasshoppers declare war on the God of the universes? “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.” (Psalm 2:4)

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2015 April – The Land of God

The Land of God

“Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”- Deuteronomy 32:43

By Mike Wingfield

No piece of property has caused more division or conflict than the land of Israel. The ancient superpowers of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome all attacked Israel and occupied this land. Islam has been in conflict with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob over the land of God for 1,300 years. The international community, which totals 7 billion, is currently pressuring 6 million Jews living in Israel to surrender the heart of their divinely promised land to an enemy that is sworn to Israel’s destruction. Several sources in the Israeli media are reporting that U.S. President Obama recently called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli election. During the 30-minute conversation described as “difficult,” our president informed Netanyahu that the United States would no longer support Israel at the United Nations with regard to the creation of a Palestinian State. This means that the U.S. administration will support a possible international demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank (Biblical Judea and Samaria) to the pre-1967 borders, including the ancient Biblical city of Jerusalem. In other words, we are about to watch the United Nations attempt to force a peace treaty upon Israel. As we watch these developments unfold, we must be reminded that this is a fulfillment of the prophecies revealed to the ancient prophets of Israel by the Lord more than 2,500 years ago.

This little land has a unique place in the heart, will, mind, and eternal plans of God. It is the divine stage of the story of God that is designed to display His sovereign power and divine nature. In this newsletter, I would like to help us examine three divine features of the Holy Land.

Its Divine Source

The Bible begins with these words: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) The testimony of God’s revelation proclaims that everything that takes place on this planet is a part of God’s divine plan, formulated in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8) The Lord Jesus created everything to fulfill His eternal purposes. (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27) At the center of that plan, for the glory of God, is the revelation of God’s Son. Long before there was an earth, the Lord decided to create a planet and select a small portion of land mass to become the stage upon which He would unfold the greatest story ever told! An examination of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and their divine fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ in the

Gospels, makes it clear that God chose the little land of Israel as the divine stage for His revelation and redemption.

Before the nation of Israel would occupy their land for the first time, God revealed to Moses that He had created that land for His chosen people and the divine purposes for which He had selected them. Deuteronomy 32:8 declares: “When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.” This simply means that the size of this land was determined by the number of Jewish people throughout the ages. The land of Israel is about the size of the state of New Jersey. It is tiny because the Jewish people, when compared to other ethnic people groups, are relatively few in number. The Lord also reminded Moses of this as well: “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.” (Deuteronomy 7:7) Today, the world Jewish population is approximately 15 million, which is about .3 percent of the global population.

Israel is a very densely populated nation. Almost one-half of the global Jewish population is currently living in their ancient homeland. The time will come, at the beginning of the Kingdom, when all living Jews will return to Israel. Speaking of this day, Ezekiel wrote: “As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:38)

When the Lord created the Holy Land, He also strategically placed it at the center of all the nations. (Ezekiel 5:5) The land of Israel is a natural land bridge that connects three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa. During the days of the Old Testament, Israel was always at the center of the political power structure of the world, with Egypt to the south and Assyria, Babylon, and Persia to the north. So, God’s chosen people occupied the most significant piece of property among the powers of the ancient world. Because of Israel’s strategic location, these ancient superpowers always wanted to occupy and control the Holy Land for their political and commercial purposes. Militarily, Israel found itself at the center of the war between these superpowers, many of them choosing to meet their enemy in the Valley of Armageddon, rather than conducting their wars in one of their own countries. Hence, by default, Israel was always at the center of the struggle for power in the ancient world.

It is extremely significant to note that the Lord chose to send out His divine revelation to the world from the center of the globe. The eternal Son of God came to the center of His creation and fulfilled the eternal mission of His Father. Then, He sent His apostles from the heart of the world into all nations with His message of redemption. (Acts 1:8) When Jesus returns to the earth to establish His earthly kingdom, He will return to the hub of the earth and rule from the center of the world over all nations for 1,000 years. (Isaiah 2:1-4) Jerusalem will become the political, religious, economic, and educational capital of the world.

The exact location of the Promised Land is clearly outlined in the Scriptures. (Genesis 15:18-21; Joshua 1:3-4)

Map

Looking at the current map of the Middle East, the land promised to Israel includes all of modern-day Israel (including the “West Bank” and “Gaza”), all of Lebanon, all of Jordan, and parts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey. Israel has never occupied or possessed all of this land, but will acquire it all during the Millennial Kingdom of her Messiah, Jesus Christ.

