I’m preaching today about Israel and Signs of the Time.
When I talk about Israel I want you to draw a parallel between natural Israel and the spiritual Israel.
There are two Israels, there is the natural Israel which is made up of the Jewish people living in the Holy land but the Bible also talks about a Spiritual Israel which is the church , the Body of Christ, you and I , the believers who have been engrafted into heritage Tree by the Blood of Jesus .
Every promise that you read about the Nation of Israel and the Jewish people, God has made even greater promises through Jesus Christ for you and I and our family.
So you have to rejoice on everything that I teach you today because these promises are not just for Natural Israel. God has declared the same blessings over the Spiritual Israel, His church and all His people.
Let’s read I Chronicle 17: 21. There is something extremely profound about the Nation and the People of Israel revealed here.
21“And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for Himself, and to make a name for Yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?”
22 “You made your people Israel Your very own forever, and You, Lord, have become their God.” 1 Chronicles 17:21- 22 NIV
Israel is like no other nation. The uniqueness of Israel, the thing that makes them different from every other nation is that God set out to redeem it from all other nations.
In Exodus God made promises to Moses and He said:
“you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.””
Exodus 19:6 NIV
God said: You will not be like other nations, you’re different .
I’m not here teaching what I think, but what the Bible says about Israel.
In the last days the world has watched the horrors of war in Israel! We have seen on the news the incursion of the terrorists group Hamas who murdered more than 1,400 people.
Saturday 7th October 2023, around 1,500 Hamas terrorists penetrated the secure fences around Gaza and came into Israel and brutally murdered more than 1,400 people and more than 200 people – Israelis and non-Israelis, babies , women and elderly, civilians and soldiers were taken captive by Hamas .
It was the most deadly mass killing committed against the Jewish people since the holocaust. They went literally from house to house looking for the young and elderly. Women were rapped , children and babies were beheaded and burned. It was a surprise attack without any provocation. Hamas is a demonic group and they are fuelled by hell itself. They use women and children as shields and also use them as propaganda to the world.
Since then the prime minister of Israel has declared: We are at war !
You need to understand that not only the natural Israel is at war, but also the Spiritual Israel , the church of Christ is at war!
Today I will give you some Biblical perspective about Israel.
Why is important to keep our eyes on Israel?
First because The Bible is a book about Israel. The Bible is a record of the entire creation and early history of Israel. The Bible records prophetical things that are yet to happen in Israel.
In addition to all of that, God gave a saviour to the entire world, and His name is Jesus, who was born in Israel, died in Israel, rose again in Israel and by the way, is coming back again to Israel one day.
What the devil fears the most is the return of Jesus Christ!
The Jews must be in Jerusalem for the return of Jesus Christ. The Jewish people must be in the Holy Land for Jesus to return. This is why satan is stirring up the nations of the world to hate that land, to hate that people.
“For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”” Matthew 23:39 NKJV
Jesus will come back when the Jews are in Jerusalem and have the Holy Land and satan knows that so he wants wipe them off the face of the Earth.
I want to give you a verse that speaks about Israel (both natural and spiritual Israel)
6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
7 “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;”
Deuteronomy 7:6-7 NKJV
This is what God said about Israel. This verse also serves as a parallel between the natural Israel (the Jewish people) and the Church of Christ.
I want you to understand that: God doesn’t love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because He loves us!
Israel is God created, God loved , God called, God elected and God protected and Israel has a special purpose and a special place.
God chose that place, called His people to that place and named it my Holy Land and my Holy Hill. On that Hill Abraham offered Isaac, on that same Hill Salomon built the first temple and on the Mount of Olives Jesus will come back and He will rule and reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years in the Millennium.
This is why satan hates that place and that people and wants to destroy the people and the nation.
That is why I’m bringing this Biblical perspective about Israel and end the end times.
Israel is the alarm clock of God ! We need to align our lives with Gods point of view.
Many people today, especially in the church, don’t recognise how important Israel is in God’s plan!
I have some questions to help you:
Why has the Jewish people and the country of Israel suffered so much persecution through all generations and centuries?
Why is it so important to know about Israel?
Why do all the news in the world talk about Israel everyday?
Why did Donald Trump change the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
Why did Donald Trump and other leaders recognise Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel?
Why do millions of people go to Israel every year?
Why we are here today speaking about that tiny bit of land?
Why is Israel so hated by many nations?
Why do Iran and so many muslin countries want to destroy Israel?
