Genesis to Esther Series – LESSON 19

Subject: The People Of Israel

It is impossible to study the people of the Old Testament and not study about the land of Israel. And it is just as impossible to study the Old Testament and not study about the people of Israel. And the subjects, although they are separate and distinct, they are interwoven. You can’t talk about Canada without talking about Canadians. And you can’t talk about Canadians without talking about Canada. And so, in a sense, that is what we are up against. We have been talking primarily, in previous lessons, about the land. And now, we are going to talk about the people, and some of the things that were stated in the Bible relative to these people whom Joshua brought into the land.

I. The Bible Foretold (Prophesied) The Scattering Of The Jews From Their Land.

The Bible foretold (prophesied) the scattering of the Jews from their land, before it ever happened. Even before they came into the land, God foreknew they were going to be scattered. I want you to take your Bible and mark a few things as we weave through a few of these predictions. This is but a few of the many statements that are found in the Scriptures.

1. Scriptures

Leviticus 26:33

I shall be just emphasizing the one word at the moment, and then we will be coming back for other reasons. In verse 33, God speaking through Moses to Israel:

(33) And I will scatter you among the heathen (the Gentiles), and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

God said that before they ever built a city there, but it is prophesy.

Deuteronomy 4:27

There is an additional word, and revelation here. The first statement is much like Leviticus.

(27) And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations (the Gentiles)

Now, here is additional information.

And ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

Just to get you thinking, in the days of the Romans the Jewish population was reduced to 100,000 people. Now, if that isn’t few for a nation! Moses had predicted that they would be scattered and reduced until there is few in number.

Let’s go to the next one where we get an additional statement. It takes all of these Scriptures, putting them together, to tell us the whole story, and help us to understand our Bibles a little better.

Deuteronomy 28:25

(25) The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

God is adding a statement. Do you expect then, to find Jews in China? Do you expect to find Jews in America? Do you expect to find Jews everywhere? You would be more surprised, if you believe your Bible, if you didn’t find them; because God says in this, when He scatters them, He is going scatter them to all the kingdoms of the earth. And so every kingdom of the earth has Jews there.

Deuteronomy 28:64

It is a repetition, but in case somebody thinks that phrase “kingdom” is to be taken otherwise, well then, what do you do with this?

(64) And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other;

That is specific, is it not?

I remember hearing John White preach on Gideon. He talked about Gideon’s fleece. When Gideon had asked the Lord to wet the grass, and then afterward, to wet the fleece – Gideon picked it up and wrung the dew out of it, and John said, “When God dewed, He really dewed!” God said He would do something, and when he said He doed it, He really doed it! He scattered them from one end of the earth to the other.

Ezekiel 6:8-10

All of the prophets are full of this subject; but I have only chosen to read those that are so specific, and so undeniable, that anyone who will read can understand and see.

(8) Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.

God said He would scatter them, but God said there would always be some of them left. It didn’t matter how much they suffer, there would always be some left! And that is history.

(9) And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a-whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

(10) And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them

That phrase is every word Ezekiel. And I would like to apply that to myself and to you. I would like you to get hold of this. God in His Word, gives us the things to look at, so that we can know He is the Lord. We are always looking outside of our Bible. We are looking for somebody to get gold in his teeth, or somebody to get oil on his hands, When God said “LOOK IN THE BOOK.”

What has God said? I’ll scatter the Jew. And when you see, you will know that I have done it, and you will know I am the Lord. Did you get that? Is there anybody in my audience that has not seen a Jew? You have all seen them. Why? They are everywhere. Listen, the next time you see that Jew, say to yourself “The Bible is True, that fellow shouldn’t be here. But here he is, and I know the Lord has done it.”

Ezekiel 12:14-16

(14) And I will scatter toward every wind

What does that mean? North and South, and East and West. Every way the wind blows, God says He is going to scatter them.

I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

(15) And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

God said He would take these people, and scatter and disperse them.

(16) But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 17:21

(21) And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

You will see, the Bible says “In the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every Word be established.” That is all you need, two or three witnesses of Scripture, but I have tripled that.

Ezekiel 22:15-16

(15) And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

God has a reason for it, but He is making the statement that He is going to scatter them.

These Biblical predictions, these prophecies, have become absolute historical facts. Nobody can deny that the Jews are everywhere. And in this case, we have a principle. The prophesy regarding the scattering of Israel has become a part of history. It is merged into history. Read history, it will fit the Bible, and the Bible will fit history. If it is true history, it has to be that way.

