As you know, we sort through
the many e-reports that come our way and send those
we feel you should be alerted to in order to help
you in "establishing
and maintaining your Christian worldview." That
line is from the introduction of our radio program "Perspective
Underground". Our radio program
is longstanding and over the years we have established
an audience in Northern Illinois and Southern
Wisconsin (broadcast noon on Saturdays in Rockford
and Madison on WFEN FM 88.3 and 103 respectively).
When we were on Audiocentral.com we had listeners
from all over the United States and the world receiving
mail from listeners as far away as Japan and Jerusalem.
We are back with an archive of our radio programs
on this site.
As a
result of this networking over the years we have
helpful friends that send us a lot of reports.
Neither they nor we agree with all the slants of
the articles, but feel that they are important
to be exposed to. This requires paying our readers
the compliment of their being able to exercise
mature Christian discernment. There has been one
who resented this compliment and accused us of
not "caring" about he and his church
enough to do their thinking for them. We think
this is silly and immature. We DO let our views
be known on important subjects and Israel is one
of them. Speaking of Israel, the Apostle Paul says:
do not be arrogant toward
the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember
that it is not you who supports the root, but the
root supports you. -
Romans 11:18
We think it is foolish to hear the
absurd notion that "I am not anti-semitic but I just don't
think Israel as a nation should be supported by
Christians." This displays a lack of knowledge
of the anti-Semitism in history, a lack of Biblical
truth about the Jews, or both. The anti-Semitism
of the nations have caused the need for the Jews
to have a defensible place they can call home.
The gentiles have killed them wherever they have
gone with the notable exception of the United States
of America. Even in the arguably racist or bigoted
Confederate States of America there was a Jew in
the Cabinet of Jefferson Davis! God has blessed
America in part because we have blessed the seed
of Abraham (see Genesis 12:3) both in promoting
the Gospel of His and Abraham's Son Yeshua(Jesus)
and in providing safe harbor for the Jews. We have
been the exception to the rule of mindless and
unrelenting hatred and persecution of the Jews
on the part of the world. Still, there are those
who would be illogical in not wanting the epithet
bigot or anti-semite but would still like to say
that Israel as a nation is outside the will of
God! The argument usually goes like this; "The
majority of the Jews in Israel are atheistic or
agnostic and until they are right with God by turning
to Jesus they shouldn't be shown any favor by Christians." In
other words until they start flying the Christian
flag instead of the Magen David they don't deserve
God's favor. Really? Tell that to God! This anti-Israel
position does not square with God's own pronouncements
about Israel as a people. Jeremiah 31:34-38 says: "They
will not teach again, each man his neighbor and
each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
for they will all know Me, from the least of them
to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for
I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I
will remember no more."Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed
order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The
LORD of hosts is His name: "If this fixed
order departs From before Me," declares the
LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will
cease From being a nation before Me forever." Thus
says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be
measured And the foundations of the earth searched
out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring
of Israel For all that they have done," declares
the LORD. "Behold, days are coming," declares
the LORD, "when the city will be rebuilt for
the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner
Gate." If you will notice the start of this
Israel affirming passage begins with their future
spiritual renewal and ends by anchoring it firmly
with their being in the land of Israel and Jerusalem
in particular. It is their very need to be forgiven
that is taken care of at the start of this passage.
It culminates in the city being enlarged to what
we see it is today! Dr. David Allen Lewis first
pointed this out to me on my first trip to Israel
(his 50th!) years ago as we viewed Jerusalem from
a breathtaking vista on the Mount of Olives. He
quoted this very passage as he pointed out the
ancient landmarks with his cane. "And so all
Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE
DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS
FROM JACOB." Romans 11:26 The Apostle Paul
links Israel being saved with the Deliverer (Christ)
coming from the land! Zion is a very real hill
that I have stood upon many times. You can scoop
up a handful of dirt from it. It is arrogance and
folly to "spiritualize" the text here
as Zion means Zion! Also, notice that Israel's
sin is compared to a woman's monthly uncleanness.
