As you live and prepare for the eventual return of Jesus,

there is a period of time that will happen
on the earth which is known as the Great Tribulation.

This will be a time of horror and judgment upon the earth that will be unmatched by any other time in human history.
​

The book of Revelation
​
describes the events that will take place during this time.
Granted there are some symbolisms within Revelation,
but once we understand them,
the picture of what will take place during this time
becomes clearer- likely as it unfolds in real time.

​Blessed [is]
בָּר֣וּךְ (bā·rūḵ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

he who comes
הַ֭בָּא (hab·bā)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

in the name
בְּשֵׁ֣ם (bə·šêm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of the LORD.
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD --
the proper name of the 
God of Israel-
Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh
Yeshua Jesus Christ

​Living God incarnate
​

One of the things mentioned are the seven trumpets.
What we want to look at today is what are the seven trumpets in Revelation? It is probably not possible to give you a full, in-depth, detailed analysis of all the seven trumpets in one article. However, it is possible to give you enough information to encourage you to want to study further. Let’s begin.

Where Does the Bible Discuss the Seven Trumpets?
For deeper study and to understand what the seven trumpets in Revelation are, you will need to spend some time in Revelation chapters 8–11.

When you think of a trumpeter, one of the things that comes to mind is that they are used to make a grand pronouncement, like the entrance of royalty for example. These trumpets are no different – it’s just that the pronouncements are of a different type. Each one pronounces a different judgment upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. 

When Are the Seven Trumpets Blown?
The trumpets are revealed after John sees a vision of the great crowd from every tribe and nation standing around the throne offering worship to the lamb of God. Here is what happens next.

“When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them”
​ (Revelation 8:1-2).

The contrast of the silence in heaven compared to the great roar that was just heard must have really been deafening to John. As you see within the seventh seal there are seven trumpets which were to be blown. Each one will pronounce a type of judgment on the earth, and they will intensify as each subsequent trumpet is blown. 

When you look a little closer at these opening verses in chapter 8, it seems the blowing of these trumpets is a response to the saints offering prayers to God.

Consider Revelation 6:9-11:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.”

God, in response to the prayers of the martyrs who were killed during the Great Tribulation, vindicates his people with the blowing of the trumpets. God is judging the people of the earth and bringing vindication for his people all in one. By the way, the prayers of God’s people were referred to as incense, which is a reminder that God loves when his people cry out to him in prayer. So don’t ever stop doing that!

The Trumpets and the Judgments At the heart of the seven trumpets in Revelation are the judgments that come with the blowing of each one. Each trumpet will be blown by a different angel, but the angels are not named. Let’s consider each judgment.

The first trumpet brings devastation to the earth itself.
“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7).

The second trumpet is targeted towards the seas.
“The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” (Revelation 8:8-9).

The third trumpet affects the water supply which brings death to many people.
“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water —  the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter” (Revelation 8:10-11).
The fourth trumpet attacks the sky affecting the sun, moon, and stars
“The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night” (Revelation 8:12).

The earth, seas, water and sky are all affected by these first four judgments. These are all the things required for life, and God is affecting these things as judgment for those who have rejected him. After blowing the fourth trumpet, there is a brief pause before the last three trumpets are blown.
Revelation 8:13 – “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!’”

In the middle of judgment God pauses. He decides to give additional warning of what is to come and at the same time give people an opportunity to repent. I think sometimes people believe God brings judgment because he likes to judge. He brings judgment because he is a just God. In order for God to be who he is, he must judge sin. Yet even in the judging process, God offers opportunity for repentance because that is his heart.
The Last Three TrumpetsAs you can see with the first four of the seven trumpets in Revelation, things are getting pretty bad. But it’s about to get worse. 

The fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:1-12)
This trumpet releases Satan with power to use demonic influence, described as locusts, to torment those who have rejected God. Surprisingly, they are allowed to torment but those who they torment won’t die. What an incredible time of torture and pain. Ironically the ones who are protected are those who had the seal of God on their foreheads.  

The sixth trumpet (Rev. 9:13-21)
This trumpet brings an astonishing amount of death and an absolutely incredible response to it. With the sixth trumpet, four angels are released along with an army of 200 million which is probably a demonic army. They proceed to kill one third of all the people on the earth. Again, a time unlike any we have ever witnessed in human history. What is fascinating however, is the response of the people who survive this period:
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Rev. 9:20-21).
Instead of turning to God in repentance, they dig in with their defiance even more. The heart of man has grown so hard that even among great tragedy and death they refuse to turn from sin and turn towards God. They continue to reject his love and compassion. This shows you the danger and power of a hardened heart. That’s why the Bible warns against hardening your heart – there are dangerous consequences associated with it.

​

The Last Trumpet

Before the blowing of the seventh and final trumpet there are a series of events that take place. I encourage you to read through Revelation 10 and 11 to get the full picture.

In Scripture seven is the number of completion, so the announcement associated with this trumpet falls right in line. Here is what happens when the seventh trumpet is blown:

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

With this trumpet the announcement of Christ’s reign is made as we move to the completion of this period. While the tribulation doesn’t end right when this trumpet is blown, it is getting close. There are some major events left to play out but we know this trumpet is blown closer to the end of the Great Tribulation.

When you consider what the seven trumpets in Revelation are you see there is a lot to digest. If I have succeeded, you now have a slightly better picture of what they are and hopefully you will use this as a starting point to more study. I didn’t write this article as a final analysis, I would probably need a whole book for that, I simply wanted to get the ball rolling.
​
Hopefully this will challenge and encourage you to look into Bible prophecy and the end times without fear, but with open eyes. In all honesty if you are in Christ there is nothing for you to be afraid of.



So What is Rosh Hashana?

Much of the world celebrates a new start as December 31st turns into January 1st, whereas Jewish people now celebrate their new year at the Feast of Trumpets. But according to the Bible, the new year starts on “The first day of the first month”. The ‘first month’ is the month in which we celebrate Passover in the Spring, and the new moon signifies the beginning of each new month.
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.”


But our God

is a God of multiple new beginnings,

​new seasons, and fresh starts!


Instead of celebrating once a year, God asks that the beginning of every month, each new moon, is celebrated – that’s twelve new beginnings instead of one! This is called “Rosh Chodesh”, or “head of the month”. It’s interesting that the word for month, “chodesh”, is from the root word for new: “chadash”.


​THE BIBLICAL MANDATE

Numbers 10:10 instructs:
“On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
Numbers 28:11-15 goes further, requiring many sacrifices: “

At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord”… The trumpets were sounded, many different kinds of offerings were sacrificed, and it was a holiday for Israel – a day off regular work.

Throughout the Bible these New Moon festivals were often forgotten and fell by the wayside, at other times they were joyously reinstated, and other times they were performed in a dry and empty way that grieved God.
But it is interesting that God wanted his people to note the opening of each month, isn’t it?
The moon was at its very thinnest,
all fresh and new,
starting a new cycle,
​and a new month.

​
HOW THE JEWISH CALENDAR DEVELOPED

The Jewish calendar is different to the Gregorian calendar in that it is regulated more by the moon rather than the sun (although there are slight alterations to keep it in line with the seasons), and the days go from sundown to sundown, instead of midnight to midnight. This is because in Genesis we read, “and it was evening and there was morning, the first day” – starting with the evening.

You may be aware of the names of the Jewish months
(like Nisan, mentioned above),
but God called the months simply by their order – the first month, second month, and so on. He also, by the way, calls days of the week in the same manner – first day, second day, all the way through to sixth day, and then Shabbat.
​The names of the week that we use are actually based on idol worship!
(Sun-day, Moon-day, Thor’s-day, and so on).
Similarly, the names of the Jewish months cannot be found in the Bible,
but have been brought back with the people of Israel
from their time of exile in Babylon:

1. Nisan (נִיסָן)
2. Iyyar (אִיָּר)
3. Sivan (סִיוָן)
4. Tammuz (תַּמּוּז)
5. Av (אָב)
6. Elul (אֱלוּל)
7. Tishri (תִּשׁרִי)
8. Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן)
9. Kislev (כִּסְלֵו)
10. Tevet (טֵבֵת)
11. Shevat (שְׁבָט)
12. Adar (אֲדָר)

It is also Babylonian influence
that brought the Jewish people to start celebrating the new year at all,
and to do it at the Feast of Trumpets.
The name “Rosh HaShana” (head / beginning of the year)

is mentioned only one time in the Bible,
by Ezekiel:

“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, in the beginning of the year
[Rosh HaShana],
​in the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year
after the city was struck down,
​on that very day—the hand of Adonai was on me,
and He brought me there.”
(Ezekiel 40:1)

However,
the context shows that
​he was not talking about a new year’s celebration,
but rather just

a measurement of time.

​

​
RESETTING THE CLOCK

As we mentioned, God laid out this calendar
to Moses at the time of the Exodus
(thought to have happened in 1446 BC),
but how did they measure time before that?

If you search for the word for ‘month’ in the Bible,
you will find that time used to be measured by Noah’s age –
we read that the flood came
in the second month of Noah’s six hundredth year!

And it continues to keep time by Noah’s age from then on,
until this new paradigm shift occurs –

God does the extraordinarily dramatic Exodus miracle,
and
resets time.

However,
God’s calendar was not necessarily what the
other peoples of the earth were following – people would set time
according to the life or rule of the King,
as we can also see in the books of

Kings, and the prophets.

But the clock is dramatically reset once again

by the coming of the Messiah,

whom we proclaim

every time we write the date – 2022 years since he came.

​The Jewish year becoming 5780 is supposed to reflect the number of years since creation. Instead of saying “BC” (Before Christ) or “AD” (Anno Domini – the year of our Lord), in Israel they say
“before the counting” and “after the counting”,
and it is now more common globally to write
“CE” (Current Era) and “BCE” (Before the Current Era).

The awkward
truth

of Yeshua’s central importance
that all this counting and era-diving
points towards

is thus avoided for those who would rather deny

the 
​One who split time in two.
​

The Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning
of ten days of consecration and repentance before God.
It is one of seven Jewish feasts or festivals appointed by the LORD
and one of three feasts that occur in the autumn.

The Feast of Trumpets began on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month.

Its name comes from the command to blow trumpets
(Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1-6).

It is also called Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,”
because it marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar.
During this celebration, no kind of work was to be performed,


but burnt offerings and a sin offering

were to be brought before the Lord.

​
In the Leviticus passage, the words trumpet blasts 
are a translation of the Hebrew word teruah,
which means “a shout” or “a blowing.” 

It appears that the shofar (ram’s horn) was to be blown at this time,
as it was on the other new moons (Psalm 81:3).
Jewish tradition indicates that both the ram’s horn
and the priestly silver horns (hazozerah)
were used in the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets
​was important for several reasons.

First,
it commemorated the end of the agricultural
and festival year.

Also, the Day of Atonement fell on the tenth day of this month,
and the Festival of Booths began on the fifteenth day.

The blowing of the trumpets
on first day of the month heralded a solemn
time of preparation for the Day of Atonement;
this preparation time was called

“Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.”

The trumpet sound was an alarm of sorts and can
be understood as a call to introspection and repentance.


The Feast of Trumpets,

along with the other six festivals of the LORD,

foreshadowed certain aspects

of the ministry of

Jesus Christ.


The prophets linked the blowing of trumpets
to the future Day of Judgment:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion;

sound the alarm on my holy hill.

​Let all who live in the land tremble,

for the day of the LORD is coming.

It is close at hand”

(Joel 2:1; see also Zephaniah 1:14, 16).



In the New Testament,

we see that the Lord’s Second Coming
will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Each of the judgments in Revelation 8-9 is also signaled by a trumpet.
Just as the shofar called the Jewish nation to turn their attention to the Lord and ready themselves

❤️ for the Day of Atonement ❤️

Shout, O Israel! God Loves You!

They are a minority. They always have been a minority. Moses, their first national leader, described them as “the least of all peoples” (Dt. 7:7); and that assessment remains true today, more than 3,500 years later. Among the world’s population of approximately 7 billion, they are a mere handful: 14 million to 15 million, a scant one-fifth of one percent.

In fact, they are so few in number that some cities have greater populations than there are Jewish people in the entire world.

Yet Jewish people have made an enormous impact
on the world because of a legacy that began more than 4,000 years ago when God entered into a unique relationship with
Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Though circumstances have changed,

God does not change.

He loved the Jewish people in ancient days,

and He loves them today.


Unsolicited Love
Abraham’s relationship with God was not a modification or evolution of anything else around him. It was distinct from everything.
When Abram (later called Abraham) obeyed God’s call,
he not only walked away from a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city,
but he also turned his back on the prevailing worldview
and entered into a unique relationship with the one true God.

The apostle James in the New Testament recognized this relationship: “‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’
And he was called the friend of God”
(Jas. 2:23).

No one else in Scripture can claim this title,
and God’s enduring relationship with Israel is founded on
His unsolicited friendship with Abraham.

On the basis of that friendship, God confirmed an unconditional, unilateral covenant with Abraham that would be reiterated to Abraham’s son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Confirmation of the covenant followed the cultural protocol of the day.

At God’s request,
Abraham brought a three-year-old heifer, a she-goat, and a ram, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon. As prescribed, he cut the offerings into halves and laid them in a line with each half opposite the other (Gen. 15:9–10). The ceremony, referred to as “cutting a covenant,” required the responsible parties to walk the line between the halves of the animals spread before them.

After causing a deep sleep to fall on Abraham, God alone walked the line. The Bible says God “appeared [as] a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces” (v. 17). God thereby established Himself as the sole party responsible for keeping the covenant with Abraham and subsequently with the nation of Israel.


Unending Love
The psalmist encapsulated the magnitude of the covenant:
"He remembers His covenant forever…the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant”
(Ps. 105:8–10).
The Hebrew word for “remembers” is in the perfect tense, signifying a “practically pledged certainty.”1 It is a covenant validated by God’s eternality.

Later Moses, Israel’s first national leader, emphasized God’s covenant relationship with the nation and highlighted an overlooked essential. As the nation gathered at the banks of the Jordan River, preparing to enter the land God promised Abraham and his offspring through Jacob,
Moses reminded the Israelites,
​
The Lᴏʀᴅ did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lᴏʀᴅ loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers
(Dt. 7:7–8).

God’s ongoing relationship with Israel is based on more than a covenantal requirement; God voluntarily chose to love the Jewish people in perpetuity:
“For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ, who has mercy on you
(Isa. 54:10).


Unconditional Love
The Bible gives an honest account of Israel’s history—failures and all. Yet despite the nation’s waywardness, the Bible teaches that God’s love has remained constant. The prophetic book of Hosea, a chronicle of Israel’s infidelity, concludes with God’s plea, “O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. O Israel, return to the Lord your God” (13:9; 14:1).
God pledges, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (v. 4).

​
Both the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities
were a consequence of national disobedience.

Yet even while the Israelites were exiled in Babylon,

God reassured them through the earlier ministry of the

prophet Isaiah,

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with
My righteous right hand”
(Isa. 41:10).

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told them, “yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jer. 31:3).
The message of God’s love for Israel runs consistently throughout the Bible.
He has vowed to fulfill His covenant to Abraham
in the last days and initiate a new covenant:

"I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more”
Quoting God’s message to Israel through the prophet Amos, the apostle Paul declared, “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them [Israel], when I take away their sins”
(Rom. 11:26–27).

Love was at the heart of God’s attitude toward Israel in the past, and it is at the heart of His attitude toward it today: “Whenever I have turned against him [Israel], my thoughts would dwell on him still, that is why my heart yearns for him; I will receive him back in love declares the Lᴏʀᴅ”
(Jer. 31:20, JPS).

God’s love will continue to characterize His dealings with Israel in the future. Looking forward to that reality in the Messianic Kingdom,
the prophet Zephaniah declared,

Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel!
​Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lᴏʀᴅ has taken away your judgments….You shall see disaster no more. The Lᴏʀᴅ your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing
(Zeph. 3:14–15, 17).

Just look at the modern state of Israel,
which is evidence of God's care and provision. God cares so much about unsaved people—Jewish and Gentile—that He sent Jesus to die for them, that they might be forgiven and have everlasting life.
God's love is a redeeming love.  

​
The fact that God is in the redemption business
is the main message of the
​

Good News!
​

And it is why Israel’s past has not negated its future,
and why our past does not negate our future. 


God explains the driving force in His dealings with Israel:

“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen,
the descendants of Abraham My friend”
(Isa. 41:8).


Down through the centuries of Israel’s existence,
regardless of the circumstances,

God’s message to the Jewish people has been consistent.


He tells them now--and will tell them forever--I love you.
​and so,
​
Jesus is the Messiah

that the Jews had been anticipating for centuries!
(see Luke 2:25; 3:15).

As such, He was born into a Jewish family and was reared according to Jewish law in a Jewish town (see Luke 2:27; Galatians 4:4). Jesus selected Jewish disciples, spoke in Jewish synagogues and the Jewish temple, and traveled mostly in Jewish areas. His mission, in fulfillment of the Jewish prophets, was to the Jewish people. However, none of this means that Jesus’ ministry was limited exclusively to the Jews.

In Matthew 15,
there is an incident that, at first, seems to confirm the idea that Jesus came only for the Jews. Jesus was traveling through Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region, and “a Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly’” (Matthew 15:22). This Gentile woman recognized Jesus as the Messiah (“Son of David”), but “Jesus did not answer a word” (verse 23). As the woman kept up her appeals, Jesus finally responded, but His words seemed to hold little hope: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (verse 24). However, the woman did not give up, and Jesus eventually granted her request, based on her “great faith” (verse 28).

The fact that Jesus helped the Canaanite woman,
even though His mission was to the Jews,
is a significant detail in the Gospel narrative. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus gave other indications that
His power and compassion reached to all people.
He healed a Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1–10).
He traveled through the Gentile region of the Genisis 
(Mark 5:1). 
He ministered in a Samaritan city
(John 4).


Jesus came to save everybody
(1 John 2:2).


Jesus Christ is God Himself
(John 1:1).

