Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: ASTPP
Program Code: ASTPP000016
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00:15 We're glad you're at Anchor Bible school,
00:18 or School of Theology. 00:20 We are going to study some exciting things this afternoon. 00:25 But I believe that it would be a good idea for us, 00:27 it's such a solemn topic, that we should have a word of prayer 00:31 to ask the Lord to be with us. 00:32 So let's just bow our heads for a moment of prayer. 00:35 Father in heaven, as we study this momentous principle 00:39 this afternoon, principle number nine on our syllabus, 00:43 we ask, Father, for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. 00:46 Not only in our study here, but I ask that when this series 00:50 is broadcast on television, that it might be useful 00:54 to those who are sincere of heart; 00:57 that they might be willing to hear the truth 01:00 and to receive it into the heart and into the mind. 01:03 We plead for Your presence, and we know that you will be 01:06 with us, because You have promised. 01:09 And we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:14 Okay, let's go in our syllabus to page 22, 01:17 and we are going to look at principle number nine. 01:22 And principle number nine states, "God's Israel today 01:27 is to be understood spiritually and globally." 01:32 In other words, Israel is no longer in the Middle East. 01:35 God's true Israel is worldwide, and it is a spiritual Israel. 01:41 Now in Bible prophecy, God's Israel is to be understood 01:47 symbolically and universally. 01:50 God has only one people in all ages; 01:54 those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 01:59 However, there are two stages to this. 02:01 The Old Testament saints accepted Christ 02:04 who was promised, whereas those of us who live in this 02:09 period of history accept Christ who has fulfilled the promise. 02:13 But Christ is still the center of both periods, 02:17 both Old and New Testament. 02:20 When God chose Abraham, it was with the purpose 02:24 of bringing the blessing to all the nations of the earth. 02:27 Is that true? 02:28 Absolutely. 02:30 In Genesis chapter 12, God says, "In you all the nations 02:35 of the earth will be blessed." 02:37 It was God's plan to bless all of the nations of the earth, 02:40 not only one nation. 02:42 In order to fulfill His plan, God chose 02:46 twelve individual men, who became the founders 02:50 of national Israel. 02:53 These men then multiplied into the twelve tribes 02:58 that became the nation of Israel. 03:01 God placed Israel at the strategic center 03:04 of three continents; Europe, Asia, and Africa, 03:10 so that passers through would learn the gospel, 03:14 and go back to their nations with the light 03:17 that they had received. 03:19 The gospel was preached in literal types and ceremonies 03:24 that pointed to every aspect of the saving work of the Messiah. 03:30 But Israel failed in its mission. 03:34 Before the Babylonian captivity, they embraced the pagan 03:38 practices of the surrounding nations. 03:41 And after the captivity, they isolated themselves 03:45 from the nations. 03:47 When Israel failed to a great degree to fulfill their mission, 03:53 Jesus came anyway and spiritually fulfilled the 03:57 literal types and ceremonies of the Old Testament system. 04:01 He retraced in Himself the history of Israel 04:05 and redeemed the history of Israel. 04:08 Jesus then chose twelve Jewish men as the founders 04:13 of the Christian church, and sent them out to preach 04:17 the good news about the Messiah who had come. 04:22 By their preaching, the twelve then multiplied 04:25 into a great nation. 04:28 And the mission of that nation was to reach the entire world 04:32 with the message of Jesus in order to prepare the world 04:36 for the second coming. 04:38 So God's plan for Israel and God's plan for the church 04:41 is the same plan. 04:43 The only difference is that in the Old Testament, 04:46 the twelve men and the twelve tribes were to prepare 04:49 Israel for the first coming, whereas now the twelve men 04:54 that founded the Christian church, and all of the 04:56 nations that come from them, their role is to prepare 04:59 the world for the second coming of Christ. 05:01 But the bottom line is that both were called 05:04 to bring people to Jesus Christ. 05:08 The purpose for Israel and for the church is the same; 05:13 to preach the gospel so that the world can be saved. 05:17 Revelation 12 clearly reveals that God has only one Israel; 05:23 the woman who exists in two stages, 05:27 but nevertheless is the same woman. 05:31 Now what we want to do next is to take a look 05:34 at the material that is titled, 05:37 Three Stages of Israel's History. 05:42 Three Stages of Israel's History. 05:45 That's what we're going to dedicate the rest of this 05:47 hour to in our study. 05:51 We, of course, have to begin at Mt. Sinai. 05:55 Because at Mt. Sinai is where God contracted 05:58 a covenant with Israel. 06:00 That's where the covenant relationship officially began. 06:04 God announced to Abraham that He was going to make a 06:06 covenant, but the covenant itself was ratified at Mt. Sinai 06:11 between God and Israel. 06:12 Let's turn in our Bibles to Exodus chapter 19 06:15 and verses 1 through 6. 06:17 Exodus 19 verses 1 through 6. 06:20 It says there, "In the third month after the children 06:23 of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, 06:27 they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 06:30 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the 06:34 Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. 06:37 So Israel camped there before the mountain. 06:40 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him 06:44 from the mountain, saying..." 06:46 So Moses goes up, and now God is going to deliver 06:48 a message to Moses. 06:50 Notice what God says to Moses. 06:52 "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell 06:57 the children of Israel, 'You have seen what I did 07:02 to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings 07:06 and brought you to Myself.'" 07:09 "I took you away from Pharaoh, and now you are Mine," 07:13 is what God is saying. 07:16 Now I want you to notice something interesting. 07:18 God says, "You are Mine." 07:19 But Israel had to agree, didn't they? 07:22 And so we find in verse 5 God saying, 07:25 "Now therefore, if..." 07:29 Is this a conditional covenant? 07:31 It is a conditional covenant. 07:33 "...if you will indeed obey My voice 07:36 and keep My covenant, then..." 07:39 ...if...then... 07:41 Notice, "'...then you shall be a special treasure to Me 07:45 above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 07:49 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' 07:53 These are the words which you shall speak 07:56 to the children of Israel." 