Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Andrea Endries, Levi Longoria, Stephen Fowler
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000026
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00:05 Thanks to NASA we definitely can take in the big picture.
00:09 And from space we all look united, 00:13 but get a little closer and we get a different picture. 00:17 We have divided ourselves into 00:19 many different ideologies and faith communities. 00:23 Those who take the name of the Christ 00:25 as there moniker comprise the largest group, 00:28 if taken as a whole. 00:30 But the group I want us to consider for a moment 00:32 is that little red sliver just to the left of Christians. 00:37 This group accounts for not even one half of one percent 00:41 of the earth's population, just a mere 0.3%. 00:47 This little red wedge represents the Jews. 00:52 At less than 13.5 million people worldwide. 00:56 It wouldn't seem possible for them 00:58 to have a started their own nation. 01:00 But this is just one amazing statistic among many. 01:05 While just under 6 million live in Israel 01:08 comprising 75% of the population, 01:11 over 6 ½ million live in the United States. 01:16 The Jews in the U.S. 01:18 only account for 2% of the population. 01:21 But they comprise almost half of all 01:24 its billionaires and money still talks. 01:29 It is reported that the chief executive officers 01:32 of the three major television networks 01:34 and the four largest films studios are Jews. 01:38 As are the owners of the nation largest news paper chain 01:41 and the most influential single news paper, 01:44 The New York Times. 01:46 The role and influence of the Jews 01:48 in American politics is equally marked. 01:52 The single biggest donor to American politicians 01:56 is Israeli billionaires and media mughal Haim Saban. 02:01 Why do I share this information, 02:03 because in the world of nation building 02:05 many Protestants believe that the establishment of Israel 02:09 as a nation is a direct fulfillment of prophecy? 02:13 While I be the first to affirm 02:15 that God certainly allowed this to transpire, 02:18 I have yet to see a prophecy in Scripture 02:21 that calls for the present day restoration of an Israel 02:25 that is overwhelming secular and resistant to the truth. 02:30 In Christ's day the Jews mistakenly apply 02:33 the prophecies of Christ's second coming 02:35 to his first appearance. 02:38 Now they along with the Protestants 02:41 are applying the prophecies of His first coming 02:44 to His second coming. 02:45 But a careful study of the prophecies of Daniel 8, 9 02:49 where scripture interprets scripture reveals 02:52 a remarkable parallel 02:53 with the teachings of the Jesus Himself 02:55 in the four gospels and in Revelation. 02:58 But I am afraid those sane teachings are causing 03:01 as much thunder today 03:03 as they did 2000 years ago in the Holy Land. 03:59 Our thunder team spent over four months 04:01 traveling around the fascinating country of Israel. 04:05 While it truly is the desire of most people there 04:08 to live in peace, 04:10 the walls, the check points, 04:13 the military presence are constant reminders 04:15 that Israel is not at peace with it neighbors or itself. 04:21 The question they are wrestling with is who gets Israel? 04:25 Who has the right of inheritance? 04:29 The Israelis believe the land belongs to them by divine right. 04:33 After all God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 04:37 The Palestinians believe the land is theirs 04:40 because they were the last ones who had it. 04:43 And they have been there, 04:44 every bit as long if not longer than the Jews. 04:47 But if we consider with the Bible teaches 04:49 in both the Old and New Testament about, 04:52 who will inherit Israel? 04:54 We might be surprised to learn that these teachings 04:57 exactly mere those of Jesus in the four gospels and Revelation. 05:03 And if we consider the teachings of Jesus, 05:06 I think we would also learn that 05:07 just about everyone's opinion regarding 05:10 who will inherit Israel is just that, an opinion. 05:14 For who will inherit Israel has already been decided 05:18 and clearly spelled out. 05:21 And despite any thunder that teachings of Jesus may cause, 05:25 the truth is the still the truth. 05:28 Let's check it out, Stephen. 