Category: Jews (Page 2 of 4)

Blog posts about the Jews.

God Keeps His Promises to the Jewish People

November 9, 2022 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #261 ~

Some people think God’s plans for Israel were invalidated by their crucifixion of Christ, but that’s just not true! God’s plans are still valid, and one of the primary reasons we know this is because He has already carried out His promise to bring back the Jewish people to their land, and this sets the stage for the fulfillment of the rest of His promises to them. And what happens to the Jews relates directly to what happens to the church. Matt. 24:4-22, Luke 21:10-28, 2 Thess. 2:1-19, Rev. 7:1-14, Rev. 12:13-17 all show God’s side-by-side plans with the Jews and the Christians in the end-times.

Another reason we know God has not given up on His plans for the Jewish people is that there are at least 20 New Testament passages that talk about their future. And these passages are in the New Testament because they’re part of God’s church age / kingdom age plans. Last week we looked at 10 of them and today we will look at 10 more. These verses, in addition to a large number of other Old Testament prophecies, prove that God will fulfill His promises to the Jews. Let’s go over them:

* Luke 21:20-24 – “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near… these are days of vengeance… they will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Jesus predicted the future of the Jewish people, that Jerusalem would be destroyed, which happened in 70 AD, and that the Jews would be scattered all over the world. But in the last 140+ years, a great multitude of Jews have miraculously come back to their land. That means the times of the Gentiles will soon be fulfilled, and that a large remnant of Jews will soon be saved. Ezek. 36-37, Rom. 11:25-27

* Matthew 19:27-28 – “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus tells the apostles their reward for being His followers, that they will rule with Him, specifically that they will be judging the 12 tribes of Israel. This occurs during the millennial kingdom, “in the regeneration” (physical new birth – Rom. 8:20-21). This is more evidence that God has a future for Israel and the Jewish people, as was promised in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms and Prophets. Psalm 37:9, 22, 29; Psalm 105:6-11; Ezekiel 37:21-28

* Romans 11:25-27 – “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” During this church age, the Jewish people are experiencing a partial hardening of heart and, therefore, are not as receptive to the gospel as the Gentiles. At the end of this age, “the fulness of the Gentiles” will have come in, Christ will return, the church will be raptured, the world will be judged, and a large number of Jewish people will be saved. Psalm 130:7-8, Isaiah 45:17

* Romans 15:7-13 – “Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (the Jews) on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers (Abraham, etc.), and for the Gentiles to glorify God… ‘Therefore, I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Your name… Rejoice O Gentiles, with His people… Let all the people’s praise Him… He (Jesus) who arises to rule over the Gentiles…’” The Jewish people have a magnificent future, and that’s because God will carry out His incredible promises for them. Vss. 7-13 speak of a very important aspect of their hope, and Gentile Christians will share in that hope, which is that all believers, both Jew and Gentile, will unitedly be worshiping the Lord Jesus in the ages to come. Might God fill your heart with this hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Hebrews 8:8-12 – “‘Days are coming’, says the Lord, ‘when I will affect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be My people… for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.’” The book of Hebrews was written to Jews, many of whom were wondering about God’s plans for them. The New Covenant, the key part of these plans, first written down in Jer. 31:31-34, is quoted here in Heb. 8. It’s true that God made this covenant with Israel, with the Jews, but during this church age, its primary beneficiaries are the Gentiles. God wanted the Jewish people back then and throughout this age to know that He has not forgotten His promise to them. And at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, which isn’t long from now, all Israel, all Jews, will share in this “new covenant” promise, and be saved, be forgiven of all their sins. Daniel 9:24-27, Isaiah 45:17, Ezekiel 37:21-28

Hebrews 11:13, 39-40 – “He (Abraham) lived as an alien in the land of promise… for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God… All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance… all these… did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” God continues to assure the Jewish people that He has not cancelled His plans for them. Heb. 11 speaks of believers who were, and still are, expecting the fulfillment of these plans. And in this church age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are looking forward to that time when Christ comes back, when all believers will be “blessed by Him” and “will inherit the land” (Ps. 37:22, Matt. 5:5). Vss. 39-40 tell us an amazing truth, that promises to the Old Testament saints will be carried out in conjunction with His promises to the church. God wants you to know that His plans for all His people are converging, are coming together in the end-times. Matthew 24:15-31

* Revelation 7:1-8 – “I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed…” In the future, a large number of Jewish people, exactly 144,000, 12,000 from every tribe, will be sealed and set apart for Jesus Christ. This occurs during the 2^nd half of Daniel’s 70^th week, close to the time of the rapture. We know this because Rev. 7:9-14 goes on to talk about the rapture, how a great multitude of Christians will come out of great tribulation and then be in in heaven worshiping God and Christ. Then Rev. 14:1-5 tells us that these 144,000 Jews become devoted worshipers and servants of Christ – “The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.”

* Revelation 11:1-15 – “Get up and measure the temple of God… they will tread underfoot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days.” This is another informative passage about the future of the Jewish people in the end-times. Here are the main points:
– The events talked about in this passage take place in the holy city, the city of Jerusalem.
– The Jewish temple is to be measured, which means it will be rebuilt sometime in the future.
– Two godly, God-protected witnesses, probably Moses and Elijah, are performing miracles, and are prophesying, that is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
– The beast, the Antichrist, kills the witnesses, but after 3½ days, God raises them from the dead.
– The time frame for these events is forty-two months or twelve hundred and sixty days, which is referring to the second half of Daniel’s 70^th week, the last 3½ years.
– Immediately after these events, the seventh trumpet is blown, and soon after that, Jesus Christ, from the city of Jerusalem, begins His 1000-year reign upon the earth.

* Revelation 20:2,3,4,5,6 – “… a thousand years… the thousand years… a thousand years… the thousand years… a thousand years… the thousand years.” Many Old Testament promises to the Jewish people speak about the Messiah, the Christ, reigning over His kingdom. (2 Sam. 7:16, Psalm 2). These verses in Rev. 20 repeatedly and clearly tell us that the first part of Christ’s coming reign will last exactly 1,000 years. Immediately after that, there’s the eternal kingdom, when Christ and His Father reign over the world forever and ever. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

* Revelation 21:10-14 – “… the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God… it had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” This describes the holy and eternal city, the new Jerusalem. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the twelve gates, which means the Jewish people are eternally important, and that God’s promises to them will come to pass. All believers from all time will be living together in this holy city, and be eternally worshiping and serving God.

At least 20 New Testament passages talk about the future God has for the Jewish people. You can’t ignore them, or say they’re not important, or that they’re not true for Jews. Go back over them and study them. Might you see their relevance to both Jews and Gentiles, to believers from Old Testament times and the church age. Since we live in the end-times, we know these glorious plans for God’s people will soon come to pass. And as a believer, you will see it all happen. “I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning… saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure’; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11

P.S. I have many charts that really help you see the big picture for the Jewish people and God’s plans for them. Here are four I would encourage you to look at: “God’s Plan for the Jews”, “Promises for the Jewish Remnant”, “Micah and the Millennial Kingdom”, “The Regathering of Jews to Israel”.