2. Bible History Records Their Scattering

Bible history records their scattering. You don’t have to go outside of the Bible. Before you get to secular history, read some of the Bible.

This scattering really began back in the days of Babylon. In the book of Esther there is a very interesting, intriguing story. It tells about a hater of the Jewish people.

The celebration of the book of Esther, in Jewish Synagogues, come up in March. Have any of you ever gone to a celebration? If you happen to be in Vancouver about the 15^th of March, look for it – “The Celebration Of Purim.” Go down to the Synagogue on Oak Street, about 33^rd Ave, and you can see the whole thing put on. It is really worth going to.

They read the book of Esther, but they do a lot more. Every time the name Haman is used, everybody makes a racket. I’ve been in some noisy Pentecostal meetings, and nothing could match that noise, until I went to hear the Jews down on Oak Street here in Vancouver.

They hate the name Haman. W;hen you go in you are given a noise maker to swing around. A fellow stands up in what we would call the pulpit. He has a big cow bell and a great big noise-maker. He takes the noise maker and throws it around, and rings the cow bell at the appropriate time, and 800 people start shouting and yelling; because Haman is going to get into trouble. And when they hang him, you can hardly control those Jews.

Alright, Haman is the man.

Esther 3:8-10

(8) And Haman (the Jew-hater) said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad

We are going to apply history here. Remember, the scattering did not happen over night. It wasn’t a once-for-all thing; it started by the Babylonians, then the Medes and Persians helped, and then the Greeks helped, and then the Romans helped, and Hitler tried to help again, to come a little closer.

and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.

There has never been a statement that is basically more true than that. I know we have heard a lot said about Jewish people; and we have all been guilty. You can find a few rouges among them, but you can among Gentiles too can’t you. By and large, Jewish people contribute more to society and keep the laws better, and pay their taxes better than most Gentiles; but Haman hated them. So he says “They don’t keep the law.” It was a false accusation. Then he said “Therefore, the king is not going to profit from these people.”

(9) If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.

(10) And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.

The Jews’ enemy is trying to destroy the Jews that in his day were scattered. They have already started.

Psalm 44:11

This is a statement, whether prophetic or historic, at the time of writing – I’m not sure.

It is talking in the context of the Jewish people. They were hated by Haman.

(11) Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat;

What does that mean? - Sheep on their road to slaughter.

and hast scattered us among the heathen.

The Jewish people – scattered. What has their history been? We are going to study that separately, but they have been like sheep going to the slaughter throughout history. And many times they have gone without saying a word.

Luke 21:24

A prediction of the Lord Jesus. It becomes significant in the light of what we have read because it proves another point, which is this: All the scattering of the Jewish people was not fulfilled by the history of the Old Testament. How have I concluded that? Luke 21 is on this side of the New Testament.

(24) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword (the inhabitants of Jerusalem) and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

There was a scattering in the Old Testament and there was likewise a scattering by the Romans in the New Testament. And that is what Jesus is predicting.

James 1:1

At the beginning of church history, the Old Testament prophesied the scattering of the Jews, and now other Scripture acknowledges that.

(1) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings.

When James was written, that which was first prophesy, has now become history.

3. Experience Acknowledges This Scattering

Experience, for me, acknowledges this scattering. The Jews are everywhere. Thinking back over the time when I was in the city of Regina for seven years; the junk dealer in the city was Mr. Goldman. If you wanted anything, he had it, plus the money that went with it. Goldman Clothier was on Hamilton Street, just across the back alley from the church; so I had lots of time to go in and talk with Mr. Goldman when I bought suits from him.

The best suit I ever bought in my life; was when I was in the city of Moose Jaw back in the 50’s. I befriended Mr. Cohen of the Army and Navy store. He looked me over and he supplied me with suits. All he had to do was look at me. He would send special orders to Montreal to get me suits for thirty-five dollars – and they were good ones. So, I make no apology for wearing thirty-five dollar suits! I would get a suit from a Jew, plus I had an opportunity to talk to a Jew!

My dentist was Mr. Bookhalter, and my doctor was a Jew. I could go on and on! I don’t know about you people, but it is pretty hard to live, even in Vancouver, and go over a few weeks and not do business with a Jew. Am I telling you the truth? Your experience acknowledges that they are everywhere!

