If you read the Old Testament, you will see that God directly created the nation of Israel and chose the Israelites to reveal Himself. He called one person Abraham, and a new nation was born from his union with Sarah. He established that His blessing would flow through Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3 God says to Abraham,
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (NLT)
Israel is not a perfect nation by no means. If you read the Old Testament, you can see how Israel joined the world’s nations in betraying God. There are some devastating consequences that Israel has paid and will continue to pay for their iniquities. In Deuteronomy 29:22-29 Moses tells the people of Israel,
“Then the generations to come, both your own descendants and the foreigners who come from distant lands, will see the devastation of the land and the diseases the Lord inflicts on it. 23 They will exclaim, ‘The whole land is devastated by sulfur and salt. It is a wasteland with nothing planted and nothing growing, not even a blade of grass. It is like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger.’
24 “And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’
25 “And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 Instead, they turned away to serve and worship gods they had not known before, gods that were not from the Lord. 27 That is why the Lord’s anger has burned against this land, bringing down on it every curse recorded in this book. 28 In great anger and fury the Lord uprooted his people from their land and banished them to another land, where they still live today!’
29 “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. (NLT)
However, make no mistake: God has a Covenant with Israel, and Israel will be redeemed in His time. The prophet Isaiah stated, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (KJV) The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 11:26-30,
And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,
“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
that I will take away their sins.”
28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. (NLT)
From these portions of Scripture, we can conclude that God has a covenant with Israel. He has and will continue to hold them accountable for their sins, transgressions, and iniquities. God’s dealing with Israel is His dealing with Israel; that’s not our business; however, as Christians, we MUST stand with Israel. Israel is the center of the spiritual world.
The time will come when all the world nations will stand against Israel. The Prophet Zacharias tells us, “Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! 2 I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city.3 Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past.” Zachariah 14:1-3 (NLT)
As God’s people, we must be careful not to be manipulated by misinformation. The media is a powerful and intimidating tool in the hands of the devil himself. The media can damage our reputation, make us look hateful, go out of business, look ignorant, etc. It is easy for us to go with the flow of lies, but we must remain biblically focused.
All the nations have betrayed God; this is not exclusive to Israel, but the only country that promised redemption is Israel. Our final destination will be called “The New Jerusalem.” (Revelation 21) The new Jerusalem will have 12 gates with the names of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the city’s walls will be built of 12 foundation stones with the names of the 12 apostles. During the millennium, Jesus will rule the world from his headquarters in Jerusalem. Many scriptures tell us about the millennium; we will use the Prophet Isaiah to help us describe that time,
Isaiah son of Amoz saw this message about Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
and people from all nations will come streaming to it.
3 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
Then God will teach us his ways,
and we will obey his teachings.”
His teachings will go out from Jerusalem;
the message of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will settle arguments among the nations
and will make decisions for many nations.
Then they will make their swords into plows
and their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer fight other nations,
nor will they train for war anymore.
5 Come, family of Jacob,
and let us follow the way of the Lord. Isaiah 2:1-5 (New Century Version)
As disciples of Christ, we must understand that we are not here to replace Israel. Our mandate is to preach this gospel and make disciples out of the nations of the world. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus tells us, “Go and make followers of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do all the things I have told you. And I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (NLV)
The word nation here is éthnos; meaning “A multitude, people, race, belonging and living together.”[1] What Jesus is talking about here is ethnic groups; in other words, we are called to preach the gospel to all people without discrimination. God’s salvation is His redemptive gift to men; He has chosen people worldwide. However, Israel is the only nation that will be redeemed as a nation.
God’s people… stay focus!
[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
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