Chapter 7
All Israel To Be Re-Gathered
Back to the Land of Israel
(all 12 tribes)
I am
not going to get into any kind of theories or doctrinal interpretations
that try to explain who the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel are. The Jews themselves have debated for millennia
of time about who they could be nationally, knowing that Abraham’s
offspring were promised to become kings and nations, plural. The mere fact that the Jews debate this issue,
and that it has been debated for thousands of years by them attests
to the fact that they’re out there somewhere. Historically
this is borne out Biblically, when at first the ten tribes of Israel
rebelled against Solomon’s son and became what was known as “the
House of Israel”, consisting of ten tribes of Israel. They lived in the region of Samaria just north
of the territory of Judah. The
tribes of Judah, Levi and part of the tribe of Benjamin remained
with Solomon’s son and became known as “the House of Judah”. This
history can all be found in Kings and Chronicles. In 721BC the Assyrian Empire was allowed by
God to conquer and also totally deport the ten northern tribes of
Israel, the House of Israel. They
were taken to the shores of the Caspian Sea, and other pagan peoples
were moved into the land of Samaria in their place. This
is why the Jews of Christ’s day hated the Samaritans just north of
them, they weren’t true Israelites, but came from the Caspian region
and were pagans who mixed some of Judaism with their pagan beliefs. Who
are the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel today? Not
going to speculate. Let’s
just say, it’s for the Lord to know and us to find out at his return. This paper will not get into any of those theories,
no matter how plausible some may sound. But it will be noticed by the very Scriptures
quoted that even the Bible indicates that Israel is more than just
the Jews, and that a few of the tribes of Israel have been in opposition
to the Jews (both historically and prophetically). We
know also, just for the sake of background, that the Beast power
(some believe to come out of Europe, perhaps in some form of United
States of Europe) will conquer half the known world, probably the
western democracies (esp. England, Canada and America). Whoever
Israel is composed of—historically lost (but not to God)—along with
the Jewish nation of Israel (the Israelis) both will more than likely
be taken into captivity and slavery, as many prophecies indicate. The prophecies we will go through show Israel,
some of it’s various tribes named by name, being taken out of captivity
and restored to the land of Israel. This
study will merely consist of going through those prophecies, one
by one, showing the restoration of all of Israel at and just after
the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. If
you look up Genesis 49 you will see the 12 tribes of Israel listed
as each son is blessed by Jacob, showing what kind of nation he would
become “in the last days”, as the King James says. In Genesis
48, just before this event, Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s
two sons, as his own, each to become a tribe of Israel by direct
inheritance. It is this same tribe of “Ephraim” which is
mentioned as being jealous of Judah, or the Jews in Isaiah 11.
Isaiah 11:10-16, “In that day [we’ve
all seen what day “that day is” from reading the previous verses
in Isaiah 11 in this study] the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner
for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of
rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand
a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from
Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam,
from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He
will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he
will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters
of the earth. Ephraim’s jealously will vanish, and Judah’s
enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor
Judah hostile toward Ephraim. They
will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together
they will plunder the people to the east. They
will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and he Ammonites will be subject
to them. [this is all occurring just after the 2nd coming
of Yeshua or Jesus.] The Lord
will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he
will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He
will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in
sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of
his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when
they came up from Egypt.”
Ezekiel 36:1-38, “Son of man, prophesy
to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel [mountains
being personified in the first part of this prophecy], hear the word
of the Lord. This is what
the Sovereign Lord says: The enemy said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient
heights have become our possession.’ [Context:
We know through Daniel that the beast power takes over Jerusalem,
the temple, and the land of Israel during the tribulation, so God
is answering the attitude of the enemy occupiers here.] Therefore
prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because
they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the
possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s
malicious talk and slander [aren’t the Israeli’s slandered even now
by most other nations, who, due to false media reporting, are in
sympathy to the Palestinians?], therefore, O mountains of Israel,
hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord
says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the
desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and
ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you—this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the
rest of the nations, and against all of Edom, for with glee and with
malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so
that they might plunder its pastureland. Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel
and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This
is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because
you have suffered the scorn of the nations. Therefore
this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand
that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.
But you, O mountains of Israel, will
produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon
come home. I am concerned
for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,
and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole
house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I
will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will
be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past
and will make you prosper more than before. Then
you will know that I am the
Lord. I will cause people,
my people Israel, to walk upon you. They
will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never
again deprive them of their children.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Because people say to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation
of its children,’
therefore you will no longer devour men or make your nation childless,
declares the Sovereign Lord.’