It is also important to note that the Holy Land was not the choice of the Jewish patriarchs. God chose the land (Genesis 12:1) and gave it to them in an eternal (Genesis 13:15) and unconditional covenant. (Genesis 15:7-21) Because this was an unconditional covenant, God cannot revoke His promise. After their first divine judgment, in which they were cast out of the land, the Lord continued to declare that the land belonged to Israel. As a remnant of Jews were returning to the land after the Babylonian Captivity, the Lord spoke through the prophet Zechariah (475 B.C.) and proclaimed: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. … And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” (Zechariah 2:10, 12)

Its Divine Stewardship

While the entire earth belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1), in a very unique sense, the Lord has repeatedly declared that the Holy Land belongs to Him! In Leviticus 25:23, He distinctly affirmed: “the land is mine.” Throughout the Bible, the Lord repeatedly refers to this land as “my land.” (Isaiah 14:25; Ezekiel 36:5, Joel 3:2)

The Bible is emphatic that the Creator and Ruler of the earth has chosen the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the tenants that have the sole right to occupy the land of God. In Leviticus 25:23, He said to Israel: “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” More than 100 times in the Old Testament, the Lord declared He would “give” His land to His people, Israel. (Genesis 13:15; 15:18) Therefore, as He spoke to the Jewish people, He referred to the Holy Land as “your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

There has never been a group of people who have been so attached to a piece of property like the Jewish people have been passionately devoted to the Holy Land. The Lord has given them an unusual and binding love for this land. The Bible compares the love the Jewish people have for Jerusalem and the Holy Land to a love relationship and covenant that exists between a young man and his virgin bride who are passionately in love with each other. (Isaiah 62:4-5)

The Jewish people are the divinely appointed stewards of
God’s property. In spite of their failures, God has not changed His plans. He gave them this land to fulfill His divine purposes upon this unique stage for all the world to see. They are actors on God’s stage to send God’s message to the entire world. According to Biblical prophecy, the final act has not yet taken place and is in progress at this very moment.

Its Divine Strategy

In all of this, we must be reminded that the sovereign Creator of the universe has entrusted His stewardship of His land to His people for His glory. (Isaiah 46:9-13) To accomplish this, the Lord has chosen to reveal His divine strategy for all of this to come to pass, as He designed before the world was created. A study of Biblical history and prophecy helps us to read the script for God’s story that has been and will be acted out on His divine stage – the Holy Land.

As we read the Bible, we discover that God has chosen to reveal some of the details of His eternal plan. For example, we know that the Lord knew He would need to provide a plan of reconciliation for mankind before He created the earth and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and gave them instructions to not disobey Him. God’s plan of redemption was in place before He spoke the creation into existence. The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ as “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” (Revelation13:8) While God has sent His divine judgment upon the wicked in the past, this has not altered His eternal plans for the redemption of a remnant of mankind to dwell with Him in heaven for all of eternity.

Likewise, the Lord has not forsaken or altered His plans for His people and His land! He has declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6) The Bible gives us insight into the unique plans the Lord has for Israel. He spoke to Abraham and told him that his descendants would live in Egypt and then after about 400 years would return as a nation to occupy the Promised Land. (Genesis 15:12-21) The record of the amazing fulfillment of this promise is recorded in the Bible. (Genesis 46- Deuteronomy 34)

Before the Jewish nation would occupy the Promised Land the first time, the Lord revealed to Moses that Israel would eventually forsake the Lord and be driven out of their land by divine judgment. (Deuteronomy 28:63-67; 30:3-5) The beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy began many years later when the Lord used the Assyrians in 722 B.C. to defeat and disperse the 10 tribes of northern Israel into many nations in the ancient world. About 125 years later, the Lord used the Babylonians to fulfill His plan by defeating the remaining two Jewish tribes in southern Judah, allowing the enemy to destroy Jerusalem and its temple. A Jewish remnant was carried away as captives to Babylon.

