Scriptural Declarations: Israel and the Middle East
It is imperative that we stand with God, and stand with the Jewish people in this hour.
Not only does Scripture provide clear demarcations and declarations regarding Israel and His plan for salvation which I outline below, it also shows us how we are to respond in proclamation, praise and prayer! Join me for such a time as this in calling forth God’s purposes for the Jewish people around the world!
The Bible is our foundation for life, revealing the very nature of God Himself, and how we should then live in relationship with Him in light of these absolutes. The people of Israel are God’s chosen people, through which He foretold, demonstrated and then extended His plan for the salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ. Let’s look to Scripture as our roadmap for end-time events related to Israel and the Middle East, and accept the invitation God has extended for us to partner with Him as watchmen on the walls for the days in which we live!
The Miraculous Birth of a Nation
The Scriptures foretell a regional dispersion of the Jewish people followed by a regional regathering. In detail, the prophetic Scriptures predict a second worldwide scattering followed by a second worldwide regathering. We have these Scriptures being fulfilled in our lifetime!
Isaiah 43:5-6: “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up,’ and to the south, ‘Do not keep them back. Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.’“
Isaiah 11:11-12: “In that day the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, who shall be left, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.“
On May 14-15, 1948 the nation of Israel was reborn out of a time of tremendous persecution, and out of the ashes of the horrific holocaust of WWII. But ultimately, God’s redemptive plan and purposes prevailed. The enemy of God and His redemptive purposes for the Jewish people and all the peoples of the earth, are under attack again. Satan and his lying demons are stirring evil men’s hearts to “cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more remembered” (Ps. 83:4). But we must take a stand and be God’s friends and Israel’s friends in this tumultuous hour.
7 Clear Scriptural Demarcations and Declarations
1. The only reliable source. The Scriptures, God’s distinct prophetic words, provide the only reliable source of light upon the current situation in the Middle East.
2. The ultimate destiny. God has determined the ultimate destiny of both Israel and the church in eternity on the basis of His foreknowledge. Its outworking in time is guaranteed by the irrevocable covenants which God has made with each of them. God will perform His very own Word!
3. Dependency upon God’s grace. For all good that God has promised to Israel and the church, both are equally and totally dependent upon God’s grace which can be appropriated by faith. We are saved by grace through faith!
4. Tests and pressures lie ahead. Tremendous tests and pressures lie ahead for both Israel and the church, but those who faithfully endure will be privileged to share God’s kingdom with Him throughout all eternity.
5. Acknowledging our spiritual inheritance. Authentic Christian believers from gentile backgrounds owe their spiritual inheritance to the God of Israel. One appropriate way to acknowledge their gratitude is to stand by Israel and to uphold them with fervent intercession.
6. The future of the Middle East. The people of the Middle East will never know true justice and lasting peace until they are submitted to God’s ruler—the Lord Jesus Christ. This is true for every nation, all mankind, every ethnic background, every individual person, and every people group of the earth.
7. God’s plan of salvation. There is only one way to salvation and it is by placing faith in the atoning work of the cross of God’s only son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by believing in Christ Jesus!
Lessons From Our Bible – A Jewish Book
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book.”
The Bible is essentially a record of God’s plan for salvation of mankind highlighting Israel’s history, written by Israelites, partly in the form of history and partly in the form of prophecy.
1. Old Testament authorship. Jewish authors wrote all 39 Books of the Old Testament. (Of course, this is the human agency we are acknowledging, as we believe God inspires all Scripture directly.)
2. The Messiah’s background. Jesus was born a Jew, died a Jew and will return as a Jew.
3. Location of gospel accounts. All the events of the gospels (except the flight to Egypt) take place in the land of Israel.
4. The people of the gospels. Over 90 percent of the people portrayed in the gospels are Israelites.
5. New Testament authorship. Every one of the 27 books of the New Testament has Jewish authorship (Luke might be considered as a possible exception, but he was a proselyte to Judaism).
6. The establishing of the early apostolic church. The main instruments for establishing the early apostolic churches and spreading the gospel of the Kingdom were Jewish.
7. Background of the disciples All 12 apostles chosen by Jesus were Jewish.
8. The condition of the future city of God. The future city of God, the New Jerusalem, as recorded in the book of Revelation is inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Judah.
9. Characteristics of the foundation. Its foundations carry the names of the 12 apostles of Jesus.
Statements by Early American Fathers Emphasizing their Reliance on the Word of God
The statements below, and many others like them, reinforce the inspiration, authority and the necessity of relying upon and building within the constructs of the Bible. They also give us a warning of consequences that could occur when we as a people or any governing society err from the absolutes in the Word of God.
1. George Washington – “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
2. Abraham Lincoln – “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book.”
3. Daniel Webster – “If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering, but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.
Our Significant Scriptural Response
1. Proclaim – (Jeremiah 31:10) “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.“
2. Praise – (Psalm 8:2) “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength because of Your enemies, to silence the enemy and the avenger.“
3. Pray – (Jeremiah 31:7) “For thus says the LORD, “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish, praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.’“
Our Prophetic Posture in Prayer
We are called to stand in the gap as believers in the Messiah and pray and take a stand for the God of Israel and the nation of Israel. God is raising up a corporate Esther for such a time as this. Will you join me in proclaiming, praising and praying, “He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.” And declare, ‘O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.'” Amen and Amen! {eoa}
For the original article, visit prayerstorm.com.
