SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023
LIMAVADY BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR DENIS LYLE
READING: JEREMIAH 31 vs 31 – 40
ISRAEL – THE NATION THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY
Israel not the United States, not Russia, not United Kingdom, not
Ulster is the most important nation on the earth. Why?
You cannot understand the future, or biblical prophecy or the whys and
wherefores and workings of God if you do not understand Israel. The word Israel is found 2565 times in 2293
verses in KJV. Jerusalem is mentioned 811
times in 764 times. The Jew is God’s yardstick, God’s measuring rod, God’s blueprint,
God’s plan for the future. Israel is God’s
alarm clock. In Ezekiel 5 verse 5 we
read “Thus saith the Lord Jesus this is Jerusalem, I have set in the midst of
the nations and countries that are round about her.” Israel is set in the midst of 3 continents where
Europe and Asia and Africa merge together.
It is the spiritual centre of the world.
Here the Lord Jesus was born, here he lived and here he died, and it is
here he ascended back to heaven. One day
he will return back from heaven to live and rule and reign. The Muslim race, the Islamic race and the Christian
race all claim their spiritual capital as Jerusalem. Israel is the prophetical centre of the
world. The bible could be summed up in 3
words - Jesus, Jerusalem and Jews – all inextricably interwoven. Israel is the geographical centre of the
world, the spiritual centre of the world, the prophetical centre of the world but
Israel is also the political centre of the world. Here Armageddon, the last great war will be
fought. Israel we justly confess Amazing
Grace, and Amazing Place. What God has
done for that nation, to that nation, for that nation, through that nation is
remarkable. As a race the Jew was old when
Rome was young. Is it not remarkable
that he has outlived every nation that has persecuted him? Is it not remarkable that in the field of endeavour
the Jew has known outstanding success? Is
it not remarkable that he has defined the laws of history and preserved his
racial identity though scattered in 100 countries for hundreds and hundreds of
year? Even though her neighbours
outnumber her 50 to 1 she has proved militarily stronger than anyone. Israel is the nation that will not go away
for 3 reasons.
Israel is the nation that will not go away because of its past
history. Jeremiah 31 verse 1 “at the
same time” refers to God restoring Israel to her land. God loved this nation, called her, enriched
her, blessed her. The history of Israel
is unique. The history of other nations
was written largely after it happened.
Israel was written before. The selection
of this nation relates to a race. So
many have said “how odd of God to choose the Jews.” When God called Abraham he gave him a promise
– Genesis 12 verse 1 – 3. Interestingly I
believe that still holds. Those who
bless Israel will be blessed. Those who
curse Israel will be cursed. Personal
blessings – “I will bless thee.”
Universal blessing – “in thee shall all the nations be blessed.” National
blessing – “I will make of thee a great nation.” Through the seed of Abraham we have the
Saviour, the scriptures, an ethical code that most of nations use, the decalogue,
the 10 Commandments. The fulfilment of
national blessings still have to be realised.
God promised Abraham a seed – Genesis 17 verse 15. Islam claims that Ishmael had the right of inheritance
to the Promised Land but God promised Abraham that he would have a son who
would be the heir. Abraham was 100 years
old, Sarah was 90 years of age.
Reproductive powers were dead – is anything too hard for the Lord? Abraham believed God. Ishmael was not the son of God’s
promise. He was the son of Abraham’s and
Sarah’s unbelief. It is God who holds
the title deeds to the land of Israel. When
Isaac was born the promise was conferred to him. He had 2 sons Esau and Jacob, the promise was
reiterated to Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons –
all these are the tribes of Israel. When
the Jews went down to Egypt there were 70 people, when they came out there were
2.5 million. They were chosen because of
a choice. They are chosen because they are chosen by God. Their selection relates
to a place, one particular place - Israel is both the name of a people and a land. The most important place to play in God’s
prophetic plan. “A land which the Lord
thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it from the
beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” (Deuteronomy 11 verse 12) The donation of the land – “unto a
land that I will shew thee.” Genesis 15
verses 18 – 21 the dimensions of the land. Far beyond the present dimensions of the
land. That would embrace an area 2 and
half times the size of Great Britain and Ireland. Exodus 3 verse 8 a description of the
land – “a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Genesis 13 verse 15 the duration of Israel’s tenure in the land –
“to thy seed forever.” God has put a
reservation mark on the land, has reserved it for Israel. The title deed was signed by God 4000 years
ago. The Jews are continually identified
as the chosen people belonging to the God of Israel, the God of the bible. He is called the God of Israel 203 times and
he is never called the God of any other nation.
