Category: Israel’s redemption and restoration

Throwing Them Out! #6

Thursday, September 17, 2020

“And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying” (Mark 5:40 KJV).

Why did Jesus throw these people out?

Read of the Valley of the Dry Bones, Ezekiel chapter 37: “[1] The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, [2] And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. [3] And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. [4] Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

“[5] Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: [6] And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. [7] So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

“[8] And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. [9] Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. [11] Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” Israel will live again….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How does the LORD ‘dwell in the thick darkness?’”

Throwing Them Out! #5

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

“And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying” (Mark 5:40 KJV).

Why did Jesus throw these people out?

At Jesus’ Second Coming, He purges the nation Israel of unbelievers, Bible mockers. Matthew chapter 3: “[10] And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [11] I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: [12] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Also, chapter 13: “[37] He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; [38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; [39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. [41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; [42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Finally, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1: “[7] And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, [8] In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;….” Again, apostate Jews will not witness Israel’s national resurrection….

God’s Face Shining Upon Us #5

Thursday, September 10, 2020

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah” (Psalm 67:1 KJV).

For the next several days, let us study Psalm 67 and see how it is but a small glimpse into the future.

The Mount of Transfiguration actually previews Christ’s Second Coming. Matthew records: “[16:27] For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. [28] Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. [17:1] And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, [2] And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Did you see how Jesus’ “face” glowed? This foreshadows His glorious return, when He radiates before the nation Israel!

In Paul’s Gospel, we see the invisible Godhead manifested in the Person (“face”) of Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians chapter 4: “[3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

King David, representing Israel’s Little Flock expecting Christ’s return, prayed: “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake” (Psalm 31:16). As the Levitical high priests blessed Israel—“The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee” (Numbers 6:25)—so the Lord Jesus Christ will do it prophetically! 🙂

God’s Face Shining Upon Us #4

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah” (Psalm 67:1 KJV).

For the next several days, let us study Psalm 67 and see how it is but a small glimpse into the future.

Read from Psalm 80: “[1] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. [2] Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. [3] Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. [4] O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?….”

“[7] Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. [8] Thou hast brought a vine [Israel!] out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. [9] Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land…. [14] Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; [15] And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. [16] It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance…. [18] So will not we go back from thee: quicken [resurrect!] us, and we will call upon thy name. [19] Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

The curses of the Law have come upon sinful Israel (Leviticus chapter 26; Deuteronomy chapter 28). God has righteously judged her land with extreme hardship—political collapse, military defeat, Gentile oppression, illness, death, pestilence, drought and famine, and so on. The Prophet Daniel confesses his people’s sin, adding: “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the LORD’S sake” (Daniel 9:17). Likewise, Israel’s believing remnant in Psalms acknowledges their nation’s sins, and asks for Christ’s Second Coming to set everything right again….

Israel Blinded Thrice! #3

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

“And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9,10 KJV).

Friend, did you know this passage is applicable to three particular times in Israel’s history?

The Holy Spirit was poured out on Israel’s believing remnant in Acts chapter 2, bearing witness of Christ’s resurrection by performing miracles through the Little Flock. Yet, national Israel remained in unbelief, persecuting the Apostles and Prophets—Peter, John, Stephen, et cetera. Christ raises up a new Apostle, Paul, to begin the Dispensation of Grace and the Church the Body of Christ. Israel continues opposing God’s work through the rest of Acts.

With Acts closing, Paul quotes today’s Scripture in chapter 28: “[25] And when they [the Jews] agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, [26] Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: [27] For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Read Romans 11:6-10,25-27 (cf. Isaiah 29:10). God again removes whatever spiritual light Israel had and willfully refused. Israel’s blindness will not be lifted until God gives her a sign, another miraculous demonstration intended to teach doctrine. Following the blinding of Israel in our dispensation, God will send Israel a sign, Christ’s Second Coming, as in Matthew 24:30: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” At Christ’s return, as per Romans 11:25-27, Israel is nationally enlightened and converted, and enters the Millennium!

333’s 3300th – The Stability of Our Times!

Friday, June 12, 2020

“And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure” (Isaiah 33:6 KJV).

Dear readers and saints, only by God’s grace, we mark our 3300th daily devotional today!

We live in a crazy world, huh? Since we are “creatures of habit,” its vicissitudes or changes greatly affect us. Our culture is shifting at a phenomenal speed—and for the worse rather than the better! Despite all our technological innovations, we cannot engineer a more ethical, moral, or righteous human. The problems mankind faced centuries and millennia ago still plague us this very moment. A larger population, a more brazen populace, and a greater enticement to do evil are the differences that make our society exceptionally precarious.

For exactly 3,300 consecutive days now, we have had here literally myriads of opportunities to use God’s Word rightly divided to stabilize ourselves spiritually. The cares of this evil world system will tear us down if we are not careful. Hence, it is absolutely critical we continue in sound Bible doctrine, lest we fall prey to the dumbness, deception, and doubt currently besetting people all around the world.

In today’s Scripture, the nation Israel is enjoying her future kingdom on Earth. Jesus Christ has returned at His Second Coming, has delivered her from all her enemies, and now reigns as King. Verse 5 says, “The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.” Today’s Scripture, the next verse, continues, “And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.”