​
Jesus died on the cross as the payment for all our sins,
and He rose from death in resurrection
(1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd,
and He predicted that His flock would be greatly expanded: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd”
(John 10:16).

It took a while for the early church to recognize that
​salvation was available to the Gentiles.

The Jewish Christians who fled the persecution in Jerusalem
went into the Gentile regions of Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,
but they were “spreading the word only among Jews”
(Acts 11:19).

Peter was hesitant to bring the gospel to a Gentile household,
but God made it plain that Cornelius was also one of the elect
(Acts 10).

“Is God the God of Jews only?
Is he not the God of Gentiles too?
Yes, of Gentiles too” (Romans 3:29).


Jesus is the Jewish Messiah,
but He had come to offer salvation to everybody.

The Messiah
was to be a “light for the Gentiles”
(Isaiah 42:6).

​
So call on Jesus, because “everyone who

calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

(Acts 2:21).
​

A momentous juncture has been reached for a country and a people whose very existence tells us God and the Bible can be trusted. That country, an ongoing focus of world attention in the Middle East, is the state of Israel—now celebrating its 70th anniversary. Its people are primarily the Jewish people—with 6.5 million Jews living here in their homeland and more than that living abroad, mostly in the United States. The Jewish state and people constitute a sign that God cares and is involved—evidence of the grace of God.

Have you ever wondered if God really cares for the human race? With all the evil and suffering in the world, can we ever really trust the teaching of the Bible about a just, merciful and all-powerful God?

These are honest questions that sometimes come to the minds of sincere people wanting to believe the Bible and trust in God. A look at the world and at history can be sobering, causing us to doubt. And some even read the Bible and wonder why God did some things we read about there.

Let us consider, then, God’s enduring love for Israel.

Understanding the world through the backstory of IsraelJesus Christ told the people of His day they needed to “discern this time” (Luke 12:56). He said they were able to look at the sky, see a cloud rise out of the west and say, “A shower is coming,” while if the south wind were to blow, they’d say, “There will be hot weather” (Luke 12:54-55). But this same people had trouble discerning exactly who He was, and they could not act on the message of the gospel He taught.

How about you?
Can you discern your time, our time, in relation to Bible prophecy? Can you discern today’s world with all the many events shaping our lives? Do we understand why today’s world seems increasingly out of control and a place we don’t even recognize anymore because of the moral, cultural and social changes around us?

You can understand today’s world events—and you need to. Because your faith in and understanding about God depends on your discernment of this time. Let me show you how by focusing on a part of the world we regularly hear about in the news.

Again, let’s look at the state of Israel. This tiny nation in the Middle East plays a significant role in world affairs. The state of Israel is now 70 years old, having been proclaimed on May 14, 1948, by David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, following the Nov. 29, 1947, United Nations Resolution 181 vote calling for partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.

During this 70-year period the Jewish state has fought many wars against its Arab neighbors. Its survival is constantly threatened by hostile and unrelenting Islamic terror groups. In time the United Nations came to regularly condemn Israel through resolutions, with member states constantly attacking Israel’s policies and actions. Israel lives in a tough Middle East neighborhood, where it’s continually forced to defend its existence to survive.
However, in spite of 70 years of hostility Israel has developed a vibrant, prosperous society. Its people make positive life-enhancing contributions to the world in many critical areas, such as technology, medicine, education and humanitarian efforts. So why does Israel struggle against continual danger? Why must it defend itself before the court of world nations? Why the antagonism and hatred?

If we are to understand this paradox of hostility and blessing surrounding Israel, we must look to the Bible for the story. Scripture gives us the backstory of Israel’s origin. Only in the Bible do we find the divine purpose for Israel’s existence—both in the ancient world and as a modern nation today.

Covenant relationship arising from God’s devoted loveThe ancient nation of Israel was made up of the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob, himself the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, known as the father of all faithful people who seek after the true Creator God. Now any man with 12 sons makes for an interesting story. Jacob was no exception. His life, as revealed in the book of Genesis, involves all the elements of a good story—betrayal, revenge, children by multiple wives and concubines. It’s all there, the good and the bad.
For purposes here the story told about Jacob wrestling all night with a Being who can only be God is perhaps the most important. At daybreak God gives Jacob a new name, Israel, meaning “prevailer with God” or “prince of God.” This name, Israel, is given to the nation that arises from his 12 sons. The man Israel concludes his life in Egypt with his sons and their families after they escape a severe famine. Years pass, and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob come out of slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses in the great Exodus.

God remembers the promise He made to Abraham—a promise that Abraham’s descendants would be strangers and servants in a land not theirs. The Egyptian captivity lasted several generations until God delivered the Israelites from slavery and brought them back to the land God promised to their forefathers, the land known today as Israel.

As God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob regarding the land, so He also entered into a covenant relationship with their descendants, the children of Israel who had grown into the nation of Israel. This covenant relationship between God and the people, the terms of which both agreed to, is at the heart of the story of the state of Israel today.

This is not an old story from the ancient mists of time. This is not a myth created by ignorant tribes who somehow wandered into this land and created an epic story to justify their presence. God loved these people. His desire was to give them every opportunity for peace and success—allowing them to grow and prosper. Israel the nation was to become a model for all others to emulate in following His way of life, showing that His laws and judgments can produce a culture blessed with peace and prosperity.

Notice how God said it in Scripture in Deuteronomy 7: “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to a be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). The Israelites had an amazing opportunity with God. They were given a special land to serve as a special people.

And note what lay behind God choosing them: “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).

God had a deep spiritual love for the nation of Israel. This love, I say again, is at the heart of this story. God promised Abraham his family would grow into a nation and inherit promises lasting for generations, far beyond his day and into the modern world. Notice what God said next:

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

God is faithful. He keeps His agreements for a thousand generations. Here is a key to understanding why the modern state of Israel sits in the same geographical spot as ancient Israel. The Jewish state is a continuation of the people with whom God entered into a covenant relationship so long ago.

There were multiple covenants involved in this relationship, including that with Abraham previously. God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, where the nation agreed to be His people and accept the terms of obedience to His laws, was a marriage agreement—with God as the Husband (compare Jeremiah 31:32). And God made yet another covenant with the Israelites prior to their entry into Canaan in Deuteronomy 29–30 concerning the habitation of the land—with destruction and casting out for disobedience, and yet bringing the people back with repentance in the future.

This is something you don’t read about in your history books. But this special covenant relationship and God’s promises and prophecies concerning His people and the Promised Land are at the heart of understanding the importance of today’s state of Israel after 70 years of survival and the controversies over and within Jerusalem, its capital.

A love story gone wrong—to yet be put rightLet me take you into a passage of the Bible that is profound. It reveals the deep love and passion that God has for Israel. This love started thousands of years ago and continues to this day. And while the love story we find here is between God and one particular people, it’s ultimately meant for all peoples and nations. It’s also a sign that God is faithful to all His promises for mankind.

This narrative is found in Ezekiel 16, where God speaks through His prophet to Jerusalem, the heartbeat of the nation. “On the day you were born,” God says, “your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water . . . nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field . . .” (Ezekiel 16:3-5).

Recall that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were wanderers with no permanent home. When Abraham’s wife Sarah died he had to purchase a burial spot from his neighbors. Jacob took his family into Egypt to find food to survive, and his descendants became slaves making mud bricks for Pharaoh. No one but God was looking out for the children of Israel.

Then God says: “When I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you . . . ‘Live!’ . . . I made you thrive like a plant in the field, and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful” (Ezekiel 16:6-7). “But,” He further said, “you were naked and vulnerable, fragile and exposed” (verse 7, The Message).

God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and brought them into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After many years as a small confederation of tribes, the fledgling nation grew into a major power under its greatest kings, David and his son Solomon. Israel’s location enabled it to act as a stabilizing power preventing such nations as Egypt, Assyria and Media from dominating the region.

God’s transformation of Israel is described in these terms: “I took care of you, dressed you and protected you. I promised you my love and entered a covenant of marriage with you . . . I gave you a fashionable wardrobe of expensive clothing. I adorned you with jewelry . . . emerald rings, sapphire earrings, and a diamond tiara . . . You were absolutely stunning . . . You became world-famous” (Ezekiel 16:8-14, MSG).

But this did not last. Israel did not live up to its part of the agreement. It did not keep the laws of God. The people adopted pagan forms of worship from neighboring nations, and they effectively abandoned God, the true and ultimate source of their wealth, security and standing among the nations.
God describes it as adultery—immoral and unfaithful relations outside the marriage partnership—and even harlotry.

He states: “But you began to trust in your beauty. You used the good name you had and became unfaithful to me. You acted like a prostitute with every man who passed by. You gave yourself to them all!” (Ezekiel 16:15, Easy-to-Read Version).

God said they took all the clothes and fine food He had given—the wealth and the prosperity and status as a powerful nation—and used them in foreign, idolatrous worship: “You acted like a prostitute with those false gods!” (Ezekiel 16:19, ERV).

So depraved was God’s unfaithful bride Israel that, rather than having strangers pay her for sexual relations as a typical prostitute, she paid them (Ezekiel 16:31-34). Every norm was turned inside out!

This graphic passage of Scripture, with its beautiful imagery descending into horror, shows the depth of God’s feeling for the nation He created from nothing and made His own—His model nation to all the other nations. Israel’s story did not end well. God brought other powerful nations like the Assyrians and Babylonians against His people—to destroy and remove them from the land.
Yet through all the unfaithfulness, idolatry and ultimate decline, God always held out a lifeline of hope based on His enduring love for the people who once held such promise.
​
God said to Israel, “I’ll remember the covenant I made with you when you were young and I’ll make a new covenant with you that will last forever” (Ezekiel 16:60, MSG).  Israel would then be forgiven and changed: “You will be so ashamed of the evil things you did that you will not be able to say anything. But I will make you pure, and you will never be ashamed again!” (Ezekiel 16:63, ERV).

This final phase of an everlasting new covenant with Israel has not happened yet. The Church of God, as spiritual Israel, is a forerunner in this new relationship, the fullness of which won’t occur till Jesus Christ returns to earth and sets up the Kingdom of God to last forever. At that time, all of Israel will be brought into this relationship, and Israelites from all over the world will return to the same land. Then, with Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all the earth, all nations will be led to become part of God’s covenant relationship with Israel.

Judah only a part of Israel—yet set forth as clear testimonyLet’s pause to consider a little understood piece of the historical puzzle. The modern Jewish state bears the ancient name of Israel but in actuality represents only a small part of the entire people of Israel whose ancestors lived in the land and to whom so many of the biblical prophecies apply.

As we have seen, in the Bible the nation of Israel refers to the 12 tribes that marched out of Egypt under Moses in the story of the Exodus. These 12 tribes were descended from the 12 sons of the patriarch Jacob whose name was changed to Israel by God.

But here is what you should understand at this point. One of these sons was named Judah. His descendants were Judahites, a name later shortened in passing through other languages into the term Jews. King David, who was of the tribe of Judah, came to rule over all 12 tribes—as did his son Solomon.

But after Solomon, the nation was split into two kingdoms—the kingdom of Israel in the north, made up of 10 tribes, and the kingdom of Judah in the south, made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and a large portion of Levi, as well as a few from other tribes who ended up moving to the south. The people of this southern kingdom all came to be known as Judahites or Jews.

What this means is that the Jews, the people of Judah, made up only one part of the larger nation of Israel. So you don’t have to be ethnically Jewish to be an Israelite!

But how did the Jews become so prominent? Why do people usually think of the Israelites today as only the Jews? It’s a good question, and the Bible gives us the answer.

The northern kingdom of Israel existed for about 200 years after Solomon’s death before falling captive to the Assyrian Empire. The northern Israelites were forcibly exiled from the land and scattered. They are known in history as the lost 10 tribes of Israel. But they are not truly lost even though they have largely forgotten their identity.

God had said they would be sifted among the nations as grain without the smallest grain falling to the ground (Amos 9:9). And indeed, through comparing history and prophecy, we are able to identify the nations descended from the northern tribes of Israel today.

The southern kingdom of Judah survived longer than Israel, but eventually it too fell—in its case to the Babylonian Empire. Most of the people of the ancient Jewish state were taken to Babylon. Seventy years later, after Persia took over from Babylon, a group of Jews, fulfilling a prophecy of Jeremiah, returned to Jerusalem, with a few more to soon follow, and the city of Jerusalem and its temple were rebuilt.

A partially restored Jewish nation then existed in Jerusalem with its distinctive culture until the time of Jesus and the New Testament Church, when the Roman Empire ruled over the land.

It was about 40 years after rejecting Jesus that the Jewish nation collapsed in A.D. 70 at the hand of the Romans, who destroyed Jerusalem and its temple following a Jewish rebellion. Still another Jewish revolt was put down by the Romans in 135. Many of the Jews were scattered in these Roman actions, joining the Jewish Diaspora (or dispersion among the nations) that existed since Babylonian times. Descendants of the scattered Jews founded today’s state of Israel in 1948.

The existence of the modern state of Israel is necessary to the fulfillment of certain end-time prophecies and also assures mankind of God’s enduring faithfulness. As He remains committed to His people, we can also be confident that His promises to all nations and peoples are sure. In fact, Israel is a key factor in this.

The promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob involve both spiritual and physical promises. These promises will be poured out on all the nations—including you and me.

To understand the existence of the state of Israel today is to understand God and His prophetic timeline. The constant opposition of most of the world’s nations to Israel today, many with severe hatred, is tangible proof of the removal of God from mankind’s knowledge. But God’s grace and enduring love transcends this corrupt condition that will come to an end. Your Bible shows us that God’s spiritual promises will be given to all. Peace, restoration and eternal life are the hope of all nations!

God’s people not cast away—to still be a blessing to allIn the book of Romans, the apostle Paul tells the story of ancient Israel’s rise and fall and hope of restoration. The Israelites had a deep relationship with God. Their opportunity was to become a nation based on the law of God and His glory. God made special promises to the people of Israel, setting them apart from all other nations, promising protection and prosperity. All of the physical blessings God promised were lesser types of greater spiritual blessings to be found in Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of King David.

But ancient Israel failed. As we saw earlier, they split apart, and through a combination of idolatry and Sabbath-breaking they dishonored and disobeyed God—resulting in their captivity and exile. Most of Israel, with the exception of the Jews, forgot who they were. And the Jews have not done as they should.
But Paul’s desire and his prayer for Israel, his people, was that they would be saved (Romans 10:1). Even though they did not obey the gospel (Romans 10:16), their rejection is not total or permanent, as Paul makes clear in Romans 11. God has not cast Israel aside. Through Paul, God reveals there is a remnant of Israel among today’s nations, and by His grace they will be regathered.

But here is the amazing and little understood truth: Israel’s rejection of God works to His glory and purpose! All other nations and peoples, what the Bible calls the gentiles, can have this same relationship with God based on His eternal promises. In God’s time, all will have opportunity to know Him. For God loves not just the people of Israel, but the whole world for whom He gave His Son to die (John 3:16).

The apostle Paul says that blindness has come on Israel until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. In a magnificent piece of writing Paul is inspired to show that Israel, all 12 tribes, and the whole world will have the opportunity for salvation. All nations will have the opportunity to receive the full promises of God, both physical and spiritual.

Notice Romans 11:1-2 where Paul asks, “Has God cast away His people?” He then answers: “Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” God had used physical Israelites such as Paul to form the very foundations of the Christian Church. Jesus Himself was a Jew!

Paul goes on to explain that because of unbelief leading to sin, the original physical Israelites were cut off from being part of spiritual Israel—God’s covenant people—but that these are to ultimately be rejoined to Israel on repentance, as are the gentiles.

He says in verses Romans 11:11-15 that by those of physical Israelite descent being cut off at this time, salvation is opened to the world. Gentiles thus have a place in God’s true spiritual Israel today. Yet it’s further explained that God is not finished with the physical descendants of Israel. By their being brought back into God’s grace, they will yet serve as the model nation for all peoples they were intended to be. This will happen during the coming reign of Christ on earth. Then all will be given the opportunity to be saved, Israel being used powerfully in “the reconciling of the world” (Romans 11:15). All the tribes of Israel, not just the Jews, will be united.

Then all mankind will seek the Lord. In fact, “in those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zechariah 8:23). All nations will come to Jerusalem and learn of His ways. Jerusalem, the capital of the modern state of Israel, will one day become the capital of the whole world under God (see Jeremiah 3:17).

So Israel matters. Not just the Jewish state in the Middle East today. All the tribes matter to God. And all the nations of the world matter to God—yet they must all become part of Israel to be saved and live forever as God’s family, nation and Kingdom.

In one last burst of inspired enthusiasm Paul exclaims: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

The understanding of the identity and role of Israel is the key to understanding today’s world and the march of history toward the Kingdom of God. The understanding of Israel shows us the enduring promises of God’s salvation for all the nations. Because He is faithful in His committed love toward Israel, He will be faithful in His promises through Christ to all people—including you and me—with all of us given a part in His covenant nation. This great love story involves God’s love for all people. That is the good news of the gospel!

Finally, let me repeat that to understand Israel is to understand God and His prophetic timeline. The state of Israel’s existence, in spite of all the odds, is a sign that God controls the destiny of all nations. It is proof that God watches over history and is guiding our world with all its peoples to His ultimate purpose. God watches over the nations. The state of Israel is living proof!
​
The world at large will continue to plot and rage against Israel and the Jewish people. But they will survive and will complete their God-ordained purpose. Remember this as you watch today’s headlines!

Earlier in the epistle, Paul speaks of the

“good conscience”

as opposed to the seared conscience.
​

“Advancing God’s work,”

he says, comes by faith,
and love “comes from a pure heart
and a good conscience and a sincere faith”
​
(1 Timothy 1:4–5).

A good conscience has the capability

to tell right from wrong


and is free from guilt.
​
A person with a good conscience maintains his integrity.


He enjoys fellowship with those who

"walk in the light, as [Jesus] is in the light”

(1 John 1:7).


