The following quote is from the online magazine JEWISH VOICE, and the article entitled Absolute Proof for the Existence of God
“The story is told that King Frederick the Great of Prussia once asked his physician to give him proof for the existence of God. His physician replied, ‘Your Majesty, the continued existence of the Jews.’
“It’s true. The Jewish people are the most persecuted people in history. From [the books of Exodus] and … Esther, down through all the centuries, there have been repeated attempts to destroy them. No other group has been so persecuted. Yet still the Jewish people miraculously survive. But the miracle is even greater than that!
“Before 1948, almost no one was convinced the Jewish people, after centuries of wandering, could return to Israel and reclaim their ancient homeland. But they did. Then, almost no one believed the new State of Israel, surrounded by enemies, would long survive. But [they] did, amazingly winning a long series of wars and conflicts that continue today.
“Few people initially had faith God would fulfill His ancient promise to reestablish the Jewish people in [the land of] Israel. But today, many Christians understand and support the State of Israel and the Jewish people as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy – and an important step towards the eventual return of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.”
After the Flood receded and Noah and family stepped out into the new world, any of the subsequent nations that arose in those early days of history had the opportunity to follow GOD.
The LORD told them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth.
Instead, Nimrod (whose name translates to “we will rebel”) and the people of Babel declared that they would build a city and a tower “lest we be scattered over the face of the Earth”. They rebelled against the commandment of the LORD GOD their CREATOR!
So, since no one chose GOD, GOD decided He would choose a man; in the land of Ur, not all too far from where the Tower of Babel once stood, the LORD chose the Gentile, Abram – solely by grace, and made with him the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant we read about in GENESIS 15 and then GOD confirmed that covenant in GENESIS 22. There in GENESIS 15 the LORD told Abram that his descendants would be like the stars of heaven, but that they would also endure slavery in a foreign land for 400 years – and it was so.
If you want a good summary of the history of Israel from the beginning, read PSALM 105, it’s all there! For now, let’s read vs.9-11
PSALM 105:9-11
9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance,
At Mount Sinai, GOD made another covenant with Israel, the Mosaic or Mt. Sinai Covenant which was very much conditional. GOD blessed Israel by making them His own people and in this covenant (“b’rith” in Hebrew) the LORD became a suzerain to the Hebrews.
A suzerain is a sovereign state or power that reigns over a lesser state or power in a relationship where the suzerain offers their protection and blessings to the lesser state in exchange for their service, loyalty and allegiance.
Babylon was a powerful empire and suzerain to many other nations. More recently the British Empire was a suzerain to over eighty other nations and island states.
Israel was to be an example to the nations of what it looks like to have the LORD GOD as a suzerain. The nations would learn about GOD by His relationship with Israel. This relationship was further demonstrated when the LORD made a unconditional covenant with David, the Davidic Covenant – which, like the Abrahamic Covenant was also unconditional. The only condition of these two covenants (along with the Land Covenant and the New Covenant) was that GOD’s Word was believed by faith.
For an excellent examination of the biblical covenants, check out The EIGHT Covenants And ISRAEL from HOLY SCRIPTURES and ISRAEL ministries with Gideon Levytam!Let’s back up a bit though and consider the situation when Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness on their journey to Canaan land (the Mosaic Covenant had already been given to them at this point (EXODUS Ch’s. 19-24).
In EXODUS 2:23b-25 we read the following:
23b …Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
Israel as a nation knew nothing of GOD, but what distant memory might have provided about Jacob’s journey into Egypt and the stories revolving around Joseph. But it wasn’t because of Israel’s worship of GOD, or their faithfulness to GOD – Scripture doesn’t even specify that they cried out to GOD, - only that they cried out, “groaned” perhaps to whoever might have been listening “up there”, and GOD indeed heard them!
GOD began His work of redeeming Israel because He remembered His covenant with Abraham – and Isaac, and Jacob.