07:57 God is saying, "Israel, I want to make a covenant with you. 08:01 I want to get married with you." 08:03 Jeremiah 31 says that God married Israel at Mt. Sinai. 08:08 God says, "I want to marry you. 08:10 I want you to be My wife." 08:13 Now the question is, how would Israel respond 08:16 to this call of God? 08:18 Exodus 19 verses 7 and 8 tells us that Moses 08:22 came down from the mountain and he delivered to Israel 08:25 the message that God had given him to give to the people. 08:29 It says there in Exodus 19:7-8, "So Moses came and called 08:34 for the elders of the people, and laid before them 08:37 all these words which the Lord commanded him. 08:40 Then all the people answered together and said, 08:43 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do.'" 08:50 Is there a covenant now? 08:51 Yes there is. 08:52 So what does Moses do? 08:54 Moses goes up to God and he says, "The people agree." 08:58 Notice the last part of verse 8. 09:01 "So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord." 09:07 So was a covenant made at Mt. Sinai? Yes. 09:10 God says, "I want to enter a covenant relationship with you. 09:13 Do you accept?" 09:15 And Israel says, "I do." 09:17 This was a marriage covenant between God and His people. 09:21 And then, of course, God gave His law, His moral law. 09:26 And then God gave the ceremonial system to teach Israel 09:30 about the plan of salvation. 09:32 And when the tabernacle had been built and had been established, 09:39 and had been sanctified, in Exodus chapter 40 and verse 34 09:44 we find a momentous event. 09:47 It says there in Exodus 40 verse 34, 09:51 "Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, 09:54 and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." 09:58 Do you remember that God had said, 10:00 "You shall build Me a Sanctuary that I may..." What? 10:03 "...that I might dwell among them." 10:05 Well, here's the fulfillment. 10:07 Israel made a covenant, so God says, "Now I'm going to come 10:10 and I'm going to dwell in their midst." 10:12 So the Shekinah glory entered the temple; 10:15 a symbol of God's presence with Israel. 10:19 Now after the pilgrimage through the desert, 10:22 when the people had entered the Promised Land, 10:25 a more permanent structure was built. 10:28 Solomon built the temple. 10:32 And I want you to notice... 10:33 By the way, this is happening around the year 960 BC. 10:37 And Solomon said, "God needs to have a more permanent house, 10:41 because now we are permanently settled in Canaan. 10:44 Before, we were a nomadic people wondering in the wilderness. 10:48 But now we're settled in the land, so we have to build God 10:51 a solid temple and a much nicer temple than just a tent." 10:56 And so we find that Solomon built this beautiful temple. 11:02 One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 11:05 And then I want you to notice what happened when the 11:07 temple was finished. 11:08 1 Kings chapter 8 and verses 10 and 11. 11:12 1 Kings 8:10-11 11:14 "And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the 11:17 holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11:21 so that the priests could not continue ministering 11:24 because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord 11:28 filled the house of the Lord." 11:31 Did the Shekinah enter the temple built by Solomon? 11:34 Yes. 11:35 Had the Shekinah entered the tabernacle in the wilderness? 11:38 Yes, God now says, "We are in a covenant relationship. 11:42 And I will dwell in your midst." 11:44 And so the Shekinah, the visible Shekinah glory, 11:47 dwells in the temple. 11:51 Now the question is, did Israel live up to their 11:55 end of the bargain? 11:57 No. 11:58 The next 800 years, after God chose Israel at Mt. Sinai, 12:05 was a story of constant rebellion 12:09 and disobedience to God. 12:11 In fact, we find this clearly revealed in 2 Chronicles 36 12:15 and verses 14 through 16 where, between the time when 12:19 God made His marriage covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai 12:23 and when the Babylonian captivity took place, 12:27 Israel simply was unfaithful to her husband time and again. 12:32 And she fornicated with the surrounding nations. 12:35 It says there in 2 Chronicles 36 verse 14, 12:39 "Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people 12:43 transgressed more and more, according to 12:46 all the abominations..." 12:47 Remember, that's a key word. 12:49 "...according to all the abominations of the nations, 12:52 and defiled the house of the Lord which He had 12:55 consecrated in Jerusalem. 12:57 And the Lord God of their fathers..." 12:59 Did God warn them and try to call them back 13:02 to their marriage covenant? Yes. 13:04 "And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them 13:07 by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, 13:10 because He had compassion on His people 13:13 and on His dwelling place." 13:14 How did Israel react? 13:16 "But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, 13:20 and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord 13:24 arose against His people, till there was no remedy." 13:28 Which eventually led to the Babylonian captivity. 13:31 Now notice how this apostasy is described 13:33 in Ezekiel 16 and verse 15. 13:35 Ezekiel 16 and verse 15. 13:38 God is speaking to His people, to His wife, and He says, 13:42 "But you trusted in your own beauty, played..." What? 13:46 "...the harlot because of your fame, and poured out 13:50 your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it." 13:56 And so Israel was unfaithful to her Husband. 14:00 And so God says, "I am going to perform a work of judgment." 14:05 And this work of judgment is described 14:09 in the book of Ezekiel, particularly chapter 9. 14:13 Now in Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 4, 14:17 we find that God is coming from the north in a chariot. 14:20 This is a symbolic vision. 14:22 And the reason He's coming to Jerusalem 14:25 is because He is going to judge Jerusalem because of 14:28 all of the abominations that they were committing 14:32 at this time. 14:34 In fact, in Ezekiel chapter 8 and verses 16 and 17, 14:39 we find the climax of all of the abominations, 14:43 which was the fact that they were worshipping the sun god. 14:48 In other words, they had assimilated all of the 14:50 pagan practices of the surrounding nations. 14:54 They were committing abominations that would 14:57 eventually lead to desolation. 15:00 Two key words in Daniel chapter 9. 15:03 Now, let's notice how Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 4 reads. 