Spiritual wisdom and spiritual knowledge will provide Zion, Jerusalem or the nation Israel’s capital city, with “stability” and “strength of salvation.” Instead of false religion or pagan idolatry debilitating her, Israel will be spiritually equipped to function as God’s nation. Why? His pure Word will be there to support them. Likewise, in these uncertain times, how wonderful it is to have a firm foundation in which we can trust—the King James Bible, taught and believed rightly divided (2 Timothy 2:15). The stability of our times! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Were the King James translators justified in adding ‘women’ to Matthew 24:41?”

The Inner Three

Saturday, May 2, 2020

“And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James” (Mark 5:37 KJV).

Behold, the inner three Apostles of Israel—Peter, James, and John!

The Scriptures group Peter, James, and John on three occasions:

  1. As touching Jesus transforming on the Mount of Transfiguration: “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,…” (Matthew 17:1). “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them” (Mark 9:2). They were the only Apostles to see a preview of Jesus Christ’s glory to be demonstrated at His Second Coming.
  2. In regards to Christ raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead: “And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James” (today’s Scripture). “And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden” (Luke 8:51). They were the only Apostles to witness a preview of the nation Israel’s resurrection, to take place at Christ’s Second Coming.
  3. As touching Jesus praying just prior to His arrest in Gethsemane: “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;…” (Mark 14:33). They were the only Apostles to see Christ agonizing in prayer leading up to His death.

Interestingly, they were the only three Apostles to whom Jesus gave nicknames. According to John 1:42, Simon was renamed “Cephas” (“stone”) or “Peter” (Mark 3:16). Mark 3:17 says brothers James and John were renamed “Boanerges” (“the sons of thunder”). Peter was the head Apostle, as per Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee [“you” singular] the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou [“you” singular] shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou [“you” singular] shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Thus, he was often the 12 Apostles’ spokesman. James and John were likened unto God’s voice, thunder a picture of His Word going forth (2 Samuel 22:14; Job 37:4,5; Job 40:9; Psalm 29:3; Psalm 104:7).

What Pleases God #8

Saturday, November 9, 2019

“For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17 KJV).

Using the Scriptures, we will define exactly what God thinks well of….

“He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (2 Samuel 22:20; cf. Psalm 18:19). King David celebrates after JEHOVAH God “delighted” (was pleased with) him and delivered him from all his enemies. This previews believing Israel’s future deliverance at Christ’s Second Coming, liberated from Satan and all other Jew-haters. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

When compared to His Son’s perfect sacrifice of Himself on Calvary’s cross, God has “no pleasure” in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (Hebrews 10:6-8). As concerning us Christians in the Body of Christ, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). God has “no pleasure” in hearts of unbelief (Hebrews 10:38). He was “not well pleased” with a large number of Jews who came out of Egypt (1 Corinthians 10:5); hence, they died in unbelief in the wilderness in the Book of Numbers. As Israel killed Messiah Jesus, and then persecuted and slew His Apostles and their converts during the Acts period, the Holy Spirit commented on how the Jews “please not God” (1 Thessalonians 2:15).

“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3; cf. Psalm 135:6). “By him [Christ] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15,16). “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs” (Psalm 69:30,31). Saints, we know what pleases God! Now, how will we respond? 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the ‘appearing’ of the Lord in 2 Timothy 4:8?”

What Pleases God #4

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

“For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17 KJV).

Using the Scriptures, we will define exactly what God thinks well of….

Chapter 1 of Colossians comments on God’s Son, Jesus Christ: “[16] For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. [19] For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; [20] And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Colossians proves crucial in interpreting the creation of Genesis 1:1. When “God created the heaven and the earth,” that “God” was God the Son—the Lord Jesus Christ. He installed within those two realms a hierarchy of governmental offices (“things”), placing creatures to occupy those administrative positions. It “pleased” God the Father to appoint Jesus Christ as the Head of all those governments: all authority, in heaven and on earth, originates from Him. The nation Israel is the group of creatures whom God created to glorify His Son in the earth; the Church the Body of Christ (us!) is the group of creatures whereby God the Son is praised in the heaven.

The latter part of God’s will—His plan for the heavens—is the heart of the Apostle Paul’s ministry and message. Galatians 1:15,16: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:….” If we turn to Paul’s message, we see the ultimate expression of God’s pleasure….

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What Pleases God #3

Monday, November 4, 2019

“For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17 KJV).

Using the Scriptures, we will define exactly what God thinks well of….

The LORD God was “pleased” to bless King David’s house, ensuring that Jesus Christ would be born of his seed and reign over Israel as his heir. “Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever” (2 Samuel 7:29). “Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever” (1 Chronicles 17:27).

While God promised His earthly kingdom to Israel, the nation apostatized (turned from Him), prompting Him to form a believing remnant within the nation. That remnant—the Little Flock—will be the recipient of that earthly kingdom sworn to David and even Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 17:6). Consequently, the Lord Jesus assured His disciples: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32; cf. Matthew 21:43).

“Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee” (Jonah 1:14). It “pleased” the LORD to generate a storm to judge disobedient Jonah for refusing to preach to Gentiles; here is Israel’s (future) end-time suffering, the consequence of her rejecting her ministry to share God’s Word with the Gentiles. As we read just moments ago, however, it will also “please” God to deliver Israel, bless her, and make her a blessing to all people (Gentiles).

It pleased Father God to make Israel the head of the nations, because it also pleased Him to make Jesus Christ the Head of all creation. Now, we see where we the Church the Body of Christ enter the scene….