PROPHECY

Part Three: Prophecy and Israel

It’s hard, if not possible to talk about prophecy, and not talk about Israel. She is at the core of what’s happening today in terms of prophetic events, according to the Bible. If a person wants to follow prophecy, keep your eyes on Israel and put away the newspaper. However, to understand prophecy and why some things are happening today, we should go over a couple of Scriptures so that we can put things into the proper perspective.

Things are starting to heat up in the East and Zechariah 12:2, 3 warns us that Israel will be a cup  of trembling [cup means “judgment”] and a burdensome stone for all the nations. She will be the most volatile 35 acres on the planet, but the siege will culminate at Armageddon when the world comes against her. Just when Israel has lost all hope and concedes her plight, Jesus Crist will return with His Saints, and will save the day [Zechariah 2:8, 9; 12:8-10]. Hallelujah!

Genesis 12:1-3 records the call and promises to Abram from God concerning Israel. Abraham is the physical [natural] father of all the Jews and the spiritual father of the church. (That is a lower case “f” on father.) Genesis 15:18 is where God gave the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants. This was to be an everlasting possession for the Jewish people.

Why does the Arab nation have such a hatred for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people? The reason dates back about four-thousand years during the time of Genesis 16:15, 16 through 17:1-19. Nineteen is our key verse.

V19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Remember now that Abraham already had a son and his name was Ishmael. Ishmael was 14 years old when Isaac was born. Man’s laws said that it was alright to have a concubine and that a man could have more than one woman to bear his children. It was not God’s standard or the standards of today.

Abram and Sarai (Sarah) did not have the faith that she would bear a child for an inheritance for Abram at such an old age. So Abram went in unto Hagar and she conceived Ishmael. To God, Ishmael was an illegitimate son of Abraham [Genesis 22:2]. So in chapter 22:17, 18 of Genesis, God gave the blessing to Isaac and his seed for an everlasting Covenant.

The Arab nation believes that God stole their birthright and gave it to Isaac and that all blessing should have gone to Ishmael, Abraham’s first born. This was the beginning of a 4000 year old war. It will never end voluntarily. Jesus Christ is going to end it.

There is much more but let’s jump ahead to 1 Kings 9:1-3 for one final point before we go into the future end times. Our key verse is verse nine.

V3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

God put His name in the temple mount (in Jerusalem) forever. Remember now what the Lord told Moses in Numbers 33:50-53, 55,

V50 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
V51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
V52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
V53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
V55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Fast forward to May 14, 1948 when Israel becomes a nation.

Actually, let’s fast forward to next Monday for the final segment of the topic “prophecy.” We will look at what Israel did, didn’t do, and the consequences of not obeying God, both for Israel and for America.

God bless each and every one of you and thanks for reading.