15:09 Ezekiel says, "Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind 15:11 was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire 15:15 engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and 15:19 radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, 15:22 out of the midst of the fire." 15:24 God is coming in His fiery chariot to Jerusalem. 15:27 He's actually coming to the temple. 15:29 And in the temple, He is going to judge Israel 15:31 for their abominations. 15:33 However, not everyone in Israel was committing the abominations. 15:38 So it was necessary to perform a work of judgment 15:41 to separate the faithful from the unfaithful. 15:44 Let's read Ezekiel chapter 9 and verses 1 through 6. 15:49 "Then He called out in my hearing with a 15:51 loud voice, saying..." 15:52 Incidentally, this is happening around the year 592 BC. 15:57 Jerusalem would be destroyed in 586. 15:59 Just 6 years later, Jerusalem would be destroyed. 16:03 So you have the abominations that led to the desolation 16:07 of Jerusalem just 6 years later. 16:09 So it says, "Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, 16:12 saying, 'Let those who have charge over the city draw near, 16:16 each with his deadly weapon in his hand.' 16:19 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, 16:23 which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. 16:27 One man among them was clothed with linen 16:30 and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. 16:33 They went in and stood beside the bronze altar." 16:36 That is in the court. 16:38 "Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up 16:41 from the cherub, where it had been, 16:42 to the threshold of the temple. 16:44 And He called to the man clothed with linen, 16:47 who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; 16:49 and the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, 16:53 through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the 16:58 foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the 17:02 abominations that are done within it.'" 17:05 So is there a group in the city who is faithful to the Lord? 17:09 Yes, and a judgment of separation needs to be made. 17:13 Because there is a group of faithful individuals 17:16 that will not be destroyed when the city is destroyed. 17:20 But now notice, after it speaks about the separation 17:24 in the temple, we are told in verse 5, 17:28 "To the others He said in my hearing, 17:31 'Go after him through the city and kill; 17:35 do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 17:40 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children 17:45 and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; 17:49 and begin at My sanctuary.' 17:52 So they began with the elders who were before the temple." 17:56 So was there a judgment of separation? 17:58 Did the Shekinah glory come to the temple 18:01 for the work of judgment? 18:02 It most certainly did. Before the destruction came. 18:07 Now I want you to notice that when this judgment 18:09 comes to an end, after the Lord, the Shekinah glory, 18:12 comes to the temple to perform this work of judgment, 18:15 this work of separation, then the Shekinah glory 18:21 departs the temple. 18:24 I want you to remember these details. 18:26 We're going to come back to them again 18:28 with regards to the destruction of Jerusalem 18:31 for the second time in the year 70. 18:33 Notice what we find in Ezekiel 10 and verse 19. 18:38 "And the cherubim lifted their wings..." 18:41 This is the same chariot that came to the temple 18:43 for the work of judgment. 18:44 "And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up 18:47 from the earth in my sight. 18:49 When they went out, the wheels were beside them; 18:53 and they stood at the door of the east gate 18:56 of the Lord's house..." 18:57 That's the entrance to the Lord's house, by the way. 19:00 "...and the glory of the God of Israel was above them." 19:03 At this point, is the glory of the Lord 19:05 still present at the temple? 19:07 It's on the eastern edge of the temple. 19:09 But then something happens. 19:11 The glory departs the temple. 19:14 And for a lingering period of time, it sits upon the 19:20 Mount of Olives east of the city of Jerusalem. 19:23 Notice Ezekiel chapter 11 verses 22 and 23. 19:27 It says, "So the cherubim lifted up their wings, 19:31 with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the 19:34 God of Israel was high above them. 19:36 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city 19:41 and stood on the mountain, which is on the 19:45 east side of the city." 19:47 Which mountain is on the east side of the city of Jerusalem? 19:50 It is the Mount of Olives. 19:53 And so the glorious presence of the Lord 19:56 that has gone into the temple and performed a work of 19:59 separation or judgment now leaves the temple 20:02 and lingers on the Mount of Olives. 20:05 And Ellen White says that after lingering for a period, 20:08 the Shekinah departed and went to heaven. 20:12 The city was now desolate, 20:15 because the presence of God was no longer there. 20:20 And I want you to notice what happened as a result. 20:23 2 Chronicles 36 and verses 17 to 21. 20:28 2 Chronicles 36:17-21 20:31 It says, "Therefore God brought against them the 20:34 king of the Chaldeans, who killed their..." 20:37 Remember what Ezekiel chapter 9 said? 20:40 This is the fulfillment. 20:41 "...who killed their young men with the sword in the house of 20:44 their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man 20:48 or virgin, on the aged or the weak; 20:52 He gave them all into his hand. 20:55 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, 20:57 the treasures of the house of the Lord, 20:59 and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, 21:02 all these he took to Babylon. 21:04 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the 21:07 wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, 21:10 and destroyed all of its precious possessions. 21:13 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away 21:15 to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons..." 21:20 Now was the end of the Jewish theocracy? 21:23 No it wasn't? 21:25 Notice that this passage ends with hope. 21:30 Israel was going to receive another chance. 21:34 So let's notice verse 20 again. 21:37 "And those who escaped from the sword he carried away 21:40 to Babylon, where they became servants of him and his sons... 21:44 ...to fulfill the word of the Lord by the prophet Jeremiah, 21:48 until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. 21:51 As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, 21:54 to fulfill..." How long? 21:56 "...to fulfill seventy years." 