The lies of the devil are anathema to
the one with a good conscience.

Rather than follow the lies of apostates,
he will “fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience”
(1 Timothy 1:18–19).

The New Testament concept of conscience
is more individual in nature and involves three major truths.


First, conscience is a God-given capacity for human

beings to exercise self-evaluation.


Paul refers several times to his own conscience being “good” or “clear”
(Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4).

Paul examined his own words and deeds and found them

to be in accordance with his morals and value system,

which were, of course, based on God’s standards.



His conscience verified

the integrity of his heart. 


Second, the New Testament
portrays the conscience as a witness to something.

Paul says the Gentiles have consciences that bear witness to the presence of the law of God written on their hearts,

even though they did not have the Mosaic Law (Romans 2:14-15).

He also appeals to his own conscience as a witness that
​
he speaks the truth

(Romans 9:1)
and that he has conducted himself in holiness
and sincerity in his dealings with men
(2 Corinthians 1:12).

He also says that his conscience tells him his actions are apparent to both God and the witness of other men’s consciences (2 Corinthians 5:11). 

Third, the conscience is a servant

of the individual’s value system.

An immature or weak value system
produces a weak conscience, while

a fully informed value system produces

a strong sense of right and wrong.


In the Christian life,

one’s conscience can be driven by an
inadequate understanding of scriptural truths
and can produce feelings of guilt and shame
disproportionate to the

​issues at hand.


Maturing in the faith strengthens the conscience. 

This last function of the conscience is what Paul addresses in his instructions regarding eating food sacrificed to idols.
He makes the case that,

since idols are not real gods,

it makes no difference if food has been sacrificed to them or not.

But some in the Corinthian church were weak in their understanding and believed that such gods really existed.

These immature believers were horrified at the thought of eating food sacrificed to the gods,
because their consciences were informed
by erroneous prejudices and superstitious views.

Therefore, Paul encourages those more mature
in their understanding
not to exercise their freedom to eat
if it would cause the consciences of
their weaker brothers to condemn their actions.
The lesson here is that, if our consciences are clear
because of mature faith and understanding,
we are not to cause those with weaker consciences
to stumble by exercising

the freedom

​that comes with a stronger conscience.


The word of God tells us that the

Holy Spirit

will convict the world of sin
(John 16:8).

To help us understand what the conviction of sin is,
we can look at what it is not.
First, it is not simply a guilty conscience or even shame over sin.

Such feelings are naturally experienced by almost everyone.
But this is not true conviction of sin.


Second, conviction of sin is not a sense of trepidation
or a foreboding of divine punishment.
These feelings, too, are commonly experienced
in the hearts and minds of sinners.

But, again, true conviction of sin is something different.


Third, conviction of sin is not merely knowledge of right and wrong;
it is not an assent to Scripture’s teaching about sin.
Many people read the Bible and are fully aware that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). They may know that “no immoral, impure or greedy person . . . has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5). They may even agree that “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Yet, for all their knowledge, they continue to live in sin. They understand the consequences, but they’re far from being convicted of their sins.

The truth is,
if we experience nothing more than a pang of conscience, anxiety at the thought of judgment, or an academic awareness of hell, then we have never truly known the conviction of sin.


So, what is real conviction, the kind the Bible speaks of?



The word convict is a translation

of the Greek word elencho,

which means “to convince someone of the truth;

to reprove; to accuse, refute,

or cross-examine a witness.”



The Holy Spirit acts as a prosecuting attorney
who exposes evil,
reproves evildoers,
and convinces people that they need a Savior.

To be convicted is to feel the sheer loathsomeness of sin.

This happens when we’ve seen God’s beauty, His purity and holiness, and when we recognize that sin cannot dwell with Him
(Psalm 5:4).

When Isaiah stood in the presence of God, he was

immediately overwhelmed by his own sinfulness:

"Woe to me! . . . I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips . . .
and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty”
(Isaiah 6:5).

To be convicted is to experience an utter dreadfulness of sin. Our attitude toward sin becomes that of Joseph who fled temptation, crying out, “How could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
(Genesis 39:9).

We are convicted when we become
mindful of how much our sin dishonors God.

When David was convicted by the Holy Spirit, he cried out, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). David saw his sin primarily as
an affront to a holy God.

We are convicted when we become intensely aware
of the wrath it exposes to our souls
(Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5).
When the Philippian jailer fell at the apostles’ feet and cried, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” he was under conviction
(Acts 16:30).
He was certain that, without a Savior, he would die.


When the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sin,

He represents the righteous judgment of God
(Hebrews 4:12).


There is no appeal of this verdict.

The Holy Spirit not only convicts people of sin,
but He also brings them to repentance
(Acts 17:30; Luke 13:5).

The Holy Spirit brings to

light our relationship to God.

The convicting power of the Holy Spirit

opens our eyes to our sin and

opens our hearts to receive His grace
(Ephesians 2:8).

We praise the Lord for the conviction of sin.
Without it, there could be no salvation.

No one is saved apart from the Spirit’s convicting and regenerating work in the heart.

The Bible teaches that all people are by nature rebels against God
and hostile to Jesus Christ.

They are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

Part of that “draw” to Jesus is the conviction of sin.

Psalm 89:5–7 says, “The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.” These verses present a divine council: heavenly beings referred to as “the council of the holy ones.” 

Psalm 82:1 also indicates that
“God has taken his place in the divine council”
(Psalm 82:1, ESV)

The “divine council” is also called the “great assembly”
(NIV),
“heaven’s court” (NLT),

and “His own congregation” (NASB).

This divine council could also be referenced in Nehemiah 9:6,
which says,

“You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You”
(NKJV).

The “host” of the “heaven of heavens” are most likely angelic beings.
God is the Lord of hosts (Psalm 24:10; Isaiah 44:6). The God who presides in the heavenly council is sovereign over all,

including the spiritual beings
in His divine council.

Other passages of Scripture describe scenes that could be interpreted as a meeting of the divine council. In Job 1:6, a conclave is held in heaven: “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord.” In 1 Kings 22:19, the prophet Micaiah relates a vision: “I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.” Micaiah goes on to describe how the spiritual beings there suggested various means of accomplishing God’s will, and God chose one spirit to carry out the task.

In Daniel 4:17,
the angels present a decision made by the divine council:
“This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (NKJV).

The divine council was in God’s presence
and was given the task of deciding Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment
and communicating the verdict to Daniel in a dream.
l
God does not need a divine council to give Him ideas or to approve His decisions.

He is the omniscient God Almighty.
In His wisdom, God has created a divine council
to stand in His presence and graciously allows them
to participate in various judgments and decrees.

It is a wonder that God allows created beings to be privy to His ways and even have input in His plan.

The divine council is privileged to participate in God’s plans, and, to an extent, so are we:

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). And God chooses to use us as ministers of reconciliation in the sharing of the gospel: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
(Matthew 28:18–19; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18).

Revelation 19:10 


"The testimony of Jesus is the

spirit of prophecy”


' book of Revelation is a book of prophecy given by Jesus Christ 

The term revelation refers to a revealing
or the making known of something
that was previously unknown.

Revelation is like pulling back a veil
to show what’s behind it or
unwrapping a present to see what’s inside.

What is prophecy, then?
Simply put, prophecy is communication
from God to mankind.

Some prophecy can be speaking of future events,
and other prophecy might not be.

Prophets were utilized as a mouthpiece for God--
they listened to God and then conveyed God’s message to the masses.
Some examples of prophets are Elijah, Isaiah, Moses, and Jonah.

In the context of Revelation 19:10, John has seen the fall of the evil world system called Babylon the Great (Revelation 18). A great multitude in heaven is celebrating and singing praise to God because of that judgment
(Revelation 19:1–3)
and because it is now time for the wedding supper of the Lamb
 (verses 6–8).

An angel says to John,

"Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”
(Revelation 19:9).

At this proclamation, John falls to worship
at the feet of the angel who is communicating this prophecy,
but the angel insists John rise to his feet,
for he is but “a fellow servant”
(Revelation 19:10; cf. Colossians 2:18).

In response to John’s wrongful worship, the angel says, “See that you do not do that! . . . Worship God!

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10, NKJV). It is critical to understand that this statement is a response to John’s intention to worship the angel. Because of the construction of the clause in the original language (Greek), there are three common understandings of the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy:


Following the angel’s command to John,
we ought to worship God alone.
We are to worship not the purveyor of the message

but the Source of the message.

 (cf. John 17:3; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15; 1 Samuel 7:4).

The name Faithful and True 
expresses the total trustworthiness, reliability,
and constancy of Jesus Christ.

The title reveals His character and
makes known His words and works.

In Revelation 19:11, John sees a vision of Jesus as the exalted King of kings leaving heaven to return to earth: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.”

This picture of Christ’s second coming at the end of the age
shows Jesus no longer as the peaceful,
humble servant riding on a lowly donkey
(John 12:12–15).
Now He is the victorious King,
charging forth like a conquering war general,
leading His troops into battle
(Revelation 19:14).

In this vivid portrayal, John identifies Jesus by four different titles, beginning with Faithful and True. It is the first and only time this name of Jesus appears in Scripture. The second title is unknown to us (Revelation 19:12); the third is the Word of God (verse 13); the fourth is King of kings and Lord of lords (verse 16).

The word for “Faithful” in the original language means “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance,” and the word translated “True” means “truthful or characterized by expressing the truth.” The nature of Jesus Christ—His whole being—exudes faithfulness and truth. Earlier, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus called Himself the “faithful and true witness” in His letter to the church in Laodicea. Faithful and True is who Jesus Christ is.

In His first coming to earth,
Jesus proved Himself to be faithful to the mission
and will of God His Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4; see also John 5:30; Hebrews 3:6; Luke 4:43). Never once did the Lord give in to the temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15–16), from the time Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) until His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21–23; 26:36–44; Mark 8:31–33; 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46).


From the day Isaiah foretold His coming,

Christ’s faithfulness was known
(Isaiah 11:5; 42:3).


As a young man (Luke 2:49) and throughout His ministry, Jesus was a faithful and obedient servant to His Father God (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 12:27; 14:31). Jesus is consistently the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Others will wear out, change, or perish, but Jesus Christ remains the same for all eternity (Hebrews 1:11–12).

Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,”

is the very embodiment of truth
(John 14:6).

He came from His Father “full of grace and truth”
(John 1:14).

And His promise of eternal life is true:

“Truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever hears my word and believes him who sent
me has eternal life.
He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life”

(John 5:24, ESV; see also John 6:47).

Because of the fidelity inherent in His character,
Jesus is faithful toward His followers in every circumstance.

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,”
declares 2 Timothy 2:13 
see also Matthew 28:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23


Faithful and True 
is a fitting title for Jesus Christ our King,
and He calls His followers to
​emulate His faithfulness and truth

(Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:23).
The entire book of Revelation conveys a message to the church of Jesus Christ to be faithful and true,
just as He is Faithful and True.

In Revelation 19:11,
when John sees the gates of heaven open,
the One who has been Faithful and True from ages past
appears at the end of time to wage His final battle.

Jesus Christ comes with justice to judge and wage war, and
He will triumph over the enemies of God!
The outcome is sure because He is Faithful and True.
He will do what He has promised to do.
He shall defeat the devil once and for all.
He will destroy the power of death,

wiping away every sorrow,

tear, and pain from the hearts

of His devoted followers

(Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:14).

​https://youtu.be/YPWHJC7PyYY

Prophetic statements sometimes apply to more than one fulfillment, a principle we could call "duality."
​
​A prime example of duality is Christ's
first coming to atone for our sins and His
​second coming to rule as King of Kings.

Such dual themes are common in Bible prophecy.

Jesus specifically alluded to the dual application of some prophecies in Matthew 17:11-12. Asked about the prophecy of "Elijah," who would precede the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5), Jesus responded: "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already …" (Matthew 17:11-12).

The disciples understood that the "Elijah" who had come already was John the Baptist (verse 13). Jesus Himself explained that John, already dead when

Christ uttered these words,

was a first fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy.

But Christ's clear implication is that another Elijah will precede His second coming, announcing His return just as John the Baptist preceded Christ's first coming. John no longer could do anything in the future. But as a forerunner, John had fulfilled, at least in part, Malachi's prophecy.

Another prophecy with dual application is Jesus' Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), so named because He gave it on the Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet, overlooking Jerusalem. Many conditions described in this prophecy existed in the days leading up to the Romans' siege and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

But Christ makes it clear that
similar conditions would prevail
​shortly before His return.

Another example of dual fulfillment is in references to the "Day of the Lord" such as in Isaiah 13:6: "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty."

Verse 1 of that chapter identifies the time setting as when the

Babylonian Empire threatened the kingdom of Judah

(Babylon invaded Judah and captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.), and it is in this setting that Isaiah wrote that
"the day of the LORD is at hand!"

However, he again mentioned the Day of the LORD in Isaiah 13:9: "Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it." His subsequent inspired words, though, show that he is writing about the time of the end:
​
"For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

"I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger" (Isaiah 13:10-13).

We must carefully examine the context of prophecies to understand their meaning and discern whether the prophecy seems incomplete after its first fulfillment. It is equally important to avoid reading duality into passages that do not support such interpretation.
​
We should take great care to properly discern whether duality is a factor in any particular prophecy. Often we may recognize a prophecy's fulfillment only after it is well under way or already has taken place.

​
​
What are parables?

​Parables were short, relevant stories that Jesus told to
communicate spiritual truths.

Jesus used "well-known" aspects of first-century life to
help illustrate and communicate the message of the kingdom.

The parables showcase the wisdom of Jesus as the master teacher. But the parables served a unique function in Jesus’ ministry in polarizing the crowds between those who hear him and those who truly understand him. It is to that function of the parables I want to look at together today as we begin this series.

Jesus teaches this parable of the sower in verses 1–8 and then explains this parable to his disciples in verses 18–23. Between its teaching and explanation, Jesus speaks to the purpose of his teaching parables.

In many ways, the parable of the sower is a
​parable about the parables.

Thus, it makes it a fitting place to start as we begin this series on the parables. 
​
Traditionally called “The Parable of the Sower,” the sower really isn’t the main point of the parable. I think a better name for it might be “The Parable of the Four Soils.”

​
The point of the parable explains the various "reactions" to the gospel.

We will see that the good seed of the gospel can fall upon various soils of the human heart.
In other words, the parable is trying to answer the question,


“Why do so many people respond so differently to the Gospel?”

In sum, the secrets of the kingdom can only be understood by God’s gracious aid. 

We will first consider the purpose of the parables, focusing on verses 10–17, before then explaining and applying the parable of the four soils.

The Purpose of the Parables (Matthew 13:10–17)
​Jesus tells the parable to the crowd. A sower goes out to sow. Some seed fell on the path; birds ate it. Some seed fell on rocky ground; the sun scorched it. Some seed fell among the thorns; the thorns choked it. Some seed fell on good soil and produced fruit. Then Jesus wraps up the parable with,

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

Amazingly, Jesus doesn’t seek to explain the parable to the crowd or interpret it for them.

That’s not the way the parable works. Parables forced the hearer to think about the message, wrestle with its meaning, and thus examine their own hearts.


Jesus intends the parable to force people to

contemplate and respond to his teaching.


Parables were culturally relevant illustrations that functioned like a "puzzle box" enclosing the nature and purpose of
the kingdom of heaven. 

Yet, only those who have ears to hear the truth can hear it.

As Jesus taught by the sea, all audibly heard the teaching of the parable; not all will comprehend its message. 

This leads to verses 10-17 of the passage, in which Jesus explains the purpose of the parables. While Jesus taught the parable to the crowd, he explains his purpose in the parables to his disciples. He pulls them in and discloses to them the secret of the kingdom. The word “secret” comes from the Greek word mysterion. The word is used similarly by Paul when he talks in Ephesians of how God made known


“the mystery of his will, according to his purpose,

which he set forth in Christ” (Eph. 1:9).


The secrets of the kingdom refer to the hidden purposes of God’s

kingdom that must be spiritually understood.

The secret isn’t obscure, possessed only by a few entrusted folks. Rather, the kingdom of God is proclaimed publicly through Jesus’ teaching in parables. Yet, few understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom.
​They see but do not perceive. They hear but do not understand. 

In Matthew 13:12-13, Jesus speaks of the
polarizing reaction to his teaching in parables.

Those who wrestle, engage, and ponder
over Jesus’ teaching will discover
increasing truth.

More understanding will be given.
They will know the secrets of the kingdom.

Yet, for the one who ignores, discards, and casts aside Jesus’ teaching will have what little truth received taken away. He says, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 13:12, ESV)

Jesus taught in parables because the parables create and expose these spiritual realities—the parables
​spiritually harden or spiritually enlighten.

Look at verse 13, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because
seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear,
nor do they understand.”
Jesus roots his teaching in Isaiah 6 and quotes this
prophecy in verses 14 and 15. 

In many ways, Jesus intends the parables to polarize the crowd.

He’s separating the wheat from the chaff. He is separating true spiritual seekers of Christ’s kingdom from phony impostors. Notice what Jesus says in verse 11, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” You see, understanding of Christ’s kingdom must be given. Some receive this understanding, and others do not.

We must pause here for a moment and consider
how do we gain spiritual truth?
How does anyone understand the kingdom of God?

How can anyone believe in the gospel? Jesus points to God’s sovereignty as the reason any one of us understands the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

As he explains to the disciples, they see and hear, not because of their brilliance but because they are blessed.


Blessed by who? Blessed by God.
​

He tells them in verses 16–17,

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see, and did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Just as Jesus will say a few chapters on in Matthew, in Matthew 16:17,

when Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ,
the Lord responds, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!
For flesh and blood has -not revealed- this to you,
​but my Father who is in heaven.” 

It is God who reveals to anyone the secrets of the kingdom.

We can’t comprehend the identity of Jesus without God’s help and aid.
Our sin causes such blindness and such deafness to the truth that it requires the supernatural aid of God to regenerate our hearts and enable us to behold the glory and salvation of Christ.