God’s Plans for the Jewish People Have NOT Been Cancelled

October 22, 2022 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #260 ~

The Old Testament talks extensively about the Jewish people – and it’s both historical and prophetical. But some say His promises and plans for them are null and void, that God cancelled them, and that because of the Jew’s rejection of Christ, God rejected them. But that’s not true! Here are three reasons why God’s plans for the Jews are still valid. First, God keeps His promises, He doesn’t go back on His word. “Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it” (Is. 46:11). Second, the Jewish people have regathered to Israel just as God predicted, which means He still has plans for them. (Ezek. 36-37). Third, 20 different passages in the New Testament directly and indirectly refer to the Jews. The mere fact that there are all these passages in the New Testament about the Jews must mean something – and they need to be examined and understood. My purpose in this post and the next one is to look at all these verses.

* Matthew 5:17-19 – “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill… not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished…” The Law and the Prophets are primarily about Jesus and the Jewish people. Jesus wants us to know that all that is said about Himself will come true, and that He will accomplish all His promises to the Jews. And some of these have been fulfilled in the past and the rest will be fulfilled in the future.

* Luke 1:31-33 – “You shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and His kingdom will have no end.” The angel is referring to and reminding Mary of the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-13, 16), and telling her that God’s Son will be her Son, One who will rule forever over the Jewish people, His chosen ones, and as we know now, over all believers in Christ. Psalm 89:1-4, 19-29, 34-37

* Luke 1:54-55 – “He (God) has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our Fathers, to Abraham and His descendants forever.” God tells Mary, and us too, that He will fulfill His promises to Abraham and to Israel, some of which have already come to pass, and others which will be carried out in the future, ones that will affect all His descendants, both Jewish people and Gentiles. And you see that these promises are eternal, that they will last forever, which means they cannot and will not be revoked. Gen. 12:1-3, Gen. 13:14-17, Gen. 15:4, and Gen. 17:1-8

* Acts 3:20-21 – “… that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” The prophets made many predictions about the Jewish people, which have been and will be coming true. One in particular is the “restoration of all things”, which will be an incredible blessing to both Jews and Gentiles who are living on this earth during the millennial kingdom. Psalm 98, Isaiah 65:17-23, Matthew 19:28, Romans 8:21

* Luke 24:25-27 – “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken… Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Luke 24:44 – “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Jesus used the Old Testament Scriptures to prove to His Jewish disciples that He was the Messiah, both Savior and King. But note that it says, “All things which are written about Me.” Christ wanted them to know that all the prophecies about Himself were valid, some of which they had already seen come true. The rest will be fulfilled in the future, many of which speak of Christ’s reign over the Jewish people, and over the entire world. Look at Psalms 22:27-31, 47, 48, 67, 72 and 102:18-28.

* 2 Thess. 2:3-4, 8-9 – “The man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God… that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.” This prophecy predicted that the Jewish people would be in Jerusalem, which has now come true, and that they need to build a temple, which will happen soon. Not long after the Jews begin to offer sacrifices, this man of lawlessness, the Antichrist, will desolate their temple. Then that most devilish man will meet his Maker and be thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 19:20

* Acts 28:17, 20, 23, 30-31 – “Paul called together… the leading men of the Jews… for the sake of the hope of Israel… He was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets… he stayed two full years… preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul was in Rome talking to the Jewish leaders about Jesus, the Kingdom of God, and the hope, the future of Israel. He explained that Jesus was Lord and Savior of all who believed in Him, both Jewish people and Gentiles, and that in the future, He would be King over the whole world. (Is. 2:1-4, 9:6-7; Ezek. 40-48; Zech. 14:9). Paul’s time in Rome occurred about 10 years after he had written his prophecy-laden letters to the Thessalonian church, where He spoke of the Antichrist, the desolation of the temple, Christ’s coming, the rapture and the day of the Lord. I’m sure he explained to them how this related to the salvation of a remnant of Jews, and Jesus Christ ruling from the city of Jerusalem and establishing His kingdom on this earth.

* Matthew 23:37-39 – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets… Behold, your house is being left to you desolate. For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.’” Jesus tells the Jewish people the bad news, that their city is being destroyed and left desolate, which happened in 70 AD. Then He tells them the good news, that in the future they will recognize Him as their Lord and Savior, which occurs at Christ’s 2^nd coming, at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Psalm 118:22-29, Daniel 9:24-27

* Matthew 24:15-26 – “When you see the abomination of desolation… standing in the holy place… then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains… pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation… just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” This too tells us that the Antichrist will desolate the temple, the holy place. That most evil man will then go after the Jewish people and bring great tribulation but, mercifully for them, Christ will cut it short. Then everyone on earth will see Christ coming in the clouds, at which time He will rapture the Christians, and a short while later, redeem a remnant of Jews. Matt. 24:27, 30-31

* Revelation 12:5-6, 13-17 – “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness …” Rev. 12:13-17 – “The dragon… persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time (3½ years), away from the presence of the serpent… the dragon was enraged with the woman…”

The woman is referring to the Jewish people, who brought Jesus into the world (vs. 5). You realize that there’s close to a 2000-year gap between vs. 5 and vs. 6, and now we’re in the end-times, the last years of the church age. Not long from now, the Jews will be fleeing into the wilderness (vs. 6). As 2 Thess. 2 and Matt. 24 tell us, the Jews will be persecuted by the Antichrist. But she will miraculously escape, be physically saved by the power of God. Shortly after her escape, she will be spiritually saved by Christ and, in fulfillment of God’s promise to David, He will become their King and rule over them and all the nations. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

Think about all these verses, all these prophecies and promises, and they all relate to the Jewish people. You can’t just skip over and ignore these verses, or take them allegorically – they are true, and are relevant to the present day, to the 21^st century, and to both Jewish people and Christians. Next week, we’ll look at ten more passages. Surely, the Jews have not been forsaken and forgotten, for God has a future for them, a future that relates directly to His plans for the church. “None of them (Old Testament believers) had received what was promised. God had planned something better for us (Christians) so that only together with us (Christians) would they (Old Testament believers) be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40

P.S. There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about the Jewish people and prophecy, and it’s vitally important for you, the Christian, to know what God has clearly told us in His Word. I strongly encourage you to read these previous posts about the Jewish people – “A Short Summary of God’s Working With the Jews”, “A Jewish Reading Lesson”, and “Clear New Testament Confirmation of God’s Plans for the Jews.”

The Prophetic Connection Between Israel and the Church

December 4, 2020 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #199 ~

Did you know that God’s future plans for Israel relate to His future plans for you and the church? Many Christians are unaware of the great blessings God has in store for the Jews, and what that means for the church. Today I want to talk about the future of Israel, and how this specifically relates to prophecy, to the church, and to God’s work in the world in these last years leading up to the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and King.