If a person did not read the divine prophecies about Israel’s future, and the rest of God’s story recorded in the Bible, he might think that God’s plan for Israel was finished. However, we know from Scripture, that this was not the case. The Lord revealed to the ancient prophet Jeremiah that the Babylonian captivity would last only 70 years. (Jeremiah 25:12) After that, a remnant of Jews would return to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and to occupy the land once again. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah chronicle for us God’s story of the beginning of the first international re-gathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland. This return of a remnant of Jewish people from Babylon and the nations of the ancient world to Israel began in 539 B.C. and continued until the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. With this defeat, the Jewish people were once again scattered among the nations of the world. In 135 A.D.,

the Romans changed the name of Israel to Palestine, hoping to defeat the passionate plans for a return of the Jewish people to their beloved land called Israel.

Once again, if a person is not aware of the unconditional promises God made to Israel and the prophecies of how this would come to pass, he might conclude that God is done with Israel. As a matter of fact, many pastors and Christians have arrived at this conclusion. They believe that God is finished with Israel and all of the divine promises given to Israel have now been transferred to the church. For many Biblical reasons, this is totally impossible!

According to the script of God’s story recorded in the Scriptures, the Jewish people would “abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice. … Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:4-5) This simply means that after many years of international dispersion, the Jewish people would eventually seek the Lord and begin a process of returning to the land of Israel once again in the last days. The return of the Jewish people to their land in the last days is a divine process. (Jeremiah 30:3; Ezekiel 36:24) In the midst of this process, a time of great trouble will come upon the Jewish people. (Jeremiah 30:4-7; Matthew 24:15-22) This time of great distress and anguish will surpass anything that they or any other nation have experienced in all of human history. (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21) However, the Scriptures repeatedly assert that God’s story will be completed as He has declared. A believing Jewish remnant in the land will survive the Tribulation Period and be joined by all of the remaining believing Jews scattered among the nations in their final re-gathering to their land. Shortly after the kingdom begins, all Jews will return to Israel. The entire living nation of Israel will be saved (Zechariah 13:10-13:9; Romans 11:26) and join their Messiah for His reign in the Holy Land. The Lord has promised that this will take place. He told Ezekiel: “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them into the own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 39:25-29)

This entire process of the return of the Jewish people to Israel in the last days is known in the Bible as the second international re-gathering to their land. (Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 11:11-12) Please notice that the Bible demands that there will be two international re-gatherings of the Jewish people to the Holy Land. The first international re-gathering began in 539 B.C. and ended in 70 A.D. This second and final return of the Jewish people began during the 20th century and will be finalized at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom.

According to the Bible, once this second international process of the return of Israel begins, they will never be forced out of the land again. In Amos 9:14-15, the Lord declared: “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.”

We are witnessing this process at this time. Israel is in the midst of their second international re-gathering and there will not be another one! The same prophetic Scriptures foretell how the nations will oppose the return of the Jewish people to their homeland in the last days. It will begin with a regional opposition to the Jews in their land (Ezekiel 36:2-7), leading to a global rejection of the Jewish occupation of the land of Israel. (Joel 3:2) This is exactly what we are witnessing at this hour. Israel is opposed by a global Muslim population of 1.6 billion. This enemy of Israel is being supported by the vast majority of the remaining global population. In essence, 6 million Jews are facing an overwhelming opposition of all nations, numbering 7 billion!

However, according to the Biblical script of God’s story, the God of Israel will protect and defend His people and His land by supernatural means. The last seven years of human government’s control on this planet with be a horrific struggle as Satan manipulates the nations to follow His messiah, the Antichrist, in his desperate attempt to destroy Israel and defeat the Lord. At the center of this whirlwind is the land of Israel. Speaking about the divine response of Satan and man’s rebellion at the end of this age, Isaiah declared: “For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.” (Isaiah 34:8)

God’s script about how all of this will end is clear. Israel will win this war, by divine enablement. They eventually will occupy all of the land of Israel. Each person and nation must decide if they will stand with God and Israel, or the world and Satan. When the nations gather against God in Israel at the battle of Armageddon, they will join the “multitudes in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:14) All who join them will die a sudden and horrific death as commanded from the mouth of the King of Kings when He returns to this earth to fight for Israel. (Zechariah 14:3; Revelation 19:15)

The Lord’s program for His people in His land is a divine test for the nations of the world. About 4,000 years ago, the Lord clearly stated this when He declared to the great patriarch of the Jewish people, Abraham: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) History demonstrates that God has kept His Word. As nations unite to force Israel to give up the land that God has given to them, they are inviting the global judgment of God. It is coming. It is only a matter of time.