Just as Paul taught the Corinthians, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

So, the parables then identify those who are supernaturally enabled to understand the teaching of Christ and behold the glory of Christ.

Yet, there is a lesson as well here in terms of
how the Spirit works in bringing us into
the knowledge of the secrets of Christ’s kingdom.
The parables provoke spiritual interest and spur the
pursuit of more understanding to meaning.
It says in verse 12, “For the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance.”

There is a lesson for those of us who know the
​Spirit of God as our teacher.

Our ability to understand spiritual truth is spiritually given.
But once we have the Holy Spirit, knowing the truth is like a muscle.
If you train and exercise your muscles, they will grow stronger, and you will be able to lift a heavier and heavier weight.
However, if you don’t use it, it atrophies. It gets weak and shrivels away.

Similarly, if we understand the truth that’s been revealed, we will have a greater ability to comprehend more truth.

The disciples, who have already latched on to Jesus’ teaching, have demonstrated that they are true hearers, and Jesus gives them greater insight into his message and kingdom.


Truth gives way to greater truth.
​

The more truth we respond too, the more truth we can understand.
Those who reject the truth, cannot understand Jesus’ parables.

There is also a warning here if you are not a Christian. It is vital that you respond to the truth of God. When we fail to respond to the truth of the gospel, whether it is from a friend or from a sermon, our hearts begin to harden against the truth. Though we hear it, we do truly hear it in our hearts. Before long, truth ricochets off of us, and the result is hard-hearted resistance.

The Parable of the Four Soils (Matthew 13:1–9; 18–23)
In many ways, Jesus gives us a detailed interpretation of this parable because it’s so essential in understanding all the other parables. It is the key to understanding all the parables. This is the parable about parables. 

Now before we get into the specifics of the parable, we must note that in first-century Palestine, plowing came after sowing. So as the sower scatters his seed, he is not being careless as he’s throwing the seed, thus accidentally throwing some on the path.
The purpose of the parable isn’t to urge us to be discriminatory in sharing the gospel, “Well that guy looks to be like the soil on the path, so I’m not going to share Jesus with him.” Or, “Oh well she looks like the superficial seed on the rocky ground, best not share the Gospel with her!”

No, that’s not the point of the parable.

If anything, the parable encourages us to be as widespread as possible with the sowing, but the parable helps give us a framework for understanding the various responses that come after the sowing.

The sower sows the good seed of the Word upon the various soils.
This good word is the gospel itself, of how Jesus has come to die on the cross to save us from our sins.

It’s the message of his kingdom.

Jesus came to fulfill the demands of God’s Law,
and as the messiah,
he will lay down his life for sinners so that anyone who would repent and believe in Christ would not perish but have everlasting life.
The seed sown is the message of the gospel, the
announcement of the kingship of Christ,
the heralding of the way of salvation through God’s Son. 


The gospel is a good seed, a good word!

It is news—the best of news!
However, not everyone receives the gospel with joy.


As the seed is sown, the four soils
represent different types of human hearts.
The parable asks us both to examine our own hearts
while at the same time giving God’s church a
framework for understanding
the variety of reactions to our evangelism.

So as we walk through Jesus’ interpretation of this parable, the question that should be in our minds is this: what type of soil is my heart?
Keep that question in the back of your mind as we discuss these four types of soils. 

1. The Unreceptive Path: The Hard Heart
As the sower sows the seed, some of it falls upon the path. The seed has no time to grow on the hard, compacted soil and a bird quickly snatches it up. Our hearts can become so hard that the gospel bounces off of our hearts, and Satan quickly snatches it away. The image of the path brings to mind the idea of travel, commerce, and busyness. There is so much traffic and activity upon the heart that the word of God cannot take root in their heart. They hear the gospel, but they have no understanding. This person keeps themselves so busy with activity that they do not have time to contemplate spiritual things. They run to and fro at a frantic pace. When they do slow down, they keep their minds busy by the bombardment of media, news, and entertainment options available. No room, no time, no opportunity exists for the gospel to take root. If they hear the gospel, their heart is so trampled down by frantic activity they have no time to consider it. The evil one snatches it away with speed.

This is a frightening reality because you can hear the gospel so frequently taught and preached and yet not understand it. A hard-heartedness can easily seep into active churchgoers. You get into the habit of going to church because that is how your mom raised you, or you want to look moral and important somehow. You sit week after week under the teaching of the gospel, and your heart is so hard that the word just bounces off of you. You leave unchanged, unmoved, and unresponsive to the word of God. 

If you are unresponsive to the gospel, then your heart may have been hardened against the gospel. And I pray that somehow God would get your attention before it is too late. Often, what this type of heart needs is a good plowing up to soften up the soil. Your heart needs good breaking with the cutting of the plow. It is a mercy for God to bring tragedy and suffering into your life in order to soften your heart and unclog your ears. With a heart tiled by suffering and softened by pain, you are ready to truly hear the gospel message. 

2. The Superficial Gravel: The Shallow Heart
The seed was also sown upon rocky ground. The terrain of Palestine is a rocky one. Much of the land is covered with 2-3 inches of soil over limestone bedrock. As a result, seeds scattered in such areas would begin to take root, but the roots couldn’t grow deep into the soil. When the heat of the sun beamed down upon the young plant, it dried out and died. The shallow roots couldn’t take the heat. 
Such hearts hear the gospel and initially find great joy in it. Filled with zeal, they become quite impassioned about Jesus, but as soon as tragedy or persecution hits, they abandon Jesus. More often than not, these people become the greatest antagonist against Christianity. When they hear about Jesus, they superficially attach themselves to the church, but their excitement does not last. It withers once life becomes difficult and dies out. 

Here we must caution against the dangers of emotionalism. Experiencing great feelings doesn’t necessarily mean that you know Christ. It’s common for people to chase experiences—whether it’s a conference, a youth camp, or a worship service. You can chase an experience all you want, but you might not have necessarily gained Christ. Such experience chasers are often like this soil. It’s all frothy emotions and crocodile tears, but there are no roots. They never develop a deep faith and trust in Jesus. Thus, as soon as the heat of the sun bears down upon them, they reveal themselves as the imposters they truly are. As soon as life gets hard, persecution occurs, or suffering strikes, they go from praising Jesus to blaming Jesus. For the true Christian, deeply rooted in the gospel, the heat of the sun strengthens us grow by forcing our roots to go deeper. Sufferings and trials grow and mature the Christian, yet for those who have only superficially attached themselves to Jesus, the heat shrivels them up.

Emotions are by no means a bad thing for the Christian. Indeed, we should have great feelings and love for Jesus, but true faith in Jesus is a deep trust and confidence in God’s Word that goes beyond how we feel in any given moment. Only the true Christian can praise Jesus through sorrow and cling to Christ in tragedy. 

3. The Worldly Weeds: The Divided Heart
The third type of soil is that of the worldly weeds. This is the divided heart. It’s the type of heart that refuses repentance. It’s a divided heart because it attempts to add a love of Jesus along with love for the world. But, no matter how hard you may try, you cannot sustain split loves like that. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.” Or, as James puts it, “Friendship with the world is hatred towards God” (Jam. 4:4). Or, as John puts it, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 1:15). 

You see, true faith, saving faith is a complete and total devotion to Jesus. Those who have divided allegiance to Jesus end up rejecting Jesus in the end. It’s not as if they were Christians and then they lost their salvation. They were never Christian at all. They never truly repented of their former way of life. The roots of the world lie beneath the surface of their hearts. As the good seed of the gospel comes to them, it begins to grow, but the thorns and thistles of the world quickly choke out the seed. 
For each of these three soils so far, we must state firmly that none of them were truly Christian, though they may initially seem to be Christian. The first soil obviously rejects the seed, and Satan swallows it up. The second soil, the shallow heart, never truly becomes a Christian as the seed of the gospel doesn’t last. The third soil, the divided heart, also never truly becomes a Christian, as the gospel is choked out. Though to us looking at the outside, there may be initial signs of spiritual life; it doesn’t last. Time reveals their so-called faith as phony. The roots are too shallow to endure hardship or worldly desires choke out the gospel plant. 

These three soils help us understand the various responses to the Gospel message. 

However, there is a fourth soil Jesus gives us. 



4. The Good Soil: The Fruitful Heart

This fourth soil is the good soil of the fruitful heart.
The message of the gospel comes into their life
and begins to
take root and grow.

Their heart is ready, supernaturally prepared,
for accepting the Gospel seed. 

The soil is soft, ready to receive the word, not hardened like the path.
The soil is deep, ready to put down roots deeply,
not like rocky like the gravel.
The soil is pure, not contaminated by worldly weeds
that choke out the gospel from their hearts.

The Holy Spirit had gone before
and prepared the heart in regeneration
for true faith in Christ to take root. 

Jesus tells us that this soil represents the
one who hears, accepts, and bears fruits.
This person hears the gospel and accepts it as true.

They hear of what Jesus has done for them, how he is the son of God who came down from heaven, became flesh, and dwelt among us. They hear of his death for the sins of humanity.
They hear of his victorious resurrection, conquering sin and death.

They hear it and accept it—they truly believe in him,
that Christ is the king! 

It is only by the power of God that any of us can truly hear this gospel!
So the message of the gospel is received, but what is the evidence of authentic hearing of the gospel? Well, Jesus is pretty clear: it is a life lived in fruitfulness. The seed of the gospel produces fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold! 

What sort of fruit does this look like in the Christian life? Well, it means the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life, and not just evident by continually increasing.
Paul tells us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22–24, ESV)

Fruit in the Christian life is also displayed through evangelism.

A tree produces fruit for reproduction.

In the same way, we,
​
through our witness,
must proclaim the gospel to others.
​

We speak of what Christ has done for us and invite others to put their faith in Jesus!

The mark of the true Christian is Spirit-empowered, persevering fruitfulness.



Final Thoughts

The four soils indicate four types of hearing, with only one soil representing the true hearing and acceptance of the Gospel message. Examine yourself and ask which type of soil reflects my heart? 
​

• The first soil is the unreceptive path. It is the hardened heart that doesn’t have any interest in Jesus or the Gospel.
• The second soil is the superficial gravel or the shallow heart. With no roots, as soon as persecution or suffering comes, the heat of the sun scorches them. 
• The third soil is the worldly weeds or the divided heart. They attempt to have Jesus plus all the pleasures and desires of the world. Yet, no one can serve to masters, and the worldly weeds snuff out the gospel. 
• The fourth soil is the good soil, the soil that is soft, willing to hear the gospel, receives it and produces great fruit! 

I pray that today the Spirit would show you the depths of your heart and help you to truly hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ this morning. He has come to deliver you from your sin and save your soul. Through this sermon (and every sermon), I’m throwing out the seed of the gospel. If you’ve been coming to Redemption a while and hearing the gospel, I pray that the Lord has brought great fruit into your life as you accepted and received Christ. As you believe the truth, may the Lord give you greater understanding and enjoyment of Christ. May truth beget an increasing knowledge of the truth in your life, manifested by the fruitfulness that comes from Christian maturity!

However, if you’ve been coming here a while and there is no fruit in your life, the problem isn’t with the good seed of the gospel but your heart. Receive Christ. Grow deep roots into Christ. Uproot the worldly weeds that choke out Christ from your life. For some of you, you may have never truly, authentically heard the gospel. The message has hit your ears but never your heart. I pray today you would respond for the first time in saving faith. May the Lord give you to know of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. May he bless your eyes, for they see. May he bless your ears, for they hear. He who has ears, let him hear.
​

Why did Jesus often tell those he healed to remain silent?

It is interesting that on a number of occasions after Jesus performed a mighty deed, he commanded those who benefited to not tell anyone.
This is especially the case in Mark’s gospel.
Why did Jesus do this? 


The messianic secret is a feature of the Gospel. 


Another major part of the answer to my initial question has to do with the nature of miracles and their main purpose.
It seems they were mostly about confirming the man and his message. They were not ends in themselves.

They pointed to the nature of salvation and the long-awaited messiah.

The connection between miracles and salvation can be seen in many places. For example, the story of the healing of the paralytic in Matthew. 9:1-8
shows the inseparable link between forgiveness of sins and the man’s healing. 

“Although Jesus’ miracles teach about his power to heal physically, these signs are especially meant to turn attention to the kingdom of God (6:33; 9:12). Similarly, in the Book of Acts signs and wonders constitute the primary method of drawing attention to the claims of the gospel, but it is the gospel itself that is paramount (e.g., Acts 14:3).”

The same can be said about Mark’s gospel.
Miracles are primarily pointers, and they point to a person.
As James Edwards comments: “For Mark the significance of Jesus cannot be fully conveyed by what he does, but only by who he is.
One can be amazed by a miracle, but one can only trust and believe a person.”

Moreover, Jesus did not want to be sidetracked from the main purpose of the incarnation: the cross. Jewish expectations at the time of what the messiah would be like were quite different from his.

They were looking for a military conqueror,
a political liberator.

Although this was a proper expectation based on much Old Testament teaching, it was not the whole package.

That the coming messiah should
first suffer, then rule,
was not part of most Jewish expectations.

But the idea of a suffering messiah was there nonetheless (as in the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 52:13-53:12). What the Jews were eagerly looking forward to from the day of the Lord was God’s vindication: God’s salvation of his people and judgement on their enemies.

The coming messiah was looked on as a great deliverer or judge, in the tradition of Moses, Samson or Gideon.

Jesus knew these skewed expectations would become an obstacle to his appointed task of his substitutionary death.

He could not allow those who wanted to make him a political revolutionary to deter him from his true mission.

Thus he had to urge quiet, so that he might follow his father’s will, not the misguided will of the crowd.

Here's an interesting thought experiment -- if you knew you had a finite amount of time to teach people everything they needed to know about abundant life now and eternal life to come ... how would you do it?  If we're honest, I'll bet most of us would choose as straightforward a method as possible.  Maybe contract law, or exhaustive doctrine?  Among several kinds of teaching, one of Jesus' favorites was story.  

Moreover, his stories were sometimes strange or enigmatic,
and he did not always try to explain them.  
What was he up to?

Jesus knew that human beings are "story-formed people."  We perceive and process our lives in the form of characters, plot, conflict, and resolution.  

So he used stories as a primary way of engaging our imaginations and inviting us to explore the deep truths he wanted us to know.

One such story is the parable of the vineyard, in Matthew 20:1-16.  
(Click the scripture reference to read it online!)  

When reading parables, remember the principles we've outlined so far in this series,

"Lost in Translation."  

Be aware of your own cultural lens;
give priority to the historical context in which it was written;
beware of creative normative commands from narratives meant to illustrate truth.

In this parable, the vineyard would conjure in the first-century Jewish mind the important metaphor of the vineyard for God's people (see Isaiah 5:7).  This isn't a story about how to do business, or about a free capitalist market, or about employing day laborers.  

It's a story about God's people...especially who's in and who's out.  

Jesus often designed his parables to begin with a setup, then offer an unexpected ending.  


It was a skillful way of exposing us, especially when we have hard hearts.


 This parable is a classic reversal of expectations: not only does the landowner pay the last workers first, he pays them a full day's wage!  

So what is Jesus trying to get across, if it's not about fair wages or being a generous employer?   Parables aren't allegories (stories in which every element symbolizes something else -- think Orwell's "Animal Farm").  So we can't pick them apart piece by piece -- if we pull the petals off a rose, we'll lose the beauty of the whole!  

Instead, the parables are illustrating truth about "the kingdom of heaven."  

Jesus even starts this parable that way!  
In this case, Jesus is challenging people who feel that they somehow deserve privilege in God's kingdom.  

These might be people who have lived faithfully, tithed generously, even made personal sacrifices for God's glory.  In these cases, it can be all too easy to mistakenly believe we "deserve" something from God, or that there are degrees of belonging in God's kingdom.  

But the simple fact is that everything we have is the result of God's grace -- a gift from our generous Landowner.  

Philip Yancey brilliantly put it this way: "God give gifts, not wages."  

When we accept the fact that we are recipients of God's grace
rather than earners of God's favor,
we will discover the kind of gratitude
that permeates the hearts of
so many people we read about in
the Gospels and Acts.  

And oh, how we need this gratitude today!
​ 
How we live in a cultural grace-drought!  

The Church has been called and equipped with the Holy Spirit to lead the way within our divisive, petty and backbiting culture to let God's rivers of living water flow through us into this dry and thirsty land.  

But it starts with remembering that 
we are all latecomers to the vineyard.  

We are all recipients of God's scandalous grace.  

We are all given more than we deserve
from the One who wants us to have abundant lives.  

For reflection: 
1) Which characters do you primarily relate to in this parable?
2) Do you feel like a "latecomer" to God's kingdom?  How does it make you feel to consider that you are a latecomer, rather than one of the faithful all-day laborers?
3) Do you know anyone that you would find difficult sharing an equal share of the Church?  (If you don't think of anyone, consider people who have wronged you, or wronged someone else.  Think of people who do things you don't approve of.  This is how many 1st century Jews thought of Gentiles and others they considered "unclean.")
4) What can you do to change your attitude toward the person(s) you thought of in #3?  How can you bring all of this to God honestly in prayer?

In Grace!
​
​

​
Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold,
​I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘
Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
Isaiah 28:16
​
And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4




Mark 13:1 
And as he came out of the temple, one of his
disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!

Over five hundred years before Jesus was born, Jewish exiles in Babylon returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple (Ezra 3). About 160 years before Jesus was born, Antiochus IV Epiphanes defiled the temple by dedicating it to Zeus and sacrificing a pig on the altar. The Maccabean family led a revolt, taking back the temple and rededicating it. In 39 BC, Herod the Great overran the temple and killed many of the priests. About twenty years later, he tried to placate the Jewish populace by renovating the temple to surpass the standards God gave Solomon. Although major construction was completed in only a few years, it wasn't entirely finished until AD 67—long after this passage in Mark occurred.

Three years later, the Romans besieged Jerusalem and
fulfilled Jesus' prophecy that
every stone would be taken, one from another
​ (Mark 13:2). 