1) In the Old Testament times God focused on Israel. But since Christ’s 1^st coming, God has been focusing on the church, and now, 2000 years later, we are getting close to the end of this age and Christ’s 2^nd coming and the rapture of the church. After the rapture, the day of the Lord, and the salvation of a remnant of Jews, the kingdom age will begin and God will greatly bless both Jews and glorified believers (OT saints and the church) with the result that they will be a beautiful witness to the world and a glory to Jesus Christ. Psalms 67, 96, 117

2) Israel is Israel. Israel is not the church, as some wrongly say, and there is nothing in God’s word that says the church has replaced Israel, that the church is now the sole recipient of some or all God’s promises to her. God has very specific and special plans for Israel with regards to her future, and all these plans will be carried out. “The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations… The counsel of the Lord stands forever… Blessed is the nation (Israel) whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:10-12, Isaiah 60-62

3) Three key promises were given by God to Israel: a) They will inherit a vast portion of land (Gen. 13:14-17, 15:18-21). b) A large remnant of Jews will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week (Jer. 31:31-34). c) Jesus Christ will reign as Israel’s King during the millennial kingdom. (Ezek. 37:21-23, Zech. 14:9). Indeed, God remembers His promises to the Jewish people and will faithfully fulfill every one of them. “He has remembered His covenant forever.” Psalm 105:8-11

4) The phrase “end-time” comes from Dan. 12:9 – “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.” Dan. 7-12 contains a great deal of information about God’s plans for Israel in these last days leading up to Christ’s return to become King of the world. (Dan. 7:13-14). That the Jews have returned to their land is God’s signal to the church that we are in the end-times, that He is once again actively working with Israel, that the prophecies contained in Dan. 7-12 are about to be fulfilled, and that Christ will soon return to rapture the church and set up His kingdom on this earth.

5) Luke 21:20-24 must be understood if we are to know how God has been working with the Jews during the church age. We learn that they were punished and scattered all over the world, which began around 70 AD. And they “will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” and then Christ will become King of this world. “When you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:31

6) Romans 11 must also be understood if we are to know how God has been working with the Jews during this church age. “God gave them (Jews) a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day” (vs. 8), and “they (Jews) were broken off for their unbelief” (vs. 20). During this church age, God is not focused on saving Jews, but on saving Gentiles. “By their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles… and their failure is riches for the Gentiles” (vss. 11-12). But “God has not rejected the people whom He foreknew,” for we read that “a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved… when I take away their sins” (Vss. 25-27). God will save a large number of Jewish people at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Is. 45:17, Dan. 9:24

7) The Jewish people have been gathering back to their land, the #1 sign that we are in the end-times, and that the times of the Gentiles will soon come to an end. This miraculous return, beginning in the 1880’s, has resulted in close to 6.7 million Jews presently living in Israel (Hosea 3:4-5, Amos 9:14-15). The fulfillment of end-time prophecies and promises for both Jews and Christians is contingent on the Jews being back in their land. For the Antichrist to desolate the new Jewish temple requires that the Jews be back in their land (2 Thess. 2:1-4). For the church to be raptured necessitates that the Jews are living in Israel (Matt. 24:15-31). You cannot overstate this amazing miracle that millions of Jews have returned to Israel, and what it means for them, the church, and God’s eternal purposes.

8) That many New Testament prophecy passages for the Jewish people sit next to prophecy passages for the church means that God wants you to see that His end-times’ work with the Jews is in conjunction, is coinciding with His end-times’ work with the church. God’s present and future work with the Jews should be of utmost interest to all Christians. Knowing how God is working with the Jews helps you understand the timing of His dealings with the church in the years leading up the rapture, and should motivate you to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth…” (Matt. 6:10). I encourage you to read the following passages that describe God’s end-times’ work with both Jews and Christians. Matt. 24:4-31, Luke 21:7-31, Rom. 11, 2 Thess. 2:1-10, Rev. 7, Rev. 12:13-17

9) A listing of God-planned prophetic events taking place in the years ahead: a) Birth pains will be affecting people in various parts of the world. b) Both Jews and Christians will face increasing persecution. c) A peace treaty between Israel and the coming Antichrist will be signed at the beginning of Daniel’s 70^th week. d) At the midpoint of that 7-year week, the Antichrist will be revealed, and then be recognized by Christians and discerning Jews. e) The rapture of the church will happen sometime during the last half of that 70^th week. f) The day of the Lord, the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth, will begin after the rapture, occurring during the last part of that 70^th week. g) God will save a remnant of Jewish people at the very end of that week. h) Jesus Christ will then begin His 1000-year reign over the entire world.

10) During the millennial kingdom, both Jewish and Gentile believers will be worshiping the Lord (Rom. 15:9-15). Both will inherit the land (Ps. 37:11, Matt. 5:5). Both will be blessed by the Lord (Ps. 67:7, 1 Pet. 1:4). Both will reign with the Lord (Matt. 19:28, Rev. 5:10). Both will be serving the Lord (Ez. 40-48, Matt. 25:20-21). Both will be witnessing for the Lord (Ps. 96:2-3). How encouraging and exciting it will be to see God blessing both Jewish and Gentile believers – “All these (Jewish believers), having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us (the church), so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40

At this time, with so many problems, difficulties, and conflicts, it may seem like the world is spinning out of control, as if God is ignorant of what is going on, as if God doesn’t care, or as if God is unable to do anything about it. On the contrary, our wise, loving, faithful, powerful, and purposeful God is constantly working, and sovereignly directing all things and all people towards that singular moment when He sends “Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts 3:20, Eph. 1:9-11). It won’t be long before we “see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). Be encouraged for “your redemption is drawing near” and “the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:28, 31). Then we will “tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 96:3-4

P.S. The following will help you understand God’s working with Israel, something you need to know – “A Summary of the Prophetic Work of God, from the Time of Abraham to Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.” Here is a suggestion for an inexpensive but very valuable Christmas gift – I encourage you to download our articles, posts and/or charts to give to friends and loved ones! Downloads

The Reason We Know Christ is Coming Soon

November 27, 2020 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #198 ~

The single biggest reason we know Jesus Christ is coming soon is that the Jewish people have been gathering back to their land, just as God promised over 2500 years ago. That the Jews have been returning to their land for the past 140 years is an amazing work of God, one of the greatest modern-day miracles, and the strongest evidence we have that we are now living in the end-times. As Christians we need to know this, for the rapture of the church is the 1^st thing to occur at Christ’s coming.

The story of the Jewish people began about 4000 years ago with Abraham, the father of the Jews. The birth of the nation of Israel took place in Egypt where, in a 430-year time span, they grew from 75 people to about 2 million. Led by Moses, they escaped that devilish Pharaoh, took a forty-year journey through the desert, and with Joshua as their leader entered the land of Canaan. Not only had God promised them this land (Gen. 13:14-15), but also salvation (Jer. 31:31-34), and a King (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Sadly, for most of the next 800 years, the nation failed to fear and love their Maker, “the living God and everlasting King” (Jer. 10:10) and therefore, kept sinning against Him. During that time, God exhibited great patience, but finally He punished them, with many dying of famine and the sword, and others being exiled.