22:00 This is happening... 22:02 By the way, the captivity lasts from 605 to the year, 22:09 let's see, 605 to 536 when the people returned to their land. 22:14 Now God, in other words, gave Israel 22:17 a second chance, didn't He? 22:19 This was not the final end. 22:20 God said, "You're going to spend 70 years captive in Babylon. 22:24 And then after the captivity, I'm going to take you back 22:28 to your land, and I'm going to give you another chance. 22:32 Notice 2 Chronicles 36 verses 22 and 23. 22:36 It says there, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia..." 22:40 That's 536, by the way, BC. 22:42 That's when the 70 years ended. 22:44 "...that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah 22:47 might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of 22:50 Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation 22:53 throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 22:58 'Thus says Cyrus king of Persia...'" 23:00 Now this is very interesting from a pagan king. 23:05 He says, "All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God 23:08 of heaven has given me. 23:09 And He has commanded me to build Him a house 23:13 at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 23:16 Who is among you of all His people? 23:18 May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up." 23:24 Interesting that a pagan king would say that. 23:28 And so Israel returned. 23:30 In 536 they started, they laid the foundations to the temple. 23:35 But then they had so much opposition that they quit 23:37 building the temple. 23:38 And it remained desolate from the year 536 all the way down 23:43 to the year 520. 23:44 And then in 520, Haggai, Zerubbabel, and Zechariah, 23:49 and others, encouraged the people to once again 23:52 come to the temple to start the rebuilding of the temple again. 23:56 And through the help of the prophets, they rebuilt the 24:00 temple in only five years between 520 and 515. 24:03 In 515 the temple was finished. 24:06 Notice Haggai chapter 2 and verses 2 and 3. 24:10 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, 24:15 governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 24:20 the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24:23 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? 24:28 And how do you see it now? 24:30 In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? '" 24:36 You see, they built the temple after the captivity, 24:39 it wasn't even the shadow of what the temple 24:42 built by Solomon was. 24:44 There was no Shekinah in that temple. 24:47 There was no gold and silver. 24:49 It was an ordinary temple compared to the one that 24:53 had been built by Solomon. 24:56 And so Haggai here is saying, "You know, didn't you see the 24:59 temple in its former glory, Solomon's temple?" 25:02 He says, "Isn't this temple nothing in comparison?" 25:06 But now I want you to notice a promise 25:08 that the Jews have never been able to explain. 25:11 Haggai chapter 2 and verses 6 through 9. 25:15 Now comes the promise. 25:17 "For thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Once more, 25:21 it is a little while, I will shake heaven and earth, 25:24 the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and...'" 25:31 What will come? 25:33 "...they shall come to the Desire of All Nations..." 25:40 You know, another way of translating it is, 25:42 the Desire of Ages. 25:44 "...the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill 25:48 this temple with glory." 25:51 Well you know what, that temple was destroyed 25:53 in the year 70 and it never was even the shadow 25:55 of the temple that was built by Solomon. 25:57 So the Jews today are still trying to explain 26:00 how this second temple was going to have 26:03 more glory than the first. 26:04 Let's continue reading. 26:05 It says in verse 8, "'The silver is Mine, 26:08 and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. 26:11 'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater 26:15 than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. 26:17 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts." 26:22 Wow. 26:24 This temple, which was nothing compared to the 26:27 temple that was built by Solomon, 26:29 the Lord says, "This latter temple will be of greater 26:33 glory than the first temple, the temple that was 26:37 built by Solomon." 26:39 So God gave Israel an additional 70 weeks 26:44 of mercy and grace. 26:47 He sent them abundant messengers. 26:49 He had sent messengers before the captivity. 26:51 Now He sends more messengers. 26:54 He sends them Haggai, Zechariah, Joshua the high priest, 26:58 Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi. 27:02 And finally John the Baptist, the twelve, the seventy. 27:07 Yet when Jesus came, they were oblivious to His mission. 27:12 They did not really understand why they existed. 27:16 And so they rejected the Messiah. 27:20 So we've studied two stages of the history of Israel. 27:23 The first stage is between the year 1445 at Mt. Sinai 27:27 and the year of the captivity, 605 BC. 27:32 The second stage is after the captivity in the year 536. 27:38 They go back, they rebuild. 27:39 And then after they've rebuilt the city, the walls, the temple, 27:43 God says, "I'm going to give you another chance. 27:45 I'm going to give you 70 weeks, 490 years more." 27:50 And that's the prophecy that we find in Daniel chapter 9. 27:54 And He says, "This temple which is far inferior in your eyes 27:58 to the temple that was built by Solomon is going to be 28:01 more glorious than that temple." 28:05 Now how are we to understand that? 28:07 Go with me to John chapter 1 and verse 14. 28:10 Here comes stage three of the history of Israel. 28:12 The first stage is Sinai to the captivity. 28:15 The second stage is after the captivity to the 28:18 time that Jesus comes. 28:19 It says in John 1 verse 14, 28:22 "And the Word became..." What? 28:25 "...flesh, and dwelt..." 28:26 That word, "dwelt," is "skénoó," which means, "tabernacled." 28:32 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." 28:35 Doesn't this bring to mind the book of 28:38 Exodus chapter 25 and verse 8 where God said, 28:41 "Make me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them." 28:45 Interesting. 28:46 Three common words are used on Exodus 25:8 28:50 and John 1 verse 14. 28:52 The word, "tent" or "tabernacle;" 28:55 second, the word, "dwell;" and third, the word, "among." 28:59 In other words, Jesus was the glory that came to be 29:03 in the temple. 29:05 Now the Jews love to brag about Solomon's temple. 29:11 But it's interesting to see what Jesus said. 29:13 Luke chapter 12 verses 27 and 28. 