At this time, the temple and surrounding courtyard are indeed "wonderful."

​The temple is massive, made of great white stones.

The eastern side is covered in gold. Herod not only expanded the temple, he expanded the top of the temple Mount. He built great walls to roughly square off the plateau, and back-filled them to flatten the top. Porticoes—open-air porches— line the top edges. The largest, Solomon's portico, borders the southern edge.

​On the northwest corner is Antonia Fortress, home to the garrison that guards the temple Mount against riots. It is this garrison that will save Paul when he is wrongly accused of bringing Gentiles into the temple (Acts 21:27–36). 

Throughout the week, Jesus and the disciples have probably entered the temple courtyard through the east gate, where the morning sun shines through and onto the temple. Although built by an evil, quasi-Jewish king, the temple is architecturally a magnificent emblem, representing both the worship of God and the nationalism of the Jews. Unfortunately, it has become more of the latter and less of the former.

The building that should be the centerpiece of God-worship
is now a symbol of corruption
(Mark 11:15–19).
​


The resurrection of Jesus
is the cornerstone to a worldview
​that provides the perspective to all of life. 


​
​Matthew 16:18  
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

​The term living stones in 1 Peter 2:5 is used as a metaphor to illustrate the secure and intimate relationship believers have with Jesus, who is described in the previous verse as the “living Stone” (1 Peter 2:4). Together, these two verses picture how Christ and His followers are joined by God Himself: “As you come to him, the LIVING Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4–5).

The foundation of God’s building is

His Son, Jesus Christ,

the “living Stone.”


The “living stones,” in turn, are believers who come to Jesus and place their lives upon this foundation.

The living Stone is “precious” to those who believe (1 Peter 2:7), but some men reject the living Stone in order to build their lives their own way, not God’s way (see Psalm 118:22 and Luke 6:46–49). Unbelievers cast this living Stone aside, not caring that Jesus is the only true foundation upon which they can build securely (1 Corinthians 3:11).

In a metaphor much like that of the living Stone, Jesus is described as the chief cornerstone in Ephesians 2:19–22. Peter references Jesus as the cornerstone in Acts 4:11–12, stating that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God accepts no one who refuses to become a part of His building.

And God is just like all builders--

He has a foundation upon which all workers must build
(Matthew 7:24–27).


So what is the significance
of the stones of remembrance
​in Joshua 4:9?

It is one of the climactic events in all of biblical history. The Israelites had waited forty years, but now the time had come. It is a poignant moment as they stride across the riverbed of the Jordan, opened for them by the miraculous power of God. Behind them, they leave the wearying decades of meandering around in a barren wilderness and the tragic memories of countless funerals for an entire generation of people who would not trust God's promises. Slavery in Egypt and the bare survival of nomadic life are bygone experiences now.

A new and welcome chapter opens before them!

Before them lay a land richer than their dreams, more fruitful than their hopes, and more beautiful than their imagination. Now it is theirs by God's steadfast promise.

It must have felt surreal to finally stand in Canaan, kind of like when you unlock the door to your first home. You've envisioned it, planned for it, imagined what you will do with it…but when you step in that front door, your emotions soar!

To be the fulfillment of an ancient promise to Father Abraham must have been overwhelming.

Their joy had been magnified by recent events. 

When they arrived at the Jordan, they found it is flood stage, menacing in its speed and dangerous fro what it concealed. The jungle-like grow covered by the rapid current left Israel flatfooted. The river was impassible, its crossing impossible.

But God intervened, performing a miracle that paralleled the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt. 

God rolled back the waters of the Jordan River, just as He had done with the Red Sea.
God meant what He had said through Moses years before.

Here was His signature again,
in the same way, to assure His people that 

He was good to His word.
​

I imagine there were songs and shouts as 

God's people worshiped and exulted in Him. 

​After the people of Israel supernaturally crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, God commanded Joshua to “choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight’” (Joshua 4:2–3, NLT).

These stones of remembrance
would serve as a permanent national reminder and a memorial to future generations of the miraculous river crossing.

Joshua’s stones of remembrance
are just one monument in a series of memorials commemorating the mighty acts of God on behalf of the people of Israel (Exodus 13:3–6; 24:4; Deuteronomy 27:1–8; Joshua 22:9–12; 24:24–28; 1 Samuel 7:12).

To everyone else, the stones were just a heap of rubble, but to the people of God, they were a constant reminder that
​
Yahweh was a personal and powerful God,

working wonders on behalf of His people.

When the people following Joshua arrived at the Jordan, the river was at flood stage, transforming it from its typical 100-foot width to a daunting mile-wide, raging river. Israel’s entrance into Canaan was completely blocked. But as soon as the priests dipped their feet in the river’s edge, God stopped the flow of water, and the people crossed on dry ground.

The priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood in the middle of the riverbed until the whole nation had passed over (Joshua 3:14–17).

Then God gave Joshua instructions to appoint twelve men, one from each tribe. The men were each to retrieve one stone from where the priests had stood in the riverbed bearing the ark of the covenant. The stones of remembrance were not to come from the shores of the Jordan but the center, spotlighting the fact that Israel had crossed over on dry land.

Each of the stones of remembrance represented one of the tribes of Israel. The number twelve is repeated five times in Joshua 4:1–8, emphasizing the unity of the tribes as one nation under Joshua’s leadership.

The twelve stones of remembrance would
now serve as a perpetual sign and memorial.

--stones that at one point were buried, unreachable, covered by a challenge to the faith of God's people, but were now divinely accessible.

​Joshua piled them up in Gilgal, where the Israelites set up camp. “Then Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘In the future your children will ask, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them, “This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.” For the LORD your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD your God forever’” (Joshua 4:21–24, NLT)

Remembering the past plays a vital role in the identity of any nation. Sociologists claim that a society aspiring to endure must become “a community of memory and hope” God repeatedly directed ancient Israel to set up monuments and enact rituals such as the Passover (Exodus 13—14). Each tribute marked a significant historical memory that would offer future hope for the nation that God had claimed as His own.

Crossing the Jordan represented a major change for the nation of Israel.

Their wilderness wanderings were over. No longer would Israel be fed with manna provided by the hand of God (Joshua 5:12). From now on, the people would need to walk by faith in God’s promise to give them a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).

God sent the ark ahead of the people into the overflowing waters to encourage their faith. The ark represented God’s presence, His very self, going before them and opening the way for them in their new walk of faith. Just as God had parted the Red Sea to deliver Israel from bondage in Egypt, so also would He spread open the Jordan to lead them into the Promised Land. Remembering God’s miraculous provision and presence gave the children of Israel the courage to follow Him into this new territory fraught with conflict and enemies to conquer.

With stones of remembrance, the Israelites built a monument to commemorate their crossing over from the old way of life into the new in the Promised Land. The pile of twelve stones reminded Israel of what God had done for them—that He cared for His people, kept His promises, and went before them in victory to conquer the land of their inheritance. This is the message the stones declared to Israel, and this is what they say to us today.

They represented a sign, an unmistakable marker at the very place where God had demonstrated His power to overcome any obstacle to His will. Because stones don't naturally stack, there would come a day when Israel's children would ask for an explanation for this phenomenon. 
This is what happens when the impossible meets the promises of God. This is the outcome when the implausible comes up against the glorious riches of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:5 You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
​

God is faithful. His promises never fail (1 Kings 8:56). With the assurance of His presence and the reminder of His mighty power, the Lord bolsters our faith whenever He asks us to follow Him into new areas of battle and conquest. We can let these stones remind us, too, that unless we step out in faith and get our feet wet as the priests did, we’ll never fully experience the new life of faith and freedom that Christ has opened up for us as our inheritance in Him (Galatians 5:1; 1 Peter 2:16).


​ “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

In part of the Lord’s message to the church of Pergamum, we read, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17). The book of Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature, which features symbolism and sometimes bizarre imagery in its presentation of prophecy. The “hidden manna” mentioned in the letter to Pergamum is one example of such symbolism.

Quite simply, the hidden manna is a symbolic picture of Jesus Christ. As the manna of the Exodus sustained and strengthened the Israelites for the forty years of desert wanderings, so Jesus strengthens and sustains us spiritually as we walk through this life on our way to heaven. Jesus is the “manna” from heaven—the spiritual sustenance we need—and it is promised to us.

Jesus Himself made the connection between the manna of Moses’ day and His own provision of salvation: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. . . . This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:48–51, 58). The manna that sustained the Israelites was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ; the manna mentioned in Revelation 2:17 is another, symbolic reference to Christ.

As a symbol, the hidden manna of Revelation 2:17 is not to be taken literally; in other words, Jesus is not speaking of something we literally eat. Rather, the Bread of Life is something we “ingest” in another, non-physical way. We receive the benefits of salvation by faith (John 1:12).

The manna is “hidden” in that it is given exclusively to believers in Christ. Only believers will reap the benefits of salvation. The unbelieving world that rejects Christ will never know the joy and satisfaction of faith in Him.

The recipient of the hidden manna is specified in Revelation 2:17 as “the one who is victorious.” The overcomer is one who endures in his faith, despite trials and hardships. Overcomers are followers of Christ who successfully resist the power and temptation of this world. An overcomer holds fast to faith in Christ until the end. He demonstrates complete dependence upon the Lord Jesus through thick and thin. First John 5:4–5 encourages us that all who are born again will overcome this world: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

As we seek to remain faithful to Jesus, living in light of His death, burial, and resurrection for forgiveness of sins, and resisting the temptations of the world, we are promised goodness. The hidden manna from heaven will be ours. Even if the world cannot understand how, we will be strengthened. We will be sustained.

Isaiah 28:16-17 
 “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.”

Isaiah 28:16-17(MSG)
“But the Master, God, has something to say to this: “Watch closely. I’m laying a foundation in Zion, a solid granite foundation, squared and true. And this is the meaning of the stone: a trusting life won’t topple. I’ll make justice the measuring stick and righteousness the plumb line for the building. A hailstorm will knock down the shantytown of lies, and a flash flood will wash out the rubble.”

“Therefore the Lord God says this, “Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed. He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic]. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason’s level; then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.” 

“Jesus is the Stone that the builders of this world rejected. In ancient architecture the cornerstone was the principle stone placed at the corner of a great edifice, such as the temple. The Cornerstone was the most precious, valuable, and carefully constructed stone in the entire building. It was the stone upon which all others rested, and it brought unity to the whole. The Church can be compared to a temple with each of us being like living stones. Christ is the head corner stone. Our strong foundation, the one who holds us all together, and the one given the greatest honor. The metaphor is similar to the picture of the Church as one body with Christ as the head. This one, that has been scorned and rejected by the world, is the one whom God has given the chief importance and the greatest honor.”  

Isaiah has been telling us that the people of Israel and Judah have chosen to disregard God’s directives, and ignore His teachings, choosing instead to make a contract with death. Leadership was found saying:

“We have made a pact with death; we’ve made a deal with the grave.
        When the scourge of disease and doom comes our way, they won’t touch us.

    Death and the grave will pass us by
        for our fraud disguises us, and deception is our shield.” -Isaiah 28:15

“So the Lord, the Eternal, has this to say: Eternal One: See here, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone—a cornerstone, chosen and precious—for a firm foundation. Whoever trusts in it will never be disgraced. Justice will be the line by which I lay out its floor plan, and righteousness will be My leveling tool. A hailstorm will pulverize and wash away the fraud and deception behind which people hide, and floodwaters will overrun their hiding place.” 

Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty,
response to their prideful attitude and arrogance is found in our text. Here we find a prophetic Word about a Stone, which will be the measuring stick or plumb line, to check whether the foundation that the people were building lined up to God’s standards. This Stone, notice the capital “S”, was/is the person of Jesus Christ. 

“But the Lord God says, “See, I am placing a Foundation Stone in Zion—a firm, tested, precious Cornerstone that is safe to build on. He who believes need never run away again. I will take the line and plummet of justice to check the foundation wall you built; it looks so fine, but it is so weak a storm of hail will knock it down! The enemy will come like a flood and sweep it away, and you will be drowned.” 

“With this stone metaphor, the biblical writers established that the kingdom God built would be founded upon Jesus Christ. Every detail in its dimensions, shape, size, and form relates directly to Christ. Without the corner stone, the building has no value.” 

Psalm 118 is attributed to David. Within its stanzas of praise, we find this prophetic word about Jesus Christ the Messiah, though Jewish rabbis and tradition felt it referred to David himself:

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” -Psalm 118:22

Paul, writing to the church in Rome, refers to Isaiah’s prophecy. Paul is explaining about the God’s plan, from the beginning, that the Gospel was to be for all man, both Jew, and Gentile. This fact would become a tumbling block for many Jews. Paul wrote:

“So what does all of this mean? Did the non-Jews stumble into a right standing with God without chasing after it? Yes, they found it through faith. And has Israel, who pursued the law to secure a right standing with God, failed to keep the law? Yes again. And why is that? Because Israel did not follow the path of faith. They thought that whatever they needed to be right with God could be accomplished by doing the works of the law; they tripped over the stumbling stone. As the Scriptures say, “Look what I am going to do in Zion. I’ll put in place a stone that makes them stumble, a rock that trips them up, and those who trust in it will not be disgraced.” -Romans 9:30-33

Jesus, speaking to the Chief Priests and Elders, made reference to the Stone, that the builders rejected. He said this:

“Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The [very] Stone which the builders rejected and threw away,
Has become the chief Cornerstone;

This is the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous and wonderful in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to [another] people who will produce the fruit of it. And he who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” Matthew 21:42-44 (AMP)
Peter also wrote about the Stone, which we know this Stone as Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Savior. Peter writes that those who choose to depend on the Stone, saying they would never be disgraced or disappointed. 

“Come to Him—the living stone—who was rejected by people but accepted by God as chosen and precious. Like living stones, let yourselves be assembled into a spiritual house, a holy order of priests who offer up spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God through Jesus the Anointed. For it says in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “See here—I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone, chosen and precious;

Whoever depends upon Him will never be disgraced.” To you who believe and depend on Him, He is precious; but to you who don’t, remember the words of the psalmist: “The stone that the builders rejected
     has been laid as the cornerstone—the very stone that holds together the entire foundation,” and of Isaiah: “A stone that blocks their way,
     a rock that trips them.” They stumble because they don’t follow the word of God, as they were destined to do.” -1 Peter 2:4-8 
​
“The stone is a stone of judgment.  It is not susceptible to destruction by its enemies.  All efforts against the stone shatter to pieces.  Furthermore, it falls in judgment on those who reject it. ” 

My friend, Jesus is the Cornerstone, the very One that so many have rejected. He is our measuring stick, our plumb line, to compare ourselves to, not other people, but Jesus. If we follow His ways, and live as He directed, we will never be disgraced or disappointed. 

As living stones, we have new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As integral parts of the building of God, we have security in Christ (John 6:37). As the Master Builder, God places His living stones just where He wants us to be (1 Corinthians 12:18). As living stones, we are connected to one another in the body of Christ (Romans 12:5). Our Lord, the foundation Stone, is alive forevermore and will never crumble. He will support us eternally. 

Peter goes on to describe the function of the living stones: to “declare the praises” of Him who called us out of the darkness of sin into the light of life and glory (1 Peter 2:9). This is the “job description” of a living stone: a speaker of praise, a declarer of truth and love and light. The spiritual house God is building is designed for His glory, and we, the living stones, glorify the Lord in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).

​​
What do these remembrance stones mean in Joshua?

I. It's all about God
Seeing that rock pile and hearing the story, the people of Israel would know clearly that they had not crossed Jordan on their own. Those stones cried out, "God did this! By His hand we have forded this river. By His power and faithfulness we have accomplished this!"

So may this memorial stand to speak to us all. Let it remind us that Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor over it in vain (Ps. 127:1). Let the hallowed act of our devotion come back to strengthen us that it truly is "Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. (Zech. 4:6). From start to finish, from every dollar given to every brick laid, let God be all in this place!

II. We have a missionary purpose
Joshua told Israel that the stones would serve as a reminder that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God." (v. 24) Let no one be confused. We have no mission here but the Great Commission. These buildings aren't memorials to us, but to Him! We exist to know God and make Him known. Our buildings exist, not to make us comfortable or proud, but for God's glory and the gospel's advance.

III. We must change if we want to go with God
The stones out of the Jordan marked the movements of God among His people. They testified of the willingness of a people to leave what they had known in order to go with God, to face challenges to their faith, to step into the water, to believe in what they could not see.

Here me, people of God:
Between the realization of this dream God has planted in our hearts and where we are now, there stands some daunting boundaries. We cannot yet see how God will do it, but we believe He is faithful. It's time to venture with God into His future for us.

This is all about God and His glory; it is about the missionary purpose for which we exist; it is about the challenge to change so that God can manifest His glory more fully through us.

God Almighty, I ask that you remind me that I should not be comparing standards to the World, but only to Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. He is the standard that I am to be following, my perfect example. To those who have accepted His gift of salvation, He is a Cornerstone, a blessing. To those who do not know Him, He is a stumbling block. Thank you, Lord, for being my living example. Help me to pursue becoming more like you every day,
​my precious Cornerstone. 

​

• We’re studying Israel’s excuses to Ezekiel and God for why they need not worry about coming judgment
  
  • So far we’ve studied five of the eight excuses in this section of Ezekiel’s book
    
    • Each excuse has shown us how self-deceived the people of Israel had become
      
    • And it also gives us an opportunity to consider whether we use similar excuses at times for our own disobedience to God’s word
      
    • It’s our human (sin) nature to think that we can get away with sin, but Scripture reminds us that the Lord is aware
      
    • And He encourages us to serve Him obediently 
      
  • So we want to understand the historical circumstances of Israel’s excuses and the Lord’s response so we can be better prepared to serve the Lord too
    
    • Tonight we move to excuse #6
      
    • This excuse, like many of the others, is only reflected in the text indirectly
      
    • We come to understand the excuse by noting what the Lord said in response
      
  • In the previous two chapters, Israel’s excuse was that the Lord’s covenant with Israel prevented Him from executing judgment so they need not fear
    
    • So the Lord’s response was to review in detail all the sins of the previous generations which justified His judgment
      
    • But that recap generated a new excuse, which the Lord then addresses in Chapter 17
      
    • That new excuse was that the Lord can’t punish this generation for the sins of those past generations
      
• So this chapter is the Lord’s response to that claim
  
  • And He opens with a parable
    

EZEK. 17:1  Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
EZEK. 17:2 “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
EZEK. 17:3 saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “A great eagle with great wings, long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
EZEK. 17:4 “He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.
EZEK. 17:5 “He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow.
EZEK. 17:6 “Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.
EZEK. 17:7  “But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was planted, that he might water it.
EZEK. 17:8 “It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”’
EZEK. 17:9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers — so that all its sprouting leaves wither? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again.
EZEK. 17:10 “Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it — wither on the beds where it grew?”’”