Yet, for their sake and His sake, God promised that a remnant of Jews would return to their land in 70 years, which is just what happened (Jer. 25:12). Led by Ezra, Nehemiah, and others, thousands of Jewish people came back to Israel and again began to worship the one true God. But for many it was short lived, for it did not take long before their faith faded, and their worship turned into a worthless, ritualistic religion. Yet God was faithful, and kept His most important promise (Micah 5:2), for He sent His Son to earth to be the Savior – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16

For 33 years, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, lived a perfect life, loving, teaching, and healing tens of thousands. Finally, He died on a cross to satisfy His Father’s wrath and pay for people’s sins, and was then raised from the dead. After commissioning His apostles to go and make disciples, He ascended into heaven (Matt. 28:19-20). But most Jews were proud and rejected Jesus, refusing to repent of their sins and believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. For their grievous sin, God rejected them and again drove them out of their land. Luke 19:41-44

Luke 21:20-24 summarizes how God punished them: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near… there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people… they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot…” History soberly gives us many distressing stories of the Jews being greatly persecuted throughout the centuries. But Luke tells us that this would be come to an end, for we read “… until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

God was determined to fulfill His promises to His people about receiving land, a King, and salvation. In fact, He had already told them He would gather them again. Jer. 32:37, Ezek. 36:24-28, Hosea 3:4-5, Amos 9:14-15, Micah 4:6-7, Zech. 8:7-8, Zeph. 3:14-20 all prophesy the gathering of the Jewish people back to their land so that God’s plans for them would be fulfilled. For those who say this gathering took place after the Babylonian captivity, you need only know that His promises to them about the land, the King, and salvation were not all fulfilled at that time. Not only that, but Isaiah 11:11 tells us, “The Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people… will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

The prophecy that best sums up God’s regathering plans for the Jews is Jer. 31:10 – “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps His flock.’” Three keys words stand out – “scattered”, “gather”, and “keep.” The scattering began around 70 AD and continued up to 1880. Since then, God has been gathering them back to their land so that there are now close to 6.7 million Jews in Israel. In our lifetimes, we have truly been witnessing one of God’s greatest miracles. What is also astounding is that the Jewish people have been returning to their land with their identity, language, religion, and culture still intact. The “keep” part of Jer. 31:10, that the Lord will “keep him as a shepherd keeps His flock,” is both a physical and spiritual keeping and has not yet taken place, but it will, and it won’t be long from now. And it relates to the salvation of a remnant of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Dan. 9:24

This brings us to the New Testament and to prophecy passages for the Jews, and right away you see that God placed them next to prophecy passages for the church. You cannot overstate the importance of these prophecies for the Jews and the Christians sitting next to each other in the text. God wants Christians to see that His end-time’s work with the church is in conjunction with His end-times’ work with the Jews, that His last-days’ work with the Jews coincides with the final years of the church age.

What specifically do we learn? From Matt. 24:9-22, we read about the abomination of desolation in Jerusalem, and great tribulation afflicting both Jews and Christians. From Luke 21:24-32, we see that the times of the Gentiles will come to an end, that the church will be redeemed (raptured), and that Jesus will set up His kingdom for the Jews and the church. From 2 Thess. 2:1-4, we learn that the wicked Antichrist will proudly declare himself to be God in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, after which Christ returns to gather the church. From Rom. 11 we find out that a remnant of Jews will be grafted in, be saved, this taking place once the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, and once this church age is over (Rom. 11:25-26). From Rev. 7 we discover that 144,000 Jews will be sealed just before the church is raptured. Indeed, God is fulfilling His end-time plans for both Jews and Christians at this time in history, leading to the soon coming of Christ. I hope you realize how extremely blessed you are to be part of what God is now doing on planet earth.

To know how God wants you to respond to this, note the first part of Jer. 31:10: “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare in the coastlands…” The clear instruction is for the nations, including Christians, to hear this prophetic word, believe it, and declare it to the world. Since this prophecy is now being fulfilled, shouldn’t we excitedly be telling people that God is presently carrying out His plans for the Jews, and this is all leading up to Christ’s second coming for the church and the Jews? Yes, yes, yes!!!

The #1 sign to the church, the signal to all believers everywhere that we are now in the end-times is this single fact that the Jewish people have returned to their land. O Christian, be greatly encouraged and filled with joy, for the Jews are back in their land and the birth pains are taking place, which means Christ is coming soon to rapture the church, pour out His wrath, save a Jewish remnant, and set up His kingdom on earth, a glorious kingdom for both Jewish and Gentile believers. Psalm 37:11, Matthew 5:3

P.S. All Christians need to understand God’s historical and present working with the Jewish people, for it relates directly to His plans for the church. To learn more, I encourage you to read “A Short Summary of God’s Working With the Jews,” and “Unfinished Business.”

Clear and Compelling Evidence for the Coming Kingdom

September 4, 2020 / stevenj777

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By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #186 ~

There’s a great deal of information in the Old Testament about God’s plans for the Jewish people. Yet, many believe these plans are null and void, and have been invalidated because of the Jews’ rejection of Christ in the 1^st century. But when you examine the New Testament, you discover all these verses that do not deny but rather confirm God’s plans for the Jews. You can’t miss them, you can’t skip over them, you can’t redefine them, and you sure can’t say they have already been fulfilled. And as a Christian, you need to know them, for they relate to the great and glorious future God has for you and the church. In today’s post we will look at many verses that speak about the coming kingdom age, when Jesus Christ is ruling the world.

1) Acts 1:6-7 – “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed…” The disciples want to know from Jesus if He was going to start the kingdom at that time. By what Jesus says, He assures them that there would be a future kingdom on earth, one in which He would be King of the Jewish people, and King over the entire world. But first, they had a job to do, for they, which means the church, were to be Jesus’ witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (vs. 8). As Jesus ascends into heaven, two angels tell the disciples that He would be coming back, and it would be then that He would bring into being His earthly kingdom.

2) Acts 3:20-21 – “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away… and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things…” People repenting and returning, and being forgiven of their sins, is referring to the church age, after which time God would send Jesus from heaven to restore, to renovate all things on earth. The Jews had learned from the Old Testament prophets about this kingdom age, and that the Messiah, the Christ, would be King, but now they knew when this would take place, that it would be at the end of this church age.

3) Acts 15:16 – “After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild it’s ruins, and I will restore it.” James was talking to Jewish leaders about Gentiles being saved, and how it would be after “these things,” after this church age, that Christ would return to rebuild and restore the tabernacle and other ruins, referring to the temple and Israel. This message about the future kingdom age is being repeated in the book of Acts, and why? To convince you that Christ will return to set up His kingdom on earth after this church age is over.

4) Acts 28:23 – “He was solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus…” Eight times in the book of Acts, there’s the word “kingdom.” (Acts 1:3, 1:6, 8:12, 14:22, 9:18, 20:25, 28:23, 28:31). The apostles weren’t just preaching the gospel, they were also testifying about the kingdom of God, the entirety of God’s plan for His people, which would include the coming millennial kingdom. As Paul said in Acts 20:27, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” The book of Acts is the history of the early church, and here in the beginning days of the church age, God wanted both believing Jews and Gentiles to know with certainty that Christ’s kingdom would be established on earth.

5) Luke 19:11-27 – “They supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately… Do business with this until I come back.” During Jesus’ ministry, some believed that the kingdom of God would soon be set up on earth. To help people understand what would be happening, Jesus shared a parable. This is the meaning: Jesus, the king, was going away (to heaven), and from there He would be given a kingdom (on earth). His slaves on earth were to be working, doing business with the money He had given them during the time He was gone (the church age). Then He would come back and reward them for their work, and start up His kingdom on earth. We now live in the end-times of this church age, and it won’t be long before Christ returns to rapture the church and reign as King of this world.