29:17 Jesus says, "Consider the lilies, how they grow; 29:21 they neither toil nor spin. 29:23 And yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory 29:28 was not arrayed like one of these." 29:31 Now when you look at the parallel passage to this one, 29:34 Matthew chapter 12 and verse 42, you find that Jesus says 29:40 about Himself, it adds to what we found in the gospel of Luke, 29:45 "One greater than Solomon is here." 29:50 So who is that greater glory that was going to 29:53 come into the temple? 29:54 It was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. 29:59 Did Jesus, several times during His ministry, 30:01 teach in the temple courts? 30:04 Yes He did. 30:05 Was He opposed by the religious leaders in those temple courts? 30:09 He most certainly was. 30:12 The Shekinah that came to dwell in that second temple 30:16 was none less than Jesus Christ. 30:19 We saw His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, 30:24 full of grace and truth. 30:26 He fulfilled the prophecy of Haggai. 30:29 The temple was more glorious because Jesus Himself, 30:33 the Shekinah, came to dwell in the temple. 30:37 Towards the end of His life, Jesus, according to 30:41 Luke 19:37-38, descended the Mount of Olives 30:47 for the last time before His death. 30:50 Let's read about it. 30:51 He's actually advancing for the Mount of Olives 30:54 to the golden gate, which is on the eastern side of Jerusalem, 30:57 to go through the golden gate into the city, 30:59 and then into the temple. 31:00 It says, "Then, as He was now drawing near the descent 31:05 of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples 31:09 began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice 31:12 for all His mighty works they had seen, saying, 31:15 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. 31:19 Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.'" 31:24 In verses 47 and 48, we're told that Jesus entered the temple. 31:31 He was the Shekinah in the temple. 31:33 And I want you to notice the response of the 31:37 religious leaders to this glorious Shekinah in the temple. 31:42 It says there in verses 47 and 48, 31:44 "And He was teaching daily in the temple. 31:47 But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders 31:51 of the people sought to..." What? 31:53 "...sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; 31:57 for all the people were very attentive to hear Him." 32:00 In fact, do you know that many times during this last week 32:05 of the life of Jesus, Jesus went into the temple 32:07 and taught in the temple, and discussed and answered 32:11 questions that people asked, and debated with 32:13 the religious leaders. 32:15 He was in the temple all the time during this last week. 32:18 He was the Shekinah in the temple. 32:22 Let's notice the last time that Jesus entered the temple. 32:24 Matthew 21 verses 12 and 13. 32:27 There's some very important details here that we need to 32:30 take into account. 32:32 It says there, "Then Jesus went into..." What? 32:38 "...the temple of God..." 32:39 At this point, was the temple still the temple of God? 32:43 Yes it was. 32:44 It says, "Then Jesus went into the temple of God..." 32:48 Is He going to do a work of separation now? 32:50 Oh, this is a work of judgment. Absolutely. 32:53 "...and drove out..." He's cleansing the temple. 32:55 He's cleansing the Sanctuary, if you please. 32:58 "...and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, 33:02 and overturned the tables of the money changers 33:04 and the seats of those who sold doves. 33:07 And He said to them, 'It is written, "My house..."'" 33:11 Was that His house at that point of time? 33:13 You better believe it. 33:15 He went into, according to this, the temple of God 33:18 and He called it, "My house." 33:20 He says, "It is written, 'My house shall be called 33:23 a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" 33:28 And in the next three chapters, Jesus the Shekinah, 33:33 teaches in the temple in person. 33:38 And His main theme in those three chapters 33:41 is discussing the apostasy and rebellion of Israel... 33:46 Interesting. 33:48 ...and what the result would be. 33:50 He actually gave a series of parables. 33:54 Now I'm not going to mention the parable of the fig tree, 33:57 because that's going to be our next study. 33:59 So we're going to skip from where it says, 34:02 "John the Baptist," all the way down to where you find 34:09 Matthew 21 verses 18 and 19. 34:11 We'll come back to that again. 34:12 Let's go down to where it says, Matthew 21 verses 33 to 43. 34:17 How many chances did God give Israel? 34:20 Three. 34:21 The first is before the captivity. 34:24 The second is all of the messengers that He sent 34:26 after the captivity. 34:27 The third is when Jesus Christ Himself comes. 34:31 That is the last resort. 34:33 And you're going to see it in this parable. 34:35 Notice the parable of the vineyard that Jesus gave. 34:38 It's found in Matthew chapter 21 and verses 33 to 43. 34:46 Jesus says, "Hear another parable. 34:50 There was a certain landowner..." 34:52 I'm going to interpret for you. 34:53 This is God the Father. 34:54 "...who planted a vineyard..." 34:57 The vineyard is the city of Jerusalem. 34:59 "...and set a hedge around it..." 35:02 This is the law. 35:03 "...dug a winepress in it and built a tower." 35:06 Which is the temple. 35:08 Ellen White gives all of this interpretation 35:10 of the terminology that is used. 35:12 "And he leased it to vinedressers..." 35:15 Who would the vinedressers be? 35:17 Israel. 35:18 "...and went into a far country. 35:20 Now when vintage time drew near, he sent his servants..." 35:25 This is the first chance that they get. 35:29 "...he sent his servants to the vinedressers, 35:32 that they might receive its fruit. 35:34 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, 35:37 killed one, and stoned another." 35:41 That's before the captivity. That's stage one. 35:44 "Again..." What does again mean? 35:47 This is a second chance. 35:49 "Again he sent other servants..." 35:51 And by the way, this is Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, 35:54 John the Baptist, etc. 35:56 "...more than the first, and they did likewise to them." 36:01 That's the second chance, right? 36:02 And now notice, "Then last of all he sent his son..." 36:09 Are you catching the picture? 36:11 The third stage is he sends his very own son. 36:18 And he says, "'They will respect my son.' 36:22 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said 36:24 among themselves, 'This is the heir. 36:27 Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' 36:31 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard..." 36:35 Was Jesus cast out of Jerusalem? 