Again the word of the Lord came to me:
‘Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land,
they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. [this
could be referring to the ten tribes before the Assyrian captivity, or
the Israelite tribes living in their present lands, and probably is referring
to both. Remember, this is in
context with the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. It is also referring to the Jews who were occupying
the land of Israel just before this captivity and occupation.] Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness
in my sight. So I poured out
my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because
they had defiled it with their idols. I
dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the
countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. And wherever they went among the nations they
profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s
people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ I
had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among
the nations where they had gone.
Therefore say to the House of Israel,
[“the House of Israel” of Kings and Chronicles is the ten tribes
of Israel, the northern kingdom. But
I think this refers to all of Israel, both them and Judah, the Jews
and the Israelis.] ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is
not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these
things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned
among the nations where you have gone. I
will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned
among the nations, the name you have profaned them. Then
the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign
Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
‘For I will take you out of the nations;
I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into
your land. I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities
and from all your idols. I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove
from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And
I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and
be careful to keep my laws. [This
is truly awesome! God has just promised to put his Holy Spirit
into the entire nation of Israel! They
become born-again believers in Yeshua, Jesus. And
what God does for Israel he also does for the Gentile nations. God is absolutely no respecter of persons. Jesus
brother James strongly condemned any respecter of persons in his
letter. The Gentiles too
will receive this blessing!] You
will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people,
and I will be your God. I
will save you from all your uncleanness. I
will call for grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine
upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and
the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace
among the nations because of famine. Then
you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe
yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I
want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares
the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed
and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!
This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your
towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The
desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the
sight of all who pass through it. They
will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden
of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed,
are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations around you that remain will
know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted
what was desolate. I the Lord
have spoken, and I will do it.’
This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do
this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as
numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed
feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks
of people. Then they will
know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel
37:15-28 continues this prophecy. [Ezekiel
37:1-14 has to be taken in context with the only other major resurrection
in the Bible, not the resurrection to immortality. And
we won’t get into that. But
it is not part of this regathering prophecy.]
Ezekiel 37:15-28, “The word of the Lord
came to me: ‘Son of man, take stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging
to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then
take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Ephraim’s stick, belonging
to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ Join them together into one stick so that they
will become one in your hand. When
your countrymen ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ say
to them,
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which
is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him [that would be Manasseh, Rueben, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad,
Asher, Naphtali, and Ephraim makes ten, the ten tribes of Israel that
made up the northern kingdom of “the House of Israel” that was in the
territory of Samaria before 721 BC. And
at the time Ezekiel wrote this, Israel had already been deported over
100 years previously!] and
join it to Judah’s stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they
will become one in my hand.’ Hold before their eyes the sticks you have
written on and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I
will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on
the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they
will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They
will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or
with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful
backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They
will be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be
king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be
careful to keep my decrees. They
will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your
fathers lived. They and their
children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David
my servant will be their prince forever. I
will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers,
and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will
be their God, and they will be my people. Then
the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary
is among them forever.’” Here
we see David, the resurrected, immortal David is given the job as king
over the 12 tribes of Israel. They
have been restored to the land. God
through the prophets is consistent here, as we shall see in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 30:1-24, “This is the word
that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord, the
God of Israel, says:
‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when
I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore
them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,’ says the Lord. These are the words the Lord spoke concerning
Israel and Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says: ‘Cries of fear are heard—terror,
not peace. Ask and see: Can a
man bear children? Then why do
I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in
labor, every face turned deathly pale? How
awful that day will be! [the Day
of the Lord] None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but
he will be saved out of it. [this
is talking about the tribulation and Day of the Lord] ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I
will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no
longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead,
they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will
raise up for them. [Here again,
we see the prophecy about David being the king of Israel, while we know
the Lord, Jesus is the King of the earth, cf. Zechariah 14:9.] ‘So
do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel,’ declares
the Lord. ‘I will surely save
you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and
no one will make him afraid. I
am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord. Though
I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will
not completely destroy you. I
will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely
unpunished.’ This is what the
Lord says: ‘Your wound is incurable, you injury beyond healing. Thee is no one to plead your cause, no remedy
for your sore, no healing for you. All
your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. [this could apply to the allies of the Israelis
or and also the allies of those nations who are made up of the ten tribes
of Israel as well. This is “end
times, day of the Lord” time-setting, not the Babylonian captivity of
Daniel’s and Jeremiah’s day] I
have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. Why
do you cry over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your guilt and many sins I have
done these things to you. But
all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all
who make spoil of you I will despoil. But
I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because
you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘I will restore
the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings [Jacob
is another name for Israel]; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and
the palace will stand in its proper place. From
them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will
not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will be as in days
of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish
all who oppress them. Their leader
will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close
to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares
the Lord. ‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’ See,
the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling
down on the heads of the wicked. The
fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.” Are we beginning to understand? I hope so.