05:31 Thanks Charles, I think we've been here 05:33 in Israel long enough to know 05:35 that this is certainly a heartburning topic. 05:37 But this topic is also totally misunderstood 05:39 by many churches in the United States as well. 05:42 In fact, I would dare to say 05:44 that most of our nation's support of Israel 05:46 has been based on a misguided understanding of prophecy. 05:49 So today we are going to look at a lot of verses 05:52 that will focus the spotlight of truth on this subject. 05:55 So let's start with Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 5:5, 05:58 "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." 06:02 Tell me at what point in history, 06:04 at what point in business or politics have the meek ever won? 06:08 And the economy of this world might makes right not humility. 06:12 So this teaching cannot be about earth as we now know it. 06:15 And really who would want to inherit the toxic waste, 06:18 the nuclear trash, the plastic and aluminum garbage 06:20 strewn around the globe. 06:22 Who would want to own the polluted water 06:23 in the broken down cities. 06:26 So what earth is Jesus talking about? 06:28 The Bible interpreted itself in Isaiah 65:17, 06:32 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth 06:35 and the former shall not be remembered, 06:37 nor come into mind." 06:39 And this was the same teaching of Jesus sent to John 06:41 in a vision in Revelation 21, 06:44 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven 06:48 and the first earth were passed away." 06:51 So here's the first problem solved. 06:53 Everyone who was trying to establish a present day 06:55 earthly kingdom with Christ at its head 06:57 is trying to do something 06:59 that God has never once promised in the Scripture. 07:02 The Jews believe that Jesus would set up 07:04 a present day earthly kingdom 07:05 and made it part of their doctrine. 07:08 Because Christ didn't set up their desired kingdom, 07:10 they rejected Him as the Messiah. 07:12 Even the disciples kept expecting it. 07:15 After He was resurrected from the dead, 07:17 they asked Him again. 07:18 "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again 07:21 the kingdom to Israel?" 07:23 But Jesus' kingdom is not of this world 07:26 and make no mistake, 07:27 He said so Himself in John 18:36. 07:30 So the first thing in our study today 07:32 that we all need to grasp 07:34 is that the true inheritance is not the Israel 07:36 that you see right here, right now. 07:38 We are still on pilgrimage. 07:40 Like father Abraham we are just passing through. 07:44 Nice takeaway, Stephen, 07:45 because we need to talk about Abraham, 07:47 the father of the Jewish nation. 07:50 Jews here in Israel believe that God gave Abraham this land, 07:54 so it doesn't matter who gets this place, 07:56 whose lives are uprooted. 07:57 After all God owns everything by right of creation. 08:01 So God chooses to give this land to the Jews, 08:05 it's His prerogative and who can argue with God. 08:09 Unfortunately, this misguided philosophy ignores 08:12 the rest of the inheritance teaching in Scripture. 08:16 If you read it all you would find that promises of God 08:18 to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not without conditions. 08:23 So let's stop and take a look at what the Bible 08:26 actually teaches in Genesis 12: 1, 08:30 "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, 08:32 Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, 08:35 and from thy father's house, 08:36 unto a land that I will shew thee." 08:40 I want you to notice something when God chose father Abraham, 08:44 He didn't choose a Jew. 08:46 Abraham's home land was Ur of the Chaldea. 08:49 That would make him a Chaldean or a Babylonian. 08:52 Don't miss this. Abraham wasn't Jewish. 08:57 Today we would call him an Iraqi. 09:00 So the question comes, 09:01 why did God choose someone from present day Iraq 09:04 to become the father of the faithful? 09:07 The answer is right in the question 09:09 because Abraham was faithful. 09:13 He believed in the one true God. 09:15 He worshipped the one true God. 09:17 He obeyed the one true God. 09:20 They had a relationship. 09:23 And this is not just my own interpretation 09:26 this is the reason God Himself gave 09:28 for choosing Abraham to receive His covenant promise 09:31 of an inheritance of this land 09:33 and the surrounding countries. 