36:37 Did He die out of Jerusalem? 36:38 He most certainly did. 36:39 "They cast him out of the vineyard and killed him." 36:47 And now Jesus asked the question, 36:49 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, 36:51 what will he do to those vinedressers?" 36:55 They still haven't caught onto what Jesus is teaching here. 36:59 "Oh they said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men 37:02 miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers 37:07 who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.'" 37:12 Now Jesus is going to make His point. 37:15 "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures, 37:19 "The stone which the builders rejected has become 37:23 the chief cornerstone. 37:25 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."'" 37:29 And then He makes a prediction. 37:31 This is a future prediction. 37:33 The tense of the verb is future. 37:35 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God..." What? 37:39 "...will be taken from you and given to a nation 37:45 bearing the fruits thereof." 37:46 The word, "nation," there is the word, "ethne." 37:50 It's the very same word that is translated, "Gentiles," 37:53 in the book of Acts. 37:55 Unfortunately it's translated, "nations." 37:57 You get the impression that this is some nation 38:00 that God is going to choose like the Jewish nation. 38:02 No, this is referring to the Gentiles. 38:05 The word, "nation," is "ethne." 38:07 And by the way, in the New Testament there are 38:09 two key words for, "people." 38:11 One is the word, "laos," where the word Laodicea comes from. 38:18 And that is the word that is used mostly 38:20 for God's faithful people. 38:22 Laos. 38:24 But when it speaks about the Gentiles, 38:26 those who are outside the covenant community 38:29 of Israel, those are called, "ethne." 38:33 And so Jesus is saying here that the kingdom would be taken away 38:37 from the Jewish nation as a nation and would be given 38:41 to a people, would be given to the Gentiles, 38:44 who would bear the fruits thereof. 38:46 Incidentally, do you know that there's a parable of Jesus, 38:49 the parable of the man who went into the party, 38:55 the wedding party, without a garment. 38:57 Do you remember that? 38:59 He went to the supper without the garment on. 39:02 You know, there you have also the same message. 39:05 You have messengers that are sent out. 39:08 They reject the message. 39:10 Then the fatted calf is killed. 39:12 That represents the death of Christ. 39:15 And then other messengers are sent. 39:18 And they treat them likewise. 39:20 And then the king is filled with anger, 39:25 and he burns their city. 39:26 Which is what? 39:27 The destruction of the city of Jerusalem. 39:31 Now notice Matthew 23 and verses 29 to 33. 39:36 Here Jesus says, "Woe to you, scribes and 39:38 Pharisees, hypocrites! 39:40 Because you build the tombs of the prophets 39:42 and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 39:45 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, 39:48 we would not have been partakers with them 39:50 in the blood of the prophets.' 39:52 Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves 39:54 that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 39:58 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt." 40:02 Notice that the measure is being what? 40:04 The cup is being filled up. 40:05 When the cup is full, that's it. 40:09 Remember, the cup of the Amorites is not yet full? 40:12 In other words, their probation had not closed. 40:15 So Jesus is saying, "The cup is filling up." 40:18 And then He says to them, "Serpents, brood of vipers! 40:22 How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" 40:25 But now I want you to notice something. 40:27 Even then probation did not close for the Jews. 40:31 Even after Jesus was crucified, probation did not close 40:35 for the Jewish nation. 40:36 Jesus says, "The cup is almost full." 40:38 Jesus gave them three and a half additional years. 40:42 And you say, "How do we know that?" 40:43 From Scripture. 40:44 Notice Matthew 23:34-36. 40:47 And notice the tense of the verbs. 40:50 Jesus is saying, this is just a few days before His death, 40:54 He says, "Therefore, indeed, I send you..." 40:58 And it's really a future tense. 40:59 "...I send you wise men, scribes. 41:02 Some of them you will kill and crucify, 41:06 and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues 41:10 and persecute from city to city..." 41:13 Let me ask you, who were the prophets that were sent to them? 41:16 Do you know who the last prophet of Israel was? 41:18 Stephen. 41:20 He was the last to receive a prophetic vision; 41:23 of Jesus at the right hand of God. 41:26 Who were the wise men? 41:28 The seven deacons were men full of wisdom. 41:32 Let me ask you, who was beaten, according to this, 41:35 who was beaten in the synagogues, 41:37 scourged in the synagogues? 41:40 How about Peter and John, for starters, 41:42 at the beginning of the book of Acts. 41:45 Who persecuted from city to city? 41:48 Saul of Tarsus. 41:50 So Jesus is saying, "I'm still going to send more messengers 41:54 after I die on the cross." 41:57 But then notice what Jesus says. 41:59 "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes. 42:02 Some of them you will kill and crucify, 42:03 and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues 42:06 and persecute from city to city, that on you may come 42:10 all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of 42:14 righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, 42:17 son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the 42:19 temple and the altar. 42:20 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come 42:24 upon this generation." 42:27 So did the punishment come right away? 42:28 Did probation close right away when Jesus was crucified? 42:31 Absolutely not. 42:32 He's saying, "I'm going to send you more messengers. 42:35 But you're going to do the same thing to them." 42:38 And then here comes the interesting part. 42:41 Then Jesus departs the temple. 42:47 I want you to notice what we find in Matthew chapter 23 42:54 and verses 37 and 38. 42:57 This is the culmination of the speech of Jesus in the temple. 43:01 After this, He will no longer enter the temple. 43:04 He says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem..." 43:06 Was He speaking about the city or was He speaking about 43:08 the apostate people in the city? 43:10 The people. 43:11 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the 43:14 prophets and stones those who are sent to her. 43:18 How often I wanted to gather your children together, 43:22 as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, 43:26 but you were not willing." 