At the time Isaiah penned this passage
we’re about to read, Israel was being taken, all ten tribes of the
northern kingdom, into captivity, being deported to the shores of
the Caspian sea by the Assyrian Empire, never to return. So
Isaiah was talking about “the House of Israel” which dwelt north
of him, in the territory of Samaria. Isaiah
lived to the south, in the land of “the House of Judah.” Also, the
wording here is 2nd coming time-setting. Isaiah
14:1-7, “The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will
choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens
will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. Nations will take them and bring them to their
own place. And the house of
Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in
the Lord’s land. They will
make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors…”--The
Lord’s land is the land of Israel, where the Israeli’s live right
now. Do the Israeli’s have
menservants and maidservants of their enemies? Not really, their enemies, the
Arabs and Palestinians are trying to kill them and drive them into
the sea. No, this is most definitely
looking into the future, and hasn’t happened in any time of the past,
not even for the Jews who returned under Ezra and Nehemiah. In Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s time, the Jews were
also persecuted by their enemies. So
this prophecy is for the restored Israel of the future, all 12 tribes,
whoever they might be (again, not gonna speculate on that one)—“…On
the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and
cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon
[and this is talking of the future king of the Babylon, mother of
harlots, spoken of in Revelation 17 and 18, and goes right into the
description of Satan in verse 12, which we won’t get into.]:
‘How the oppressor has come to an end! How
his fury has ended! The Lord
has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which
in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued
nations with relentless aggression. [this
end-time evil empire and their leaders, with Assyria as part of it,
will be very ruthless, worse than Hitler and Mussilini who preceded
it.] All the lands are at
rest and at peace; they break into singing.” Isaiah 27:12-13, “In that day the Lord will
thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt [Nile], and
you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. And
in that day a great trumpet will sound [cf. 7th Trumpet
of Revelation 11:15-19 and 16:17-21]. Those
who were perishing in Assyria and those who were in exiled in Egypt
will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain of Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 41:8-16, “But you, O Israel,
my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham
my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest
corners I called you. I said, ‘You
are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So
do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you
and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All
who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those
who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though
you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing
at all. For I am the Lord
your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not
fear; I will help you. Do
not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I will myself help
you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. See,
I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many
teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff. You
will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale blow them
away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory
in the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 43:1-7, “But now, this is what
the Lord says—he who created you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass
through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not
be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For
I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give
Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and
people in exchange for your life. Do
not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from
the east and gather you from the west. I
will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not
hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from
the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created
for my glory, whom I formed and made.’”
Isaiah 51:11-16, “The ransomed of the
Lord will return. They will
enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow
and sighing will flee away. I,
even I, am he who comforts you. Who
are you that fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,
that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant
terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent
on destruction? For where
is the wrath of the oppressor? The
cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their
dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For
I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—the
Lord Almighty is his name. I
have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of
my hand—I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations
of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
Isaiah 60:1-5, “Arise, shine, for your
light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness
is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears
over you. Nations will come
to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble
and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are
carried on the arm. Then you
will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth of the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches
of the nations will come.”
Context, God speaking to Israel: Hosea
2:14-23, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her
into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There
I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor
a door of hope. There she
will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up
out of Egypt. ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘you will
call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ I will remove the names of the Baals from her
lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In
that day I will make a covenant with them with the beasts of the
field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along
the ground [cf. Isaiah 11:6-9]. Bow
and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may
lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth
you in [margin: with] righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you
will acknowledge the Lord. ‘In
that day I will respond,’ declares the Lord—‘I will respond to the
skies and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond
to the grain, and the new wine and oil, and they will respond to
Jezreel [Hebrew: God plants ]. I will plant her for myself
in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved
one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’
‘You are my people.’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” Hosea 3:4-5, “For the Israelites will live
many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones,
without ephod or teraphim. Afterward
the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David
their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to
his blessings”—WHEN?—“in the last days.”