• The Lord tells Ezekiel to present Israel with a riddle and parable
  
  • The prophecy is a riddle because its meaning has to be decoded…it’s not obvious
    
    • And it’s a parable as well because the story presents an allegory, which is a message told through symbols
      
    • The riddle part challenges the intelligence of the listener, and in that way is designed to excite interest in learning the message
      
    • And the message holds the meaning of the prophecy
      
  • Combining a riddle with a parable obscures the meaning beyond the ability of the listener to make sense of the prophecy
    
    • Which in turn makes Ezekiel’s audience dependent on the Lord to explain the meaning
      
    • So in short, this form gets and holds their attention so that they might hear the message
      
  • In vs.1-10, the Lord presents the riddle/parable and in the verses that follow He explains it
    
    • So we will simply observe this first section and let the Lord explain it to us
      
    • The story centers around eagles, trees and vines
      
• First, a singularly impressive eagle flies to the cedars of Lebanon 
  
  • Today we think of Lebanon as a place distinct from Israel, but in Ezekiel’s day Lebanon was another name for the northern region of Canaan
    
    • Lebanon was part of the land God gave to Israel and therefore Lebanon was another name for Israel 
      
    • But when the Bible uses the name Lebanon, it’s referring to the northernmost region of Israel, which was famous for the very tall cedar trees planted there
      
  • Today in Israel you can again find cedars in many places
    
    • But these trees were only planted during the last century following the deforestation of Israel by the Ottoman Empire
      
    • So they aren’t nearly as stately as the cedar forests of ancient Israel, which had grown up over several centuries
      
    • So Lebanon is a reference to the cedar forest of northern Israel
      
    • And in particular, calling Israel by the name Lebanon was a way of referring to the fruitfulness and grandeur of Israel
      
  • And then an impressive eagle plucks off tops of these trees and carries them to a land of merchants and traders
    
    • And the eagle also took some vine seeds from Lebanon and planted it in a fertile well-watered area
      
    • As a result, that vine sprouted with roots secure in the ground 
      
    • And as the vine spread out, it’s branches reached up toward the eagle that planted it
      
• Then in v.7 another somewhat less majestic eagle appears and the vine suddenly shifts its attention from the first eagle to the second
  
  • The vine’s branches grow upward toward the new eagle seeking for that second eagle to water it instead of the first
    
    • In v.8 we are reminded that the vine’s desire for the second eagle to water it is unnecessary because it was already planted in a well-watered area
      
    • It’s been fruitful in that place, and so there should be no need to seek for a new source of water
      
  • So in vs.9-10 the Lord asks rhetorically, wouldn’t the owner of that vine respond by pulling it out of the ground so that it withers?
    
    • Because the vine did not respond faithfully to the one who planted it and nourished it, but instead went after another provider, it will be despised by its owner
      
    • So it will suffer the fate of being uprooted
      
    • And despite having great roots, it cannot survive at that point since it has been detached from the land
      
• Now we see the Lord interpreting the riddle/parable, and first Ezekiel interprets it historically and then makes a theological application 
  

EZEK. 17:11  Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
EZEK. 17:12 “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes and brought them to him in Babylon.
EZEK. 17:13 ‘He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
EZEK. 17:14 that the kingdom might be in subjection, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant that it might continue.
EZEK. 17:15 ‘But he rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?
EZEK. 17:16 ‘As I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘Surely in the country of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon he shall die.
EZEK. 17:17 ‘Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives.
EZEK. 17:18 ‘Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’”

• The Lord now begins to assign meaning to the various characters and events 
  
  • Beginning with the first eagle, which represents the king of Babylon
    
    • When Scripture uses eagles symbolically, they typically represent leaders or powerful entities with authority from God
      
    • For example, in Exodus 19, God uses an eagle to represent how He escorted Israel out of Egypt
      
    • In this case, the Lord gives us the answer to the symbol, but He also gave the answer to Israel earlier in a prophecy in the Law
      

DEUT. 28:47  “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;
DEUT. 28:48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
DEUT. 28:49  “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,
DEUT. 28:50 a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.

• Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is the eagle and the tops of the trees of Lebanon represent the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem
  
  • So as Babylon came upon Israel like a hot wind from the east (see v.10), it carried off the king and court of Israel
    
  • In 597 BC the army invaded Jerusalem and took the Judean king, Jehoiachin, and all his senior advisors
    
  • This group was represented by the tops of the trees
    
• They were taken to Babylon, a place of traders and merchants
  
  • There are several references in the Old Testament to Babylon as a city of traders and merchants
    
  • And this same description continues into the New Testament, as the book of Revelation refers to Babylon in the same way
    
• Then in v.13, the Lord says Babylon took another king of the family of Judah, Zedekiah, and placed him in power over Jerusalem as their vassal
  
  • This is pictured by the seed planted in fertile soil from v.5
    
  • Nebuchadnezzar expected this new king to be compliant to Babylon’s wishes, since he owed his power to them
    
  • They supported his rule and allowed him and the rest of the city’s people to remain and survive on the condition that he obey
    
  • In that sense, they were well-watered and could flourish in their place
    
• As Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah he entered into a covenant with the new king
  
  • A covenant is a life-long binding agreement where the penalty for breaking the agreement is always death 
    
    • Men didn’t enter into covenants without considerable forethought, because so much was on the line
      
    • In Zedekiah’s case, the covenant stipulated that he obey Nebuchadnezzar in all things
      
    • And in response, Nebuchadnezzar pledged to provide and protect Judah from all enemies 
      
  • Under the terms of that covenant, Zedekiah and Jerusalem flourished for a time
    
    • They remained in the land and were left to live life without restraint
      
    • In v.14 the Lord says the key to the nation’s prosperity under these circumstances was to remain subjected to Babylon
      
    • The nation should not try to exalt itself, that is seek to rebel against the Lord’s appointed judgment
      
  • In that sense, Judah’s roots were to remain planted in the land and its branches were to reach upward to the eagle acknowledging its authority
    
    • Its branches only turned up to the eagle 
      
    • The vine itself did not grow upward but instead spread outward
      
    • This was a less-than-sincere acknowledgement of Babylon’s authority
      
    • And historically, this is the record of the time of Zedekiah’s ruling
      
• But in 588 BC, Zedekiah decided to break his covenant and rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon
  
  • Obviously Zedekiah knew his army couldn’t possibly withstand another attack from Nebuchadnezzar, so he sought an ally
    
    • Zedekiah reached out to Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, the enemy of Babylon, seeking assistance 
      
    • Zedekiah asked for horses and troops to defeat Nebuchadnezzar’s army for when he inevitably invaded again
      
    • That Pharaoh is the second strong eagle that the vine turned to for water despite already being well-watered already
      
  • Interestingly, we know that Ezekiel issued this prophecy around 592 BC, so he’s telling Israel of Zedekiah’s rebellion 3 years before it happened
    
    • But he also tells the people that this rebellion can’t hope to succeed
      
    • In v.15 the Lord asks, can someone break a covenant and survive?
      
  • The Lord says in v.16 that the king will die in the country that put him on the throne and whose covenant the king broke
    
    • Remember, that when a man entered into a covenant, he swore by the name of his God
      
    • So Zedekiah would have sworn by the name of the Lord
      
  • And so the Lord is now swearing through Ezekiel to hold that man accountable for breaking that covenant
    
    • Remember, he hadn’t broken it yet, but the Lord knew that he was going to break it
      
    • So he says that though His people broke the covenant, Babylon would keep their part of the bargain
      
    • J. Vernon McGee said concerning this irony:
      

“The interesting thing is that Nebuchadnezzar kept his side of the covenant. God's people broke the covenant, but the pagan nation kept their side of it. What a picture! In some churches you will find people still carrying their Bibles, but their hearts are far from God and you cannot believe what they say. On the other hand, there are businessmen who, although they are unsaved, are men of integrity." 

• In vs.17-18 the Lord says that the Pharaoh wasn’t going to be able to save Zedekiah in the end
  
  • The Lord will ensure that Babylon succeeds in conquering Zedekiah
    
    • You can find an account of how this happens in Jeremiah 37
      
    • The city’s third conquest by Babylon is pictured by the vine being pulled up by the roots
      
    • Zedekiah and the nation were going to be uprooted from the land and allowed to wither in captivity
      
  • Now remember, the nation was saying that they weren’t going to see the destruction Ezekiel was predicting because they weren’t responsible
    
    • Their forefathers may have done terrible things but this generation wasn’t to blame
      
    • So here’s the Lord showing the people that their current leadership is just as rebellious as prior generations
      
  • Breaking the covenant is reason enough for the Lord to put an end to Zedekiah and his rule
    
    • But even before that point, the king was guilty of repeating most of the sins of past generations
      
    • In 2 Kings 24, you find the record of Babylon’s three attacks against Jerusalem and the three kings he installed
      
    • At the end of that chapter, we hear about Zedekiah’s installment
      

2KINGS 24:17 Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2KINGS 24:18  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2KINGS 24:19 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
2KINGS 24:20 For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

• Notice we’re told that during Zedekiah’s short reign he repeated all the sins of the king, Jehoiakim
  
  • And earlier in that chapter we’re told that Jehoiachin also did everything Jehoaikim, his father, had done
    
  • And even earlier in that chapter we’re told that Jehoiakim had shed the blood of the innocent, indicating child sacrifice
    
  • So all three kings carried on the same abhorrent practices of earlier generations
    
• So the nation had no basis for claiming it was innocent of their forefathers’ sins
  
  • On the contrary, they were just as guilty and just as deserving of judgment
    
    • So now the Lord makes a theological application
      

EZEK. 17:19 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will inflict on his head.
EZEK. 17:20 “I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me.
EZEK. 17:21 “All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.”

• The world would see Babylon’s third defeat of Judah as simply another struggle between nations 
  
  • And the result would make perfect sense to a student of the ancient East
    
  • When conquered nations resist the power of their conquerers, they will be crushed
    
  • Such was Judah’s fate following their second rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar
    
• But now the Lord adds a theological interpretation to these same events, for Israel’s sake
  
  • The  Lord would ensure that this final defeat would wipe Israel off the map for a while
    
  • The king will be captured and brought to Babylon where he will be judged personally
    
• We covered the way in which this king was killed back in Chapter 12, where Ezekiel uses similar language of a snare to trap him
  
  • And when Nebuchadnezzar came face to face with Zedekiah, he decided to make an example of the man
    
  • Nebuchadnezzar killed Zedekiah’s son in his presence and then plucked out the king’s eyes so that his last memory was seeing his son’s dying
    
  • Nebuchadnezzar then left Zedekiah to live as a blind man in Babylon
    
• The Lord says that when these things happen and the nation’s army is vanquished and the survivors scattered abroad, Israel would know the Lord had indeed spoken to them
  
  • How could the Lord be sure that Israel would get this message? 
    
    • Because He’s told them about the outcome before it happens
      
    • Jeremiah told the inhabitants of Jerusalem, while Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles in Babylon
      
    • Both groups heard of these events in advance, and when they came to pass exactly as the Lord promised, it made an impression
      
  • So at that point, the people remaining in exile gave heed to what the prophets said and to the meaning of these things
    
    • They recognized that the Lord had executed judgment against the people for their offenses against Him
      
    • And we know from history that the people then committed to never again pursuing idolatry
      
    • The memory of Babylon was so seared into the collective consciousness of the nation that they feared the Lord’s response should they ever stray again
      
  • Of course, that doesn’t mean the entire nation turned to Him in faith
    
    • There is a big difference between following the Law in obedience and following the Lord in faith
      
    • The Lord used the Babylonian captivity to return Israel to obedience to the Law
      
    • And He uses obedience to the Law as a tutor to bring some to Messiah
      
    • Still, the first priority was preserving the nation from idolatry so that it would serve the Lord’s purpose in bringing the Messiah to the world
      
• But as we already know, the Lord has two messages for the people, one of judgment and one of glory
  
  • First comes judgment to address the rebellious hearts of the people in keeping with the Old Covenant’s requirements
    
    • But later comes the promise of glory which is fulfilled solely on the basis of God’s faithfulness to His covenant to Abraham
      
    • So once more, the Lord ends His promise of coming judgment with a promise of ultimate glory
      

EZEK. 17:22  Thus says the Lord GOD, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
EZEK. 17:23 “On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches.
EZEK. 17:24 “All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”

• The Lord draws upon the same parable from earlier to extend a new message of glory to the people of Israel
  
  • He says He Himself will cut off a young, tender shoot of the very top of the loftiest cedar in Lebanon and set it up
    
    • This shoot would be planted on a high and lofty mountain
      
    • It will bear great fruit and provide shelter to many branches below it
      
    • Furthermore, birds of every kind will nest in it
      
  • Moreover, at that time all the rest of the trees in Israel will know that the Lord is the Lord of Israel
    
    • And high trees will be humbled while the lowly trees will be exalted
      
    • The green trees will dry up while the dry trees will flourish
      
    • The Lord has spoken it and so He will do it
      
• The symbology is clear…as we learned earlier, the tops of these stately cedars represent the rulers of Israel
  
  • So planting a cutting from the top of the highest tree is an allusion to the return of the Davidic line and specifically the ruling Messiah
    
    • So the Lord is promising to install the Messiah as leader over Israel in a day to come
      
    • He will be the highest ruler over all Israel
      
    • And not just Israel, but birds of all kinds, meaning Gentile nations, would also nest under this tree
      
  • And under this coming ruler, all Israel will flourish and be protected
    
    • All Israel will be obedient and believing  
      
    • And He will rule from the seat of David on Mt. Zion 
      
  • Finally, the effect of Messiah ruling will be to humble the proud and to exalt the humble
    
    • Which is a very different arrangement from the way Israel worked in Ezekiel’s day and in most days
      
    • The powerful and elite in the nation held the power and abused it for their own sake and at the expense of the people
      
  • Obviously, this is exactly the opposite of what the Lord desired from those who ruled over His people
    
    • Consider that the Lord’s favorite metaphor for a leader over His people is the shepherd
      
    • The Lord always wanted men who cared more for their flock than for themselves
      
    • And would be willing to sacrifice their own interests for those they care over
      
• Israel hasn’t had that in a long time, and now the Lord is promising to bring that to Israel in the ultimate sense of Jesus
  
  • Jesus is the perfect representation of such a shepherd
    
    • Willing to lay His life down for the sake of the sheep
      
    • And when He returns to rule over Israel and the world, He will judge the nations with perfect righteousness
      
    • He will humble the proud
      
    • He will exalt the humble 
      
  • When Isaiah speaks of the day that the Lord enters into His Kingdom, he describes it this way
    

IS. 2:10  Enter the rock and hide in the dust 
From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.
IS. 2:11  The proud look of man will be abased 
And the loftiness of man will be humbled, 
And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
IS. 2:12  For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning 
Against everyone who is proud and lofty 
And against everyone who is lifted up, 
That he may be abased.
IS. 2:13  And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, 
Against all the oaks of Bashan,
IS. 2:14  Against all the lofty mountains, 
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
IS. 2:15  Against every high tower, 
Against every fortified wall,
IS. 2:16  Against all the ships of Tarshish 
And against all the beautiful craft.
IS. 2:17  The pride of man will be humbled 
And the loftiness of men will be abased; 
And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
IS. 2:18  But the idols will completely vanish.

• The Lord alone will be exalted but He will be against the proud
  
  • Including the cedars of Lebanon referring to those proud and evil leaders over Israel
    
  • Most importantly the idols in Israel will vanish 
    
• So to review the chapter, the people were dismissing Ezekiel’s warnings saying that they wouldn’t be held liable for the sins of their fathers
  
  • And the Lord responds saying Israel will be held accountable for the sins of their own generation
    
    • He used the parable to explain that their present king was just as evil as previous kings
      
    • So the Lord says they will be held accountable, predicting what will happen in three year’s time:
      
      • The king’s plan to rebel will not succeed, the city will be taken, and the people will go into exile
        
  • But because of this prophecy, the people will know that the Lord was the One bringing these judgments
    
    • And because of the serenity of what happens, the people are willing to set aside idolatry forever
      
    • The combined effect is to draw Israel back to a faithful walk under the Law
      
    • Or at least they lost their desire to pursue pagan idols
      
    • And that zealousness continues for the most part today among the Jewish people
      
    • And in the Kingdom it will finally be put away forever
      
• Now in response to that prophecy, the people decide to double-down on their excuse
  
  • After complaining that they were being punished for their father’s sins, the Lord said their generation of leaders had sins too
    
    • But they basically ignore the Lord’s response and continue insisting they were being punished for the sins of their fathers
      
    • So the Lord takes the next chapter to specifically address that charge
      
  • We won’t do all of 18 tonight, but since these two chapters are so closely related, we are going to move into it a little  
    

EZEK. 18:1  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
EZEK. 18:2  “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, 
‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, 
But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
EZEK. 18:3 “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.
EZEK. 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.
EZEK. 18:5  “But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness,
EZEK. 18:6 and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period --
EZEK. 18:7 if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,
EZEK. 18:8 if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man,
EZEK. 18:9 if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully — he is righteous and will surely live,” declares the Lord GOD.