43:29 And now listen to this. 43:30 "See! Your house is left unto you desolate." 43:36 What change do you see here? 43:40 When Jesus went into the temple upon His triumphal entry, 43:45 it was the temple of God, and He called it, "My house." 43:50 And then Jesus teaches in the temple courts, 43:53 and He's rejected. 43:55 And so now Jesus departs the temple and He says, 43:59 "Your house is left unto you desolate." 44:01 And guess where He went next. 44:04 He went and sat on the Mount of Olives. 44:08 Do you remember the Old Testament story? 44:11 This is repeating the Old Testament story. 44:14 Only this is ultimately the fulfillment. 44:16 Notice Matthew 24 and verse 1. 44:19 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple..." 44:23 Right after He said those words. 44:25 The Shekinah now is gone. 44:27 "...and His disciples came up to show Him the 44:30 buildings of the temple." 44:31 And now what does Jesus talk about? 44:33 He's rejected in the temple. 44:36 Those people, He pronounces sentence upon those people. 44:40 The Shekinah abandons the temple. 44:42 And then He speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem. 44:46 Because it no longer has a Shekinah. 44:50 Notice Matthew 24:2-3. 44:52 "And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? 44:57 Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left 45:00 here upon another that shall not be thrown down.' 45:04 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples 45:07 came to Him privately saying, 45:08 'Tell us, when will these things be? 45:10 And what will be the sign of Your coming, 45:12 and of the end of the age?'" 45:15 Now you remember the word, "abomination and desolation," 45:18 in the Old Testament? 45:19 What was it that led to the desolation? 45:22 The abominations that were being committed. 45:25 Now notice Matthew 24 and verse 15. 45:28 Matthew 24 and verse 15. 45:30 This verse has a double fulfillment. 45:32 We already studied this at the very beginning of our class. 45:35 The first fulfillment is with literal Jerusalem. 45:38 The second fulfillment, of course, has to do with the 45:40 Sunday law at the end of time. 45:43 You see, with Jerusalem, the Roman standards 45:45 had an eagle with a sun wreath upon them. 45:50 And so when those Christians inside saw them put there 45:54 standards in the ground as a signal that Jerusalem 45:57 was going to be conquered by them, they saw the 45:59 signal of the eagle with outspread wings 46:02 and the golden wreath, which represented the orb of the sun, 46:05 they were to flee. 46:06 At the end of time, it's not a sun wreath at the end of time. 46:11 It is the Sun-day. 46:15 Now notice what it says in Matthew 24 verse 15. 46:19 "Therefore when you see the..." What? 46:22 "...the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of 46:26 by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place; 46:28 whoever reads, let him understand..." 46:30 What was that abomination of desolation? 46:33 Luke 21 and verse 20 explains what the historical 46:36 fulfillment of this was. 46:37 The first fulfillment of this. 46:39 The abomination of desolation was, because of the abominations 46:42 in the city, because of the rejection of the Messiah, 46:45 Jerusalem was going to be destroyed by the Roman armies. 46:49 And so it says in Luke 21 and verse 20, 46:52 "But when you see Jerusalem..." What? 46:55 "...surrounded by armies, then know that its 46:59 desolation is near." 47:01 Are you following me or not? 47:04 Does this have a certain finality to it? 47:06 Is God going to restore the Jewish nation once more? 47:11 No, especially is He going to restore them 47:13 in 1948 in disobedience? 47:17 You know, God always restored Israel to the land 47:21 when they repented. 47:23 In fact, in the chapter in Deuteronomy 28, 47:25 where it speaks about the blessings and curses 47:27 of the covenant, God made it clear that if Israel repented 47:31 when they were in captivity, He would bring them 47:33 back to His land. 47:34 But He does not bring them back to the land in disobedience. 47:38 It has to be a repentant people that would be brought 47:41 once again to their land. 47:43 Is Jerusalem today repentant? 47:45 It is not. 47:46 It has not received Jesus as the Messiah. 47:50 In Luke 19:41-44, we find these words of Jesus. 47:55 Jesus is coming down the Mount of Olives 47:58 and He's coming to the temple for the last time. 48:00 It says, "Now as He drew near, He saw the city 48:03 and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known, even you, 48:07 especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! 48:12 But now they are hidden from your eyes. 48:14 For the days will come upon you when your enemies 48:17 will build an embankment around you, 48:19 surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, 48:24 and your children within you, to the ground; 48:27 and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, 48:30 because you did not know the hour of your visitation.'" 48:36 What does that mean, "You did not know the hour 48:39 of your visitation." 48:40 It means, "You did not know that your Messiah 48:44 was in your midst." 48:45 That's why Jerusalem was destroyed. 48:48 So we have three stages, folks, in the history of Israel. 48:52 Number one, they were taken out of captivity in Egypt. 48:55 They made a covenant with God at Mt. Sinai. 48:58 Apostasy came in for 800 years, and they were taken captive 49:02 to Babylon for 70 years as a result. 49:05 Stage two was when they were restored after the captivity. 49:10 The city, the temple, and the walls, and the government 49:14 were re-established. 49:15 Seventy weeks of probation were given to the nation of Israel. 49:19 Messengers were sent galore. 49:21 This was their second chance. 49:23 But instead of sharing the gospel with the world 49:26 and preparing the world for the coming of Messiah, 49:28 they shut themselves within themselves 49:30 and they became legalistic. 49:32 Stage three is when Israel rejected the last resort. 49:38 You know, in the parable it says, "And last of all, 49:41 he sent his son." 49:43 Does that have a certain finality about it? 49:46 "Last of all, he sent his son." 49:48 What more could He have done for the nation of Israel? 49:52 Now don't misunderstand me. 49:54 There are many Jews within Israel 49:58 that are God's true people. 50:01 Because they have received Jesus. 50:03 So we're not saying that God rejected all of the Jews. 50:07 Far be it from us to say something like that. 50:10 Individually, just like in any other nation, 50:15 the Jews can embrace the Messiah and they can be saved. 