09:35 "Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, 09:39 my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." 09:44 Verse 4 tells us that the reason 09:46 that Abraham would be a blessing to all the nations on earth 09:49 is that he would leave an example of a human life 09:52 connected with divinity. 09:54 Obeying the will of God and receiving His blessings. 09:58 Perhaps, the first test of obedience 10:00 was leaving his home land and going to a new place, 10:03 he would not have been faithful to God if he had stayed home. 10:07 But the real test, the big one came 10:09 when God told him to offer up Isaac as a human sacrifice 10:14 that was terribly hard, but he obeyed. 10:19 He traveled two days and in the morning of the third day 10:22 he saw the place God has chosen. 10:25 He would have killed Isaac in obedience to God, 10:28 but was stopped by the angel of the Lord. 10:31 All this obedience was proof of his faith 10:34 in an all powerful promise keeping God. 10:37 Now if Abraham had told God 10:39 that he would go to the land of Canaan, but never did. 10:43 If he told God that he would offer up his son, but never did. 10:47 One, he wouldn't be an example of what God wanted in obedience 10:51 and two, he wouldn't have been 10:53 in a covenant relationship with God 10:55 and thus he would not have been the inheritor of the promise. 10:59 He could not been the father of the faithful 11:02 and that was the teaching of Jesus as well. 11:06 "Not every one that saith unto me, 11:08 Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, 11:11 but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." 11:16 Jesus went on to say, "And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord 11:20 and do not the things which I say?" 11:23 The Apostle James said, "Abraham was a friend of God." 11:26 Because he was willing to offer up Isaac 11:29 and it is no different for us today, 11:31 the only people who are friends of God 11:34 are those who do what He says and that is the doctrine, 11:39 the teaching of Jesus Himself. 11:42 "You are My friends, He said, 11:44 if ye do whatsoever I command you." 11:48 It wasn't because Abraham was a great person 11:50 or smarter or richer or even holier 11:53 that God chose him and his descendants 11:56 to receive a special blessing. 11:58 It was because Abraham responded 12:00 in obedience to God's unparalleled love. 12:03 As a result, God made this promise to Abraham 12:07 in Genesis 12: 7, 12:09 "And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, 12:11 Unto thy seed I will give this land 12:14 and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, 12:17 who appeared unto him." 12:19 The Lord promised to give Abraham this land 12:22 and that promise He also gave to Isaac and to Jacob. 12:26 This promise was given to Isaac 12:27 even though he wasn't Abraham's first born son. 12:30 It was passed on to Jacob 12:32 even though he wasn't Isaac's first born son. 12:35 And it's passed on to those who of promise, 12:37 and to those who would follow in a humble, 12:39 obedient relationship with God. 12:42 And the promise grew from just inheriting 12:44 the land of Canaan to inheriting countries. 12:47 Genesis 26: 4, "And I will make thy seed to multiply 12:52 as the stars of heaven, 12:54 and will give unto thy seed all these countries, 12:57 and in thy seed shall all the nations 13:00 of the earth be blessed." 13:02 Now for some there's a contradiction here 13:05 between Genesis 26: 5 and Romans 4: 3. 13:09 And Paul taught, "Abraham believed God, 13:12 and it was counted unto him for righteousness." 13:15 On the other hand, Moses wrote 13:17 that Abraham entered a covenant relationship with God. 13:21 "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, 13:23 and kept my charge, my commandments, 13:25 my statutes, and my laws." 13:28 So which is it? 13:30 Do we just believe or do we obey and solve the dilemma. 13:34 Actually there is no dilemma. 13:36 And then here is why because, 13:38 "True belief always causes one to act." 13:42 The proof that Abraham believed was he left home 13:45 and he offered up his son Isaac 13:48 and in this regard nothing has changed 13:50 in the Old Testament people were saved by faith in God 13:53 looking forward to the cross. 