What blessings the Lord has bestowed upon this nation. Notice the defection of this nation –
when God founded the nation of Israel he gave Israel 4 things – a land, a law,
a language, a Lord but Israel defiled the land, they defied the law, deserted
the language and they denied the Lord because of their rebellion against the
Lord. He allowed them to be taken from
the land as a chastisement and a discipline The Lord predicted this to happen -
“For it shall come to pass that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good
and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to
bring you to nought; and ye shall be
plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter thee among all
people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other, and there thou shalt
serve other gods; which neither thou nor thy fathers have known even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no
ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest.” What God predicted
actually happened. Israel rebelled and
was rejected God. She was overwhelmed by
pagan nations. They were deported from
the land. After the death of Solomon in 930
BC the kingdom was divided. The northern
kingdom in 722 BC was taken into Assyria, the southern taken into Babylon in
597BC. After 70 years they returned and
remained for 600 years until 70 AD when the national scattering was completed. “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword
and shall be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21
verse 24) For 2000 years the Jews have
been dispersed, dispelled, displaced and despised by the other nations. God is not through with the Jews. The correction of this nation. God disciplines his covenant people but never
rejects them Psalm 89 verse 32 “Then will I visit their transgression with the
rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless
my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness
to fall. My covenant will not break, not
alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever and his throne
as the sun before me. It shall be
established for ever as the moon and as a faithful witness in heaven” A great principle – discipline is not denial,
discipline is not dispersal. Jeremiah 31
verse 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles
afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a
shepherd doth his flock.” Ezekiel 36
verse 24 “For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all
countries and will bring you into your own land.” The Jew cannot be eliminated or
assimilated. Where are the Philistines,
Hittites, Amelikites and Assyrians today? They are no more but the Jew still
stands. 14 May 1948, a most important
date when a nation was born, a nation that was dead and dormant was raised. Protection of this nation. When the Jewish state was born and recognised
by United National there were 650,000 Jews living in the land, surrounded by 40
million Arabs. The Jews fought and won
against such opposition. In 1967 the famous
war 6 Day War, Israel were outnumbered but they had defeated Egypt, Syria and
Jordan. They amassed 3 times the land by
the time the war was ended. There is an
invisible hand on these people. Israel
is military strong, economically robust and spiritually active. Sheer providence. Israel is indestructible people. Jeremiah 31 verse 35. “then the seed of Israel also shall cease
from being a nation before me for ever.
Thus saith the Lord; if heaven above can be measured and the foundations
of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel
for all that they have done.” Israel is
the nation that will not go away because of its past history.
Secondly, Israel is a nation that will not go away because of its present
reality. God is working out his plan
tonight for the Jews. There is the sign
of a revived nation. 3 different
trees are used in the bible to speak of the Jewish people – the vine (her past),
the olive (her future) and the fig tree (her present. “Behold the fig tree and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of
your own selves that summer is no nigh at hand.
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the
kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall
not pass away till all be fulfilled.” (Luke 21 verses 29 – 32) The fig tree Is blossoming. “Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the
face of the world with fruit.” (Isaiah 27 verse 6) Rocks are being turned into diamonds, dry
land into farm land. The law has been reinstituted. The foundation of their law, the Sabbath has
been established and it is the law of the land.
Many restaurants are closed and buses don’t run, televisions are not turned
on. The language has been resurrected. The 39 books of the Old Testament were
written in Hebrew. Paul testified that God
spoke to him in Hebrew (Acts 26 verse 14) yet it is a dead language. Ben-Yehuda was one man who had the vision to
revive the language but until 23/9 1922 it was not recognised as a language in
the world. The Jews also succeed. God has left a mark on history. Not great number 1/10th of 1% percent
of world is Jewish. We are affected by
Jews every day in our medicine (the inventor of aspirin was Jewish), the
founder of the Salvation Army had a Jewish mother and the scientist Albert
Einstein came from Jewish parents. When
you look at the Jewish nation there is a sign of a restored nation. Every year the Jews in exile pledge to each
other “next year in Jerusalem.” “If I forget
thee of Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
(Psalm 137 verses 5 and 6) The whole
city is in the hand of Israel, Jerusalem is the eternal capital much to
consternation of Palestinians. The times
of the Gentiles will end when God comes in great power. In the 6 Day War Israel defeated the Arabs –
never imagined would take so little time to do so. The
Jew is back in the land Jerusalem. Jerusalem
belongs to the Jew tonight. The signs
all seem to say his coming is not far away.
The sign of a rebuilt temple.
The aspirations of Jews are expressed in a prayer said each day. Jewish people are worshipping at the western
wall today, the only bit left of Herod’s temple. The bible prophesises the rebuilding of
temple.
Israel is a nation that will not go away because of its prophetic
destiny. Is God through with the Jews? Has God cast away his people. Romans 11 verse 1. Many say the church has replaced Israel. It is called replacement theology. “Hast God cast his people? God forbid.” In other words “may it never be”. The strongest negative declaration in the
bible – never! Jeremiah 31 verse 31 “Behold
the days come saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah ….I will remember their sin no more.” It is going to happen. How? 4
things. Israel will be restored
to the land. Are we not witnessing a continuation
of that restoration today – today there are millions of Jews in Israel. Is Israel to be restored to the land – yes. Israel has a population of 7 million Jews
today and they are still coming home.
Israel will be reassured of the antichrist – “And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9 verse 27). There will be a peace settlement in the
Middle East to end the Arab Israeli conflict for ever thereby guaranteeing Jewish
security. The temple will be rebuilt
– the Jews will be deceived into believing it is the Messiah that has come but
during the 7 year period of the anti-Christ, Israel will return to the land,
refined through the tribulation. One of
the great purposes is to purify Israel, there will be a time of great trouble
for Israel when rebelliousness will be purged.
Refined through the nation.
Redeemed and restored by the Lord. Zechariah 14 verse 2 “For I will gather all
nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city shall be taken, and the houses
rifled and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he
fought in the day of battle.” The Lord
will come at the last minute when the nations will be gathered against
Israel. At that moment Israels response “And
I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son,
and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
The scales of blindness will fall from Israels eyes and their hearts will be
softened to the Lord. They will be saved
spiritually and physically. God’s programme
for the end is concerned with Israel’s blindness “for I would not have you
ignorant.” The blindness of Israel is
not permanent. The fullness of Gentiles
will come in. When the Lord comes to the
air the fullness of Gentiles will be fulfilled.
The veil of blindness will be removed from the Jews. They will see Jesus as he really is. One day they will recognise Jesus as the
Messiah. So all Israel shall be
saved. The only hope for Israel is not
in a land but in the Lord. Not in
missiles, not in might, not in money, not in manpower, not in a master, not in
the USA, not in the UK. Their only hope
is in a person and his name is Jesus. The
king is coming - are you ready? Are you
saved?
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