50:18 But as God's chosen nation, to share the gospel 50:22 with the world and prepare them to receive the Messiah, 50:27 the plan for the Jewish nation has closed 50:29 because they failed to fulfill their mission. 50:33 One last point. 50:36 Do you know that the sin that was committed by 50:39 the Jewish nation is the same sin that is committed by the 50:42 Christian world at the end of time? 50:45 Let's notice that. 50:47 And I struggled with this for a while. 50:48 I think I mentioned this in one of my previous presentations. 50:53 You know, I said, "Well, this sounds like two different sins." 50:56 But when you look at it, it really is the same sin. 51:00 Ellen White in Great Controversy, 22 and 23, 51:02 says, "The great sin of the Jews was their rejection of Christ; 51:08 the great sin of the Christian world would be their rejection 51:13 of the law of God, the foundation of His 51:16 government in Heaven and earth. 51:17 The precepts of Jehovah would be despised and set at naught." 51:23 What was the great sin of the Jewish nation? 51:25 Its rejection of Christ. 51:27 What will be the great sin of the Christian world? 51:30 The rejection of God's holy law. 51:33 Now you say, how can this be the same sin? 51:35 It's a similar sin in this sense: 51:38 the law is a reflection of the character of Christ. 51:43 So how can you say, "I love Jesus, 51:46 but I don't love His law." 51:49 If the law is a reflection of who Jesus is, 51:52 and Jesus is the embodiment or the incarnation of the law, 51:56 you cannot say, "Oh I love Jesus, but I hate the law." 52:01 So it's the same sin to reject the law, which is the 52:05 reflection of Christ's character, as it is to 52:07 reject Jesus, who is that law in living flesh. 52:11 Are you understanding me? 52:14 In church, not in Adventist churches, 52:18 but non-Adventist churches you hear that the law 52:20 was nailed to the cross. 52:22 That no one can keep it. 52:24 That it was for the Jews. 52:26 That we're not under law, but under grace. 52:29 That we are not under the letter, 52:30 but we're under the spirit. 52:32 That all you need to do is believe. 52:35 That God does not expect you to keep the law. 52:37 But then these people talk out of both sides of their mouth. 52:41 Because they say, "No, not the law. 52:43 The law was nailed to the cross." 52:44 But then they want to legislate the law from Washington. 52:50 In the political arena you hear a different tone. 52:54 Just by way of example, you have political candidates 52:57 wooing evangelicals. 53:00 Trying to get them over to their side. 53:04 You know, people want government to legislate 53:09 traditional marriage, sanctity of life, anti-pornography. 53:12 They want to post the ten commandments in the courtrooms. 53:16 They want to do all of these things by legislation. 53:20 But, folks, legislation will not cut it. 53:24 Because the ten commandments are there in the Bible. 53:26 You can put the ten commandments on a monument in every 53:29 courtroom in the United States, and it will make no difference. 53:33 Because the law needs to be written in the human heart. 53:38 And when it's written in the human heart, 53:41 then it will affect behavior. 53:43 It does not affect behavior when it's legislated. 53:47 It affects human behavior when God takes His law 53:51 and He writes it in our hearts. 53:53 "I delight to do Your will; 53:55 Your law is written in my heart." 53:59 Listen, folks, the difference between the two covenants 54:01 is not that the old covenant had law 54:04 and the new covenant has grace. 54:06 That is a false dichotomy. 54:09 You see, the old covenant had law and grace. 54:15 Israel saw the law only on tables of stone. 54:18 Moses had the law written on his heart, 54:20 because you could see the glory of Christ on his face. 54:23 God wanted for Israel what Moses had. 54:27 But they said, "No, cover the glory. 54:29 We don't want that glory. 54:30 We want Moses, but we don't want the glory." 54:32 They were saying basically, "We want the writings of Moses, 54:36 but we don't want Jesus." 54:39 And the same sin is being committed by the 54:41 Christian world today by rejecting the law of God, 54:45 which is a reflection of the character of Jesus Christ. 54:48 And let me say, what the churches want to do today 54:51 is they want the government to fix what they broke. 54:55 Because the pastors have preached so many times, 54:57 "You're not under law, you're under grace," 55:00 they've preached so many times that the law was 55:01 nailed to the cross, that people now believe it. 55:05 And they feel like they don't have to keep the law. 55:09 Are you following me? 55:11 So basically, the sin of the Christian world at the 55:14 end of time is going to be the same sin as was committed 55:19 by the Jewish nation. 55:20 But I praise the Lord that in Jerusalem 55:24 there was a faithful remnant. 55:26 And when the city was destroyed, they escaped. 55:31 Just like in the Old Testament, there was a sealing. 55:34 Not all were committing the abominations. 55:37 And they escaped when Jerusalem was destroyed. 55:40 You know, when they saw the signal when Jerusalem was 55:43 destroyed in the year 70, and the Christians, those who 55:47 really embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, 55:49 saw the sign, we're told that they fled. 55:55 And of course, they prayed that their flight 55:58 might not be in winter... 56:02 Probably because it was going to be terribly cold. 56:05 ...or on the Sabbath day. 56:07 Interesting that in Matthew 24, where it speaks about 56:11 God's people having to flee to the mountains, 56:15 it says, "Pray that your flight will not be on the Sabbath." 56:21 They were to pray that in the times of the apostles. 56:26 And that will be the pray of God also at the end of time. 56:29 Because the Sabbath is still God's day of rest. 56:35 And so God has rejected the literal Jewish nation, 56:40 but He has not rejected His people. 56:42 He has not rejected His spiritual Israel. 56:46 He has not rejected true Israel. 56:49 Because true Israel is composed of those 56:52 who have accepted Jesus Christ. 56:54 "If you are Christ's you are Abraham's seed, 56:58 and heirs according to the promise." 57:00 In other words, a Jew is not defined by the blood they have, 57:04 or by the name that they have, or by where they live. 57:08 It is defined by their personal relationship with Jesus Christ 57:13 as their Savior and as their Lord. 57:17 So let me ask you, where is Israel going to be 57:18 at the end of time? 57:19 In the Middle East? 57:21 No, Israel is going to be where Jesus is. 57:25 And Jesus is where two or three are gathered in His name. 57:30 It's not complicated. 57:33 It's very simple. 57:35 May we be among those of spiritual Israel 57:38 who know Jesus as our Savior and as our Lord. |
Revised 2015-04-09