"You Are My Witnesses" - Part 2

Last week's message studied Isaiah 44:6,8 that illustrated God as The King Of Israel and Jesus their Redeemer saying to them "You Are My Witnesses." Jesus commissioned His Disciples to be His witnesses "To The Ends Of The Earth" and the Apostle Paul made four missionary journeys. Jesus' Disciples indeed were His witnesses.

How about today? Is Israel now a witness of Jesus as the Son Of God and The Savior Of The World? This is a complex question since the majority of Israelis do not know Jesus as their Savior! In fact, Romans 10 is entitled "Israel Rejects Christ." Romans 10:1-3 shows the Apostle Paul speaking from his heart about his fellow Israelis, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they are ignorant of God's righteousness."

There are two difficulties in the manor in which many Israelis attempt to have a relationship with God. They are attempting to reach God through their own righteousness in addition to being disobedient. Romans 10:21 illustrates God describing them, "All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people." 

As a result, can we come to the conclusion that Israelis are not "Witnesses" for Jesus as Savior of the world? Possibly, to a certain extent, however, notice what the Apostle Paul says about his brethren in Romans 11:11-12, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall to provoke them to jealously, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches are for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?"

These two critically important verses show us that Israel's failure to recognize Jesus as their Messiah is a temporary scenario and their fullness or salvation will happen in the future according to God's Prophetic Timetable! Hallelujah! When and how will Israel be saved? Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You Safe Today And Forever,

Frank 

"You Are My Witnesses"

We have just finished a series showing the Jewish People as God's Chosen People. We learned the following:

God chose them to be a blessing to the people of the world  Genesis 12:2

God chose them to be a great nation - Genesis 12:2

The land God gave them is larger than current day Israel -Genesis 15:18

This week's message illustrates Jehovah God referring to His Chosen People as His "Witnesses." Isaiah 44 shows God speaking to Israel as His Chosen Servants. Verse 6 says, "Thus says The Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, The Lord of Hosts; I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God."

The verse actually shows God, The King Of Israel and Jesus, The Redeemer, speaking together saying "Besides Me there is no God." Then in verse 8 they say about Israel, "You Are My Witnesses." As a result, Israel  is chosen to declare Jesus as their Redeemer and The Redeemer of the world! Bless His Holy Name!

Has Israel obeyed God and functioned as His Witnesses? YES! Just prior to Jesus ascending into Heaven He said to His Disciples who were all Jewish men, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In effect, Jesus commissioned His Disciples to be His Witnesses or Missionaries to the world at that time. {Matthew 28:19}

Shortly after the Day of Pentecost when the Apostles of Jesus received the Power Of The Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the crowd saying, "Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of The Holy Spirit." {Acts 2:38} As a result, three thousand were saved that day becoming the First Church Of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Additionally, a major portion of the New Testament describe the Apostle Paul's four missionary journeys from Jerusalem all the way to Rome. Yes, God's Chosen People became His Witnesses! This raises the following question - Are they His Witnesses today? Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day,

Frank    

God's Chosen People - Part Five

We are in the process of studying how and why God chose the Jewish People and for what purpose. In the first four messages we have looked at the size of the land God gave to His Chosen People plus learning that they would become a Great Nation.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 shows Moses speaking to the Israelites saying, "For you are a holy people to The Lord your God, The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people . . . but because The Lord loves you and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers."

Notice God chose them to be a special treasure or for a particular purpose. God did not choose them because of their size but because He desired to keep the oath He swore to their fathers.

What is that oath? Genesis 12:2 shows God speaking to Abraham and his descendants saying they will "Be A Blessing." God chose this particular group of people to be a blessing to all people on the earth. Why did God choose them? God's Word does not answer this question. However, we can determine whether they have been a blessing.

Yes, without a doubt! History shows Israel being surrounded by enemies. However, Israel still is a place of refuge and safety for Christians and other religions. People are free to worship as they choose and pursue their dreams.