I was up on the top of Shalom Towers in Tel Aviv, 26 stories up in the air. I was on the roof, looking down on beautiful Tel Aviv, which is an almost totally Jewish city. Then, it was roughly around 400,000 people. Joppa is a twin city. It is totally Arab. I talked to a man from Israel, and as we looked down over the city, this man said, “Do you know that the Jews in Israel today have returned from 100 countries?”

So I say, “Do you know that they could not have come back from 100 countries if they hadn’t been scattered to 100 countries?” Because they had been scattered to so many countries, is the reason they are coming back from so many countries. God said He would scatter them, and later on, He would bring them back.

II. The Bible Foretold The Desolations Of Israel’s Land

The Bible not only foretold the scattering of the Jewish people from their land, the Bible foretold the desolations of the land. The Scriptures are so specific.

I recall Brother Johnston, a farmer from Eston Saskatchewan, who took me to Israel in 1952. He paid my keep, and he paid my plane fare. It didn’t cost me a nickel. I will always be thankful for what Brother Johnston did.

I think, he would be the first to allow me to say this if he were present. He had dreamed of going to Israel from his boyhood, and now the day came for him to go. When he got there he was so disappointed; because all we did from morning to evening was to go from this ruin to that ruin; and from that ruin to another ruin. You go to Hebron and you walk through ruins. You go up north to Samaria and you walk through ruins. Every place was ruins.

He had a vision of a garden of Eden, and he thought that the land of Israel would be the most beautiful spot in the world; but everywhere you looked were stones and desolation. And so, I am saying to any of you: before you ever go to Israel, study your Bible so you won’t be disappointed.

The Arabs have a story about the creation of the world. It goes like this: When the Lord created the world he gave two angels two large bags of stones. He said to the angels, “Make a trip right around the globe, one to the West, and the other to the East, and distribute those stones everywhere.” The first angel was very obedient and he went all the way around the globe with his stones. The second angel was not obedient; he was too lazy, and he dumped all of his stones in Israel.

When you go there, there are stone fences everywhere. When you go to the ruins of Bethel, you can see that Jacob didn’t have any problem finding a stone for a pillow. They are everywhere. It is a stony, desolate, broken down land, except since 1948 when they started to restore.

1. Scriptures

We have looked at the prediction of the scattering, and now, I want you to notice another word as I read.

Leviticus 26:32-35

(32) And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

There is the first time it is mentioned.

(33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

There it is the second time. Having read that, if you were able to go to the land of Israel, and if you didn’t find ruined cities, the Bible wouldn’t be true.

(34) Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her Sabbaths.

(35) As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your Sabbaths, when ye dwell upon it.

There you have it three times.

Ezekiel 6:1-7, 14

(1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying

All through the book of Ezekiel you have that phrase. This is the Word of the Lord, or it is nothing. Sometimes I would like to shout that out to everybody. “Listen people, this is not the word of the preacher; this is the Word of the Lord.”

(2) Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.

(3) And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God;Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

(4) And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken; and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

There is that word again “desolate.” I think if one had the time to do it, and the ability to put together all of the Bible in history, you would likely find wherever Israel had built an idol altar, God brought desolation.

(5) And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

(6) In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

(7) And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

We not only know the Lord, by His Works of Grace, we know the Lord by His Acts of Judgments. It was the Lord Who sent fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. And it was the Lord that brought desolation to the land of Israel.

Ezekiel 12: 17-20

(17) Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

All through this passage Ezekiel is not burying this idea – The Word of the Lord came unto me.

(19) And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

(20) And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

God speaks in such plain language, that everybody should understand.

Ezekiel 15:6-8

(6) Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

God says, Like trees are grown by My Hand to be put in the fire for fuel, that is what I am going to do.

(7) And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.

(8) And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.

It is a matter of God doing it. God says He is going to do this.

The subject of “desolation” is more often in the Bible, than the Virgin Birth. There is more about the desolation of Israel, than many other subjects.

Ezekiel 33:28-29

(28) For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

They are going to cut down the trees out of the mountains, and that is exactly what they have done.

(29) Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

God gives the reason for all of this; -- because of their abominations. The way they lived, brought the Judgment of God on the land.

Would you agree with my statement: these prophecies are very specific? And the fulfillments are very literal. They are there to prove it; the Jews have been scattered, and the land has become desolate.