• This chapter of Ezekiel is one of the more often studied for what it reveals about God’s justice
  
  • The Lord tells Ezekiel to rebuke the people with these words, beginning with a proverb Israel was telling itself
    
    • They were saying “the fathers eat sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge”
      
    • Eating sour grapes sets your teeth on edge, so to speak
      
    • So the proverb claimed that in Israel the children receive the consequences of the fathers’ poor choices
      
  • This proverb was a not-so-subtle indictment of God’s character
    
    • The proverb reflected the nation’s self-deception
      
    • They thought God treated them unfairly for the sin of others
      
    • While conveniently overlooking their own sins which justified the Lord’s wrath
      
  • But the Lord denies the truth of this proverb beginning in v.3
    
    • He says, as long as I live the nation will no longer use this proverb
      
    • How long does God live? Eternally
      
    • So in other words, this proverb disappeared from Israel forever
      
• To set the record straight, the Lord says in v.4 that all souls are the Lord’s: the soul of every father and the soul of every son are known 
  
  • This is a powerful statement of God’s sovereignty over the destiny of humanity
    
    • God is saying that every living person, every human being who has ever possessed a soul, including unborn children, belong to Him
      
    • He knows them, He determines the course of their path in life and the outcome of their soul in the end
      
  • No one exists outside the Lord’s view, which tells us that all will be accountable to Him too
    
    • None will escape His judgment in a day to come
      
    • And the Lord says that the one who sins will die
      
  • On the other hand, the one who is righteous and practices justice and righteousness according to the terms of the Law lives
    
    • The Lord gives examples of what the righteous would do or not do during these evil days
      
    • The righteous would not eat meat sacrificed to idols, pray to idols, commit adultery or violate other Laws regarding lying with women
      
    • Furthermore, the righteous don’t oppress others, fail to repay debts
      
    • He doesn’t rob others but gives to the needs of the poor, etc.
      
• In summary, the righteous man under the Law walks in those ordinances 
  
  • In v.9 the Lord says walking in the statues of the Law, which means obeying as much as possible, was dealing faithfully with the Lord
    
    • Such a heart displays righteousness and that person will live
      
  • In this context living or dying refers to physical death, the penalty for sin under the Old Covenant
    
    • That’s the question at issue here…whether the Lord was justified in holding Israel accountable for their sins under that Covenant
      
    • The people said they were being unfairly treated because they were being put to death for the sins of their fathers
      
  • The Lord defends Himself saying that every soul in Israel will be held responsible under that covenant for their own behavior
    
    • If they had a heart of obedience, they would not fall under the Law’s penalty of death
      
    • If they sinned doing the very sorts of things he just listed, then they will die
      
• Moreover, there is no link between father and son…
  

EZEK. 18:10  “Then he may have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother
EZEK. 18:11 (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles his neighbor’s wife,
EZEK. 18:12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits abomination,
EZEK. 18:13 he lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.
EZEK. 18:14  “Now behold, he has a son who has observed all his father’s sins which he committed, and observing does not do likewise.
EZEK. 18:15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife,
EZEK. 18:16 or oppress anyone, or retain a pledge, or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,
EZEK. 18:17 he keeps his hand from the poor, does not take interest or increase, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father’s iniquity, he will surely live.
EZEK. 18:18 “As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

• The Lord lists examples of two different sons
  
  • In vs.10-13 the Lord lists the example of a righteous father who happens to have an unrighteous son
    
    • Unlike his father, that son does all the abominable things described earlier
      
    • As a result, he will be put to death as the Law required
      
    • No one would be able to say that this child was dying for his father’s sins, for his father was righteous
      
    • His own blood was on his head
      
  • Godly parents should remember this example if they have concern for a wayward child
    
    • The Lord never hints at any link between the father and the child
      
    • In fact, the father’s life is impeccable
      
    • And yet the child emerges with issues, and so the father is not accountable
      
    • We still wish for our prodigal children to do better, but we need not worry that we are responsible 
      
• Conversely, in vs.14-18 the Lord lists the example of a son who has done what’s righteous despite being raised by an unrighteous father
  
  • He walks in the Lord’s ordinances and statutes and will live because of his obedience under the Law
    
    • Moreover, the Lord says in v.17 that he will not die for his father’s sins
      
    • These are not new determinations by the Lord…this is always the way it had been
      
    • The Lord is simply reminding Israel of that fact to deny their silly proverb
      
  • Notice His summary in vs. 19-20
    

EZEK. 18:19  “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all My statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
EZEK. 18:20 “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

• He asks Israel, why are you saying that I’m causing the son to bear the father’s iniquity?
  
  • The evidence argued to the contrary…children who did the right thing were not punished under the Law
    
• Only the person who sinned was accountable
  
  • This is a basic principle of Scripture, and the Lord has never practiced it any other way on an individual basis
    
  • But there is a companion principle for the nation of Israel uniquely from the Law
    

DEUT. 5:7  ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.
DEUT. 5:8  ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
DEUT. 5:9 ‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
DEUT. 5:10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

• In multiple places in the Law, the Lord declared to Israel that the nation must have no gods other than the Lord
  
  • And that if the nation violated this Law by entering into idolatry, then the Lord would react in jealousy
    
    • He doesn’t specify at this point how He would respond, except to say that His wrath would extend for generations
      
    • But later the Lord says in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that the penalty for idolatry would be exile from the land
      
    • Of course that exile lasted 3-4 generations, which is what the Lord was talking about in the Law
      
  • So the Lord wasn’t suggesting He would hold sons accountable for a father’s sin
    
    • Rather He was speaking about national penalties for national sins
      
    • Under the Old Covenant of Moses, there were laws for the individual Jew with penalties for disobedience 
      
    • And there were expectations for the nation as a whole with penalties for the nation
      
  • The covenant itself stipulated that the nation would experience these judgments for failure to keep its terms
    
    • In Leviticus the Lord spelled out the blessings for obedience and the consequences for failure to keep the covenant
      
    • And included in those consequences was the exile that Judah was now facing
      

LEV. 26:14 ‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments,
LEV. 26:15 if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant,
LEV. 26:16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up.
LEV. 26:31 ‘I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas.
LEV. 26:32 ‘I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it.
LEV. 26:33 ‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste.
LEV. 26:36 ‘As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall.
LEV. 26:37 ‘They will therefore stumble over each other as if running from the sword, although no one is pursuing; and you will have no strength to stand up before your enemies.
LEV. 26:38 ‘But you will perish among the nations, and your enemies’ land will consume you.

• These were part of the national consequences for failure to keep the covenant and they were separate from the consequences for individual sin
  
  • These two lines of consequence worked in conjunction with one another
    
    • The entire nation would experience the national consequences independent of how any given individual in the nation lived
      
    • So individually, each person (i.e., soul) would live or die depending on whether they obeyed this covenant’s terms
      
    • And the nation would prosper or not depending on how it kept the covenant
      
    • And if the nation stumbled as a whole, then the consequences would extend for generations
      
  • Knowing these things, then we also understand that these verses do not directly speak to how the Lord deals with His Church
    
    • We are not under Law and therefore we are not treated according to these Laws
      
    • We are not held to the penalties of the Law in Deuteronomy or Leviticus
      
    • So we will not be sent into exile in Babylon, and our third and fourth generations will not be captives as a result, etc. 
      
  • There is simply no direct comparison to be made except the obvious comparison that we too are called to live obediently
    
    • And we too will be judged individually by the Lord 
      
    • He doesn’t judge us according to our sin, since Christ has taken our sin on Himself
      
    • But he does judge us individually according to our works
      
    • Reason enough to deal faithfully with the Lord
      

Conflict in Israel has been a reality whenever Israel has existed as a nation. Whether it was the Egyptians, Amalekites, Midianites, Moabites, Ammonites, Amorites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, or Romans, the nation of Israel has always been persecuted by its neighbors. Why is this? According to the Bible, it is because God has a special plan for the nation of Israel, and Satan wants to defeat that plan. Satanically influenced hatred of Israel—and especially Israel’s God—is the reason Israel’s neighbors have always wanted to see Israel destroyed. Whether it is Sennacherib, king of Assyria; Haman, official of Persia; Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany; or Rouhani, President of Iran, attempts to completely destroy Israel will always fail. The persecutors of Israel will come and go, but the persecution will remain until the second coming of Christ. As a result, conflict in Israel is not a reliable indicator of the soon arrival of the end times.

However, the Bible does say there will be terrible conflict in Israel during the end times. That is why the time period is known as the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation, and the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Here is what the Bible says about Israel in the end times:

There will be a mass return of Jews to the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 30:3; Isaiah 43:6; Ezekiel 34:11-13; 36:24; 37:1-14).

The Antichrist will make a 7-year covenant of "peace" with Israel (Isaiah 28:18; Daniel 9:27).

The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 11:1).

The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, and worldwide persecution of Israel will result (Daniel 9:27; 12:1, 11; Zechariah 11:16; Matthew 24:15, 21; Revelation 12:13). Israel will be invaded (Ezekiel chapters 38-39).

Israel will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). Israel will be regenerated, restored, and regathered (Jeremiah 33:8; Ezekiel 11:17; Romans 11:26).

There is much turmoil in Israel today. Israel is persecuted, surrounded by enemies—Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, etc. But this hatred and persecution of Israel is only a hint of what will happen in the end times (Matthew 24:15-21). The latest round of persecution began when Israel was reconstituted as a nation in 1948. Many Bible prophecy scholars believed the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967 was the "beginning of the end." Could what is taking place in Israel today indicate that the end is near? Yes. Does it necessarily mean the end is near? No. Jesus Himself said it best, "Watch out that no one deceives you. . . . You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come" (Matthew 24:4-6).

Signs of the TimesMost Believers I speak to today firmly believe we are in the Last Days. Many have become almost obsessed with trying to interpret and unravel the Bible’s mysterious End-Time prophecies, and keep a keen eye on politics and world events—especially those that involve Israel or the Middle East. The news is scrupulously analyzed by many watching for specific prophetic signs: a ten-nation confederacy, the Antichrist’s emergence and identity, the mark of the beast, the rebuilding of the Third Temple, the Bear of the North—Russia— and the cataclysmic rise of catastrophes and natural disasters. Although these signs are indeed found in the Scriptures, they are apocalyptic texts—veiled and cryptic. Not even scholars of eschatology can interpret these texts with a great deal of certainty.

While all the above signs are certainly important, there are other clear signs taking place today that are to varying degrees overlooked or ignored. Yet they are some of the clearest signs we have pointing to the end of the age and the soon return of Yeshua. Indeed, God has given us clear signposts, and He desires we be wise as the men of Issachar, who understood the times . . . (1 Chronicles 12:32 NIV).

The term Last Days actually has a dual application, referring first to the time period following the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus), and second to the days immediately preceding His return. Looking at Luke 21, one can clearly see this principle: “And while some were talking about the Temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Yeshua said, ‘As for these things you are looking at, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another. Every one will be torn down!’” (Luke 21:5-6). Herod’s Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem sacked in 70 A.D., fulfilling Yeshua’s words. As you continue reading through the terrible warnings of what is to come, much is applicable to the horrific Roman devastation that occurred at that time. However, verse 24b, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” was not fulfilled until 1967 with the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War. And verses 25-28 are looking forward to a time yet to come, when Yeshua returns: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars. And upon the earth nations will be confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will lose heart from fear and anticipation of what is overtaking the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, stand straight and lift up your heads, because your salvation is near!”

SIGN 1:A RESTORED ISRAEL AND JEWISH JERUSALEMA predominant prophetic sign that we are in the “Time of the End” is the re-establishment of Israel, and Jerusalem returning to Jewish sovereignty. These major, and seemingly implausible, events for nearly 2,000 years have to occur before Yeshua’s return. According to the Bible, Yeshua is returning to Israel, and specifically to Jerusalem.

• Israel Rebirthed. . . in a DayAfter nearly two millennia and a succession of foreign rulers, on May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion declared the restoration of the Jewish State, Israel, saying, “In order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” Isaiah seemed just as incredulous, challenging: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children” (Isaiah 66:8). We have seen it—in our lifetime!
• Jerusalem Restored into Jewish HandsYeshua himself declared that “Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). In June, 1967 Israel won a miraculous victory by defeating vastly superior Arab armies surrounding her in what came to be known as the Six-Day War. The Jewish people took back the city of Jerusalem after almost 2,000 years, fulfilling this important prophecy. Some argue that because Israel returned sovereignty of the Temple Mount to the Arabs following this victory, this prophecy is not fully realized. I would argue to the contrary.
• The Desert Will Bloom and BlossomThe prophet Isaiah saw a time when “The wilderness and dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a lily” (Isaiah 35:1). It’s almost impossible to believe, but the fledgling State of Israel has developed such revolutionary agricultural methods, that even the sand produces lush crops! In her short time of existence as a modern State, Israel became one of the largest exporters of roses to Europe.
• The Hebrew Language RevivedAccording to the prophet Zephaniah, God would “restore to the people pure speech, so that all of them may call upon the Name of ADONAI and serve Him shoulder to shoulder” (Zephaniah 3:9). In the late 1800s, Russian immigrant to Israel, Eliezer Ben-Yehudah, revived the ancient Hebrew language, giving the returning exiles of Israel a common language.

Israel and Jerusalem are back in Jewish hands. The people of Israel scattered throughout the world are returning to their biblical Land and to their God.
The time of His return is near!


SIGN 2:ISRAEL SURROUNDED BY CONFLICT AND THE RISE OF GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISMAnti-Semitism has existed since the time that Abraham was set apart by God’s call to be a blessing to the families of the earth. There has never been a time when the Jewish people have not been victimized by Satan’s savage attacks against them. Even today in America, the Anti-Defamation League reports the highest level of anti-Semitism since World War II ADL Global 100- Index of anti-Semitism http://www.adl.org).
At its core is Satan fomenting hatred among men against the Children of the God of Israel, generation after generation. He cleverly disguises each campaign with a compelling lie wrapped in a plan designed to rid the world of a perceived ill blamed on the Jews. From the very first attempt to destroy the Jews—Pharaoh’s murder of all the male Hebrew babies—to Herod’s order to kill all male babies under two years old 2,000 years ago, the serpent’s scheme was to defeat God’s plan to bring forth the Messiah of Israel. He failed—miserably!

Yet, the campaign of hatred marches on because the great redemption story is not over. Because the Jewish people and Israel play a major role in Last Days prophecy, Satan is still hard at work opposing God’s plan. The impetus he is using to rally hatred against the Jewish people today is a powerful anti-Israel (and pro-Palestinian) deception, wrapped in false humanitarian claims and causes. Understand: Deception is a hallmark of the Last Days (Matthew 24:11). For the minuscule size of the country, the lack of natural resources, or strategic seaport, one has to question why Israel is always at the center of world controversy—her existence continually hanging in the balance. We see Israel at the epicenter of a boiling cauldron of increasingly violent factions rising up within the vast Arab lands surrounding her. The world has been told, and has almost mindlessly accepted, claims that all unrest in the Middle East is Israel’s fault—that if the Jews would give the Land “back to the Palestinians,” there would be peace in the world, and terrorism would end. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The stage is set to draw all nations into a final cataclysmic showdown in the Middle East; the nations may think it is against Israel, but they will find out it is against her God!

“Moreover, in that day I will make Jerusalem a massive stone for all the people. All who try to lift it will be cut to pieces. Nevertheless, all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against her” (Zechariah 12:3).


SIGN 3:THE REGATHERING OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE PHYSICALLY BACK TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTHIsrael should not exist. She should have disappeared hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago with the rest of the “ites” of the Bible: the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Canaanites, etc. These and all the other great nations mentioned in Scripture, including the mighty Philistines, have vanished, yet Israel remains—against all odds. For two millennia the Land has been overrun by foreign aggressors, and her people scattered to the far reaches of the earth, and threatened with expulsions, persecution, and annihilation.

Without a homeland until 1948, Israel should have assimilated and ceased to be a recognizable people group. That they did not disappear completely into the cultures in which they settled throughout the world stands as evidence for God’s existence and faithfulness. The Scattered Tribes of Israel are a fascinating mystery to the world, but they are not really lost. The Lord knows where they are. He promised to regather them in the Last Days, and He is doing that in our time!

“’Therefore, the days are quickly coming,’ declares ADONAI, ‘when it will no longer be said. “As ADONAI lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” Rather, “As ADONAI lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.” So I will bring them back into their land that I gave to their fathers’” (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

It will also come about in that day that my Lord will again redeem— a second time with His hand— the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will lift up a banner for the nations, and assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth(Isaiah 11:11-12).

These are the Children of Abraham scattered to Africa, Asia, India, Europe . . . the remote corners of the earth. God is gathering them today, back to Israel—miraculously restored to receive her returning Children: Ethiopian, Chinese, Sephardim, Asian, Russian, and on and on!

Through Jewish Voice you are witnessing this miracle and touching the lives of many of the Remnant of Israel that God is regathering—the Beta Abraham, Beta Israel, and Gefat of Ethiopia; the Yibir Jews of Somaliland; the Lemba Tribe of Zimbabwe; and the Bnei Menashe—the Sons of Manasseh, discovered in far northeastern India!

This aliyah, or return of the Jews to their biblical homeland, is yet another important sign that the Messiah’s return is approaching.

SIGN 4:THE GOSPEL IS PROCLAIMED TO THE NATIONS“This Good News of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

The word used in this passage of Scripture is the Greek term ethnos, which actually means “a race,” “a tribe,” or “a people group.” Modern technology makes it possible for the Gospel to be preached to every ethnos—people in the most remote areas of the planet. This is yet another important sign that the Last Days are upon us.

Today the Gospel is being preached to ethnos throughout the world, yet only a handful of ministries are reaching out to the Jews. This is tragic, not only because the Jewish people need to hear the Good News that Messiah has come, but because God has put a high priority on reaching the Children of Israel with the Gospel. Consider Paul’s commitment to this mandate: “After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went to the Jewish people; and for three Shabbatot, he debated the Scriptures with them” (Acts 17:1-2).