A woman was only TEMPORARILY unclean. God Himself
is going to sprinkle clean water on Israel and
they will be clean AFTER they have returned to
His/their land in unbelief! Ezekiel 36:17-27
17 "Son
of man, when the house of Israel was living in
their own land, they defiled it by their ways and
their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness
of a woman in her impurity.
18 "Therefore
I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which
they had shed on the land, because they had defiled
it with their idols.
19 "Also I scattered
them among the nations and they were dispersed
throughout the lands. According to their ways and
their deeds I judged them.
20 "When
they came to the nations where they went, they
profaned My holy name, because it was said of them,
'These are the people of the LORD; yet they have
come out of His land.'
21 "But I
had concern for My holy name, which the house of
Israel had profaned among the nations where they
went.
22 "Therefore say to the house
of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is
not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am
about to act, but for My holy name, which you have
profaned among the nations where you went.
23 "I
will vindicate the holiness of My great name which
has been profaned among the nations, which you
have profaned in their midst. Then the nations
will know that I am the LORD," declares the
Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among
you in their sight.
24 "For I will
take you from the nations, gather you from all
the lands and bring you into your own land.
25 "Then
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will
be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness
and from all your idols.
26 "Moreover,
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you; and I will remove the heart of stone
from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Again, the progression is simple.
The Jews return to the land and THEN they are restored
spiritually. Study Ezekiel 36-39 and Romans 9-11
and it should become apparent to you. The Israeli
State is simply shorthand for the preservation
of the people of Israel in providing them the ability
to defend themselves. You don't have to affirm
EVERY move of the Israeli government to affirm
this. Israeli's themselves don't do that! I know
since I've spoken to them and have had at least
one refer to the Knessett as the "insane asylum." However,
if you are not for the preservation of Israel as
a people it is YOU who have a controversy with
God Himself! Jesus said that His return depends
on Jewish mouths saying, "Blessed is He Who
comes in the name of the Lord!"(see Mt 23:39).
Satan knows that when they say that he is going
to be bound for a thousand years and, therefore,
works to stop Jewish mouths from existing in order
to stop that prophecy of Jesus! He also works against
Christians who are preaching the true Gospel for
the same reason. It is AFTER the fulness of the
Gentiles has come in that all Israel will be saved
and they will welcome their Messiah Yeshua! Satan
HATES Jews and Christians as they are harbingers
of his demise! Many believers wonder why they are
saved. They wonder why they accepted God's gospel
of grace and others have not. They know it is NOTHING
they have done or earned since Ephesian 2:8,9 says: "You
are saved by grace through faith, and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works
lest any man should boast." If you are a gentile
believer in the Jewish Messiah Jesus then you know
there is no reason or virtue in yourself you can
point to but must give God all the glory and credit
for saving you. But wait, there is a reason that
you as a Gentile are saved that is given in the
scriptures. It is found in the following verse:
"I
say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did
they? May it never be! But by their transgression
salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them
jealous." -
Romans 11:11
This is true even if you have never
met a Jewish person. Perhaps the person you lead
to Christ, or the one they lead to Christ, or the
one they in turn lead to Christ will make Israel
jealous. It takes a noticeable group to capture
Israel's attention. They will, however, not be
jealous of someone who says their God has rejected
and forgotten what He has promised them as a people
in their own scriptures. Israel must be in the
land in order for Biblical prophecy to happen.
The following is still future:
"For
behold, in those days and at that time, When I
restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I
will gather all the nations And bring them down
to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter
into judgment with them there On behalf of My people
and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered
among the nations; And they have divided up My
land." -
Joel 3:1-2
"On
that day, when all the nations of the earth are
gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an
immovable rock for all the nations. All who try
to move it will injure themselves." -
Zechariah 12:3
And yes, I have traversed the valley
of Jehoshaphat and it is VERY real and NOT metaphorical!
Napoleon looked down at the Jezreel Valley and
said that all the armies of the world could maneuver
there. "Desert Shield Two" anyone? Or
perhaps it will be called: "Jerusalem, The
Final Solution?" Whatever it will be called
it will BE. Until then and forever, I wish you
Shalom in Yeshua, The Maschiach Nagid of Israel!
In His Service Gladly,
Rev. Kevin S. Johnson
Mount Carmel Outreach
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