6) Luke 20:34-36. “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God.” The “resurrection” is referring to believers being glorified, receiving bodies like the angels, which occurs at Christ’s coming. The “age” is speaking of the next age, the millennial kingdom age, when Christ is ruling the world and believers are reigning with Him.

7) Luke 21:31 – “So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.” This chapter lists a number of events taking place in the end-times before Christ’s return. Those who actually see these events things taking place will know that the redemption (rapture) is drawing near (vs. 28), and that the kingdom is drawing near (vs. 31). This kingdom can only be referring to Christ’s 1000-year kingdom on earth.

8) Luke 22:18 – “I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” The night before His death, Jesus was with His disciples and instituting the ordinance of communion. Jesus made this statement to reassure His disciples that He would rise from the dead, and also return to establish His earthly kingdom, at which time He would once again celebrate the Passover with them. Ezekiel 45:21, 1 Cor. 11:26

9) Matthew 19:28 – “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit on upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus’ disciples knew He would be the King of this world, but they wanted to know how they would be rewarded for their work on earth. Jesus refers to the regeneration which is the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21), and this occurs when He returns, sits on His throne, and sets up His kingdom. That’s when these disciples would be given their own throne and be reigning with Him.

10) Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever. And the twenty four elders… fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who are, and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” It’s at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week that Christ will become King on this earth. We should extremely excited and looking forward to this time when there will be righteousness, peace, and love on this earth like never before!

11) Revelation 20:6 – “They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6). “… Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (vs. 2). “… he (Satan) would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed” (vs. 3). “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (vs. 4). “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed” (vs. 5). “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released…” (vs 7). We learn some important information about this coming kingdom age – and one thing we know for sure is that it will last exactly one thousand years.

12) 1 Corinthians 15:24 – “Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”1 Cor. 15:20-28 covers a time period that, I believe, will be close to 3000 years. Let me summarize what has happened and will be happening. 1) Jesus was raised from the dead. 2) At Christ’s coming, at the end of this age, believers will be made alive, will be glorified. 3) Christ will set up His kingdom on earth, one that will last for 1000 years. 4) During this millennial kingdom age, Christ will be the supreme King, abolishing all rule and authority. 5) At the end of this age, Christ will finally and forever defeat death (“Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” – Rev. 20:14). 6) “Then comes the end (of the millennial kingdom age) when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father.” 7) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Revelation 22:1

God has given us clear and compelling evidence that this coming kingdom age is not fantasy or fiction, but a future reality. In a very little while, everything will change, and Christ will begin His 1000-year reign over this earth. Then we will be wholeheartedly worshiping and serving Jesus, our King, and O, how wonderful and glorious this will be! Let’s keep praying: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10

P.S. I am very thankful that God has told us all about this coming kingdom age. Yes, we should focus on our work for God at this time, but we also need to see ahead to what He has in store for us. Here are two other posts that give us more valuable information about the kingdom of God. “Kingdom Instructions for the Church” and “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”

The New Testament Tells Us God’s Plans for the Jews

August 14, 2020 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #183 ~

There’s no question that God has special plans for the Jewish people during this church age and in the ages to come. Now it’s true that God’s plans for the Jews were put on hold around 70 AD when, for rejecting Christ, they were punished, scattered all over the world, and since then, have been greatly persecuted (Luke 21:20-24). Last week we looked at five New Testament passages that prove God’s plans for the Jews are still valid and will be fulfilled in the near future. What is both striking and instructive is that these verses about the Jews are sitting next to verses about the church. As I stated last week, this means that God’s end-time plans for the Jews are somehow connected and related to His end-time plans for the church.

Here are several more passages which contain end-time verses about the Jews and the church.
1. Matthew 24:9-27. Verses 9-14 give an important summary of what the church needs to know in the end-times: 1) Christians will be going through great tribulation. 2) There will be false prophets, apostasy, and increasing lawlessness. 3) We are to persevere until the end of the age. 4) We are to keep preaching the gospel until Christ returns to rapture the church. Verses 15-27 are about the Jews, but notice what Jesus says, “let the reader understand.” It’s Christians who are reading this, and they need to know that the temple in Jerusalem will be desecrated by the Antichrist and that he will then chase after the Jews. Seeing what’s happening to the Jews will be a signal to the church that great persecution will soon begin, as also told us in Rev. 12:17, and then described in Matt. 24:9. “They deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

2. Mark 13:9-23. Verses 9-13 describe the persecution that Christians have been and will be experiencing during this church age. Again, we are instructed to preach the gospel and persevere to the end of this age, at which time we will see Christ and be raptured by Him (vss. 26-27). Verses 14-23 are about the Jews, and similar to what we read in Matt. 24:15-27, tell us about the Antichrist’s desolation of the temple and his pursuit of the Jews. But notice what Jesus says, “Behold, I have told you everything in advance.” Jesus is alerting Christians, for He wants us to know that He has told us everything we need to know about His end-time’s work with the Jews and the church. Might we be good students and learn all these things. Rev. 1:3

3. Luke 21:12-32. Verses 12-19, similar to Mark 13:9-13, describe the suffering the church has been going through since her beginning days. And again, she is instructed to share the gospel during this church age. Verses 20-24 summarize God’s plans for the Jews, and how she has been trampled upon since Jerusalem’s destruction (~ 70 AD), and which will continue until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Verse 28 gives us hope, for it says, “your redemption is drawing near” which refers to the rapture of the church. Verse 32 then says, “the kingdom of God is near,” which speaks of the physical and millennial kingdom Christ will establish on earth at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, and which will be a great blessing to believing Jews and the church! Psalm 37:11; Matt. 5:3, 6:10; Rev. 5:10, 11:15

4. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9. This is a critically important end-time’s passage for the church. We learn that this man is revealed as the “man of lawlessness” (the Antichrist) when he arrogantly acts like he is God and takes his seat in the temple of the Jews (Matt. 24:15). This happens in Jerusalem at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week (Dan. 9:27), and before the Day of the Lord, during which time God pours out His wrath upon the world (vs 2). Since Christ’s coming is after the Antichrist’s coming (vs 9), and since Christians are gathered (raptured) to Christ at His coming (vs. 1), then we can conclude that the rapture occurs after the midpoint, sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week, but before the Day of the Lord. From this passage Christians can see that the rapture is not at the beginning or end of Daniel’s 70^th week, but sometime after the midpoint. Matt. 24:36, Rev. 13

5. Revelation 7:1-17. Two momentous events are described in this chapter. Verses 1-8 talk about the sealing, the setting apart and protecting of 144,000 Jews. Verses 9-17 tell us about the church on earth coming out of the great tribulation (being raptured), and then standing before and worshiping God (the Father) and the Lamb (the Son) in heaven. Both of these events occur after the 6^th seal is broken, the signs in the heavens (Rev. 6:12-16), but before the 7^th seal is broken (Rev. 8:1) which results in the blowing of seven trumpets and God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth (Rev. 8-9). These two dramatic, back to back, God-directed events, the sealing of the Jews and the rapture of the church, take place at the end of this age.

