Morning Moments

Golda Meir “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us...When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”

Romans 11:1 "I say then, Hath God cast away his people?  God forbid.  For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.  2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.  Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God for Israel saying,  3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars, and I am left alone and they seek my life.  4 But what saith the answer of God unto him?  I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.  5 Even so at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace".

Paul's reference is NOT to the CHURCH, but to the NATION ISRAEL, among whom He had, has, and will have a remnant, for not all are Jews who say they are Jews.  He is a Jew not of race but of the righteousness of faith.  He is a Jew which is a Jew inwardly, not of the circumcision of the flesh, but of the circumcision of the heart.

Think of Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24 regarding the end times and the restoration of the earthly kingdom.  There are several important things that are said: 1) The context involves the end of the rule of the Gentiles, 2) he speaks of nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 3) speaking to Jews he speaks of false prophets, false messiahs, and the hatred of Israel by the nations, 4) many Jews shall be betrayed and killed, 5) the Gospel of the KINGDOM shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations (this is critical!  It is not the Gospel of the Grace of God, but of the KINGDOM, which they would ask, "Will you at this time restore the KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?") 6) Then Jesus says a couple more critical things if we are to properly interpret the massage - "let those who are in JUDEA flee - not those around the world! And, He is specific about the prophecy of Daniel here which again is regarding the Great Tribulation just prior to the second coming of Jesus before the Millennium.

There are many other things we can discover by comparing Matthew 24 and 25 with Daniel 9 and Revelation 6-19.  The two in the field and two in the bed and two on the house top have nothing whatsoever to do with the rapture of the Church, but with the fleeing of the Jews for refuge after the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition is revealed in the middle of the seven year period of Daniel's prophecy.  

An improper interpretation and misunderstanding of these passages has led to much confusion through the years.  But all is clear when we closely examine and rightly divide the Word of God.  Israel is not the Church and the Church is not Israel, regardless of what your preacher, uncle, or whomever has taught you.  All Jews are not Jews..."He is a Jew which is a Jew INWARDLY" says Paul.  That is important to understand because there are many atheistic and agnostic racial Jews, as well as other Jews who will go to hell just as any other unbeliever, but "ALL (the remnant) of Israel shall be saved" in that Great Tribulation for they shall respond to the preaching of the two witnesses and the 144,000 who are Jews and NOT Jehovah Witnesses!  The rest of the unbelievers (all receiving the mark of the beast) in that period will be "damned, because they received not the knowledge of the TRUTH".