Our GOD is a GOD Who makes and keeps His promises: He is “as good as His Word”! He would see to it that Israel was favored by the people of Egypt as GOD led them out of bondage.
He also initiated His plan of redemption for His people Israel from Egypt to bring glory to His name, not just before Israel, but also before Egypt.
The LORD sent 10 plagues upon Egypt, but these were specifically plagues showed GOD’s power over all of the ten primary gods of Egypt, showing Himself as the supreme and sovereign GOD over all creation.
EXODUS 3:20-22
20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he [Pharaoh] will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.
GOD began to demonstrate His absolute faithfulness to Israel through all of the plagues He sent to Egypt; He continued to provide for them all through their exodus and even in the impossible situation of the RED SEA. Today the average depth of the Red Sea is about 1,640 feet.
Can you imagine walking on dry land that should be mud, over which the waters of the Red Sea were instantly parted, and while crossing over, looking up and seeing two walls of water, on your right and left, over 1,600 feet high?? The Twin Towers of the former World Trade Center were only slightly over 1,300 feet tall, to give you an idea of scale!
The wilderness wanderings – GOD tested Israel’s faithfulness to see what they were made of, and they tested GOD’s patience and longsuffering! Time and time again they doubted GOD’s ability with such insulting questions as, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?”
Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?" Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels' food; He sent them food to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind. He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;” PSALM 28:19-27.
Their complaining, murmuring and questioning GOD’s motives – and doubt regarding His care and capability to provide were constant until GOD had had enough and was going to wipe out the nation and raise it up again through Moses, who interceded on behalf of his fellow Hebrews and GOD showed the mercy He intended on all along. But there were those who crossed the line, and the LORD sent poisonous serpents after the accusers and doubters of GOD, yet even there He showed His grace and mercy with the brazen serpent, that when looked upon in obedience to GOD’s direction, were healed.
Aside from Joshua, Caleb, and the Hebrew children twenty years old and younger – all the rest of the first generation were destroyed for their unbelief in the GOD Who demonstrated His titanic power in the Ten Plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the miraculous provisions in the wilderness.
HEBREWS 3:15-19
15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in [that is, to the land of Canaan] because of unbelief.
The LORD proved Himself faithful in providing victory to Israel over the pagan nations, both outside and inside of Canaan’s borders. Anytime they suffered defeat it was because of Israel’s disobedience, never because the LORD was unfaithful to His promises.
Israel enjoyed a seemingly impossible, glorious victory at the unconquerable Jericho with walls well over fifty feet high and twenty five feet thick, but then suffered a humiliating defeat at ‘the lil hick town’ of Ai – and why? Because the Hebrew man, Achan was achin’ to have the gold and garments he found in Jericho, and took them, expressly disobeying GOD’s command to keep hands off any treasure!
GOD expressed incredible longsuffering and patience during the times of the Judges in Israel when Samson broke his Nazarite vow, not once, or twice but three times – then this Judge was judged of GOD, but even in His mercies, He provided this man the strength to take out Israel’s enemies in an act of self-sacrifice in which he killed more Philistines in his death, than all other battles in his life put together.
The nation was established finally in the land of Canaan and the kingdom commenced as a theocracy; but the people wanted a human king like the other nations and had they been patient, GOD would have provided David (His plan all along), but they wanted a king on their own terms and so GOD gave them Saul. Imagine: they had THE King already ruling them – GOD Himself, but they rejected Him in favor of king Saul who ended up taking advantage of the people to line his own pockets.
How interesting that the LORD Jesus Christ was rejected along with His claim to be the Messiah by the religious leadership because He didn’t fit in with their plans. They wanted freedom from oppression by the Roman Empire, but His mission was to free them from the oppression of sin. This is always a danger when we try to get GOD to fit into our own plans, rather than submitting ourselves to GOD’s plan.
