06/17/04

 The following is a transcription and analysis of notes taken from a 6-16-04 lecture given by

Malcolm Hedding, Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Israel

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The Jewish People:

   Definition of a Jew: A gentile that is in a redemptive relationship with God. For example, Abraham, a gentile, became the father of the Jews, through his redemptive relationship with God. The nation of Israel is the vehicle for world redemption. It is the factory of the written and spoken word of God to shine forth throughout all of the world. God loves all of us, but the Jews hold a "peculiar" relationship with God. They are his chosen people - chosen to spread redemption to the rest of the world.

Mr. Hedding states that there are 4 biblical principles currently at work that affect the Jewish people and their domicile (living) in the land of Israel. The 4 principles that are currently at work are the following:

1) The Principle of Domicile:

      God gave the land of Canaan via a covenant agreement to the Jews. It is their land. Over the course of history they have suffered two periods of exile from the Promised Land of Israel. However, it is important to note that loss of domicile does not equal loss of ownership. Despite the Jewish absence from the land of Israel or "Palestine" - the land still belongs to the Jews.

 

2) The Principle of Righteousness:

      As long as the Jewish people remain faithful to God and live in a reconciled state with the Lord God, they are entitled to live in the Promised Land.

 

3) The Principle of Discipline:

     When the Jewish people fail to live faithfully to God, when they turn from God - that attracts Gods judgment, discipline, and correction. If that doesn't work to turn His people back to Him, then the next step is loss of land and/or exile. Therefore, what we currently see at work today with the "shrinking" of the state of Israel is God's discipline upon his people - an attempt to get them to return to Him and be reconciled to him in a faithful relationship. Also, God always uses the surrounding nations to help carry out his discipline and correction upon the Jewish people.

 

4) The Principle of Retribution:

     When the surrounding nations are used to carry out God's correction and judgment against Israel, they always go too far - and with evil intent - they seek to destroy the Jews and take their land for themselves. Instead of acting within God's mandate to be a corrective force they always end up trying to be a destructive force. As a result, God always judges these nations - in the words of Mr. Hedding - God always causes them to "fall without repay".

 

Because of the Four Principles that are at work today, there a Six consequences that we see or can expect to see as a result:

1) Because the current Jewish state is primarily secular, not living in a reconciled relationship with God, we must expect to see God's discipline at work in Israel.

2) It is naive for Christians to believe that Israel will inherit or come into all of the Promised Land while the Jewish people remain in their current unreconciled relationship with God. In fact, what we are currently witnessing - land shrinkage in Israel - is God's doing. It is His discipline at work - an attempt to get the Jewish people to return their hearts to Him. Israel will not come into its full land inheritance until the whole nation is reconciled to God. That event most likely does not occur until after Jesus' imminent return and establishment of His millennial kingdom.

3) The struggle that Israel is going through today (terrorism, intafada, Roadmap for Peace) is the struggle for her redemption. The state of the Promised Land, its boundaries and who occupies it, is directly correlated with spiritual state of the Jewish people. If Israel refuses to return to God, if they remain unfaithful to God, then she will be exiled again. However, the Bible only speaks of 2 exiles/returns from exile. Israel has already gone through both of the exiles that we prophesied in the bible. It is enough. No other nation on earth has gone through the crucible of two exiles and remained a lasting nation. Israel is truly a testimony to God's faithfulness. Therefore, the time to save Israel is now - it is upon us - and it will happen through their affliction - through the current events we see playing out now. They are likely to get worse until Israel returns its heart to the Lord, and excepts The Lion of Judah - Jesus Christ as their messiah.

4) Israel is going to lose more land in the near future. However, do not despair. Pray for her redemption. It is the responsibility of every Christian and every Church to support Israel and her quest for redemption with prayer. They need Jesus. There is a great spiritual battle going on in the Holy Lands, we must be part of it.

5) Despite the fact that Israel is being disciplined and judged by God, we have no right to legitimize other nation's evil intent against Israel. Do not be part of the anti-Semitism that is growing throughout the world. Have no part in dividing Israel. We must not be part or support any scheme to divide the land of Israel. Judgment and correction of is Israel is God's duty and responsibility. We are called to stand with Israel and support it - not discipline it. Any nation that supports and schemes to divide Israel will eventually pay the price and be held accountable by God.

6) We must recognize that in the near future a great visitation of the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out over the middle east and Arabic lands because of this conflict. God loves all of us on this world, and he won't allow Islam to continue to hold millions of people captive much longer. Islam is going to come to an end. Arabs will hear and need to hear that Jesus loves them and desires to save them as well.

 

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