6. Revelation 12:6-17 – 13:1-17. Rev. 12:6-16 focuses on Satan and his attempts to capture a number of Jews, but God miraculously enables them to physically escape his devilish wrath (Matt. 24:15-26); and later, at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, He spiritually saves them. (Dan. 9:24). The dragon (Satan), seeing that he can’t catch the Jews, chases after the church (vs.17), which leads to Rev. 13. This dark chapter tells us, “It was also given to him (the beast – the Antichrist) to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” Christians will need to be wise and to persevere, and to remember that God is sovereign over everything that happens, even the death of fellow believers (Rev. 6:9-11, 17). Then there is another beast, the Antichrist’s evil partner, and he uses the technology of the time to deceive and control the unbelievers (vss. 11-17). Thankfully, the efforts of this 2^nd beast will not harm the church.

What can we conclude?
1. In the New Testament, there are many side-by side, end-time’s passages about the Jews and the church – Matt. 24:9-27; Mark 13:9-23; Luke 21:12-33; Acts 1:6-11, 2:17-21, 3:18-21, 15:14-17; Rom. 11, 15:7-13; 2 Thess. 2:1-9; and Rev. 7:1-17, 12:6-17 – 13:1-17, 21:10-14.
2. These verses give us solid, super-strong evidence that God has not reneged on His Old Testament promises to the Jews, but that His plans for them will be completely fulfilled.
3. It’s important for Christians to see that God’s end-time’s work with the Jews is connected to and in conjunction with His end-time’s work with the church. We need to understand these passages and know how they relate to us. “Let the reader understand.” Matt. 24:15
4. Take the time to study these passages so you can be convinced about God’s plans for the Jews and the church in the end-times, and can then share this truth with others. 2 Tim. 2:15
5. Seeing God’s plans for the Jews being fulfilled will result in being filled with joy and peace, for it means realizing that we are getting closer to the end of this age. Rom. 15:13
6. “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” Romans 15:10. (We will look at this next week).

P.S. I hope you are learning how how all these New Testament Jewish verses are relevant to the church. There are many excellent charts that will help you to more clearly see God’s plans for His chosen people. Here are three: “70 Weeks of Daniel,” “God’s Plan for the Jews in the End Times,” and “Promises for the Jewish Remnant.”

God’s Plans for the Jewish People – Romans 11

July 31, 2020 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #181 ~

What about the future of the Jewish people? Has God nullified His promises to them about giving them land, a King, and salvation? (Ezekiel 37:24-28)? Has God, because of their rejection of Him, rejected them? Have His promises to the Jews been given to the church? What are God’s plans for them during this church age? Romans 11 answers these questions, with a specific emphasis on His plans to save a remnant of Jews.

Romans 11:1-10. “May it never be!” In the strongest of words, Paul tells us that God has not rejected the Jews. He wants us to know that “there has also come to be at the present time a remnant,” this remnant referring to Jews who would be saved during this church age. This remnant is comprised of Jews whom God foreknew, those He planned to save from eternity past. Paul makes it clear that their salvation is by God’s grace, not by their works, so that all Jews who are saved, are saved, because of God’s “gracious choice.” Ephesians 1:4

What about the Jews who are not saved? “The rest were hardened,” for they did not repent of their sins and believe in the Messiah – and God hardens the hearts of all those who do not believe, who willingly harden their hearts against Him. A great majority of the Jews rejected Jesus, not just in the first century (Acts 13:44-52), but throughout the centuries. So there’s this partial hardening of the Jews, but the good news is that it’s not a complete hardening, for this remnant is still being saved. Not only that, but this hardening is temporary, for at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week, “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25). Indeed, God will keep His promise to His chosen people! “He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.” Psalm 111:9

Romans 11:11-16. Paul speaks of the Jewish people as ones who stumbled, but did not fall, meaning that God’s plan for “all Israel to be saved” is now on hold, but as I just noted, only for a time, for after this age is over, after the rapture of the church, they will be fulfilled. But why did God allow the Jews to stumble? He did it for the sake of the Gentiles. The sin of the Jews, their rejection of Messiah, is resulting in a large number of Gentiles being saved during this church age, and Paul, “an apostle of Gentiles,” was thankful for this. Paul also knew that when the Gentile-hating Jews saw Gentiles being saved (Gal. 3:6-14), they would be jealous, resulting in some of them, that is, this remnant, trusting in the Messiah and being saved.

Paul then shares with us the bigger and eternal picture, that all this will turn out, not just for the present good of the Gentiles, but for the future good of the Jews. “How much more will their fulfillment be?” “What will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Throughout the years, millions of Jews have rejected Christ, but all Jews alive at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week will accept Him, and “all Israel will be saved” (Dan. 9:24). “Israel has been saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation” (Isaiah 45:17). Their salvation sets the stage for Jesus’ 1000-year glorious reign, when all these newly saved Jews will worship Him and be ruling with Him! Hebrews 11:10-16, 39-40

Romans 11:17-24. Paul, being a Jew, knew how much the Gentiles hated Jews, and how they might get deceived, thinking they were saved because they were better than the Jews. So Paul says to these Gentiles, “and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in” and were partakers of the “rich root.” He wanted them to know that it was because some Jews were broken off due to their unbelief that they would be grafted in, would be saved during this church age. This “rich root” refers to God’s unconditional promise to Abraham – “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Not only that, but their God-given faith in Christ was the same kind of faith Abraham had. (Gen. 15:5-21, Rom. 4:9-25). Only because of God’s promise, power, and grace would these Gentiles be saved. To make doubly sure these Gentiles knew it wasn’t just about God’s love for them, Paul reminds them that God will graft the Jews in again, which will happen at Christ’s 2^nd coming. “This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days… I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” This leads us to the next verses:

Romans 11:25-32. In no way does God want us “to be uninformed,” to be ignorant about His plans for the Jews. He wants us to know that this “partial hardening” of the Jews, which has been happening for close to 2000 years, will not continue. Now that the Jews are back in their land, we know we are living in the end-times, and that it won’t be long before this age comes to an end, and we will say, the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” – and “all Israel will be saved.” Once all the Gentiles whom God has chosen to save, are saved, then all the Jewish people whom God has chosen to save, will be saved, will be forgiven of their sins. “There is forgiveness with You… and He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:4, 8

As Gentile Christians, we may think the Jews are our enemies, but we need to see them as ones loved by God, and so we are to love them too. We read that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable,” which means God won’t go back on His word, but will keep His promise to save the Jews. God does not lie or change His mind, and He has not cancelled His people – He will be true to His word! In the near future, this partial and temporary hardening of the Jewish people will come to an end, and “all Israel will be saved.” Just like God was merciful to us when we were disobedient, so too God will be merciful to this remnant of Jews. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” Romans 9:15

Romans 11:33-36. In the first 11 chapters of his letter to the Romans, we see God’s holiness, wisdom, power, and sovereignty. We read about His righteousness, and how we are righteous in Christ, and are loved and forgiven. Here in Romans 11 we understand God’s present and future plans for the Jewish people. As we dwell on the character, work, and ways of God, we cannot help but be overwhelmed, for we realize how awesome and magnificent He is, that He alone is holy and supreme. Then think how Jesus Christ humbled Himself so God could save us from our sins, bring us into His presence, adopt us as His children, and give us eternal life. Might we be humbled, and give God all the praise, glory, thanks, and honor that He deserves. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

P.S. As Christians, we must understand the and plans God has for the Jewish people. Many believe that God has forsaken His people, but that’s not true. I have written five articles carefully explaining what God wants us to know about His present and future plans for the Jewish people. Here is the first article: Replacement Theology: It’s Not True – Part 1.