A recent story illustrates how Israel values life above all else. Saeb Erekat was the Chief Palestinian Negotiator, an enemy of Israel. Saeb came down with Covid-19 and was brought to a hospital in Jerusalem where Israeli Doctors treated him for a month but did not succeed in saving his life. In Israel, life is more important than politics, hatred or fear. Yes, God's Chosen People are a blessing!

In Isaiah 44 Jehovah God is talking to His Chosen People and says to them "You Are My Witnesses." What does this mean? Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Continue Blessing And Loving You,

Frank     

God's Chosen People - Part Four

For Zion's Sake Ministry was not able to publish a message for the last three weeks as my wife Carole was diagnosed with Covid 19 and hospitalized for six days. We are pleased to report she is home well on the way to recovery.  THANK YOU JESUS! On with God's message.

Our message this week is the fourth in a series identifying The Jewish People as God's Chosen People. The first three messages looked in detail at the land God gave to His People and we learned it is larger than current day Israel plus it could have been the Garden of Eden and will be the location of the New Jerusalem.

The Book Of Deuteronomy illustrates Moses reviewing the history of Israel and The Jewish People. Deuteronomy 1:10 says, "The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today as the stars of heaven in multitude." This is the completion of Genesis 12:2 in which God speaks to Abraham and his descendants saying He will make them into "A Great Nation." That Great Nation became God's Chosen People - The Jewish People.

Previously in our messages, we have pointed out that when God repeats a message it is important to Him. Numerous times in Genesis God talks about making The Jewish People into a Great Nation. Genesis 13:16 shows God speaking to Abraham, "And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth" and in Genesis 15:5 God says to Abraham, "Look toward Heaven and count the stars . . . so shall your descendants be."

Jehovah God also spoke to Abraham's son Isaac about making the Jewish People into a Great Nation in Genesis 26:4, "And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of Heaven" and saying to Isaac's son Jacob in Genesis 28:3, "May God almighty bless you and make you fruitful  and multiply you."

God chose The Jewish People to be a Great Nation. This is important to Him and to us who love and support Israel. Our next message will start a study about "Why Did God Choose The Jewish People And For What Purpose?" Stay Tuned.

May The Lord Continue Blessing You Each And Every Day,

Frank    

  

God's Chosen People - Part Three

In our new series about Jehovah God choosing the Jewish People as His Chosen People, we have looked in detail at the total land God gave to them. Last week's message raised the possibility that this land could also have been the Garden of Eden and will be the location of the New Jerusalem. This week we will attempt to examine the God Ordained relationship between the three purposes of this same land.

First we will look at the Garden of Eden which was Heaven on Earth before the Fall of Man. It has been God's desire to restore the atmosphere of the Garden of Eden to earth. How will God accomplish this? Ezekiel 37 is entitled "Vision of Dry Bones." Ezekiel prophesies over a valley of bones for them to hear the Word of God. As a result, these bones come to life. This vision is symbolic of current day Israel as being spiritually dead. However, Ezekiel 37:11,14 says, "Then He said to me, 'Son of man these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, our bones are dry . . . I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.'"

Notice verse 14 says God will put His Spirit into them - Israel will receive Jesus Christ as their Messiah! How many of them will be saved - All of them! Romans 11:26 says, "All Israel Will Be Saved." This means Jews living all over the world will come back to Israel in order to be saved. Ezekiel 39:28 says, "Then they shall know that I am The Lord their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations but also brought them back to their own land and left NONE of them captive any longer."

Last week's message looked at the enormity of the size of the New Jerusalem. Why will it be so large? We previously learned that all living Jews at the end of the Tribulation Period will be saved and will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem. Where do the Gentiles fit in this scenario? Revelation 7:9,10 describes a Great Multitude of Gentiles in Heaven saying, "After these things I looked and behold a great Multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before The Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands." 

Amen And Again I Say Amen!