God’s divine strategy for His land will be fulfilled. Satan is once again promoting lies and orchestrating hatred on a global scale toward the Jewish people and their occupation of the Holy Land. As we witness the growth of anti-Semitism around the world, we know the end of the story. It is our obligation and privilege to tell God’s story and rescue a remnant from the wrath of God that will be poured out upon all nations during the Tribulation Period. We need to remind them of God’s commandment in Deuteronomy 32:43: “Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”

Get ready for the shout! It is closer than ever before!

Lies against Israel

I would like to caution all of our readers about the lies being perpetrated by the global media about Israel. Other than Washington D.C., more journalists live in and report out of Jerusalem than any other city in the world. Given the relatively small size of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, this is an astounding fact. This proves two things: First, Israel is near the top of the list concerning global attention. Second, the world is determined to promote lies about Israel based upon their hatred for the Jewish people in general and the nation of Israel in particular.

For example, in March, Gaza was experiencing flooding conditions. The flooding was due to above-average rain- fall this winter. Since Gaza is a low lying area, it always has a tendency to flood with large amounts of rain in the region. However, the media began to spread a rumor that Israel was purposely opening their dams in the Negev area of southern Israel and flooding Gaza. This rumor was reported around the world. The journalists who reported this as fact did not check the facts to note that Israel does not have a dam in the Negev. It is a desert! When the media began to retract their statement, it was too late. The damage was done. The world did not notice the retraction, but continued to support the lie perpetrated against Israel.

When the 45 members of the Commission on the Status of Women convened at UN Headquarters in New York in March, they released a report condemning Israel for the abuse of the rights of Palestinian women. The report stated: “the Israeli occupation continues to be the main obstacle to Palestinian women in relation to their advancement, independence and integration in the development of their society.” (www.timesofisrael.com, March 23, 2015)

Those of us who have studied the developments in the Middle East know this report is a farce. The Palestinian sympathizers singled out Israel and made no comment about the rights of Arab women being violated in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, or other Muslim dominated countries where Sharia law is binding.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, gave the following response to their report: “If anyone has ever doubted that the UN is biased against Israel, today we got further proof. Of the 193 member states in this institution, dozens slaughter innocent civilians and impose discriminatory laws that marginalize women and yet they all get a free pass. The Commission on the Status of Women itself includes some of the worst violators of human rights, such as Iran and Sudan. … Honor killings in the Palestinian Authority are a matter of daily occurrence, and employment of women stands at only 17%,’ he pointed out. ‘It is time for the Palestinians to finally take responsibility for something. Their mistreatment of women is a chance to start taking responsibility. It’s not enough for the Palestinians to cynically exploit this institution; they’ve now made it their mission to turn the Commission on the Status of Women into a politically charged forum.’” (www.timesofisrael.com, March 23, 2015

The above stories are only the tip of the iceberg of recent lies perpetrated against Israel by the global media and the U.N. During the recent Israeli election campaign, Israelis knew that many foreign sources, including the efforts of the current American administration, were investing large sums of money to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu as the next prime minister of Israel. It was perceived by the international community that if the more liberal left-wing politicians could be voted into power in Israel, they would be fair game for the manipulation of the international will to force Israel into a deadly agreement with the Palestinians. We can be thankful that the majority of the Israelis were wise to these attempts to destroy their country and voted to place in office those they perceived would provide the greatest security for their nation.

It is hard for most of us to comprehend how this could take place in Israel and around the world. However, we have a perfect historical comparison in the New Testament in Luke 23. Remember that during the trial of Jesus before the Roman governor, Pilate, the Jewish leadership was so spiritually blind and filled with hate, that they chose for a dangerous murderer, Barabbas, to be released rather than Jesus. This simply illustrates that hatred can so blinding that people will chose a path of death rather than life. The liberal political left in Israel and around the world hated Netanyahu so much that they were blinded because of the political right’s support for the Biblical mandate to retain the land that the Lord promised to the Jewish people.