13:55 In the New Testament people are saved by faith 13:57 looking back at the cross. 13:59 The only way to be saved is through Jesus 14:02 and His sacrifice on the cross. 14:05 People in every generation have only been saved by grace. 14:10 And true believers in every generation have followed 14:13 and obeyed God else they were not true believers. 14:19 Let's review. 14:20 What we have learnt so far is, 14:22 first, Jesus will create a new earth 14:26 and only those who are meek 14:28 or teachable will be allowed there. 14:31 That Abraham the father of the faithful 14:34 is an example to the believers 14:36 because if you truly believe God you will do whatever God says 14:40 and let Him take care of the outcome. 14:43 And three, we learned that there is no contradiction 14:47 between faith and works 14:50 because true belief always causes 14:52 one to act in obedience to his faith. 14:55 I suppose when most people think of a relationship with God 14:59 the first word that comes to mind is not friend, 15:02 but three times the Bible records 15:05 that Abraham and God were friends. 15:08 And I don't think that was just hyperbole either 15:10 because God actually stopped by Abraham's tent 15:13 and ate with him. 15:15 You can read about it in Genesis 18: 8. 15:18 According to verse 19 one of the things 15:21 that makes you a friend of God, 15:23 according to God Himself 15:25 is when you do exactly what He says. 15:29 "For I know him, that he will command 15:32 his children and his household after him, 15:35 and they shall keep the way of the Lord, 15:37 to do justice and judgment, 15:40 that the Lord may bring upon Abraham 15:43 that which he hath spoken of him." 15:46 This is the very same message in the teachings of Jesus 15:50 in John 15: 14. 15:52 "You are my friends, Jesus said, 15:55 if you do whatsoever I command you." 15:58 Now don't miss this, if we're going to be 16:01 in a covenant relationship with God 16:04 then we have to do what He says 16:05 or else the covenant is broken. 16:07 It's no longer binding. 16:09 This concept is everywhere in Scripture 16:12 in both the Old and the New Testament. 16:15 But time and tradition had changed 16:17 what God clearly taught to something else entirely. 16:22 Check this out. 16:23 According to Judaism 101, 16:26 a person born to non-Jewish parents 16:29 who has not undergone the formal process of conversion, 16:32 but who believes everything that the orthodox Jews believe 16:35 and observes every law and custom of Judaism 16:39 is still a non-Jew. 16:41 Even in the eyes of the most liberal movements of Judaism. 16:45 While a person born to a Jewish mother 16:47 who is an atheist and never practices 16:50 the Jewish religion is still a Jew, 16:53 even in the eyes of the ultra orthodox. 16:57 So you see being a Jew today 16:59 does not necessarily have anything to do 17:01 with faith or obedience. 17:04 It is more akin to a nationality than it is to other religions. 17:09 Being Jewish is more like a citizenship. 17:12 John the Baptist rejected this prevalent 17:15 and on going misconception and so did the foretold Messiah. 17:21 While Jesus acknowledged that in bloodline 17:23 the Jews were physically descendants of Abraham 17:26 by their rejection of Him, 17:29 they had an actuality become 17:30 spiritually the children of Satan. 17:35 "Ye are of your father the devil, 17:37 and the lusts of your father ye will do. 17:41 He was a murderer from the beginning, 17:43 and abode not in the truth, 17:45 because there is no truth in him. 17:47 When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, 17:51 for he is a liar, and the father of it." 17:55 In contrast, the followers of the one true God listen, 18:00 believe and obediently follow where He leads. 18:05 "My sheep hear My voice." 18:06 Jesus said, "And I know them, and they follow Me." 18:12 Which brings us to the exciting truth 18:14 about who will actually and in fact, inherit Israel. 18:20 The God of Abraham said, 18:22 "All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in Abraham." 18:26 The blessing that Abraham left for every nation 18:28 was a blessed example of faith 18:30 and obedient belief in the God of creation. 18:33 As a type of Christ, 18:35 Abraham showed us a path to the promised inheritance 18:38 which is the new earth. 18:40 The only way to be saved is to say, yes, 18:43 to the Lord with all your known choices. 