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Israel Watch
ISRAEL WATCH
July
2010
WHY BLESS JERUSALEM, THE JEW, THE NATION OF
ISRAEL?
By
Dr. David R. Wood
We here at Eastern Gate Ministries
International greet all of our partners and friends in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God bless every one of you that take the time to come to this
website and read these articles. And I praise God all the more for those of you
that take a moment to tell me that you have read it and it has encouraged,
strengthened and enlightened you. To God be all the glory. God gets all the
glory, as it is from God that all revelation flows. Praise His name! This
month I will continue to teach those who can receive the Word of God about our
close relationship with the Jews, the city of Jerusalem and the nation of
Israel. The Church, which is forty plus million people in the United States
alone, should be standing with one voice in defense of Israel when our
government moves against her or the world moves against her. A good example is
the recent flotilla experience. Where was the Church? Why do organizations
that try to rally the Church and the nation in defense of Israel have to beg for
members and support? The answer lies in appalling ignorance, a failure to study
and preach the full counsel of God and a God sickening arrogance and pride
toward Israel. All of which are sin and a major hindrance in the body of
Christ.
NEWS FLASH!! No Jew, no Church!!
John 4:22 (KJV)
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what
we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Romans 1:16 (KJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek.
Because of Abraham and the seed of Abraham,
Jesus, the Christ, we are partakers of the promise!
Galatians 3:29 (KJV)
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise.
NEWS FLASH! Abraham was a Jew and so was (is)
Jesus. Be aware that whatever Abraham was whatever he had or had available to
him we also are a partaker of the same. God is no respecter of persons. Best I
can tell Abraham was very rich and very healthy. So should we be; the
individual members of the body of Christ. Just as in Christ Jesus we are now
all that He is at the right hand of the Father! Seems astounding but it is the
Truth (1 John 4:17).
I am now going to take you to a few people who
blessed the peoples of Israel. We will look first at Cornelius, the centurion.
Cornelius is a Roman soldier, a part of the occupying force in Israel at the
time. Let us see what happened to him as a direct result of his blessing
Israel. We will also examine his motives.
Acts 10:1-4 (KJV)
1 There was a certain man in
Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and
one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and
prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently
about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying
unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was
afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine
alms are come up for a memorial before God.
This man honored God, the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, and he gave money to the people and he prayed, talked to, the God of
Israel. We would call this man a Christian. An angel shows up and says God has
heard your prayers and He has seen your giving to His people and He is about to
act in your life in a very significant way. Let us read on.
Acts 10:5 (KJV)
5 And now send men to Joppa, and
call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
Cornelius was instructed to send for a man
called Peter, the man we know as the Apostle Peter. It was unlawful for a Jew
to enter into the home of a gentile or eat with a gentile. So, it was going to
be a miracle if Peter would even come when Cornelius’ men arrived at Joppa and
invited him to this Centurions home. But God is in the miracle business!
Acts 10:9-16 (KJV)
9 On the morrow, as they went on
their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to
pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and
would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a
certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the
four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him,
Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord;
for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto
him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common.
16 This was done thrice: and the
vessel was received up again into heaven.
Just as God has lain on Peter the fact that not
only can they have a more liberal diet but that He, God, has now grafted in the
gentile with the Jew. God by the blood of Christ Jesus has cleansed the
gentile. Peter accepts the invitation and goes with the men.
Acts 10:19-22 (KJV)
19 While Peter thought on the
vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee
down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down ….
22
And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just
man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the
Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and
to hear words of thee.
Acts 10:28 (KJV)
28 And he said unto them, Ye know
how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or
come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not
call any man common or unclean.
At this point Peter is preaching the gospel and
the Holy Spirit falls and all the gentiles gathered at Cornelius home received
the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Acts 10:44-46 (KJV)
44 While Peter yet spake these
words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with
tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
This man Cornelius honored God and honored the
Jewish people. We do not see any motivation beyond that he loved God and he
loved his neighbor, the Jews. As a result he became the doorway through which
Christianity poured out to the gentile world. Do you want to be a conduit of
deliverance, or salvation in the earth? Well give heed and do likewise. Let us
move now to a second example. This second example is another centurion who
lived at Capernaum. Matthew recounts the same events in Matthew 8:5-13 however
we will look at this event in Luke.
Luke 7:2-10 (KJV)
2 And a certain centurion's
servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he
sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal
his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they
besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he
hath built us a synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And
when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him,
saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou
shouldest enter under my roof:
7 Wherefore neither thought I
myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be
healed.
8 For I also am a man set under
authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and
to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
9 When Jesus heard these things, he
marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed
him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith,
no, not in Israel.
10 And they that were sent,
returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
This man believed that Jesus could and would
heal. He had great respect for Jesus and recognized Jewish law when he said; “I
am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof”. This centurion
recognized the power of words, something almost absent in the Church. Review
the following verse from the gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 8:8 (KJV)
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou
shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall
be healed.
Notice once again that this man honored, loved
the nation of Israel and had built them a synagogue. As a result Jesus was able
to release healing into this mans household. Do you want healing to pour
through you to your house and beyond? Do you want to be a conduit of healing in
the earth? Well give heed and do likewise. Let us now move to the third and
final example in this teaching. In this example we find Paul in Greece and he
has been given an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. Greeks are
gentiles but they love God and they love the Jews.
Romans 15:25-29 (KJV)
25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to
minister unto the saints.
26 For it hath pleased them of
Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which
are at Jerusalem.
27 It hath pleased them verily; and
their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their
spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
28 When therefore I have performed
this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
29 And I am sure that, when I come
unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Here Paul is running an errand for the saints
in Greece to bless the poor saints in Jerusalem. He is ministering unto the Jew
in Jerusalem in the carnal things, doing the work of God. Notice that this is
not convenient for Paul. He is in Greece headed to Jerusalem but his real
destination is Rome and Spain. But notice another motivation of the Christians
of Greece in the 27th verse above. They were doing this with joy,
understanding that they were indebted to the Jews and have a duty to minister to
them in carnal things. Receive this knowledge and do likewise! Now I want you
to focus down on the 29th verse.
Romans 15:29 (KJV)
29 And I am sure that, when I come
unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Do you want to walk “in the fulness of the
blessing of the gospel of Christ.”? If you do give heed and do likewise. The
Jew is the apple (pupil) of God’s eye just as we Christians in Christ as
likewise (Galatians 3:29).
Zechariah 2:8 (KJV)
8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts;
After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that
toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
When our nation touches Israel, fails to
support them, it is like they are poking their finger into the eye of God. This
does not seem very wise to me. God feels the same about the Christian; remember
what He said to Saul (later Paul) on the Damascus road. God had put His name on
Jerusalem.
1 Kings 11:36 (KJV)
36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may
have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to
put my name there.
God has also put His name on you and me,
Christians.
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus gave us authority, power of attorney to
use His name as our own.
Acts 17:28 (KJV)
28 For in him we live, and move,
and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also
his offspring.
Everything we do is in that name. We can bring
honor or shame to that name.
Colossians 3:17 (KJV)
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
So let us love God and love people including
the Jewish people. Focus on God and other people, focus on what God loves.
Wake up Church and love who God loves. He loves Israel. Do not give to Israel
to get but love God and love Israel and you will get as we saw in the three
examples presented.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
33 But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you.
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.
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