Paul not only wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16 NIV), he lived it out on his journeys around the Mediterranean sharing the Gospel. Unfortunately, over the centuries, this mandate to take the Gospel to the Jew first has been lost.

The Gospel is to be preached to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles. That’s what Paul did, and that’s what we do at Jewish Voice. I believe that every time a Jewish person turns to faith in Yeshua, we move that much closer to Messiah’s return. In fact, Scripture seems to indicate that Jewish people embracing Jesus as Messiah is actually key to His return! “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you [the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem] say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:39 NIV).


SIGN 5:THE BLINDNESS COMING OFF THE EYES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE“For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be ignorant of this mystery—lest you be wise in your own eyes—that a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25).
Another astonishing indicator is the phenomena of Jewish people coming to faith in Yeshua all over the world—in numbers not seen since the book of Acts. Through the ministry of Jewish Voice alone, we have seen some 55,000 Jewish people respond to the Gospel since 1999! For more than nineteen centuries, the number of Jews openly professing faith in Yeshua was extremely small, and most were assimilated into the Church. All that changed after 1967. The miraculous return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people sparked a great revival. Often called “The Jesus Movement,” this revival was unique from all previous revivals, as Jews started coming to faith—in significant numbers. The Jesus Movement gave birth to the modern Messianic Movement. Before 1967 there was not a single Messianic Jewish congregation in the world. Today more than 350 Messianic Jewish congregations—nearly 100 in Israel alone—proclaim Messiah with a visibly Jewish witness. And from a trickle over the past 2,000 years, today there are tens of thousands of Jews in the United States who express some level of faith in Yeshua!

In the same way the miraculously restored State of Israel is a visible declaration of divine fulfillment of physical restoration, the Messianic Jewish community is a visible declaration of divine spiritual restoration to all the world. God always keeps His covenants. Satan would like to eradicate the Jewish people, thereby proving God and the Bible untrustworthy, but it will not happen!

God is opening long-blinded eyes and softening thousands of Jewish hearts just as the Scriptures promised. This is an obvious fulfillment of biblical prophecy—and a clear indication that the Last Days are upon us.

Through Jeremiah, God promised Israel a new covenant: “’No longer will each teach his neighbor or each his brother, saying: “Know ADONAI,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.’ It is a declaration of ADONAI. ‘For I will forgive their iniquity, their sin I will remember no more’” (Jeremiah 31:33). At the Last Supper, a Jewish Passover Seder, Yeshua lifted the cup of Redemption and, sharing it, announced it was the cup of the New Covenant in His blood. There is a misconception that all the Jews rejected Jesus. In reality, the entire initial community of faith was Jewish. The Jews took the Gospel to the Gentiles, and eventually the Church became almost entirely Gentile and unrecognizable to the Jewish people. However, we are living in a time of Jewish revival!

IN CONCLUSIONAll around us, there are signs that the world is being made ready for Messiah’s return. The most important of these, as we have seen, is the restoration of the people of Israel to a right relationship with God. Do you want to know what’s next? God has promised a glorious salvation for the remnant of Israel!

Then I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, when they will look toward Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for a firstborn
- Zechariah 12:10“In that day a spring will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1).

I’m convinced that we are not very far away from this time.


Revelation 16:12 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓]Revelation 16:12, NIV: The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

Revelation 16:12, ESV: The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

Revelation 16:12, KJV: And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Revelation 16:12, NASB: The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

Revelation 16:12, NLT: Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.

Revelation 16:12, CSB: The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

What does Revelation 16:12 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑]This verse tells us the sixth angel poured his bowl on the river Euphrates. The contents of the bowl caused the river to dry up. Prior bowl judgments have either corrupted or destroyed most of the water on earth (Revelation 16:1–4). This judgment is not about corrupting or removing the use of this water. Rather, it seems to be about removing a barrier used for defensive purposes: preparing the way for invading kings from the east. 

The Euphrates is called "the great river" five times in Scripture. It was the eastern boundary of Israel's inheritance (Deuteronomy 1:7; 11:24). To some extent the river provided protection for Israel because it was difficult to cross and a wilderness to the west separated it from Canaan, the Promised Land. It flows almost 2,000 miles toward Palestine before making its way southeast to the Persian Gulf. In the first century, when Revelation was written, the Euphrates divided East from West, and the kingdoms of China and India lay beyond it to the east. 

Centuries earlier, the armies of Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon by diverting the Euphrates that flowed through the city. They were able to march into Babylon on the dry river bed and capture the city. In the great tribulation, the eastern invader will cross the Euphrates, march through Babylon, and enter Palestine.

Context Summary
Revelation 16:8–16 reports what happens when the fourth, fifth, and sixth angels emptied their bowls of God's wrath. It continues the apostle John's description of the bowl judgments which began in Revelation 16:1–7. The fourth and fifth bowl judgments resemble some of the events of the trumpet judgments, but are much more intense. These events occur just prior to the return of Christ to subdue His enemies and establish His kingdom on earth (Revelation 17—19).

Chapter Summary
This chapter explains the bowl judgments, which are the last and most severe of God's outpouring of wrath on earth. The first three bowls bring sores, seas of blood, and rivers of blood. After a declaration of God's justice come the next three bowl judgments, involving scorching sunlight, darkness, and a drying of the Euphrates to clear the way for an invading army. In the final, seventh bowl judgment, an earthquake tears Jerusalem into three parts, levels cities worldwide, and displaces islands and mountains. Hundred-pound hailstones fall, but unbelievers refuse to repent and instead continue to curse God.

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The tribe of Judah, its conquests, and the centrality of its capital in Jerusalem for the worship of the god Yahweh figure prominently in the Deuteronomistic history, encompassing the books of Deuteronomy through II Kings, which most scholars agree was reduced to written form, although subject to exilic and post-exilic alterations and emendations, during the reign of the Judahite reformer Josiah from 641–609 BCE.[1]

According to the account in the Book of Joshua, following a partial conquest of Canaanby the Israelite tribes (the Jebusites still held Jerusalem),[2] Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes. Judah's divinely ordained portion is described in Joshua 15[3]as encompassing most of the southern portion of the Land of Israel, including the Negev, the Wilderness of Zin and Jerusalem. However, the consensus of modern scholars is that this conquest never occurred.[4][5][6] Other scholars point to extra-biblical references to Israel and Canaan as evidence for the potential historicity of the conquest.[7][8]

In the opening words of the Book of Judges, following the death of Joshua, the Israelites "asked the Lord" which tribe should be first to go to occupy its allotted territory, and the tribe of Judah was identified as the first tribe.[9] According to the narrative in the Book of Judges, the tribe of Judah invited the tribe of Simeon to fight with them in alliance to secure each of their allotted territories. As is the case with Joshua, most scholars do not believe that the book of Judges contains reliable history.[10][11][12]

The Book of Samuel describes God's repudiation of a monarchic line arising from the northern Tribe of Benjamin due to the sinfulness of King Saul, which was then bestowed onto the tribe of Judah for all time in the person of King David. In Samuel's account, after the death of Saul, all the tribes other than Judah remained loyal to the House of Saul, while Judah chose David as its king. However, after the death of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son and successor to the throne of Israel, all the other Israelite tribes made David, who was then the king of Judah, king of a re-united Kingdom of Israel. The Book of Kings follows the expansion and unparalleled glory of the United Monarchy under King Solomon. A majority of scholars believe that the accounts concerning David and Solomon's territory in the "united monarchy" are exaggerated, and a minority believe that the "united monarchy" never existed at all.[13][14][15] Disagreeing with the latter view, Old Testament scholar Walter Dietrich contends that the biblical stories of circa 10th-century BCE monarchs contain a significant historical kernel and are not simply late fictions.[16]

On the accession of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, in c. 930 BCE, the ten northern tribes under the leadership of Jeroboam from the Tribe of Ephraim split from the House of David to create the Northern Kingdom in Samaria. The Book of Kings is uncompromising in its low opinion of its larger and richer neighbor to the north, and understands its conquest by Assyria in 722 BCE as divine retribution for the Kingdom's return to idolatry.[17]

The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the House of David. These tribes formed the Kingdom of Judah, which existed until Judah was conquered by Babylon in c. 586 BCE and the population deported.

When the Jews returned from Babylonian exile, residual tribal affiliations were abandoned, probably because of the impossibility of reestablishing previous tribal land holdings. However, the special religious roles decreed for the Levites and Kohanim were preserved, but Jerusalem became the sole place of worship and sacrifice among the returning exiles, northerners and southerners alike.

According to the biblical account, at its height, the tribe of Judah was the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Judah, and occupied most of the territory of the kingdom, except for a small region in the north east occupied by Benjamin, and an enclave towards the south west which was occupied by Simeon. Bethlehem and Hebron were initially the main cities within the territory of the tribe.

The lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah. It is often represented in Jewish art, such as this sculpture outside a synagogueThe size of the territory of the tribe of Judah meant that in practice it had four distinct regions:[citation needed]

• The Negev (Hebrew: south) – the southern portion of the land, which was highly suitable for pasture.
• The Shephelah (Hebrew: lowland) – the coastal region, between the highlands and the Mediterranean sea,[dubious – discuss] which was used for agriculture, in particular for grains.
• The wilderness – the barren region immediately next to the Dead Sea, and below sea level; it was wild, and barely inhabitable, to the extent that animals and people which were made unwelcome elsewhere, such as bears, leopards, and outlaws, made it their home. In biblical times, this region was further subdivided into three sections – the wilderness of En Gedi,[18] the wilderness of Judah,[19] and the wilderness of Maon.[20]
• The hill country – the elevated plateau situated between the Shephelah and the wilderness,[dubious – discuss]with rocky slopes but very fertile soil. This region was used for the production of grain, olives, grapes, and other fruit, and hence produced oil and wine.

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and of Leah. Some biblical scholars view this as an etiological myth created in hindsight to explain the tribe's name and connect it to the other tribes in the Israelite confederation.[21] With Leah as a matriarch, biblical scholars regard the tribe as having been believed by the text's authors to have been part of the original Israelite confederation.[21]
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Like the other tribes of the Kingdom of Judah, the tribe of Judah is entirely absent from the ancient Song of Deborah, rather than present but described as unwilling to assist in the battle between Israelites and their enemy. Traditionally, this has been explained as being due to the southern kingdom being too far away to be involved in the battle, but Israel Finkelstein et al. claim the alternative explanation that the southern kingdom was simply an insignificant rural backwater at the time the poem was written.[22]

Character

Many of the Jewish leaders and prophets of the Hebrew Bible claimed membership in the tribe of Judah. For example, the literary prophets Isaiah, Amos, Habakkuk, Joel, Micah, Obadiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah, all belonged to the tribe.[citation needed]
The genealogies given in Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:23–34 in the New Testament describe Jesus as a descendant of David, Matthew through Solomon and Luke through Nathan.[23]

Fate

The Lion of Judah on the municipal emblem of JerusalemAs part of the Kingdom of Judah, the tribe of Judah survived the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians, and instead was subjected to the Babylonian captivity; when the captivity ended, the distinction between the tribes were lost in favour of a common identity. Since Simeon and Benjamin had been very much the junior partners in the Kingdom of Judah, it was Judah that gave its name to the identity—that of the Jews.

After the fall of Jerusalem, Babylonia (modern day Iraq), would become the focus of Jewish life for 1,000 years. The first Jewish communities in Babylonia started with the exile of the tribe of Judah to Babylon by Jehoiachin in 597 BCE as well as after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE.[24] Many more Jews migrated to Babylon in CE 135 after the Bar Kokhba revolt and in the centuries after.[24]

The triumph or victory of "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah", who is able to open the scroll and its seven seals, forms part of the vision of the writer of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.[25]
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Ethiopia's traditions, recorded and elaborated in a 13th-century treatise, the "Kebre Negest", assert descent from a retinue of Israelites who returned with the Queen of Sheba from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, by whom she had conceived the Solomonic dynasty's founder, Menelik I. Both Christian and Jewish Ethiopian tradition has it that these immigrants were mostly of the Tribes of Dan and Judah;[26] hence the Ge'ez motto Mo`a 'Anbessa Ze'imnegede Yihuda ("The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has conquered"), one of many names for Jesus of Nazareth.

​During the time the Bible was written, several numbers had significant symbolism of deeper meaning. Scripture is filled with symbols, from the Ark of the Covenant to the tzitzit on the Israelites garment, down to the number of the Beast recorded in the Book of Revelation. God uses symbols to communicate spiritual truths to mankind, including numbers.
Understanding the meanings behind these numbers in the Bible can help you understand the self-revelation of God a little better. Let's do a brief overview of Biblical numerology before diving into the meaning behind specific numbers found in Scripture. 

Why Is Biblical Numerology Important?It is important at the outset that we make it very clear that while God did inspire the use of specific numbers for symbolic reasons, we have to be careful not to place too much emphasis on numbers.
Such exaggerated emphasis can and has led to dangerous mystical ideas, bad theology, fringe eschatological approaches, and even outright occultism — believing that numbers hold a mystical power that can be tapped into for divination purposes.
Scripture forbids and condemns all such divinatory practices (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The Church Fathers were also unanimous in their condemnation of using numbers for divination, or foretelling future events, etc.
They noted that the practice originated in Babylonian paganism, as well as Pythagorean mystery teachings and Gnosticism. For example, St. Ambrose wrote:
“The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit; for the prophet Isaiah has enumerated the principle gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven” (Epistle to Horontianus).

Likewise, Anatolius wrote: “Pythagoras was not the only one who duly honored arithmetic (numbers). His best-known disciples did so too.”
The Church Fathers wrote prolifically condemning all forms of divination and mystery cults, such as those which employ numerology.
“The wisdom of the princes of the world...we understand to be things like the secret and occult philosophy (as they call it) of the Egyptians and the astrology of the Chaldeans and Indians” (Origen).
All such “philosophies,” practices, rites, rituals, and even seemingly harmless party games stand condemned by both Scripture and the various great theologians of the Christian faith throughout history.
That said, they clearly recognized that the Word of God does contain a divinely inspired system of numbers. Two excellent examples of biblical books containing such number references are Daniel (Daniel 7:3) and Revelation (Revelation 13:15-18).
Meaning of Numbers in the BibleLet’s take a brief look at the most common numbers and their biblical meanings.
Number 1: Symbolic of unity (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is one, Jesus and the Father are one, etc.
Number 2: Symbolic of a witness (Exodus 25:22; Matthew 26:60; Luke 10:1). Christ sent his disciples out two by two, and wherever two are gathered in His name He is present, etc.
Number 3: Symbolic of perfection and completion (John 2:19; Matthew 12:40; Luke 13:7). The three Persons of the Holy Trinity is the best example of this.
Number 4: Symbolic of the Earth (Daniel 7:3; Matthew 13: Isaiah 11:12). Four directions, four seasons.
Number 5: Symbolic of grace (Leviticus 1-5; Genesis 43:34; Matthew 14:17). Five types of offering in Leviticus, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, five books of the Law.



The Tabernacle contained five curtains, five pillars, five sockets, five bars, and the altar was five cubits by five cubits, etc.
Number 6: Symbolic of humanity (Genesis 1:31; Revelation 13:15-18). Man was created on the sixth day, man labors six days, slaves served only for six years, etc.
Number 7: Symbolic of spiritual perfection (Genesis 2:2; Psalm 12:6; Matthew 18:22). Thus, we see seven churches, seven spirits, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc.
Number 8: Symbolic of a new beginning (Genesis 17:2; Mark 16:9-11; Genesis 7:13).Christ appeared eight times after His resurrection, God saved eight people from the Flood, newborns were circumcised on the eighth day.
Number 10: symbolizes earthly government (Ruth 4:2; Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Kings 11:31-35). Ten lost tribes, ten commandments, and a tithe being a tenth of our earnings.
Number 12: symbolizes spiritual authority (Matthew 10:2-4; Revelation 7; 10:2-4).Twelve tribes, twelve apostles, Jacob had twelve sons, God ordered that twelve loaves of unleavened bread be present in the temple each week, etc.
Number 30: symbolizes dedication to a calling (Numbers 4:3; Luke 3:23; 2 Samuel 5:4). Aaronic priests were initially dedicated at 30 years old. Christ began His public ministry at 30 years of age, David was 30 years old when he began his reign over Israel.
Number 40: Symbolic of trials (Genesis 7:4; Exodus 24:18; Numbers 14:33; Matthew 4:2). Moses lived 40 years in the desert, 40 years in Egypt, and was on Mount Sinai for 40 days, Jonah preached in Nineveh for 40 days, Ezekiel slept on his right side for 40 days, etc.


​Number 70: Symbolic of judgment (Numbers 11:16; Ezekiel 8:11; Jeremiah 29:10). God provided 70 priests for Moses in passing judgment. For seventy years, the Israelites were kept in Babylonian captivity.
Perhaps the most notorious number found in Scripture is that associated with the Anti-Christ: 666.
The Church Fathers noted several other instances wherein the number six featured prominently. 
For example:
“Fittingly, therefore, will his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six, since the Anti-Christ sums up in his own person all the mixture of wickedness that took place previous to the deluge, due to the apostasy of the angels. For Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge came upon the earth...Furthermore, that image which was set up by Nebuchadnezzar had indeed a height of sixty cubits, while the breadth was six cubits...This, then, the six hundred years of Noah...indicate the number of the name of that man in whom is concentrated the whole apostasy of six thousand years” (Irenaeus).
Why Does Biblical Numerology Matter Today?The Word of God is indeed a fascinating study, filled with many mysteries for the diligent disciple of Christ to explore.
However, as was cautioned at the start of this article, some of these mysteries require discernment and the guidance of a seasoned theologian, pastor, or student of Scripture if we are to avoid the pitfalls that come from poor sources.
Few people make a study of such things as biblical numerology, and fewer still correctly comprehend the information available.
While the internet has placed many excellent sources at our easy disposal, it must be said that it also provides far more sources that are nothing less than false teaching, heresy, and outright occultism.
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