18:45 When we follow that example, 18:47 when we embrace that experience 18:49 something very special happens, 18:52 we get a new father according to Galatians 3, 18:55 "Even as Abraham believed God, 18:57 and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 19:00 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, 19:03 the same are the children of Abraham." 19:06 Now that's too cool. 19:07 Paul, a Jew, a Pharisee got it. 19:10 He made it absolutely clear that if we have the faith, 19:14 the belief that causes one to act 19:16 in obedience to the lordship of Christ 19:19 we are adopted into the family of God 19:21 and thus Abraham becomes our father. 19:26 What does that mean? 19:27 Paul explains starting in verse 28, 19:30 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, 19:34 there is neither male nor female, 19:37 for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 19:40 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, 19:44 and heirs according to the promise." 19:47 And what promise are we talking about? 19:49 The promise of inheriting this land 19:51 and the nations round about. 19:54 I want you to look once again at the original promise 19:56 in Genesis 13: 17, 19:58 "Arise, walk through the land," 20:00 'God told Abraham' "in the length of it 20:03 and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee." 20:07 This land wasn't merely promised 20:09 to the descendants of Abraham. 20:10 It was promised to Abraham himself, 20:13 but he never inherited this land. 20:16 He could never claim Canaan as his own. 20:19 Hebrews 11: 9, "By faith" 'Abraham' 20:22 "sojourned in the land of promise, 20:25 as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles" 20:28 'or tents' "with Isaac and Jacob, 20:31 the heirs with him of the same promise." 20:34 'Abraham, Isaac and Jacob' 20:36 "all died in faith, not having received the promises, 20:40 but having seen them afar off, 20:42 and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, 20:44 and confessed that they were strangers 20:47 and pilgrims on the earth." 20:49 Now notice something here don't miss it, 20:51 even though God told Abraham that he would inherit this land 20:56 he was not told when. 20:59 Hebrews is clear. 21:01 Abraham, Isaac nor Jacob, 21:03 ever saw a fulfillment of the promise not yet. 21:08 The important issue that Levi is alluding to here is, 21:11 does God keep His promises? 21:13 The good news is He does. 21:15 They may not be kept at all on our timetable, 21:18 but He definitely keeps His promises. 21:23 You see, father Abraham is not just looking 21:26 for a new land to inherit, 21:29 "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, 21:32 whose builder and maker is God." 21:35 The inheritance is not merely a place, it's a presence. 21:39 This new heavens and new earth is a place 21:42 where we can dwell together in the presence of God Himself. 21:47 That's what John said in Revelation 21: 3, 21:50 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 21:53 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 21:57 and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, 22:01 and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." 22:06 You see, the inheritance is wrapped up in a new earth 22:09 that our Creator God will recreate for those 22:11 who love Him and love His appearing. 22:14 Israel as it now stands is nice enough in many ways. 22:17 This is the first time I've been here 22:19 and I've been talking about staying, 22:21 but this place or any place on earth cannot compare 22:23 with the earth made new 22:24 in all its hidden glory. 22:26 And once again this inheritance can belong to anyone, 22:29 it doesn't matter if you're Jewish or Palestinian, 22:32 doesn't matter what country your from, 22:34 it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, 22:36 it doesn't matter if you're educated or not. 22:38 "Because if you are Christ's, 22:40 then you are Abraham's offspring, 22:42 and heirs according to the promise." 22:44 To be Christ's means to accept the gifts of love, 22:47 forgiveness, repentance and faith. 22:49 To be Christ's means to then walk with Him 22:52 in newness of life saying, yes, to Him 22:54 with all our known choices 22:56 and this new life doesn't have to wait 22:58 till He recreates this earth, it can start now. 23:01 It must start now. 23:04 You're right, Stephen, it must start now 23:08 and the way it starts now for each individual is to follow God 23:12 just like faithful Abraham. 