Finally David came on the scene, and in 2 SAMUEL 7, GOD made His unconditional covenant with David – all the while knowing what David would do in Chapter 11 – his fall with Bathsheba and arranging her husband’s death (Uriah). That didn’t disannul the promises He made to David which you can also read about in PSALM 89.
Just as GOD promised Abraham the land from the river Nile, all the way to the Euphrates River (GEN 15:8; Israel today is about the size of New Jersey, but GOD promised them borders that’s a bit larger than the state of Texas, which is 35x the size of New Jersey!) – and He promised Abraham a people whose numbers would be like the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashores (GEN 22:17), He also promised David that His throne would endure forever, and that the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ – would be born into David’s family lineage, and rule from his throne forever:
LUKE 1:32-33
32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Though David committed some serious sins of adultery and murder, neglecting his family responsibilities – he repented and turned back to a fervent passion and zeal for GOD: thus he was called “a man after GOD’s own heart”. Something that Solomon for all of his GOD-given wisdom, seemed to lack in his later years at the least.
Then the kingdom was divided in the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and things went from bad to worse until Israel fell into rank idolatry, so much so, that they were more extreme than the pagan nations where these pagan gods came from!
GOD warned the nation for over 150 years that if they didn’t repent, He would send judgment – and He eventually did, using King Nebuchadnezzar as His tool! Yet for all the desolation and destruction, GOD preserved His people and in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the LORD restored His people, restored the land, and restored Jerusalem as well as the Temple.
During this time (around 430 BC) with their return from exile, there arose a sect of Judaism that was a response to the growing assimilation of the Jews to the Gentile cultures that ruled over Israel (Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek). This sect that arose, admonished their countrymen to stay true to the Scriptures and to the GOD of Israel. They were called Pharisees – at their beginning, they were good guys! But as we know, by the time the LORD Jesus Christ came to the land, these religious leaders had lost their way – to the degree that the LORD called them “children of hell” (MATT 23:15) and “serpents” (MATT 23:33).
As we know, it was the religious leadership in conjunction with Judas Iscariot and the Roman government that had the Messiah put to death, in fulfillment of prophecy. Even while the Sanhedrin spewed their hatred and malice upon the LORD Jesus, He still went to the Cross for them, for Israel and all the world.
1 JOHN 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
And though there is an awakening among the Jewish people, a hunger to learn about this rabbi, Y’shua, and Jews more now than ever are reading New Testament Hebrew translations and coming to faith in Y’shua ha Mashiach, for the most part, the Jewish people are vehemently against this renegade Jew that’s venerated among the Gentiles.
During my time on the mission field, we would share the Gospel with everyone, and while we expected violent responses mostly from Muslims, to our surprise, we had very amiable conversations with most of them, while it was the Jews we received far more violence from! They are spiritually blinded (for now) concerning the Messiah:
ROMANS 11:25-29
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Antisemitism is growing in leaps and bounds; and just like in the churches of pre-Nazi Germany, Replacement Theology is also growing. As you probably know, this is a false doctrine that teaches that the church has replaced Israel as the Chosen people. If this were true, if GOD has abandoned Israel in favor of the church, then the Word of GOD throughout the Old Testament has been broken, because over and over again, GOD reaffirms His promises to Israel, even while in the midst of His Judgment upon the nation.
Replacement Theology advocates will often quote:
MATTHEW 21:42-43
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
The LORD Jesus quoted from PSALM 118:22-23, but that same Psalm also speaks of GOD’s forever mercies upon Israel and in ISAIAH 28:16-18 where the cornerstone is mentioned, GOD also declares that Israel’s “covenant with death shall be disannulled”.
So for a time, GOD turns to the Gentiles to form a new, holy nation (1 PET 2:9), but will once again receive Israel (Read ROMANS 9,10,11 for details on this).