Converging Hopes for Jewish and Gentile Believers

May 10, 2019 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #117 ~

When we look back through history, we see that Jewish believers had hope for the future. Abraham was “looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Job stated, “at the last He (my Redeemer) will take His stand on the earth” (Job 19:25). Hannah knew that “the Lord will judge the ends of the earth” (1 Samuel 2:10). David said confidently, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). When writing about the Son of Man, Daniel knew “His kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27). These Jewish saints all had hope, for they were looking ahead, and looking forward, to God’s purposes being fulfilled. But they had an incomplete picture, for God had not revealed to them all that He was planning to do in the future.

What about the saints in the early church? It’s obvious that they learned much more about this hope, the glorious plans God had in store for His people. Peter (1 Peter 1:3-5, 10-13), John (Revelation), Matthew (Matthew 24), Luke (Luke 21:7-36), Paul (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:9), and James (James 5:7-9), all wrote about the coming of Jesus Christ. This divine revelation, in addition to what the Old Testament saints had written, gave them a much clearer picture of Christ’s return and specific events preceding it. Like the believers before them, these 1^st century Christians also had hope, for they were anticipating the fulfillment of God’s promises to them. But it wasn’t clear to them when all these prophesied events would take place. In fact, Jesus told the apostles, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7). As we look back, we can see that they didn’t need to know when, for God knew it would be a long, long time until the end of the age and the coming of Christ.

Here we are in the 21^st century, and close to two thousand years have come and gone since the start of the church age, and Christ still has not returned. Millions and millions of believers from the past, both Jews and Gentiles, have gone on to heaven before us. Their passing away, their departure from this earth, was a good thing, for their hope was partially fulfilled – they immediately were taken to be with Christ, met many loving saints, and were blessed to be in a sinless and perfect state. And they passed the baton on to other believers, and now it’s our turn to run the race.

But it won’t be thousands of years before Christ comes back, and it won’t be hundreds of years either. That the Jews are back in their land, that Israel has been reestablished as a nation is proof, evidence, and God’s sign to us that it won’t be long before He sends His Son back to earth. No one but God knows the exact time of Christ’s return, but we can know the general time, for God’s prophetic word is being fulfilled in the world around us, and we can see that the day of Christ is drawing near. Matthew 24:3-36

What a privilege to be living at this time in history, in these years leading up to Christ’s return. Shouldn’t we be more excited about His coming than other believers who lived in the past? Shouldn’t we see that our “salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed” (Romans 14:11)? Shouldn’t we be like the “sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, and knew what they should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32)? Shouldn’t we “give understanding to the many” (Daniel 11:33)? Shouldn’t we “make ready the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4)? Shouldn’t we be “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12)? Shouldn’t we tell others all we know about what lies ahead, and Who will soon appear in the clouds above us (Mark 13:23, 26)? Yes, yes, yes!

For thousands of years, believers have been hoping, waiting, looking, longing for that time when the Messiah, the Christ, will set up His kingdom on this earth. But to think He could come in our lifetime is a thrilling thought, a most encouraging possibility. Might we then “run with endurance the race that is set before us,” the last leg of this race, this race to the end of the age, this race to see Jesus. Might we fix our eyes on Jesus, and fix our hope on the grace to be brought to us when He is revealed (Hebrews 11:1-2, 1 Peter 1:13), for it is at His coming that we will begin to see the realization of all our hopes, the fulfillment of God’s promises to all His people. Then we will be given new bodies, meet up with loved ones we knew on earth, see God’s judgment of the world, be revealed with Christ in glory, and soon after that, begin to reign over the earth with Him.

Then we will see His plans for the Jews coincide with His plans for the church (Hebrews 11:39-40). His promise to the Jews, “the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever” (Psalm 37:29), will be fulfilled in conjunction with His promise to the church, “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Romans 15:10 confirms this when it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people,” His people being the Jewish believers. Then we read, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Might you see that God wants all believers, Jews and Gentiles, Old Testament saints and church-age believers, to be abounding in hope! Might you be excitedly looking forward to what God will be doing for all His people, and all for His glory. “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise Him.” Romans 15:11

P.S. This post spoke about the future of both Jewish and Gentile believers. I have written quite a bit about the Jews in past posts. Here are three I would strongly encourage you to read: A Jewish Reading Lesson, Why the Jews are Important for You and the Church, Clear New Testament Confirmation of God’s Plans for the Jews.

The King in Your Heart, and His Kingdom on Earth

November 2, 2018 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #92 ~

What’s most important to you, the right king to rule over your country, or the real King to rule in your heart? Both questions are valid, and both are answered in the Bible. But what is first, and foundational, is being right in your heart with God. For many people, their religion is outward, visible, and temporal, and oftentimes, is governmental and political. But real religion, being forgiven of your sins, possessing eternal life, and knowing Jesus as your Savior and King, needs to start in your heart. Romans 10:9-13

Back in the Old Testament days, most Jews knew the prophesies about the coming King and His kingdom. (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 47, Isaiah 9:6-7, Ezekiel 37:21-22; Micah 5:2-4, etc.). Year after year they went to the synagogue and heard about this Messiah, this coming King. What most Jews really wanted was for this King to rule over their country, defeat their enemies, and bring peace to their land. But they were looking at things outwardly and physically, and not inwardly and spiritually.

Then, in the fullness of time, the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she’d be the mother of this Messiah, this Jesus. She learned that her son “will be called the Son of the Most High… and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33). Mary, being a righteous Jew, knew that God, spiritually speaking, was her Savior (Luke 1:46-47). But she also understood Gabriel’s message, that her son would physically reign as the King over Israel and the entire world.

Thirty years later, John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, was proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Not long after that, Jesus, the Messiah, came preaching, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The kingdom was at hand, for the King was at hand. Right away, Jesus showed that He was more than just a man, for He was healing people, casting out demons, raising the dead, and feeding the multitudes. Not only that, but He was the best teacher they had ever heard. But many Jews weren’t satisfied with Jesus, for they really wanted Him to conquer the Romans, and establish Himself as their King. They rightly believed that God would keep His promise about the Messiah being the King, but they were missing a foundational and prerequisite truth.

The Jews didn’t see their sin and their need for a Savior. They didn’t understand and believe in the gospel. They didn’t understand Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, which vividly describes Jesus’ death, physically and spiritually speaking. They didn’t realize that the only way to be forgiven and be made right with God, was for Jesus to die on the cross to pay for their sins. They didn’t realize the need to be saved, of Jesus, the Savior, dying for them, and Jesus, the Lord, living in their hearts. They wanted a King to rule over them, not a King to rule in them.