23:14 Abraham had to leave his old life and family in Ur. 23:18 In the same way if we're going to walk with God 23:20 and be His friend, we have to leave families, 23:23 churches and friends and the world behind. 23:27 "Come out from among them, 23:28 and be separate, says the Lord. 23:30 Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you." 23:35 In the teachings and doctrines of Jesus, 23:37 He explained why we have to be separate. 23:40 Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters, 23:44 for either he will hate the one, 23:45 and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, 23:48 and despise the other." 23:51 But if anyone chooses to love and serve God 23:55 then they are adopted into His family. 23:57 Everyone is invited to inherit Israel 24:00 recreated as the new earth, 24:03 but there's one more part of this inheritance 24:05 you must not miss. 24:07 The inheritance will not be 24:09 the present Jerusalem and the old city. 24:11 There will only be the New Jerusalem. 24:15 Revelation 21: 2, "And I John saw the holy city, 24:20 new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, 24:23 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." 24:27 That Holy city, the New Jerusalem 24:30 will be coming right here to planet earth. 24:32 And Israel in particular, God will reside in this city. 24:37 His presence will be with all His faithful, obedient people. 24:42 Verse 16 opens a prophetic window on this colossal city. 24:46 "And the city lieth foursquare, 24:48 and the length is as large as the breadth, 24:51 and he measured the city with the reed, 24:53 twelve thousand furlongs. 24:55 The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." 24:59 A furlong is about 1/8th of a mile, 25:02 so 12,000 furlongs is about 1,500 miles. 25:06 The question is did the angel measure the whole city, 25:09 all the way around or just one side? 25:12 I'm not sure, but I can say with confidence 25:15 that the smallest possible size for the New Jerusalem 25:19 is 1,500 miles in circumference. 25:23 There is no city on earth that large, 25:27 but this will be God's capital city for the universe, 25:31 so why not be accommodating. 25:33 This is the inheritance that anyone can possess. 25:37 A new world with God's personal presence 25:41 now that's the birth right, the patriarchs were waiting for. 25:46 During these 26 studies 25:48 regarding the teachings of Jesus, 25:50 we have learned many things. 25:52 We have learned that we can trust this book, 25:54 replete with fulfilled prophecies. 25:57 This book indeed gives us ample evidence 26:00 upon which to build a rational faith. 26:03 And that's why I have chosen to believe 26:05 and embrace the teachings of Jesus 26:08 even though there is still as much to learn 26:11 and why wouldn't I believe in a Creator God 26:13 who loved me enough to die for me, 26:16 one who promises me an eternity of happiness, 26:19 joy and peace in His presence. 26:23 So what about you, friend, are you ready to embrace 26:26 the teachings of Jesus, 26:28 are you ready to be a part of His fold, 26:31 His remnant church, the body of Christ, 26:34 will you choose to love and obey Jesus? 26:38 If your answer is, yes, then you too are a child of God. 26:43 It doesn't matter if you're Jewish, 26:45 Palestinian or otherwise. 26:47 Your country of origin or your ethnicity 26:50 or your gender is irrelevant. 26:52 It doesn't matter how many mistakes you have made 26:55 or how many sins you have committed. 26:58 When you make God first and accept Jesus as your Saviour, 27:02 He has promised that you are a child of Abraham 27:06 and one who will inherit the ultimate Israel, 27:10 God's kingdom and this world recreated by the Master Himself. 28:00 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone 28:03 who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 28:07 Did you know that "Thunder in the Holy Land" 28:09 is a Bible study series that gives you the ability to share 28:13 the hope you have in Christ at a moment's notice? 28:16 These interactive, engaging and clear Bible studies 28:20 on the teachings of Jesus, 28:22 thrive on group discussion and individual thought. 28:25 Learn more at www.QLP.tv. |
Revised 2014-12-17