Pastor’s Thoughts – 11-23-2025

Israel has a unique relation to God that no other nation or people have. I am referring to promises or covenants given of God to Israel through Abraham and His offspring. Moses told the people, speaking for God, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6). Then he says, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). These verses help us to begin to understand that God chose to use Israel to accomplish His plan to reverse the effects of the fall of mankind in Adam and man’s spiritual alienation from God by destroying Satan, defeating death, and providing a Savior. He would work through this peculiar people to reveal Himself and to bring us the Messiah, His Son, who would accomplish glorious restoration.

All through the Old Testament writings these promises to Israel are reiterated from God through the prophets. For example, “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 waters of 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’” (Jeremiah 31:35-36). There could not be a stronger and clearer promise given of God through the prophet describing His commitment to the literal nation of Israel. It is no wonder that God originally promised to Abraham that He would, “Bless those that bless you (Abraham’s promised seed), and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). It is because of God’s covenant with Israel that Satan persecutes Israel. We are told this in Revelation 12:13 where Satan is identified as the dragon who hates the woman (Israel) from whom is born the Savior. Satan knows Israel has a promised future.

The promise for what God will do for Israel in the last days is given in several places in the Bible. Through Ezekiel God promises to regather Israel back into their land. Also, God says through Ezekiel, “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. 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” (Ezekiel 36:25-26). In our lifetime, God has miraculously gathered many of the Jews spread throughout the world back into their promised native land. This is of itself a miracle of God’s providence. Also, we read through Zechariah the prophet of this same event of spiritual awakening in some detail. He says referring to the last days, “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a first born” (Zechariah 12:10). This is elaborated into chapter 13 of Zechariah; “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. “’It will come about in that day,’ declares the Lord of Hosts, ‘that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land’” (Zechariah 13:1-2). God is describing through the prophet the mighty repentant transformation of the people of Israel. Think of Israel today. They are generally a secular people and very similar to America in their politics and practices. Mixed among the Jews of Israel are Muslims who control the Temple Mount. When in Jerusalem one of the things you must tolerate is the Muslim prayer broadcast from loudspeakers that can be heard in the cities of Israel. We can readily see what God has promised to do for Israel. Part of the promise to restore them to the land has been fulfilled. The promise is also very clear that God will yet save them spiritually.

In the New Testament, Paul, writing his letter to the Romans, explains the relation of the church to Israel stating, “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26). God is not through with Israel, and God is not through saving Gentiles, a reference to those who predominately make up His church. When the last of us in this church age have been saved, He will remove us and once again turn His glorious spiritual attention as promised upon Israel. This truth is so incredible that Paul closes out Romans chapter eleven proclaiming, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34). These truths that are revealed to us should encourage our faith and our understanding of the world in these difficult times. It is wonderful to know God, to have His Word which explains our world, and to see His hand in history. It rejoices our soul and encourages the worship of our Sovereign Lord!