.
ISLAM AND THE JEWS.
Islam is one of the enemies of Israel
which has made big inroads into world affairs in connection with
the land of Palestine. Do the Scriptures
prediction anything about Islam? Here I will quote from W.E.
Vine, "Isaiah", as the passage is rather
obscure, and I do not want the reader to have to rest on my
authority. Isaiah 19, from verse 16:
"The rest of the 19th chapter points,
as in other prophecies, first to a more immediate fulfillment and
then to the yet future time of the Millennial
Kingdom. There are five paragraphs each beginning with
"In that day". The day consists of a period
extending from the impending judgment upon Egypt to
the end of the present age and the Second
Advent of Christ.
Firstly, Judah was about to be the Divine
instrument of judgment (vv.16,17). Secondly, the attitude of
Egypt towards Israel would be changed.
There would come a time when the language spoken in
Canaan would be the language spoken in
Egypt, to a limited extent ('five cities'). This was fulfilled
when in the empire founded by Alexander
the Great the Hellenistic Greek language became the
common tongue in Canaan and elsewhere
and was adopted in Egypt (where the Septuagint Version
was produced). "The city of destruction"
(lit., the city Ir-ha-heres) probably indicates the destruction
of idolatry (verse 18). That took place,
after the successive invasions of the Assyrians, Chaldeans,
Persians and Greeks.
Thirdly, there would come a time when
an altar would be erected to the Lord in the midst of the land,
and "a pillar" at the border. The Jewish
religion actually spread in Egypt (verse 21). Synagogues
were built, and one especially at Heliopolis,
and later on a church was erected at Alexandria.
Subsequently Egypt was smitten (verse
22) by the power of ISLAM. ISLAM will not prevail
permanently. There will be healing (spiritual
healing)." (End of quote).
In the passage Isaiah 19:23-25, we see
wonderful prophecies about the changes which will take
place in the Middle East, think of the
hatred and Godlessness that is there today. This will take place
at the beginning of the Millennial Reign
of Christ. A road will run from Egypt to Assyria (Iraq, Iran?).
Both these Middle East Moslem countries,
who have had separate aspirations to conquer the whole
globe, will actually form a union to serve
the Almighty God, the real God, not the fake Allah.
Israel will be the go-between in this
Assyrian-Egyptian alliance. Israel will no longer be afraid of her
neighbours, the Chosen Nation will reach
an eminence of honour which has been Sovereignly
decreed by the Lord. And God's Chosen
Nation will be "a blessing in the midst of the earth", just as
God has always planned. (Acts 2:39; 3:25,26).
AN ELECTION OUT OF THE TRIBULATION.
An election of Jews will experience great
salvation in the Tribulation, these will help form the remnant
of Israel in the Millennium Reign. That
election will be sealed by the Almighty (Rev.7:4-8), for His
purposes of evangelisation. And Israel
will be saved nationally. (Romans 11:26-29). A summary of
God's overall purposes and plan for Israel
would be a fitting close to this Mini-Despatch:
WHAT ARE GOD'S PURPOSE IN CHOOSING ISRAEL?
(a) Named after the grandson of Abraham,
Jacob who became Israel.
(b) Called to a four-fold mission:
1. To witness to the true God in the midst
of universal idolatry and wickedness (Deut.6:4 with Isaiah
43:10,12).
2. To cause the nations round about to
long for the true God because of the Jews' blessing in His
service (Deut.33:26-29; 1 Chron.17:20,21;
Psalm 144:15).
3. To be the custodians of the Holy Scriptures,
to preserve and transmit them (Deut.4:5-8; Romans
3:1,2).
4. To be the race through which the Christ
would be born, the Messiah (Gen.3:15; 12:3; 22:18;
28:10-14; 49:10; 11 Sam.7:12-16; Isaiah
7:14; 9:6; Matt.1;1; Romans 1:3)
(c) To be yet regathered from all nations
and restored to the Promised land, according to the
Abrahamic Covenant. And to form under
the Kingship of Christ a rule, a leading nation, from the
Throne of David. (Davidic Covenant, 11
Sam.7:8-17) (Gen.1:26; Zech.12:8; Luke 1:31-33; 1
Cor.15:24).
