I’m preaching about Israel and Signs of the Time. Today I’m going to give you the second and last part of this message.
Why am I teaching about Israel and end of times?
Because by looking at the Biblical prophecies can clearly see that we are heading towards the Rapture of the Church and the Return of Jesus.
We are very close, and as a pastor I need to preach about it and get you ready!
If I don’t preach about prophecies and the signs of the times, I’m failing as a pastor.
In this coming year (2024) I will talk about the Rapture, the Return of Jesus, the Great Tribulation, the Wedding of the Lamb, the antichrist, the Millennium, etc,
Our redemption is near and many people in the church are not prepared, many are like the foolish virgins and will be left behind and so get ready and the time is today!
I want to challenge you to read Matthew 24 and 25 in the next few days. These chapters talk about the signs of the times. I want to challenge you to read the book of Revelations too!
Why am I preaching about Israel? Because Jesus said that His return would be conditioned and linked to Israel and the Jewish people.
We all are in a Spiritual War. The natural Israel and the spiritual Israel are at War!
When I talk about “Israel” I want you to always draw a parallel between the two Israels, the natural Israel which is made up of the Jewish people living in the Holy land and the Spiritual Israel which is the church, the Body of Christ, you and I.
For every promise that you read about the Nation of Israel and the Jewish people, remember that God has made even greater promises through Jesus Christ for you and I and our family.
Everything started in Israel and is going to end 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 will end in Israel!
This is why satan wants to destroy Israel and the church so bad.
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!
“For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ” Jeremiah 30:3 NKJV
I will bring them back and they shall possess the land and they will never be uprooted again! That happened in 14 May 1948 as I mentioned last week.
Now let’s read the warnings that Jesus gave about the end times.
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”
Matthew 24:32-34 NKJV
Jesus said that the generation that sees the Fig tree reborn will not pass away. We know this Fig Tree is Israel.
When you see the Fig Tree reborn, know that the time is near!
Jesus is coming back, be ready! I’m not giving you a day or an exact hour, I’m only giving you Jesus’ Words!
In revelation 5 there is a scene in heaven and it is very important because it shows that God didn’t use the Jewish people only down here on earth.
Jesus was Jewish and even in heaven this was recognised.
“Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”
Revelation 5:2 NKJV
“But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 NKJV
Notice: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah ! Even in heaven there is a Jewish Redeemer, Saviour and God !
Jesus was identified in heaven through the tribe that He came from: The Israelite tribe of Judah!
The word “Jew”, actually comes from the word “Judah”
This is the language used in Heaven. So you have to understand that Not only was He a Jew when He was on earth but He still is a Jew in Heaven, in His resurrected position.
He is the Lion of tribe of Judah and His enemies will weep when He begins to Roar! Because no one can fight the Lion of tribe of Judah!
Now we are going to read an astounding verse on something Jesus Himself said in John chapter 4. He was speaking to a woman at the well, a Samaritan woman.
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:21-22 NKJV
“FOR SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS” (underline this words in your Bible)
Jesus said that!
Jesus was saying: I’m the Messiah and I would not be here if it were not for the Jewish people and it were not for the holy land.
You must understand that: With no Jews there is no salvation ! This is why we stand with Israel, because Jesus said : “FOR SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS”.
When God wanted to send our saviour, Jesus, He chose this people.
He can do whatever He wants, whichever way He wants and He doesn’t need to ask for your permission or mine.
God didn’t choose Ireland, didn’t choose England, Greece, He didn’t chose America , or Africa.
God said:
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
God chose that place and that people not because they were strong, mighty and powerful, but because they were little and powerless!
And there is the spiritual parallel : He didn’t choose you because you were smart, He didn’t choose you because you were worthy. He could have found someone so much more worthy than you, but He said: I choose you so I can use you and I don’t need ask for anyone’s permission!
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,” I Corinthians 1:27-28 NKJV
God chose the natural Israel but also God chose you!
He chose the foolish, the weak, the despised and incapable to put to shame the wise and to put to shame the things which are mighty!
God said I chose you, I will protect you and I will bless you and I will prosper you and I will use you for my glory!
Thanks be to God, for He chose us first! We did not choose Him!