Some very difficult days lie ahead for Israel. They are losing the support of their greatest ally, the United States, while Iran is moving ever closer to manufacturing a nuclear bomb. The U.N. is poised to force Israel to withdraw to borders that will make them even more vulnerable to the Islamic enemies that are sworn to their destruction. Those of us who know the God of Abraham, know that while the world abandons Israel, He will not forsake them. The stage is set for the greatest display of the sovereign power of God on earth as He moves to protect His land and His people. Then, the entire world will know that He is the Lord God of Israel! Praise the Lord!

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2015 January – The Holy City of Jerusalem

The Holy City of Jerusalem

“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.” Psalm 102:13-14

By Mike Wingfield

Just a few weeks ago, I once again stood within the ancient walls of the most important city in the world – Jerusalem. Strangely enough, when I am in Jerusalem, my heart fills with joy because it feels like “home” to me.

For almost three decades, I have been making trips to Israel. What a privilege I have had to walk where so many prophets and kings of Israel, and especially our Lord Jesus, walked. With each of my tours, I have purposely left Jerusalem as the final destination of our pilgrimage in the Holy Land. As a lifetime student of the Word of God and believer in Jesus Christ, my heart has been greatly stirred each time I have visited the holy city of Jerusalem.

There is no city on earth like Jerusalem. It is the only city with a divine destiny. The sovereign power and zeal of God guarantees that this city will ultimately fulfill its divine purpose. (Read Isaiah 62:1-7.) When the old Jerusalem passes away with the old earth, the New Jerusalem will appear on the New Earth. (Revelation 21:1-2)

No other city in the Bible demands attention like Jerusalem. It is mentioned by name over 800 times. When other names for this city are considered, the Biblical references to Jerusalem number over 1,000. Jerusalem is called “Zion” over 150 times in the Scriptures. Other names include: “The city of the great King,” “The city of the Lord of Hosts,” Ariel, City of God, City of David, City of Judah, City of Righteousness, City of Truth, Holy City, Faithful City.

The Lord considers Jerusalem to be holy. This means that this city is different than all other cities. It is a city set apart from all other cities. It is not the largest city in the world, or the most populated. The uniqueness of Jerusalem is bound up in the eternal purposes of God.

(Psalm 102:13-21; 125:1) It has played a major role in God’s plans in the past and is destined to be at center stage during the last days of man’s time on this earth.

In many ways, Jerusalem is totally unique. With this in mind, let us look at five ways Jerusalem is unique:

1. Jerusalem is geographically at the center of the earth.

When the Lord created the nations, He placed the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 5:5) Literally, Ezekiel 5:5 declares that Jerusalem is the “navel” of the earth. Just as the umbilical cord has been designed by the Creator to transfer life sustaining substances to the baby while in its mother’s womb, even so the Lord has chosen that spiritual life for the soul has come through Jerusalem to the nations of the world. The Word of the Lord and our redemption have come out of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is destined to be the center of the Messiah’s global administration during His reign over the nations for 1,000 years. (Isaiah 2:1-3) Jerusalem will serve as the spiritual, political, educational, and economic hub of the world. All nations will be required to go up to Jerusalem annually to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16) Those who dwell in the kingdom will call the Holy City “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) How fitting for Jerusalem to be located in the center of the nations.

Before we continue with our consideration of Jerusalem being unique among the cities of the nations, I would like to point out that Ezekiel’s statement about Jerusalem being the geographical center of the nations could not have been humanly determined in his time. The first attempts to construct a global map took place only a few hundred years before the time of Christ. These maps were very crude and inaccurate. Therefore, Ezekiel’s declaration about Jerusalem being the center of the earth must have been due to divine revelation. This is the only logical explanation.

2. Jerusalem is the focus of divine attention.

The divine will and purposes of God are always at the center of His focus. While speaking about the Promised Land, the Lord told Moses that the land He was giving to His people was a land that He cared for, and that “the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”

(Deuteronomy 11:12) Hundreds of years later, when Solomon had completed the Temple in Jerusalem, the Lord repeated the Davidic covenant to the King (a covenant that guarantees a future descendant of David will rule from Jerusalem). In doing so, He spoke concerning Jerusalem and swore: “mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3)

When the Lord looks upon Jerusalem, He uses the language of affection that a young man would use as he looks upon his virgin bride. (Isaiah 62:5) God rejoices over Jerusalem and longs for her with a great love. Under divine inspiration, the Psalmist wrote: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion.” (Psalm 48:2) In Psalm 50:2, he declared: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” This beloved city is known as “the mount Zion which he loved.” (Psalm 78:68) “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. … for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. … And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” (Zechariah 1:14; 2:8, 12)

