Good morning,
This week we will look at Israel’s Return to the Land. I will be quoting from a book called Target Israel, written by Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson. This would be a good book to read to understand how Israel fits into the whole dynamic of the Middle East and end time prophecy.
Return to the Land
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis 13:14-15) This was God’s original promise of the land to Abraham and his descendants.
Introduction
“The prediction of Israel’s return to the land is one of the great prophecies of the Old Testament. Yet for centuries, some people said, “Oh, they’ll never go back. They’re scattered all over the world.”
The Branch
However, the Jewish people themselves understood God’s promise, which is clearly stated in Isaiah 11. There, the prophet looked down through the corridors of history, into the distant future, and spoke of the millennial kingdom. He prophesied of the coming Messiah as a descendant of Jesse, David’s father. The prophet also described the sevenfold Spirit of the Lord resting on the Messiah: “There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)”
“The “Branch” that comes “from the stem of Jesse” is a reference to the Messiah. He will come forth, in the future, out of the root of Jesse and David. The promised Savior, Jesus the Messiah, would be a descendant of King David.
Isaiah 11:4 then says this about the Messiah: “With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” This is the very same picture we have of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation: There is coming a day when He will physically return to the earth, and He will reign with fairness and justice.
During Messiah’s reign, the wolf, the lamb, the lion, and the calf will all lie down with one another-the millennial kingdom will be a time of peace and prosperity. (Isaiah 11:6-8) Isaiah then says, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who will stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and his resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10) “The people” is a reference to the Jews, and “the nations” refer to the Gentiles. In other words, the Savior is coming for both the Jews and Gentiles. He is the banner of God’s love over both of them. He is the One who calls both of them to faith in the Lord God Himself.” (Target Israel, pages 49-50)
This prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, came once as the suffering servant to pay our sin debt by His perfect shed blood on the cross. He is coming in the near future to rule and reign. Also, today both Jew and Gentile have the opportunity to repent of their sins and believe on Jesus as Savior and Lord.
What a wonderful God we serve!
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001
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