SBS Sermon Notes Note 08/07
1. INTRODUCTION
The Middle East is in turmoil and world leaders are
in great suspense and fear. Fear, not so much of military conflict
- which when it starts will be swift and decisive; but of the
global economic repercussions. Fear that the oil wells (which
supply most of the world's oil) will be blown up, causing untold
damage to the environment and world trade. The Bible is not silent
on the matter of growing crisis in the Middle East. Indeed thousands
of years ago Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel foretold
current events with an accuracy only the ignorant or foolish
will deny. This morning I will point out a few Bible prophecies
concerning the Middle East and Jerusalem.
2. JERUSALEM, the City of the Most High
The Bible predicted some 2500 years ago that the
city of Jerusalem would be a 'cup of trembling,'
an 'awkward boulder,' a 'fiery torch' amidst the
nations. Though the name Jerusalem means 'foundation
of peace,' it is currently a city of bloodshed and war.
Only when the Messiah returns will it live up to its name. So
when we 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' (Psalm 22:6),
we are, in effect, praying for the Messiah's return.
| Zech.12:1 | The burden of the word of the
LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens,
and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit
of man within him. 2: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3: And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it... 6: In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. |
Persecution/Death
The prophecy continues, telling first of the crucifixion
of Israel's Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), then the cruel
scattering and persecution of the Jews. Next comes the great
home-coming and restoration of Israel to the Promised
Land. The prophecy then goes on to tell of a national revival
in Israel which is compared to a smith purifying silver
and gold! When that process is complete,
Israel will call on the Name of the LORD; (the word
translated LORD is Yahweh, which most Israelis never use,
considering it sacriligeous to utter God's name). See SBS article
the Sacred Name.
| Zech.13:7 | Awake, O sword, against my
shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the
LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered:
and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8: And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9: And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. |
3. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS / THEN REVIVAL
The Bible records that when the chosen people of
Israel rejected Yeshua, the Son of God, they called
a terrible curse upon themselves: 'His blood be upon us
and upon our children' (Matthew 27:25). A more tragic decision
could hardly have been made by any nation. It opened the floodgates
of woe for Israel. Not many years later the holy city of Jerusalem
was destroyed by the Roman army, the Temple was burned to the
ground and the people of Israel were scattered to the four corners
of the earth. Then followed a period of spiritual blindness
for Israel; during which the Almighty gave the Gentile nations
the opportunity to accept the Everlasting Gospel.
This period is called the Time of the Gentiles. But alas!
the Gentile nations proved no better that the Jews. If anything,
they were worse. Gentiles nations have also rejected God's Word,
God's law and God's Son; and were the Saviour here on earth today
the Gentiles would be the first to cry 'crucify him!'
The Blindness of Israel
| Romans 11:7 | What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded 8: (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. |
Beware You Gentiles!
| Romans 11:25 | For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.. |
We are told in the New Testament that when the Time of the Gentiles is passed, (and that time has come) Israel's blindness will be removed and the nation will recognise the truth it had rejected so long, long ago. Read Romans chapter 11 where these amazing events are foretold.
Israel's Coming Revival
The prophet Zechariah confirms this end-time revival
in Israel when, under inspiration, he writes:
| Zechariah 12:10 | 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 Apostle Paul continues:
| Romans 11:26 | all Israel shall be saved:
as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. |
4. FINAL ATTACK ON JERUSALEM
No one need be in any doubt but that Israel's enemies
want to rid the Middle East of all Jews: especially those Israelis
who base their right to the land of Palestine on the oft-repeated
promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And yet, astonishing
as this may sound, according to the Bible the Creator of this
world did give the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- and to their descendants - forever!
| Genesis 6:8 | And I will bring you unto the land, concerning which I did swear to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob and I will give it to you for an heritage: I am the Lord. |
| Genesis 35:12 | And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee (Israel) I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. |
| Deut.19:8 | And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers. |
Believe it or not, the feud between Israel and its Arab neighbours is the oldest feud in history. It goes back to the tents of Abraham; to the contempt Hagar, the Egyptian maid, had for Abraham's wife Sarah; and to the subsequent hatred of Ishmael (Hagar's son) for Isaac the child of promise. That feud is about to be settled once and for all - soon! Watch for these events:
| Zech.14:1 | Behold, the day of the LORD
cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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. |
| Rev.11:2 | But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. |
This capture and trampling of Jerusalem for three and a half years (42 months, or 1260 days) will be the last time the holy city will be subjected to Gentile rule. Many a time has Jerusalem come under Gentile domination. But this will be the very last time. Indeed just when everything looks forever lost, just when the unbelieving Gentile nations suppose they have gained a permanent victory over Israel, just when the mockery of God's people and His truth is at a climax, Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will return to liberate Jerusalem.
| Zech.14:3 | Then shall the LORD go
forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the
day of battle. 4: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5:... and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8: And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9: And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. |
5. THE MILLENNIAL RULE
When the Messiah liberates Jerusalem from Gentile
rule, the 1000 Year Reign of Peace will begin. Jerusalem
will then become the capital city of the world and from its sacred
courts the law of the Most High will go forth to all nations.
| Isaiah 2:1 | The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3: And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4: And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. |
The Sacred Feasts of the God of Israel
At long last, man's rebellion will be curtailed and
all the nations of the world will celebrate the Feast Days of the God of Israel, those eternal Memorials of Salvation!
| Zech.14:16 | And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD
of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. |
6. SUMMARY
To help you understand what is taking place in
the Middle East I will briefly summarise:
7. HOW DOES ALL THIS CONCERN US?
Sermons, even the very best, are pointless if their
lessons cannot be personally applied. What is the personal lesson
in this sermon for all of us? The answer is plain: We must not
fight the God of Israel, His Word, His law, His Son or His People;
because we can never win. Instead, we must repent of our sins,
put our faith in the Holy One of Israel, obey His law
and live. That is the path to eternal life. All other roads lead to eternal death!