Why should you and I know about Israel and the Jewish people?
1- The base of our faith is in Judaism.
2- The Gospel is a Jewish message, about a Jewish Messiah directed to Jewish followers in a Jewish context.
3- Our roots cannot be discredited and much less dishonoured.
The covenant and promises of the gentile church are linked to an attitude of reconciliation, honour and consideration towards Israel.
4- Israel is not an ideology, neither was it created as a political or personal project, but it was born in God’s mind and heart.
5- Keep your eyes on Israel because Israel is God’s Alarm Clock.
6- The last biblical events and prophecies that precede the return of Jesus will happen in Israel.
The two main topics of the Bible is Israel and the Church.
But it is alarming how very few people today, especially in the church, recognise how important Israel is in God’s plan!
There are a lot of antisemitism even inside churches when the Church should be Zionist.
There is an evil theology in some churches called – “Replacement Theology” – which says that the Christian Church has taken the place of the nation of Israel assuming their role as God’s covenanted people. Many leaders believe that!
Jesus will not come back in London, or in Tokyo, in São Paulo, Rome, New York or Paris but He will return to the Eternal capital of Israel – Jerusalem
“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”
Zechariah 14:4
Every follower of Jesus need to know the facts of how the state of Israel came into existence !
3.500 years ago God pronounced His intentions, His plans and the desires of His Heart to a man in Ur of Chaldees !
God declared that He would build a Nation in a land from where He would bless all the families of the earth and redeem His creation.
1 “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”” Genesis 12:1-3
He left his country, his people, his father’s household without knowing where was this land, but God said : I will show you.
Abraham believed and obeyed God and left his Country and his people.
God said: I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you!
Those who bless Israel will be blessed! The nation that blesses Israel will be blessed. That’s why we stand with Israel and we bless Israel. Of course, we also pray and bless the Palestinian people, because they are under an evil government (Hamas)
In the heart of the land, the God of Glory appeared to Abraham again – Genesis 12:6,7
“Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”
Genesis 12:6-7 NIV
That very place is called today : “The West Bank” . But this place is known in the scripture as “Samaria and Judea”
85% of all Biblical Events happened in Samaria and Judea.
Throughout history Israel and the Jewish people have faced much resistance from their neighbouring nations.
That happened because they were disobedient to God. The exile was consequence of their sins.
After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jewish people were exiled from their home land and forced to suffer much persecution.
Many attempts were made to wipe out the Jew from the face of the earth.
And the Jewish people said :
“Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone , we are cut off”. Ezekiel 37:11
“So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.”
Jeremiah 31:17
“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born.” Isaiah 66:8
Can a nation ever be born in a single day?
14/05/1948 was declared the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.
The land of Israel was desolate for 2000 years and Israel was just desert and stones!
But today Samaria, which was once a desert, is producing grapes and you can have wine from Samaria! God is moving in a such miraculous ways.
It’s amazing to see prophecies coming alive!
He is a keeper of his covenants!
“I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Ezekiel 36:30
“Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.” Jeremiah 31:5 NIV
If you go there you are going to see these miracles! There is abundance in Israel !
We as Christian , believers in Joshua, we have to ask God, to give us better understanding. We need more understanding about Israel as a nation, about Israel as a state, the land of Israel.
We need ask, God open up our eyes, give us the Spirit of revelation.
8 “ ‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.
Ezequiel 36:8
God said: Land, you must produce fruit , produce food for my children , because they are combing back home !
Prophecies are coming alive – It doesn’t matter what happens, God will fulfil all his prophecies, even if you die!
He is moving among the nations! He is alive, He is above all authority, he is above government, He is above Satan.
Israel is the place which God established as their home , it is the place where He has his children , this is why satan works so hard to destroy the Jewish people and the land of Israel; that’s why some groups want them out of their land!
The natural Israel and the spiritual Israel are at war!
Everything started in Israel and is going to finish in Israel!
Our saviour was born in Israel, He lived in Israel, He preached in Israel, He was crucified in Israel, He died in Israel, He rose from death in Israel, He was lifted up into heaven from Israel and one day He will go back to Israel.
Everything started and is going to finish in Israel!
This is why satan wants to destroy Israel and the church.
But we know the end to this story! Israel will be protected, the people of Israel will be saved and the Church of Christ will be more than conqueror!
“indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalms 121:4 NIV
Let’s stand with the natural Israel and the Spiritual Israel because our victory is certain!