Adherents to Replacement Theology point to Israel and her spiritually wretched condition: They exceed even the United States in their celebration of Gay Pride parades. Most don’t even believe in the GOD of the Bible. And those who are religious, bow to the Talmud and the Mishnah more than to the Torah; there are even those who are given over to Kabbalah and dark mysticism.
“How could these Jews ever be considered GOD’s Chosen people?”, they ask. “GOD has forsaken Israel for her sins, and especially because they murdered their Messiah; they are Christ-killers!” they say. I love to ask these people, “And what were YOU like before you got saved? Did GOD save you because you were such a godly person, well pleasing to the LORD?”
But the Bible says it in black and white:
1 SAMUEL 12:22
For the LORD will not forsake His people…
Why? Because they are godly and well pleasing to the LORD? No! This is why He will not forsake His people: …for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you His people.
GOD’s Holy Word is at stake here, His Righteous Reputation: He said He would bless Israel and made covenants with Abraham and David and to the nation at large and as He is faithful and true, He is bound to keep those covenants, all the while knowing their future unfaithfulness – just as He knew all about David’s sins beforehand – and made those covenants anyway – that GOD would be glorified because of His grace, His faithfulness and love for His people!
EZEKIEL 36:18-28
18 "Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 "So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 "When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name - when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' 21 "But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 "And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 "For I WILL take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I WILL sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I WILL cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I WILL give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I WILL take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I WILL put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I WILL be your God.
GOD says “I will” sixteen times in this chapter, speaking of Himself and all that He intends for the nation Israel, apart from anything required from Israel. It’s all on GOD!
EZEKIEL also prophesies about the body of Israel as a nation being brought back together in the vision of dry bones (EZEKIEL 37).
Note in vs. 5 (also vs. 9): “'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.” So they’ve been brought back into the land, and are alive physically, no longer in danger of extinction by those that hated them.
But notice vs. 14: “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'
So while Israel as a nation has life on a physical level, they have yet to receive the indwelling Spirit of GOD unto salvation. So we can’t expect them to be godly seeing how they don’t have the Spirit of GOD. Have any of you managed to live a godly life apart from the Spirit of GOD dwelling in you?
All the promises and covenants will ultimately be in full effect and fulfilled once the Messiah returns and re-establishes “the kingdom of Israel” which the apostles asked about once their King resurrected from the dead in ACTS 1:6. We have it on no less authority than the Messiah-King of Israel Himself, that rather than this kingdom of Israel being nullified, it’s safely in the Father’s keeping (ACTS 1:7).
We know that this kingdom, what we know as the Millennial Reign of Christ, will come about once the LORD has gathered together a people for His name, speaking of the Gentiles who will receive salvation and be baptized into the body of Christ, the church – and once we are raptured into the LORD’s presence, then GOD will begin to “rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down and rebuild its ruins, establishing it” (ACTS 15:14-16). The Tabernacle of David is a reference to the Davidic Covenant and the kingdom that shall last forever as promised by GOD!
[Refer to TTUF series on The MILLENNIUM and Two Part article on Paul Wilkinson’s book: Understanding Christian Zionism: Israel’s Place in the Purposes of GOD - Part ONE and Part TWO]
Homework assignment: Go to the last couple of chapters in the Old Testament books (exception being JEREMIAH), starting with ISAIAH, and observe how GOD pronounced Judgment on Israel for her disobedience time and time again, yet He never leaves His people without hope as He reaffirms His promise that He will restore the nation, He will dwell with them, and bless them:
Here are five such passages (among several others you’ll find):
ISAIAH 65:18-21
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. 20 "No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
JEREMIAH 32:37-42 (and Ch. 33)
37 'Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38 'They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 'then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 'And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 'Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.' 42 "For thus says the LORD: 'Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.
HOSEA 14:4-6
4 "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. 6 His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon.
AMOS 9:11-15
11 "On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this thing. 13 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them," Says the LORD your God.
JOEL 3:17-21
17 "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again." 18 And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias. 19 "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the LORD dwells in Zion."
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