(d) But they must be disciplined by God
BEFORE their exultation and glory arrives! Many skip this
"melting pot" judicial dealing by Jehovah
God, which happens in the Tribulation, and thus put the
plan for Israel into disarray. It cannot
be done, for Israel is now cast aside, until the Church Age ends
(At the Rapture).
THE REMNANT:
There was actually a "remnant" of the
Jews in the Church Age. John the Baptist, Simeon, Anna and
"them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem"
(Luke 2:38), these were the remnant of the Jews,
who truly saw that their Messiah had come!
These were believers at Christ's First Advent. In the
years that have followed this Advent,
the remnant of the Jews is composed of believers who have
joined the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:14-18),
we are all ONE in Christ Jesus.
Prophetically, a Jewish remnant will be
Christ's witnesses in the Tribulation, but their time will not
come NOW, as some imagine. If a Jew receives
Christ as Saviour now, he/she will go in the Rapture
(1 Cor.15:51. Note the word "ALL"). Those
who are called and saved in the Tribulation, do not believe
Christ is the Saviour NOW, otherwise they
would not be on earth in the Trib. They will be saved in the
Trib., after the removal of the Church.
Some will die a martyrs' death, and will go straight to the Lord
Jesus Christ, to join the saints in glory.
Others will survive the Antichrist's purge, and will enter the
Millennial Kingdom as a part of the Chosen
Nation (Zechariah 12:6-13). Scofield informs us that many
of the Psalms are prophetic, actually
looking ahead to express the terrors, the sorrows, and the
victories of the remnant Jews in their
Tribulation trials.
WHY HAS GOD TEMPORARILY PUT ASIDE ISRAEL IN THIS CHURCH AGE?
The Kingdom and the Messiah were not received
by the Jews at Christ's first Advent. First the
rejection was moral (Matt.11:20); and
then the rejection was official (Matt.21:42,43). The King was
crucified, at the insistence of the Jewish
Rabbis.
In anticipation of this rejection, and
of His crucifixion, the Messiah King revealed that there were
"mysteries" of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt.13:11).
This "mystery" of the Kingdom would be fulfilled
in the period between His rejection and
His Return in Glory, when He would set up the postponed
earthly Kingdom, with the Chosen nation
at centre stage (Matt.13:1-50).
Christ revealed His purpose of building
His Church AFTER the rejection of His Messiahship and
Kingdom (Matt.16:18). The Church is also
a "mystery" in Scripture, which is being fulfilled along side
the "mystery" of the Kingdom in this Church
Age (Ephesians 3:9-11). Only upon His Return will the
King Messiah give back the glory to Israel,
she will be dealt with severely in the Tribulation (see notes
of the Bible Study on Israel on our Web
site). The Davidic monarchy and re-gathered Israel will be on
earth for a thousand years, the Kingdom
of Heaven (Matt.24:27-30; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 15:14-17;
Rev.20:1-10). This Kingdom come will establish
the rule of the Great Kingdom of God on our planet
(Matt.6:33). And Israel has a huge part
to play in this mightiest of scenarios.
ISRAEL IS YET TO BE "GRAFFED" IN.
This period of the Church Age, when it
is completed, is called the "fullness of the Gentiles". When the
final soul, ordained by God to be saved
in the Church Age, is added to be the Body of Christ, then the
"fullness of the Gentiles" will be complete.
That is, God's calling of the Gentiles out as a people for
Christ's name. "The church which is His
body" (Ephesians 1:22,23). Then Israel as a nation will be
dealt with again by God (Romans 11). (Not
to be confused with the "times of the Gentiles", which is
the rule of the Gentile nations over the
earth, instead of disobedient Israel (Luke 21:24).
THE WORSHIP AND TESTIMONY OF RESTORED AND
CONVERTED ISRAEL:
"In that day shall this song be sung in
the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God
appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates, that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth shall enter in.
Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.
In the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
For he bringeth down them that dwell on
high; the lofty city, he layeth it low, even to the ground; he
bringeth it even to the dust....Like a
woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in
pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so
have we been in thy sight, O Lord.
...Thy dead men (the resurrection of Israel)
shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust:
for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out
the dead." (See Isaiah 26:1-21).
God bless you all.
W. B. Howard ...Editor of Despatch
.
Return to Mini-Despatch
TOC
Click
Here
despatch@mail.cth.com.au