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Israel Watch
ISRAEL WATCH
March
2010
FOR THE SAKE OF
ZION AND JERUSALEM
By Dr. David R. Wood
I greet all of our friends and
partners in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that you will
be enlightened and empowered by this teaching. When you understand the
unbreakable linkage between the Church and Israel and you act upon it you will
be empowered in your walk with God. Jesus did not die for the gentile alone but
for the Jew as well. The Jews are the first covenant peoples physically
descending from Abraham. Remember the Scripture says that Abraham is the father
(spiritual) of us all (Romans 4:16). We (gentiles) are Abraham’s seed and
became heirs of the promise through Christ (Galatians 3:29). Think of your body
with two arms. Each arm is distinct but is joined in one body. So are the
Jewish people and the Church.
Let us take a minute to establish
this further in the Scripture. Unfortunately many, I suspect millions, in the
Church have no idea how important Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people are to
us the Church. We are separate, have distinct futures, both absolutely
wonderful, but we are one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:11-22 (KJV)
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in
the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one
new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the
cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to
them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit.
Romans 11:25-29 (KJV)
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this
mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part
is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There
shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away
their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes:
but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
These are lengthy passages but I
trust it has now come clear that without Jesus we had no part in God and without
the Jewish people Jesus could not come. Jesus was the seed that came through
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). By way of the shed blood of Jesus (the only
way to God) we are grafted in and they also have access. When they obtain
access by the blood of Jesus in the present age they are part of the Church, the
ekklesia. At the second coming of Jesus they will recognize Him and according
to Romans 11:26 “all Israel shall be saved:’ Brother and sister you and I will
be there on that wonderful day, the last day of the Great Tribulation and the
first day of the one thousand year reign of Christ. The blood will save them,
redeem them even then.
Now let us move into our focal
Scripture.
Isaiah 62:1 (KJV)
1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake
I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the
salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Who is Zion? Zion is both Israel
(Jerusalem) and the Church. I am speaking specifically of the Jerusalem you see
on the news pretty much daily. Later in the verse it says we will not hold our
peace for Jerusalem’s sake. Interestingly this word Jerusalem is a pleural form
of the word just like we discussed in Psalm 122. So we again are talking about
earthly Jerusalem and Heavenly Jerusalem. This is making reference to the
eternal home of the Jews and the eternal home of the Church. So Isaiah by the
Spirit of God is saying; for the sake of Jerusalem in the earth, the land of
Israel, the Jewish people and the heavenly Jerusalem and the ekklesia
(Church) in the earth I will not hold my peace.
I want us to turn our attention
briefly again to Psalm 122.
Psalms 122:3 (KJV)
3 Jerusalem is builded as a city
that is compact together:
You may recall that in the last
teaching I pointed out that this Scripture is referring not only to earthly
Jerusalem but heavenly Jerusalem for it is a pleural word. Interestingly enough
the word city is singular. So this is the idea that even though there is an
earthly Jerusalem that all can see with these physical eyes it is joined to the
heavenly Jerusalem that we see today with spiritual eyes by faith. The cities
are one. This is the same idea that is spoken of in Romans 11 and Ephesians 2
of being separate but one. The end of the verse speaks of the city as being
“compact together:” The word compact gives the idea of being coupled or joined
together. Church get off your high horse and get over the idea that what is
going on with the Jews, Israel and Jerusalem somehow has nothing to do with
you. It has everything to do with you! We are one in Christ Jesus.
If Isaiah would not hold his peace
then neither should we! What does this mean to not hold our peace? I believe
there are two aspects to this idea of not holding our peace. One has to do with
not being quiet. That is we are determined to speak up on behalf of Israel,
Jerusalem and the Jewish people at all opportunities. When we do pray for and
speak for them we are speaking up on behalf of our own body (Romans 11:16). The
second aspect of this deals with releasing by the command of our mouths peace.
Peace in the Hebrew is Shalom which has to do with nothing missing nothing
broken. It has the same general meaning in the Greek. This is the idea of
wholeness, not just in one area of life but in all. Remember Jesus gave us His
peace.
John 14:27 (KJV)
27 Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Now Jesus did not just leave us some
kind of tranquil feeling. Yes he left us that but way more. Peace is
prosperity in every area of life; your money, your health, your family, your
social life and so on. Peace is a tranquil or quiet feeling for we know in whom
we have believed and we are protected and safe in Him. Peace is rest. Remember
the rest of God is the provision of God. God has made us joint-heirs with
Christ Jesus making us possessors of heaven and earth. Can you say praise the
Lord! Finally, peace means that we are set at one again. Before we were saved
we were broken or not a fully functioning three part being. Our spirit man was
dead. We were also separated from God. But now in Christ Jesus not only are we
whole but we are one with God. Praise the Lord! So now let us think about what
the Psalmist is saying.
Psalms 122:6 (KJV)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
This word pray can be translated
many ways but one is to demand or perhaps put another way command (Isaiah
45:11). So we command the peace of Jerusalem. What are we saying? We are
saying receive prosperity, receive tranquility, receive the provision of God and
be one with Him (receive the Messiah).
In closing, it is no small thing
when our President or Secretary of State push and demand a two state solution in
Israel or that they not build on their land. This is indeed serious and the
Church has a responsibility to be heard without any question by the hearer. The
hearer being our governmental officials that like the Pharaoh of ancient Egypt
knew not Joseph. We too have officials that know not Joseph (a type of Jesus).
Zechariah 12:1-3 (KJV)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD,
which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and
formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the
people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and
against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all
the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Is America being “cut in pieces”? I
am going to pick up here next month, stay tuned.
Until next time:
RECEIVE THE BLESSING
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
REMINDER
Christians United for Israel (cufi.org)
has declared Sunday, May 23, 2010 as Christians United for Israel Sunday. Go to
their website to register. I encourage all Christians to not only declare the
peace of Jerusalem and Israel but then on a daily basis (yes daily) thank God
for performing His oath. I strongly encourage you all to honor Jerusalem, the
Jewish people and Israel Sunday May 23, 2010. Do it in love and the blessing of
God will catch up with you and overflow in your life.
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