My question here is, is the present day nation Israel actually prophetic Israel? Many say it is. Many preach that it is, e.g., John Hagee and John Ankerberg. But how does it really fit with Bible prophecy?
Some have used Isaiah 66 as proof. Indeed, modern Israel was formed in a day. May 14, 1948 if my memory hasn't failed me. It was in May of that year at any rate. This fulfilled the Balfour Declaration of 1917 if not prophecy.
Isa 66:8
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
KJV
As well, Israel's victories in war can be considered as proof that God fights for this current nation as he did for the children of Israel in Joshua's day. Or can they?
Josh 10:42
42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
KJV
Along similar lines it's been said that Israel's signing a pact in 1993 with Yassar Arafat was a fulfillment of the "covenant with death" scriptures. Was it?
Isa 28:14-18
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
KJV
So, is this Middle Eastern country, in existence since 1948, there because of God's doing? Is it an entity that Bible prophecies apply to? Can it be used, maybe, to clarify end time eschatology? Or is it just a creation of the British Empire, brought forth for political reasons, rather than being something brought about by God?
Right now I don't know. Is Israel Israel? Maybe so; maybe not. But I get concerned when people, like TV evangelists, TV news people, and even the United States congress, tend to excuse apparent atrocities committed by Israel (e.g. the Goldstone report). Also, there's considerable pressure for a war with Iran, and I, for one, would not want us in such a war from having been influenced by a wrong premise. This question is important. It really deserves study, taking scriptures in context, looking hard at prophecy.
It's something I plan to continue with. Insights and comments by readers will certainly be appreciated.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
An Important Scripture
Rom 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
KJV
At some point in time I read this and realized that it seemed to be an important scripture. Certainly, though, I hadn't heard it in church. For years I had been a member of an organization relentlessly teaching salvation by works, all the while claiming they didn't. Those days belief scriptures were out. But, thanks to God's Holy Spirit, I was beginning to be led in a different direction.
So, I began reading it in context. But Paul, writing in prior verses, confused me very much. Maybe this was part of what Peter when he wrote that "beloved brother Paul" in his epistles put down "some things hard to be understood." Here's the complete context:
Rom 10:1-15
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
KJV
Verses six and seven were the ones that really stumped me. What's this about someone bringing Christ down from heaven or up from the dead? This was completely beyond me. Completely, that is, until I noticed a cross reference to Deuteronomy 30. And when I checked this out, things cleared up.
Moses has been laying out for Israel, before their entry into the promised land, the blessings and cursings. That is, that obedience produces blessings while disobedience will lead to the other. And chapter 30 begins with the promise that when, because of disobedience, Israel has been driven from the land and scattered throughout the nations of the earth, the day will come when God will return them to their land. Then Moses writes:
Deut 30:11-19
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
KJV
(All emphases are mine.)
Paul, then, in Rom 10:6-8 is basically quoting Moses in Deut 30:11-14, but adding his own references to Christ. Moses tells them God's word is not far from them, but is right there, and he follows with a strong summation beginning with, "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." Paul does the same, following with v. 9. Yes, I would say Romans 10:9 is an important scripture.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
KJV
At some point in time I read this and realized that it seemed to be an important scripture. Certainly, though, I hadn't heard it in church. For years I had been a member of an organization relentlessly teaching salvation by works, all the while claiming they didn't. Those days belief scriptures were out. But, thanks to God's Holy Spirit, I was beginning to be led in a different direction.
So, I began reading it in context. But Paul, writing in prior verses, confused me very much. Maybe this was part of what Peter when he wrote that "beloved brother Paul" in his epistles put down "some things hard to be understood." Here's the complete context:
Rom 10:1-15
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
KJV
Verses six and seven were the ones that really stumped me. What's this about someone bringing Christ down from heaven or up from the dead? This was completely beyond me. Completely, that is, until I noticed a cross reference to Deuteronomy 30. And when I checked this out, things cleared up.
Moses has been laying out for Israel, before their entry into the promised land, the blessings and cursings. That is, that obedience produces blessings while disobedience will lead to the other. And chapter 30 begins with the promise that when, because of disobedience, Israel has been driven from the land and scattered throughout the nations of the earth, the day will come when God will return them to their land. Then Moses writes:
Deut 30:11-19
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
KJV
(All emphases are mine.)
Paul, then, in Rom 10:6-8 is basically quoting Moses in Deut 30:11-14, but adding his own references to Christ. Moses tells them God's word is not far from them, but is right there, and he follows with a strong summation beginning with, "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." Paul does the same, following with v. 9. Yes, I would say Romans 10:9 is an important scripture.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
And Doubt Crept Back In
Following our commitment to move to the Waco area, we put our house in Alvin up for sale. That was about fifteen months ago and it hasn't sold yet. For a long time I was confident. After about nine or ten months on the market, we got an offer, one which, after a bit of negotiation we accepted. However, a week before closing the buyer backed out due to job worries. Still, for three weeks or more I remained positive. Then, almost suddenly it now seems, doubt overwhelmed me.
For quite a while I had an Eeyore-like attitude. No matter how bleak things might seem, they can always get a little bit worse. What was it Paul Harvey used to say? "There's no use worrying; nothing's going to turn out all right." That was me.
During this period I never doubted God, my salvation or anything really important. It was just the house in Alvin that was troubling me so much. It wasn't life changing but it was crowding out a lot of positivity. Worrying about it was taking a lot of my time.
My prayers re that house would go something like this: "Lord, we truly need that house to sell, but I'm not really expecting anything. It's all up to you."
At some point I realized this wasn't real sane, and began praying for help in shedding the doubt. The answer came, over time, and basically I was led to recall to mind two scriptures. These I have been thinking about and repeating often. They worked for me. They continue to work for me as I continue using them, that is, thinking about them and including them when I pray. Negativity and doubt no longer have that grip on me.
The two are:
Rom 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
KJV
Mark 9:23-24
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
KJV
The context of Mark 9 is the very inspiring story of Jesus' healing of a young demoniac. It runs from v. 14 through 29.
Lord, I believe; help you my undelief.
For quite a while I had an Eeyore-like attitude. No matter how bleak things might seem, they can always get a little bit worse. What was it Paul Harvey used to say? "There's no use worrying; nothing's going to turn out all right." That was me.
During this period I never doubted God, my salvation or anything really important. It was just the house in Alvin that was troubling me so much. It wasn't life changing but it was crowding out a lot of positivity. Worrying about it was taking a lot of my time.
My prayers re that house would go something like this: "Lord, we truly need that house to sell, but I'm not really expecting anything. It's all up to you."
At some point I realized this wasn't real sane, and began praying for help in shedding the doubt. The answer came, over time, and basically I was led to recall to mind two scriptures. These I have been thinking about and repeating often. They worked for me. They continue to work for me as I continue using them, that is, thinking about them and including them when I pray. Negativity and doubt no longer have that grip on me.
The two are:
Rom 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
KJV
Mark 9:23-24
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
KJV
The context of Mark 9 is the very inspiring story of Jesus' healing of a young demoniac. It runs from v. 14 through 29.
Lord, I believe; help you my undelief.
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