Redeeming Israel

 

REDEEM ISRAEL

Psalm 25:22

Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress.

Psalm 14:7

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

Psalm 122:6-7

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper. May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”

Jeremiah 24:7

I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

Romans 25:26-27

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob."

Romans 8:10

For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

This covenant is JESUS CHRIST. He is the New Testament through which GOD saves all who believe on His name.

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Romans 10:12-13

For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, "Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Joel 2:32

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Acts 2:21

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

You. Me.  It is for you and me that God sent His Son to die on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins. Jesus Christ is our Deliverer, Redeemer, Savior, Messiah, Friend. 

I know my Redeemer lives. And I know His Name. Do you?

Blessed Is Egypt Assyria & Israel

In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the earth. 
The LORD of Hosts will BLESS them, saying, BLESSED be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, Israel My inheritance.
ISAIAH 19:24-25

Studying through this I see that the names of these countries are all people and their descendants. We know Israel is Jacob and Jacob's descendants. But how many of us knew that Egypt is Ham (a son of Noah) and Ham's descendants? Or that Assyria is Ashur, Shem's second son? Granted I have read through my Bible several times, but I had not realize this part before. And I love the study of naming.

When the 'that day' happened and will happen, the Truth of the Word of God would forever change some of the people who lived in these three countries. Why only some? Not everyone would believe in the God of Israel. But those who do are forever blessed.

• The Name of The Lord would be their refuge
• The Word of The Lord would be their strength
• The Truth of The Lord would be their blessing

All nations involved would in turn be able to bless the lands around them. When refuges from Israel would flee to Assyria and Egypt, they would bring the gospel with them. 

Have you ever thought about how God removes idol worship from a person's heart? He doesn't just yank it out and leave a gaping hole. No, first the hearts have to be shown that the idols are useless. And how does He do that? God causes great disasters to happen and when people turn to their idols for help which never comes, they turn to God, who will be their help, their deliverer. 

But God delivers us from so much more than disasters of the land: The Lord Is Deliverer (2 Samuel 22:2) YAHWEH-PALAT. 

God delivers us from the punishment for sin which is death. He did this great deliverance through the obedience of His only begotten Son who died on the cross in our place: Jesus Christ the Messiah.

Isaiah 53 describes the awful ways in which God's only begotten Son was treated by us, the people He came to save. Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; And with His stripes we are healed." 

His stripes could only be upon His back through His back being torn apart by a whip, a leather strap which had pieces of bone and lead  intertwined in the leather braids. The whip was made of several straps of such combinations, not just one. Picture that and think on these things. Our Deliverer took a beating none of us would have survived and still was made to carry His cross through the city and up the hill to where He would be crucified and die. For us. Thank You, Jesus, for taking my place in death. 

But God wasn't finished. Beyond the cross was the grave and Between the cross and the grave was death and hell. For our sins were upon Christ Jesus and with these sins on Him He must first need to enter hell and conquer that. Then He arose from death, conquering that. God rolled away the stone and Jesus walked out of the grave, conquering that, too. Woo-hoo! He is risen!! 

Our Deliverer. God made a Way, a high Way, in which all who believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son who died on the cross and walked out of the grave may traverse. In that day.

In that day in which you believe, you, too, will walk in the Way.

Whose Report Will You Believe?

Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:1

This entire chapter of Isaiah 53 regards the crucifixion and burial of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was to come and deliver all of Israel: Jacob’s seed, the individual and God’s people, the nation as a whole. 

Report: to announce, proclaim, carry and deliver a message of what one has heard, to announce, to speak of what one has seen and observed.

We who are God’s people are here to tell you that the Messiah has come! It is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! See the words in Isaiah 53 and look to the John 19 for confirmation. See and believe the words of Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23. 

But it does not end there! John 20, Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Luke 24 all speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, hell and the grave! That is amazing news to proclaim, indeed! And,so, we do. As the angels proclaimed the birth of Christ to the shepherds, we speak the truth of His death on the cross, whose blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We tell of the story of Jesus who came to die for us because nothing we do will ever make us right with God. 

We who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord carry within us the message of  salvation through the blood that was shed by Him on the cross at Calvary. We deliver the message of hope and eternal life through the His resurrection. Because He became sin for us, having the penalty of sin upon Him, He was sent to hell to fight and defeat the devil once and for all. He returned to the grave with the keys of death, hell and the grave in his mighty hand. 

God raised His only begotten Son from the tomb by rolling away the stone and Jesus stepped out into the garden, declaring victory over sin and death, becoming our Hope of Eternal Life through Him! WooHoo! That’s something to get excited about! 

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Romans 10:8-13 [8] But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: [9] that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

[11] It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, [13]for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Acts 2:38, 39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost…

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Jerusalem Belongs to GOD

2 Chronicles 6:6 "But I have chosen Jerusalem that My Name might be there; and have chosen David to be over My people Israel."

Jerusalem belongs to GOD. Israel belongs to GOD. To declare war on either is to declare war on GOD.

The Word of GOD tells us to 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" in Psalm 122:6 and "Pray for the salvation of Israel" in Romans 10:1.

Let us pray earnestly and fervently.

Freedom To Choose

In becoming a Christian we have chosen to surrender not only our hearts, but our very lives, to The Living God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. As such, we have a responsibility to obey God according to His Word. We should not take this responsibility lightly, but obey it willingly.