Jeremiah 31:7-9, 11, 20, 27-34, “This
is what the Lord says: ‘Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost
of the nations. Make your
praises heard, and say, ‘O Lord, save your people, the remnant of
Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the
north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray
as I bring them back. I will
lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will
not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn
son.” [In 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 it says “The sons of
Rueben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he
defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given
to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in
the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, and though
Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him,
the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)…” Ephraim
and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph, who were adopted into Jacob’s
family of 12 sons, and they became two tribes. It
is this “Ephraim” being talked of in Jeremiah]…(verse 11), “For the
Lord will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger
than they…(verse 20) “Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom
I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember
him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for
him…” (verses 27-30) “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when
I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the
offspring of men and animals. Just
as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow,
destroy and bring to disaster, so I will watch over them to build
and to plant,’
declares the Lord. In those days people will no longer say, ‘The
fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are on edge.’ Instead, everyone will die for his own sin;
whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.” Now the next set of verses are real important. In
Hebrews 8:6-13, Paul quoted these verses. But
here, they show God, Jesus will write the new covenant—will write his
laws on the hearts and in the minds of his people Israel—and by extension,
everyone who is willing from all the surviving Gentile nations in the
world. Now, the Holy Spirit will
genuinely be made available to all. All races of people will have the
opportunity for salvation, and for being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Yes,
they will be observing the Old Testament Laws of God, or code of laws,
but the new covenant isn’t one particular version of God’s law over another,
but is God, Jesus, writing the law of God on the hearts and in the minds
of his people, whoever they are, whether from the House of Judah, or
the House of Israel, or Gentile believers. Let’s read verses 31-34 of Jeremiah, “‘The time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah. It will not be like
the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was
a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘This is the covenant I
will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write
it on their hearts. I will be
their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or
a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know
me, from the least of them to the greatest…’”
Those
were a smattering of the many Scriptures about the regathering of
Israel. Most people, even after reading all this will
believe what they want to, and that’s perfectly fine. The true meaning of what the Lord was prophecying
through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea will become evident as
the events depicted unfold. Hopefully
all of us believers will be counted worthy of escaping the evil times
to come just before the 2nd coming of Jesus (whether that
turns out to be a rapture, or place of safety believers go to). As
we inherit our rewards, riding back to the Mount of Olives with Jesus,
on our white horses, all these passages will become clear as day. For now, there is room for various interpretations. And
none of our various interpretations will interfere with our salvation,
it’s just some interpretations may be more accurate than others,
that’s all. Being led by the Holy Spirit is what is important. The
Holy Spirit does not correct all doctrinal error in believers in
these secondary areas. He chooses to major in the major’s, writing
the law of God in our hearts and minds (cf. Matthew 5, Galatians
5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8), leading us on our own individuals
paths toward sanctification.
One other thing of real significance. One of these prophecies we have read here is about the Lord regathering all the surviving Jews from wherever they may be living in the world, right after the 2nd coming of Yeshua, Jesus. God never does anything of importance without first laying a foundation. Remember Jesus was a carpenter? We’ve just read prophecies where as Yahweh, the Lord, he set the heavens in place and laid out the foundation of the earth. Jerusalem sits in the midst of “the House of Judah”, within the future land of Israel. God’s future Millennial temple will sit in Jerusalem. The surviving Jews and Levites (who are presently a part of the tribe of Judah, mixed in with the Jews) will be the physical ministers associated with the service of the temple and all the church congregations around the world (cf. be sure to re-read Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 66:19-21). Think about this for awhile. Let it sink in. The Lord has already started laying a spiritual foundation for all those millions of Jews who will be regathered from the four corners of the world. Thirty-five years ago the Messianic movement really started rolling, first when Martin Chernoff started a Jewish Bible study for believers in Yeshua (Jesus). Thirty-five years later there are Messianic Jewish congregations all around the world. There are presently four to five thousand believers in Yeshua in the Israeli nation itself! There could be anywhere from 75,000 to 500,000 Jewish Messianic believers around the world. These believers are becoming the spiritual foundation for that massive regathering. But even more important, these Jewish believers are being fashioned by Jesus as a very real spiritual foundation for the Millennial city of Jerusalem. Jesus—Yeshua to these wonderful Jewish believers—is presently laying a spiritual foundation for his Millennial city of Jerusalem and the future nation of Israel itself, as an expert builder—and the Messianic Jewish believers are the building stones! They will be in the resurrection to immortality with all of us Gentile believers in Jesus. They can probably look forward to serving directly under king David in one way or another! Want to learn more about this revival of the Jewish branch of the body of Christ? Log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/twobranches.htm and http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/messianicmovement.htm . End
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