The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Revelation 4:1
The prophet Ezekiel was given unique insight about the last days and the diaspora returning to Israel. We have been watching this being fulfilled since the rise of modern Israel which came on the dry bones of Hitler's holocaust. Ezekiel's prophecy then spoke of a day of national revival when all Israel will know the LORD and be filled with God's spirit. Like Adam who was nothing but a lifeless body until the Ruach HaKodesh--the Spirit or Breath of God--breathed life into the man, Israel will stand lifeless spiritually until God breathes life into the nation. We see the body standing in Israel proper, but one day God will breath a newness of life into the nation and Paul's prophetic prayer that all Israel should be saved will be realized. This will happen when Messiah Jesus returns, but a foretaste of it will occur when 144,000 supercharged Messianic Believers share the truth of Jesus Christ with great power during the Tribulation.
Sometime before the beginning of the Tribulation, which is God's 7 year war on rebellious man for the means of final redemption, His ambassadors will be called home. The focus will shift from the Spirit filled church as the Lord, during the Tribulation, will begin to resurrect Israel spiritually. Could we be seeing the beginnings of this change now and not even know it? It is evident that there is a closer bond between the believing church and unbelieving Israel than most detect. Here are at least 7 ways that the church and Israel are currently experiencing similar events. Let's take a look at some of the negative parallels and later we will look at some of the more positive parallels such as the healing revivals of the 40s coinciding with the resurrection of national Israel or the Shearer School House Spirit outpouring in 1896 when Zionism officially began.
First, both are conceding promises. We know that Israel is covenant land and that Jewish blood was shed in many wars since 1948 for that land, yet many in the Israeli government are willing to give up covenant land to keep the peace. In many Christian circles, the promise of power and a spirit filled witness from the Spirit of God are being traded for the trinkets and silliness of this world. Many hours of heart rending prayer was lifted in many nations but the church has conceded the land to the enemy. Revivals have all but ceased there as the church turned towards its needs rather than preaching the Gospel. Furthermore, many view all of the promises, works and miracles of the LORD through the lens of a humanistic, scientific philosophy. They are not sure if the crossing of the Red Sea was a fairy tale or an actual event. Please don't get me started in evoLIEtion! Have you ever noticed on a Christian channel that "theologians" seem to have a naturalistic explanation for every miracle or judgment of God?
Second, Both Israel and the church are in defense mode and they only engage the enemy when provoked. First, Israel does hit back at the enemy, but lately it has been only when the rockets have fallen on the its citizenry. Political correctness limits them from taking a preemptive strike as they have done in the past. The church in many ways is not taking on the enemy of men's souls. There is no preemptive prayer for revival but rather we offer damage control prayer long after the enemy has done his work. The gospel is a radical message. Hell is also still really hot and everlasting, yet most of the church is focused on blessings, contentment, and pleasure to the expense of the souls in danger all around them. Not only that, but our rights in many once Christian nations are being stripped away at a frightening rate with few fighting the battle of prayer and protest. We are too worried what the world thinks to engage the enemy with this radical gospel.
Third, both are under heavy attack by the whole world. It is obvious that Israel is in trouble. It seems that every government in the world is aligning against the beleaguered nation. During the recent uprisings in Syria Assad blamed Israel for the problem and people believed him! Did you know that the most persecuted group of any type in the world is Christians. Look at the Muslim uprisings in Egypt, Libya and many other nations. Christians have been killed, raped, and forced from their homes. Hundreds of churches have been burnt to the ground and no one, including our President who protested the destruction of mosques while ignoring Christian persecution, seems to care that believers are dying. In 2006 Gordon Conwell Seminary published a statistic that 171, 000 Christians are martyred each year. Recent statistics show this number to be much higher. A silly man burned a koran last year. In response blood thirsty blind zealots following the true spirit of Islamic teaching killed scores.
We will view more of these parallels another day, but they remind us that the church is short on time and there are many that need to be given the choice to accept Christ worldwide. How about you, are you in defense mode conceding promises, or are you taking the fight to the enemy? What are you doing for Christ's sake?
Israel and the Middle East
European countries want UN, not U.S., to advance Mideast peace talks - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
Christian Persecution
Wow John, you've got alot of good stuff here to go through, I've got to come back and visit more often. You mention that the Church is in "defense mode" of which I tend to agree; but, I must say that I've seen you and others go on the offense when the situation presented itself. The problem is there are too few of you out there willing to go out on a limb. As you know, it really doesn't matter if some pastor burned a Koran or not; Muslims don't need a reason to go on a killing rampage, just another excuse. Keep up the good work.
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Tom
Thanks Tom! I have been so busy with church work and preparing for an upcoming prophecy revival I am speaking at that I have not had time to check my comments. God Bless, JNNJ
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