In a very unique way, Jerusalem is known in the Bible as symbolically being the dwelling place of God. (Psalm 74:2; 76:2) Psalm 132:13-14 proclaims: “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” It is called “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) It is “the city of our God” (Psalm 48:1, see also Psalm 87:3), “the city of the great King” (Psalm 48:2), and “the city of the LORD of hosts” (Psalm 48:8) The Lord has determined that His name is to be associated with Jerusalem. (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11) Jerusalem is “a crown of glory,” and “a royal diadem” in the hand of the Lord. (Isaiah 62:3) While speaking of His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Father has announced to the nations: “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6)

The Lord has promised that He will never forget Jerusalem. In a very unique way He has declared:

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:16)

When we begin to grasp the reality of these truths, we can begin to fathom the purposes behind Satan’s great efforts to destroy the very city that the Lord loves. Satan hates what the Lord loves.

3. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the spirit world

Satan is known in the Bible as the prince of this world. It is his objective to dominate and control the kingdoms of this world in his war against the Most High God. God’s name, “the Most High God,” indicates that He is “the possessor of heaven and earth.” (Genesis 14:19, 22)

Satan knows that the creation belongs to God. However, it is his desire to dethrone God and take control of the creation for his own purposes. There is a sense in which the Lord has allowed Satan to have temporary control over the godless kingdoms of this world. All of this is reflected in Satan’s strategy in the temptation of Jesus at the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry. (Matthew 4:8­10) Jerusalem is at the center of Satan’s efforts to dominate the kingdoms of this world in his opposition to God’s eternal plan. (Isaiah 14:12-14) The prophetic Word of God clearly demonstrates that Satan’s messiah, the Antichrist, will desire to dominate the city of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11­12) It is not an accident that Israel is locked in a death duel with Islam over the occupation and possession of Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount.

While speaking to Satan about His divine purposes for Jerusalem, the Lord referred to Jerusalem as “a brand plucked out of the fire.” (Zechariah 3:2) Indeed, Jerusalem has faced the attack of satanically inspired Gentile forces for centuries. What God has chosen to bless and use for His glory, Satan has desired to curse and abuse for His own purposes in his war against the Lord. At the epicenter of the war in the spirit world is the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel.

While in Israel in November, my Israeli guide informed us that more foreign journalists live and report out of Jerusalem than any other city in the world, with the exception of Washington D.C. It is interesting to note that the occupation and control of Jerusalem was of little significance to the world until the return of the Jewish people in the last century. It is very apparent that Satan opposes any Israeli control of the Holy Land or holy city of Jerusalem because of its relative significance to the approaching kingdom of God upon this earth and his doom in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:1-3)

This struggle for Jerusalem is made even more complicated because it is the center of three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is most unique to be in Jerusalem for a weekend. The Muslim’s holy day is Friday. The Jewish people worship on Shabbat, beginning on Friday evening and ending the following evening. The Christians worship on the first day of the week, Sunday. Most Israeli churches have their worship service on Saturday evening, which according Biblical reckoning of time begins at sundown. (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) In the Jewish frame of Biblical time, Sunday begins at sundown, not at midnight. The weekend in Israel consists of Friday and Saturday. Their workweek begins on Sunday morning.

4. Jerusalem is at the heart of God’s redemptive plan

The city of Jerusalem is at the center of God’s stage in His eternal plans. The city is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18 as “Salem,” which means “peace.” The name Jerusalem means “city of peace.” It is not a coincidence that the eternal God sent His Son to die outside the walls of Jerusalem to reconcile sinful men to Himself, thereby establishing a way that redeemed men can be at peace with God. The final mention of the earthly Jerusalem is found in Revelation 20:9. Here, it is the location of the final satanically induced rebellion against the Lord. This final revolt is the last recorded activity upon this old earth before it passes away and the new earth appears in the new heavens. (Revelation 21:1)

The Lord has ordained that Jerusalem is at the heart of the story of His plan of redemption. The details of God’s redemptive purposes were in place before the world was created by Him in the beginning of time. Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” An examination of the hundreds of prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah overwhelms the Bible student with the precious reality that our redemption is a beautifully planned and orchestrated divine provision. At the heart of that plan and its development on earth, the Lord ordained that Jerusalem would be the city of redemption.

