Footnote: Aliyah means "Go Up" in Hebrew and is the word for Immigration.
Eretz means "land."

by Ed Christians

Part One (from a sermon delivered in a Kansas City church to be continued next month.)

"For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, LORD, art become their God" (II Samuel 7:23-24).

Let us look closely at this Word from the LORD: "What one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel?" There is no nation like Israel that was separated from its land and territory and then returned to that very spot in the earth over 1900 years later, "whom GOD went to redeem for a people to himself". God did it "to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people which he has redeemed." The nation of Israel is redeemed, but notice it says, "redeemedst to thee from Egypt." God took the nation of Israel out from Egypt for Himself. He wanted to reveal Himself to the WORLD. So He revealed Himself to Israel on Mount Sinai and they in turn were to take this message to the world.

Notice He doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, from the nations and their gods. "From the nations" includes the second "Exodus" (Jeremiah 16:14&15; 23:7&8) - the time NOW. In our day and age, Israel is not coming back from Egypt, but from ALL the nations. This is it! He has redeemed them from the nations and their gods to be their GOD. He wants all theworld to know the ONLY GOD. He has redeemed them from Egypt and now from the nations and He is bringing them back into their land, His Land.

"You Are Mine"

Look at verse 24: "for thou hast confirmed to Thyself thy people Israel." God has confirmed them to Himself "to be a people unto thee for" - 500 years? for 1,000 years? for 2,000 years? NO! "FOR EVER: And thou, LORD, art become their GOD." Isn’t that wonderful? The God of the Universe takes out from the human race a people for His Name, -- and remember He does these things for a purpose. He has a good and solid reason behind for all He does.

Witnesses

Let’s go into this reason now in Isaiah 43:10-12. God speaks to Israel, saying: "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no GOD formed, neither shall there be after me.

"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me thee is no savior. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God."

He chose the nation of Israel to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) and here He declares, they are His "witnesses, and His servant whom He has chosen that they may KNOW Him." When we know someone intimately, we come to them, shake their hand, give them a hug or a kiss. There is a personal and sweet fellowship. That is the way God wants Israel to know HIM.

Secondly, He said, "believe Me". Believe what He has said. He will perform it, shall bring it to pass. No matter how long it takes in our years or days, to GOD is no longer than a snap of the finger. GOD said it and He is going to perform it. He said He wants you to know Him and believe Him, and understand what? That "He is God; before Him there was no god formed, neither shall there be after Him. Besides Him there is no savior. Can the gods of the nations save Israel? - or anyone? The idols of money and materialism are like idols from stone and a stock of a tree which are dumb and fail in the real tests of life.

He is the God that saves, there is no savior besides Him. He has declared - and now notice this - "and have saved and have shown that when there was no strange god among you, ye THEREFORE [i.e., for this reason] ye are MY witnesses, saith the LORD [and the witness is] that I AM GOD."

Two Olive Trees

Why are there two olive trees standing by the MENORAH? (Zech. 4) One is the Nation of Israel and they are saying to the world that GOD IS! There is only ONE MENORAH - One God.

Also, when Jesus walked this earth, his disciples came to Him after the resurrection and asked, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

"But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Smaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:6-8).

Here Jewish disciples, at this departing were instructed to be witnesses of the Good News that He is the Redeemer, the one slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The Messiah came and gave of Himself for mankind and now all the world can have eternal life by faith in His redemption.

Notice the disciples were to be witnesses of Him, beginning at Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and every part of the earth. For 2,000 years the light of God’s Word has been shed abroad to the ends of the earth. The rain of God has been coming down upon the peoples of the earth. But now, what is happening? Some in the church have been becoming anti-God, anti-Jesus, saying in essence, "It’s me and my church that’s going to be saved. You have to come unto us" - missing the core, the central theme of witness which is The Anointed One Himself. He has not been presented in the correct manner for His own people to recognize who he is.

Closed Doors

Now, we are coming to a situation in the earth when doors are closed and locked to the Redeemer and He is standing without, knocking and asking to be let in (Rev. 3:20). Remember he said this to Laodicea, the last of the church age. We’ve pushed outside the One who was to have His Name, His teaching, His will worked within and without, for "God was in Christ reconciling the WORLD unto Himself." To reject the God of Israel, throw away His Laws for righteous living and go on in rebellion is SHUTTING THE REDEEMER OUTSIDE!

Back to Jerusalem

Now, we are coming to the age where the Truth of God is to be narrowed again to a place where it shall spring forth for all -- again. The order is reversed: the ends of the world, Samaria, Judea and Jerusalem. The Truth, the Light, the Word is to be coming from Jerusalem. For it’s there that He will stand. NOT Washington, DC, NOT London, Beijing or any capital of the world’s kingdoms, but JERUSALEM! There He will set up His righteous rule and reign upon the face of the earth.

"It shall come to pass in the last days ... many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD, to the House of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of HIS ways, and we will walk in HIS paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the LAW and the WORD of the LORD from JERUSALEM" (Isaiah 2:2,3).

The stage is being set for the final act of deliverance and restoration and the God of the Universe to bring a people for His Name to do His work.

Editor’s note: Look for Part 2 of Ed’s sermon in next month’s "Bible Light on the News".