For three years, Jesus perfectly carried out the work of His Father, people were being forgiven, and lives were being changed. But in spite of all that Jesus was doing, most Jews still rejected Him as their Savior, and therefore rejected Him as their King. John 1:8 sums up this sad reality, “Jesus came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” But God was sovereign, for the Jews’ rejection of Jesus resulted in Christ’s death and resurrection, in His payment for peoples’ sins, and in a person’s salvation, that is, for all those who would repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

When the Jews rejected Christ, God had to reject them, at least for a while. He repeatedly warned them that they’d be judged. (Luke 19:41-44, Luke 21:20-24, Luke 23:27-31). He told them that the Jews would “fall by the edge of the sword, and… be led captive into all the nations” which took place in the 1^st century (Luke 21:24). Yet God would keep His Word, His Old Testament promises to the Jews; and in fact, Jesus went on to say that the Jews would “be led captive into all the nations… until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Many other times, Jesus reminded the Jews that God’s promise about a future and physical kingdom would be fulfilled. (Luke 13:34-35, Luke 22:28-30, Acts 1:6-7). Then in Luke 21:28, Jesus tells us, “your redemption is drawing near,” a promise to the church about being raptured at His return. In Luke 21:31, Jesus goes on to say, “the kingdom of God is near,” which is His promise to both the Jews and the church about His coming visible kingdom, which would begin shortly after the rapture. This will be Christ’s 1000-year kingdom, that time when believing Jews and Gentiles will together reign with Him over this world. Luke 22:28-30

Now we are living in the last years of this church age, and these promises from Jesus will soon be fulfilled. I hope you see that the King is coming, and that “the kingdom of God is near.” What should you do? How are you to live? 1) You are to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). 2) You are to proclaim the “gospel of the kingdom… and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 3) You are to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

P.S. If you have regularly been reading these posts, you can see that we are on a “kingdom” theme. It is important for you to see the big picture, that you are a member of God’s kingdom, that you are royalty, and that God will continue to build His kingdom, this age, and then in the next age. For the next two weeks, we will continue on this relevant subject.

The Book of Daniel: Kingdoms of Men and THE KINGDOM OF GOD

October 19, 2018 / stevenj777

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #90 ~

Without a doubt, Daniel is one of the most important books on prophecy in the entire Bible. It talks about the kingdoms of man and the kingdom of God. Specifically, it tells us about the times of the Gentiles, starting with Israel’s defeat in Jerusalem in 586 BC, going through the church age, and finishing at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. The purpose for this book of Daniel was to encourage exiled Jews by revealing God’s long-range plans for them, from the rule of Gentile kings to the return of Jesus Christ, the Jewish king.

For centuries, the Jews had been living in Israel, and rebelling against God, and finally, in 605 BC, His punishment of them began. Many Jews were exiled to Babylon, including young, innocent Daniel and his three friends. Daniel lived for another 65 years, serving God through the reigns of four kings, and writing down a number of visions about the kingdoms of man and the future kingdom of God. Just before his death, God told Daniel, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time” (Daniel 12:9). After another and longer exile, the Jews are again back in their land, and now we are blessed to be living in the “end-time.” That means these words of Daniel are no longer sealed up. They are for Christians, for you and me in this “end-time”, to read, understand, and believe.

Many valuable and relevant truths are contained in this prophetic book of Daniel:

1. God’s sovereignty. Clearly seen in the book of Daniel is God’s sovereign control over the affairs of rulers, nations and all people. Even during the times of the Gentiles, God is still in charge, carrying out His eternal plans. “His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.” Daniel 4:35, Daniel 2:20-21
2. God’s work with people. You observe God’s work with countries, but you can also see and be encouraged by how He works with and through individual people, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and even Arioch. Daniel 1:8-17, 2:14-25, 3:12-27, 6:1-23
3. God works through leaders. In ways we cannot see, God works through leaders and kings, even if, at times, they are proud and are unrighteously governing a country. The book of Daniel gives us confidence and hope, for we see God carrying out His plans through a number of rulers: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius (Daniel 2, 4, 5, 6).
4. God works through the Antichrist. There is more said in the book of Daniel about the Antichrist than any other book in the Bible. This means that God wants us to know some of the details about his devilish life, and his evil influence over the world in the end-times. Daniel 7:8, 11, 20-22, 24-26; 8:23-25; 9:26-27; 11:32-45
5. The kingdom chronology: God gives us a divine time frame, Daniel’s 70 weeks, which helps us to more clearly understand His prophetic schedule (Daniel 9:24-27). These 70 weeks are 490 years. The first 69 weeks, 483 years, take us from the rebuilding of the temple (445 BC) to the crucifixion of Christ. Then there’s a long gap of time between the 69^th and 70^th weeks, and for the most part, this is the church age. This 70^th week will soon begin, for we now live in the end-times. In the middle of this week, the Antichrist is revealed, and at the end of the week, Christ is reigning, for “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.” Revelation 11:15
6. Spiritual warfare. In the book of Daniel, God pulls back the curtain, letting us know that the forces of God and of the devil are battling it out, fighting for control of countries and kingdoms. Revelation 12:7 also speaks about this spiritual warfare: “There was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon (devil). And the dragon and his angels waged war.” More than we realize, spiritual battles between invisible forces have been and will be taking place. Daniel 10:13, 20; Ephesians 6:10-13
7. God’s plans for the Jews. During the times of the Gentiles, there will be no divinely appointed king reigning over Israel, but instead, she will be ruled by kings from Gentile nations: Babylon (605-539 BC), Medo-Persia (539-331 BC), Greece (331-146 BC), Rome (146 BC-476 AD) … Rome (end-times). But in the end, God prevails: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed… it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” Daniel 2:44
8. The coming of Christ the King. After this evil age is over, when Daniel’s 70^th week comes to a close, then Jesus Christ will return and establish His glorious kingdom on earth. This is our hope, and what we must look for and long for, seeing Jesus, our Lord and King, reigning on this earth. “His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey Him.” Daniel 7:27, Philippians 2:9-11
9. Christians need insight. “Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many” (Daniel 11:33). The prophet Daniel predicted what would be taking place in the end-times. And now, over 2500 years later, we are actually beginning to see his prophecies come true. What a privilege to be alive at this time in history, and be used by God to tell others about Jesus, our blessed Savior and King.

This is only a brief summary of the book of Daniel, which are some of God’s end-time instructions for us. I encourage you to read and study this book yourself, and pass on to others the truths you learn from it. “He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed; His dominion will never end.” Daniel 6:26

P.S. I just finished a needed article about the difficulties of life during the time of great tribulation and the Antichrist. It’s something you, your family, and your friends need to know: “A Little Suffering and a Lot of Glory.” There are two other posts I want to encourage you to read that relate directly to this post on the book of Daniel: “The Divine Timetable, Daniel’s 70 Weeks”, and “Daniel’s 70th Week, One of the Keys to Unlocking the End-Times.”

Category: Jews (Page 2 of 4)

God Keeps His Promises to the Jewish People

God’s Plans for the Jewish People Have NOT Been Cancelled

The Prophetic Connection Between Israel and the Church

The Reason We Know Christ is Coming Soon

Clear and Compelling Evidence for the Coming Kingdom

The New Testament Tells Us God’s Plans for the Jews

God’s Plans for the Jewish People – Romans 11

Converging Hopes for Jewish and Gentile Believers

The King in Your Heart, and His Kingdom on Earth

The Book of Daniel: Kingdoms of Men and THE KINGDOM OF GOD

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