When Jehovah God establishes the New Jerusalem on earth it will have the same atmosphere of the Garden of Eden and possibly will be located on the same land God gave to His Chosen People. Stay Tuned.

May The Lord Bless You Always,

Frank

  

 

God's Chosen People - Part Two

Last week we started a new series illustrating God choosing the Jewish People as His Chosen People. We looked in detail at the land God gave to His People as described in Deuteronomy 1:7 and Genesis 15:18. We also learned that current day Israel is less than the total land God gave to His People.

Possibly, the following message will be new to many. The author of the following information is Tom Hess who leads a ministry in Jerusalem called International House Of Prayer For All Nations. This ministry promotes 24 hour prayer in countries around the world for Israel. In the past, it was my privilege to assist with this ministry.

In Tom's book called "Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem" Tom describes the total land given by God to His People might have a threefold purpose. The first purpose is that it could have been the Garden of Eden. Secondly, it is the total land given by God to His People. Lastly, it might be the dimensions and the location of the New Jerusalem.

We will now look at the possible location of The Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:10,11,13,14 says, "Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which encompasses the whole land of Havilah. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which encompasses the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the East of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates."

Notice the first river Pishon flows through Havilah which is Egypt and the second river Gihon flows through Cush which is Ethiopia. This is the southern border of the land God gave to Israel. The fourth river is the Euphrates which is the northern border of the land God gave to Israel.

We do not have to look again at the second purpose of this land since it was covered in detail in our previous message. However, we will raise the question - When will Israel occupy all of this land? Stay tuned for next week's message!

The third possible purpose of this land is the measurements of the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21:16,17. The New Jerusalem will be 1,400 miles high, 1,400 miles long and 1,400 miles wide. This is believed to be the same size and location as the total land God gave to His People! 

We Can Truly Say . . . Is Anything Too Difficult For Our God?

Again, possibly you are surprised by this extraordinary message. If this is all true, what is Jehovah God planning through all these details? It is not just a coincidence! Our following messages will attempt to answer these many questions.

Lord Bless You Always,

Frank  

God's Chosen People

As we start this new calendar year, For Zion's Sake Ministry is starting a new series identifying the Jewish People as God's Chosen People. We desire to be clear right from the start that all people also are God's Chosen People. Jehovah God desire for all people to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We are all "Chosen People of God." Bless His Holy Name!

However, there is a special place in God's heart for the Jewish People. Yet, the majority of them do not know Jesus as their Messiah. There are signs that the return of Jesus to earth is closer than ever. Last year we started hearing the term "The Great Reset." If this takes place any time soon, this could be the early stages of the world government that the Anti-Christ will establish in the Tribulation.

As a result, For Zion's Sake Ministry feels it is timely and important for Christians to understand the Covenants God established with the Jewish People and why they are not seeing Jesus as their Messiah. Additionally, we should understand the actual size of the land God gave to the Jewish People. In this manner, we as Born Again Christians can better love the Jewish People and help them to identify their Messiah.

Our primary reference will be the Book of Deuteronomy that has been called a "Summary Of The Torah." Chapter 1:7 shows God speaking to His People, "Turn and take your journey and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowlands, in the south and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon and as far as the great river, the River Euphrates." 

Jehovah God is speaking to His People towards the end of their 40 years traveling in the wilderness. Verse 7 is an important verse because God tells His Covenant People to go to ALL the land He is giving to them. As we analyze this verse in detail we notice that the mountains of the Amorites are the current day mountains of Judea and Samaria. The plains is all the land along the Mediterranean Sea. God also tells them to go to the land of the Canaanites that is current day Israel. God also tells them to go to Lebanon and as far East as the Euphrates River. Lebanon, Syria and part of Iraq will be part of Israel in the future. This will be explained in up coming messages.

We will close this first message of 2021 by sharing that this description of the land God gave to His people in Deuteronomy 1:7 is the exact same description in Genesis 15:18  when God established the Abrahamic Covenant. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Continue His Gracious Blessings Upon You,

Frank