It was on the temple mount in Jerusalem, the same as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was tested to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-14) Later, it was this same mountain where the Lord directed Israel to build the temple. (Deuteronomy 12:5-16; 2 Samuel 24:18-25; 1 Kings 11:32) This location became the only divinely approved place of sacrifice for all of the animals that pointed to the final perfect sacrifice that would come, the Messiah. (Isaiah 53:1-12; Hebrews 9:11-14) Therefore, it was very fitting that the place of Christ’s crucifixion was a part of Mount Moriah.

Historically, the Word of the Lord has gone forth from Jerusalem. The Old Testament prophets were focused upon Jerusalem. The revelation given to them about Jerusalem certainly helped them understand the significant role this city would have in the coming of their Messiah. Jerusalem was the hub of divine activity for the church, and the apostles of our Lord in the beginning decades of the church. The Great Commission given to them by Jesus made it clear that it was God’s plan that the message of redemption was to be sent out to the nations from Jerusalem. (Acts 1:8)

Prophetically, the Word of the Lord will once again flow out to the nations from Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period and the Millennial Kingdom. The two Jewish witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12) and the ministry and training of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:1­

8: 14:1-5) will be centered in Jerusalem. The ancient Jewish prophet, Joel, proclaimed: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance…” (Joel 2:32) During the Millennial Kingdom the city of Jerusalem will be the spiritual capital of the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “… for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) During the reign of the Messiah on earth, all nations will be required to annually go up to Jerusalem to worship the King. (Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 14:16)

The zeal of the Sovereign Almighty God of Israel guarantees that Jerusalem will become a spiritual light

unto the nations. He has declared: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” (Isaiah 62:1)

5. Jerusalem is at the core of divine protection

Jerusalem is the epicenter of the war in the spiritual realm. Since this holy city is so vital to the eternal redemptive plan of God, the human mind, apart from Scripture, cannot begin to understand the magnitude of the spiritual attack upon Jerusalem by Satan and all those who aid his ancient rebellion against the Lord. This is why Jerusalem must remain at the core of divine protection for the purposes of God to unfold as He has promised. The Lord has declared: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him to rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

The Lord’s promises to defend Jerusalem are numerous. In Psalm 125:1-2, the Lord pledged: “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” In Isaiah 29:1-8, the Lord calls Jerusalem “Ariel,” “the Lion of God.” In this text He warns all those who dream about capturing Jerusalem as their possession, that they will have their dreams frustrated. While speaking about Jerusalem in Zechariah 2:5, the Lord declared: “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midist of thee.” When the end of this age comes, He has given the following assurance: “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

(Zechariah 12:9)

According to the Bible, when the end of this age comes, it will produce the final phase of the spiritual war that has been raging in the spirit world since the fall of Lucifer. We call this final phase – the Tribulation Period. This seven-year period will represent Satan’s greatest effort to defeat God. He must do everything in his diabolical power to detain, disrupt, or defeat the return of Jesus to set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. If he fails in his attempt to stop Jesus, he knows that there is an angel that has the key to the bottomless pit, and he will be bound by that angel and cast into that pit until the end of the millennial kingdom. (Revelation 20:1-3) Then, he will be released from his prison for one more final attempt to overthrow Jesus. This final confrontation will once again, take place in Jerusalem. (Revelation 20:7-9)

The fact that the world is riveted upon a godless plan that calls for two countries to share the Promised Land, with Jerusalem as their capital, is a clear sign that we are near the end of the Church Age. The world is united in passionate opposition to the eternal plan of God for His people and the Holy City. It is not a coincidence that the Arabs are descendants of Ishmael and Esau, those whom God rejected and made certain in the Scriptures that they were not to inherit the land given to the Jewish people.

Today, the Palestinians are demanding that Israel give up the heartland of what God promised His chosen people, Judea and Samaria and the very city that is mentioned in the Bible over 800 times. And, the world is supporting the Palestinian cause. This all indicates that the stage is set for the Antichrist to appear and the Tribulation to begin. Long ago, the Psalmist wrote: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. … When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. … This shall be written [for the last generation].” (Psalm 102:13-14, 16, 18)

As this newsletter goes to press, the U.S. administration continues to badger Israel for building residential dwellings within their own capital. World opinion is rapidly turning against Israel for not capitulating to their demands and thereby committing national suicide. The world wants Israel to turn over the very heart of the land to a sworn enemy that continues to demonstrate that they hate the Jewish people and are determined to drive them from the Middle East.