“For salvation is of the Jews.” and to our Jewish Messiah, The Lion of Tribe Judah our Redeemer be the Glory !
“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 12:3
This is the word of God. But today many people are out there cursing Israel on the streets and universities… God said: if you curse this nation, I will curse you, your family and your nation.
If we bless that nation, God will bless us, our family and He will bless our nation.
We love Palestinians, God loves Palestinians, we are praying for Palestine too, but we stand with Israel and with the Word of God.
The whole world is trying to wipe out that nation and people and the reason is because satan knows Jesus is coming back, and He can’t come back if the Jews are not in the land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem!
“indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalms 121:4 NIV
I promise you, nobody is going to move them out of that land!
We know the end of the story. All of Israel’s enemies will be destroyed, every hater of that nation will pass away and Jesus will come back and reign forever!
Without that Nation, without the Jewish people there will be no the patriarchs, there will be no Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Isaiah, Ezekiel or Daniel.
Without that Nation there will be no the apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
Without this people there would be no Bible ! There would be no Ten Commandments , no prophets, there would be no Saviour and here would be no salvation of souls.
I’m not saying that all Israel does is right, the nation is made up of sinners and they also need to repent, to be born again to be saved.
Most of the Jews don’t know our Messiah, Jewish people don’t believe Jesus is God, they do not receive Him because they are blind, but one of these days their eyes are going to open up.
Jesus said “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
““And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
Zechariah 12:10 NKJV
God will pour out the Spirit of Grace and supplication and they will look at Me (Jesus) whom they have pierced and crucified and they will mourn.
They will repent, they’re going to cry out as they realise that Jesus is the Messiah and their scales are going to come off and they will be converted and come to believe in Jesus. It’s going to happen,
Israel is unique and their whole history was foretold in prophecy.
God gave many prophecies about the nation of Israel.
- It was foretold and prophesied that they would go into slavery in Egypt.
- It was foretold that they would be delivered with wealth from Egypt and it happened just as God had said it would.
- It was prophesied that they would possess the land of Canaan.
- It was prophesied that they would turn to idolatry.
- It was prophesied that God would establish a temple in Jerusalem and so it happened
- It was prophesied that the Babylonians would invade Israel and Nebuchadnezzar and his army would destroy the temple and so the temple that Salomon built was destroyed.
- It was prophesied that the second temple, the Herod temple would be destroyed and not a stone would be left and that happened just like God said.
- It was said that Israel would be scattered among the Nations and they would not inhabit the Holy land or have a nation for many generations.
- It was prophesied that Israel would be persecuted by the gentiles.
- It was prophesied that God would regather and bring them back from all nations.
And the list about the nation of Israel goes on and all the predictions that I just gave have already been fulfilled. Around 90% of the prophecies have been fulfilled, there are only three left that are yet to be fulfilled.
1- There will be a gathering of Nations against Israel. Ezekiel 38 and 39
2- The returning of Jesus to Jerusalem. Zechariah 14:4 , Acts 1:9-11
3- There will be a revelation of Jesus Christ to the Jewish people. Zechariah 12:10 / Romans 11:26
These are the three prophecies that are yet to happen.
If 90% of the prophecies about Israel have already been fulfilled and only three have yet to happen, you shout take it very, very seriously!
Prophetically speaking, where are we now? What’s the next event to happen ?
There is nothing to happen and the next event is the rapture of the church, Christians not committed to the church of Jesus will be left behind, (Matthew 24:40) then the Antichrist will reign on earth and after the rapture, the great tribulation of seven years will start.
You can still be saved during the Great Tribulation but it will cost you your life because you cannot take the mark of the beast, so then you won’t be able to buy, sell or have food.
Do you understand that what you’re watching on the news is the book of Revelation being unfolded right in front of your eyes?
We are close to the end and the great day of judgement is coming.
Have you been saved, and sure about your salvation? Is your name written on the book of life? Are you ready to me meet Jesus?
All those prophecies have been fulfilled and there are only a few left now, one of them is the Rapture of the Church, and when you least expect, He will come! Be ready.
Repent from your sins, turn to God and serve the Kingdom of God and serve Him faithfully because “Only those who remains faithful to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13