Israel: The Ultimate Target (Isaiah 55:1-13 & Jeremiah)
Israel: The Ultimate Target (Isaiah 55:1-13 & Jeremiah)
Is all that is happening in the Middle East a coincidence? Does the existence of Israel prove the existence of God? Does Israel prove the faithfulness of the Bible and the God who wrote it?
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how do you respond to people who Excel you in invention creativity and wealth do you envy them do you feel their success somehow diminishes you or do you admire what they’ve achieved and try to emulate it these questions sum up what I call the Israel test in the 1880s European Jews settled in mandate Palestine and wrought an agricultural miracle in that desolate territory then sparsely populated by a few score thousand Jews and a couple hundred, Arabs the Jewish settlers drained malarial swamps leaked salt from the
soils terrist the barren Hills and planted millions of trees they massively expanded the capacity of the land and enabled it to support a substantial Arab population in in the two decades between 1921 and 1943 Jews quadrupled the number of Enterprises multiplied the number of jobs by a factor of 10 and increased the level of capital investment a h hundredfold far from displacing Arabs they provided the capital for a major expansion of Arab farms and enabled a Sevenfold rise in Arab population by 1948 to a level of 1.35 million the
largest in the long history of Palestine in other words the Arabs came to what would soon be the state of Israel because of the Jews by comparison trans Jordan now known as Jordan with the same geological endowment and four times the land but no Jews was able to sustain a population density only one tenth of the population density of Palestine crucial to Israel’s accomplishments were World leading technological advances in the recovery of water through desalinization drip irrigation and sewage recycling over the past 50 years
Israel has increased its population tfold its agricultural production 16 fold and its Industrial uction 50 fold while actually reducing net water consumption by 10% since 1948 this huge expansion of effective Water Resources enabled the land to support not only more Jews but also Millions more Arabs today the state of Israel with its astonishing achievements in computer science and other high-tech Fields dis Stills both the genius of the Jews and the misdirected anger of the failed states that surrounder the Great
Divide in the Middle East is not between Arab and Jew but between admiration of achievement along with the desire to replicate it and envy accompanied by violent resentment people who admire success who pass the Israel test tend to be wealthy and peaceful people who res that achievement who fail the Israel test tend to become poor and violent so again how do you respond to people who Excel you in invention creativity and wealth do you envy them do you feel their success somehow diminishes you or do you admire what they’ve achieved and
try to emulate it the Israel test is the central divide in the world today how you answer it at as an individual and ultimately how we answer it as a nation is a test of our own will to triumph over enemies who hate us as they hate Israel for what is best within us I’m George Gilder a non-jew who has passed the Israel test today’s a special day for a lot of reasons uh number one today is Pentecost Sunday so that’s 50 days right since the glorification of Christ Jesus Penta 50 Penta days Penta and uh so we pause to acknowledge that
also this week uh the reason why you see our stage dawned with uh Israeli Flags is because we recognize a miracle that just this last week on May 14th Israel celebrated listen carefully Israel for the second time celebrated its 76th birthday so that is a remarkable Bible prophecy fulfillment the nation of Israel existing today for the second time in human history exactly as the Bible said and so today we’re going to be having a service I have to tell you got to be honest with you I’m going to go fast I between the hours of
3 and 6 o’clock this morning I actually threw away more than half of my sermon yep that’s that’s what that’s what usually happens but this was super doubly lot of verses too much can you imagine this should boast in your faith as Believers in the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the god of the Bible that uh to get ready for a 55 minute sermon I had to throw away so many Bible verses that apply to the events of this week and to the days in the age in which we live in absolutely awesome incredible so
uh before we get ready to read together as a church again last Tuesday May 14th made history as Israel celebrated its 76th birthday and the book of Isaiah chap 66:8 chapter 66:8 the Bible tells us by the way this is uh 743 years before the birth of Christ this is nearly now a 3,000 year old prophecy who has heard such a thing and who has seen such a thing shall the Earth be made to give birth in one day or shall a nation be born at once for as soon as Zion was in labor she gave birth to her children Accord according to the Bible there
would be a rebirth of the nation of Israel and it would not happen in a week it would not happen in 3 days it would happen in one day and on May 14th 1948 under the leadership of then President Harry Truman who stood for the state of Israel the United Nations voted for The Rebirth of the nation of Israel in one day I want to show you something put your eyes to the screen and check this out New York Times this is uh New York Times it’s blurry I know but Saturday I think that says May 15th I can’t make it
out it’s a little blurry I think it’s the day after doesn’t matter zionists Proclaim new state of Israel Truman recognizes it and hopes for peace Tel Aviv is bombed Egypt orders an invasion the in less than 24 hours after the birth of the nation five surrounding Nations attacked Israel they had some guns and a lot of pitchforks and hammers they had some tractors and trailers and horses and they won and they won why well you’re going to be looking at the reason why and listen I’m calling upon all uh wokers
today to stay tuned I know today’s going to be full of truth you’re going to have a an allergic reaction to truth hang in there hang in there also this those of you who are from uh churches that uh have absolutely abolished Israel from their theology you need to hang in here find some truth in fact it probably be a good challenge for you to also hear if you’re holding to that view that Jesus is coming back soon you probably don’t know that either and also the fact that God so loved the world that he gave gifted his only
glorified son upon the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead listen that is a new testament record of the event but it’s an Old Testament Doctrine found in scripture and so this is very very important one more p message before we dive into this Matthew 5:1 17 my Jewish friends listen don’t tune us out because I’m quoting now a new testament hang with us please Jesus is only quoting the Old Testament here and speaking of it in Matthew 5:1 17 and 18 Jesus says do not think that I’ve come
to destroy the law or the prophets I did not come to destroy but to fulfill for assuredly I say to you till Heaven and Earth pass away one jot or one P that is of the Hebrew language will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled Jesus Christ stood and endorsed Moses and he stood and endorsed the psalmist he stood and endorsed the prophets in fact later on Psalm 40 and the book of Hebrews will say behold in the volume of the book it is written of the Messiah all about him so here we go I will read
the odd numbered verses you nice and loud so that the world can hear you today read the even numbered verses Isaiah 55 beginning at verse one our title today on this very special day of Israel’s birthday week and the fact that it’s Pentecost Israel the ultimate Target Israel the ultimate Target Israel is being targeted is it is it being targeted by violence yes is it being targeted by those who hate it yes is it being targeted by those who love God and love Israel I say yes I Target Israel as an as a an object of prayer and support
and to speak up because my God says that he has declared Israel to be his home that’s what the Bible teaches and that’s why we are people of the book oh everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come buy and eat yes come byy wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul Delight itself in abundance verse three incline your ear and come to me this is God speaking come