A study of history will reveal that the Arabs and Muslims have never had a compassionate desire to make Jerusalem one of their major cities. Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran by name. Islam’s two major cities are Mecca and Medina. It was not until the 20th century and the modern return of the Jewish people to Israel that the Arab/Islamic world began to view the Promised Land and Jerusalem as being important. Why? The answer is found in Ezekiel 36:1-8. In this text, the Lord revealed that when Israel would return to their land in the last days, the surrounding nations would demand that the land is not Jewish land, but Arab land. Concerning this, the Lord announced that these Arab nations “have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” (Ezekiel 36:5)

However, Jerusalem has been in the dreams, ambitions, and hearts of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years since King David established it as their capital. I was reminded of this last summer when I read the following article, “We never forgot Jerusalem,” that appeared in The International Jerusalem Post. This article, written by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, was an edited version of a speech he gave as part of the annual Jerusalem days in Israel; in which Israelis celebrate the stunning capture and reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. In this article he eloquently reminds us of the incredible love attachment that the Jewish people have had for Jerusalem for 3,000 years.

“No people ever loved a city more. We saw Jerusalem destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and yet in all those years, wherever Jews lived they never ceased to pray about Jerusalem, face Jerusalem, speak the language of Jerusalem, remember it at every wedding, in every home they built, and at the high points of the Jewish year.

“I ask myself, how could Jews believe so much in a city they had been exiled from for so long? The answer, of course, is very powerful and is contained in [the] words in the story of Jacob. Recall, the brothers return home and show Jacob the blood-stained coat of Joseph. Realizing Joseph has gone, Jacob weeps, and when the brothers move to comfort him we are told, Jacob ‘refused to be comforted.’ Why? There are, after all, laws in Judaism about the limits of grief; there is no such thing as a bereavement for which grief is endless. The answer is that Jacob had not yet given up hope that Joseph was still alive. To refuse to be comforted is to refuse to give up hope.

“That is what Jews did with Jerusalem. They remembered the promise that the people of Israel had made by the waters of Babylon. ‘If I forget Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning.’ We never forgot Jerusalem. We were never comforted. We never gave up hope that one day we would return and because of that Jews never felt separated from Jerusalem.

“When it happened, in 1967, my Jewish identity was transformed when the world heard, ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands.’ These … words changed a generation. ….”

“Twenty-six centuries ago, the prophet Jeremiah said that a time would come when we would not thank God for bringing us out of the land of Egypt, but rather for bringing our people together from all lands of the earth. This second exodus, Jeremiah described, would be even more miraculous than the first. We lived to see this day, when Jews from 103 countries speaking 82 languages came to Israel to build not just their lives but the Jewish homeland. After generations it was Jerusalem that brought Jews together from all over the world as one people, in one voice, singing one song. …

“Never has a city had such power over a people’s imagination. Never did God love a people more and never were a people more loyal than the ancestors who endured and grandchildren or great-grandchildren could come home to Jerusalem, the Holy City, the home of the Jewish heart.” (“We never forgot Jerusalem, Jonathan Sacks, The International Jerusalem Post, June 13-19, 2014, pp. 10­11)

The Jewish people have never forgotten Jerusalem. The Lord has declared that He has never forgotten Jerusalem either. (Isaiah 49:14-16) He will also never forsake Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:4, 12)

As we begin this year, we must have our spiritual hearts focused upon the promise of our Lord’s return. The key that unlocks the understanding of Biblical prophecy is the nation of Israel, and especially the Holy City of Jerusalem. So, keep your eyes upon Jerusalem. The Lord does!

Israel a Blessing to the Nations

About 4,000 years ago, when God called the first Jew, Abraham, the Lord told him that his descendants would be a blessing to the world. (Genesis 12:3) In these modern times, the Jews, who represent just .2 percent of the world’s population, have won 22 percent of the Nobel prizes. How ironic that Satan has successfully deceived the nations to hate the people who have blessed them.

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