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

It is because of this great love that we are able to love others, especially the unlovable. Once we thought we were unlovable. Until we came to the realization that God loves us so much He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. That's Love.

Through the blood that Christ shed on the cross our sins are forgiven AND forgotten. We are healed in every way by the stripes on His back: physically, emotionally, mentally; our very soul is healed in His Name. That's Freedom.

It is not freedom To sin, but freedom From sin. Through The Word we can overcome sin and temptation. That's Power.

As Christians, people who have chosen to follow Christ and the path He walked, it is our responsibility to pray for others. Praying not just for friends and family, but their friends and families. Praying for our neighbors, whether we know them or not. Whether they are likable or not. Praying for strangers, people we may never meet, or meet once and never again.

Praying for our enemies, those who seek to destroy our faith in Christ. Praying for those who come against us in the name of their god that their eyes would be opened and they, too, would become God's called people.

Praying for God's chosen people, Israel. As Psalm 33:12 states, not only is the nation who chooses God blessed, but the people whom God has chosen are blessed. It is a dual reminder that we must not only support them with our prayers, but acknowledge that it is Israel whom God has chosen to be His own, also.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee." Psalm 122:6. Whether individually, or as a nation who has chosen God, this is our responsibility to pray for Jerusalem's peace. ""Brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ), my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Romans 10:1. As the nation whose God is The Lord, this should be our desire and prayer: the salvation of Israel, God's chosen people, the people whom God has chosen for His own.

A nation without God condemns itself and is not blessed by God. If a country wants God's blessing on it, that country, that nation, needs to choose The Almighty God as her own God. But it is not enough to say, "I am a Christian". One's words must be backed by one's actions. And one's actions must be motivated by the love of God which lives in a person through Christ.

Be vigilant. Watch and pray.

The Testimony of Israel

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~
Psalm 122
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of The Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Where the tribes go up, the tribes of The Lord, unto The Testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto The Name of The Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of The Lord our God I will seek thy good.

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

The house of the Lord is Jerusalem, the city of God. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that those who live within her walls would be safe in the arms of God. There are several gates, one of which remains closed even yet. It is called the Golden Gate, or Mercy Gate. It faces the Mount of Olives on the Eastern side of the Old City. Tradition says The Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate. So the muslims who lived under the rule of Suleiman closed it off to prevent His entrance.

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

The Testimony of Israel is the Manna. The Ark contained the Manna, to remember how God provided the Bread of Heaven to feed His people in the wilderness after He delivered them out of the hands of Egypt. The Manna is sweet and sustaining, tasting like coriander seed, which today is used in the making of sweet breads and desserts. It had to be crushed to be used.

That Manna, the Bread of Heaven, is Jesus Christ. John 6:47-51-Truly, truly I say to you, He that believes on Me has everlasting life. IAM that Bread of Life. Your fathers did eat Manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the Bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. IAM the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever: and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

The Testimony of Israel is Jesus Christ, The Messiah. He left heaven for us once and will do so again when God tells Him to go. Though Christ was present at the creation of the world, His birth in a stable in Bethlehem was the first time He came in fleshly form. He left His glory at home when He came to witness, to testify of God, of The New Covenant: Himself. The Testimony of Israel was honored in the Old Testament as divine grace. The Testimony of Israel in the New Testament was rejected by the Israelites. They did not believe Jesus was the Son of God and crucified Him.

But that's why He came. Jesus Christ ministered divine grace while He walked here. His first words, after He left the wilderness where Satan tempted Him, were Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. For where Jesus is, God is. Where Jesus is, is where Jesus lives, therefore when a person repents of their sins, Jesus is able to live in that person by faith. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (nearby, close).

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

We are still living in New Testament times. Though our days are happening 2,000 years after Christ's death and resurrection, The Word of God still speaks to us today. And today may be all we have, for tomorrow is not promised us. That is why God tells us that Today is the Day of Salvation. Waiting until tomorrow is not a good idea, because we might now have tomorrow. As you and I know, anything can happen between now and tomorrow. For the times we live in are filled with war, disease, blatant immorality disguised as law, violent unbelievers who rule with fear and hate. Today is your Day of Salvation. Today is your day to believe on Jesus Christ as The Lord and Savior of your life. Regardless of how long your life is.




O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

I am not a threat to you or your way of life. Oh wait, yes I am. Through the power of the Living Word of God, I am able to bring you the messages of God when He tells me to go. And He tells me everyday, as in the Book of Mark, "Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that does not believe shall be damned." Belief in Jesus Christ is necessary for the salvation of your eternal soul. Belief determines destination.

Repentance of sins is to turn your back on your old way of life and surrender your will to God's will for your new life.

Baptizm is a public statement of belief. We are telling the world that we are buried with Christ and raised into a new life in Christ.

I pray for each of you. Your names are in my heart and in God's ears. But for you to accept Christ, you must pray also. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Turn your back on your sinfulness and give your life to God. Accept God's mercy and forgiveness of your sins. Praise The Lord. Give thanks with a grateful heart:

O give thanks unto The Lord, for His mercy endures forever ~

---If you know someone who would be encouraged by Today's Thought, please feel free to share with them. That would be awesome.----