I make this statement with great joy: and here is where I stand. I’m not trying to be a Martin Luther, but I’m always thrilled when he stood up before his opposition and he said, “Here I stand, so help me God.” I’m thrilled when I say, “We have reasons.” We have observable reasons, and we have strong reasons to believe our Bible. What is the purpose of all of this? For that very reason – to prove the Inspiration of the Bible; because only Inspiration could make Moses talk about something that is going to happen hundreds of years later. And so, I observe, and I have to believe in Inspiration. More than that, I observe, and I have to believe in Bible Prophecy. And more than that, I observe, and I have to believe that the Bible is True! And I have the reasons to show somebody.

Somebody says, “I want you to prove to me what is happening today.” You may not be able to do that. But take your Bible, and like Isaiah who says “Come, let us reason together,” using your Bible, you can show the reasons. Anybody that is willing to sit down and reason with you, will be able to see what is there. It is there for all to observe.

III. The Bible Foretold The Sufferings Of The Jews

You have three points. The Bible foretold the scattering of the Jews. And the Bible told of the desolation of the land. And now, the Bible foretold the sufferings of the Jews. And this is not a pretty subject! This is one of those subjects I would rather omit, but I cannot.

1. Scriptures

These verses are prophesied from the prophet Moses; one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. I am, by the help and Grace of God, showing you Divine Revelation.

Leviticus 26:27-28

(27) And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;

(28) Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

That is quite a statement. It is sad! Before I go on, God is making a rule. If you want to be contrary, then I will be contrary. If you turn against me (speaking to Israel) I’m going to turn my back against you. You walk with God and the winds will go in the right direction. You start going against God, and God is going to go against you. Isn’t that what it says?

The sufferings were not ordinary, but there is a tremendous lesson. The lesson implied, is how God can be contrary.

Isaiah is a Bible within the Bible. It has 66 chapters, as the Bible has 66 books. And it describes what happened to the children of Israel during the days of the prophet. The prophet is writing a lamentation as to what is going on in Israel.

Isaiah 66:3-4

(3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;

That is pretty well like the year in which we live. There are people in our country who think nothing more of killing a man, than they do killing an ox. If a man is only a glorified animal – what is the difference? That is the way it was in Isaiah’s day.

He that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.,

You know that God demanded that lambs be slain as sacrifice. He said, with their attitude, it wouldn’t make any difference to them if they slew a dog. They would take a dog just as well as a lamb, if they did what was in their heart.

he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood;

They are the same as if they offered swine’s blood. If you have read Leviticus, you know what it says about swine. Israel had deteriorated so that they were doing everything externally – not with their heart.

Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.,

We are going to see some of this when we talk about Israel -- what it means to choose your own way, and the consequences of choosing your way. They have chosen their own ways that they are delighted in their abominations.

(4) I (God) also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer, when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

That is a very serious portion of Scripture. Israel made choice of what they were going to do. Let me emphasize this: men today can choose the direction they can go, but will you always remember, nobody chooses the consequences. Israel did not choose the consequences of their choice.

To illustrate: Any man can choose to drink, but he doesn’t choose to become an alcoholic. Anybody can take drugs, but he doesn’t choose to blow his brains. Anybody can live an immoral life, but he won’t choose whether he gets AIDS or not. You see, God is the One who chooses the consequences. Israel chose to break the Law of God, and God made choice of what was going to happen to them.

There are some tremendous prophecies in this next portion. I will mention one or two as we go along.

Leviticus 26:28-33

(28) Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

I’m going to bring that back to your attention in another class. God said He would chastise them exactly seven times. That becomes interesting in the light of history.

(29) And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

That is a prediction. God told them that before they ever came into the land of Canaan. He said that the day would come when the children of Israel would eat their own flesh. If you have read Bible history, in the siege of Jerusalem they were selling dove dung to make soup, and they were selling each other’s children to eat them. It happened!

(30) And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

(31) And I will make your cities waste,

That is before they ever came into the land. God predicted that their cities would be laid waste.

and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

I find the details of this prophesy really arresting. Not your “sanctuary,” but your “sanctuaries.” Stop and think:

Did Solomon build a Temple at Jerusalem? Was it destroyed?

Did the Jews build a second Temple at Jerusalem? Was it destroyed?

And here is God telling them, before they ever build a sanctuary, that the sanctuaries they build in Jerusalem are going to be destroyed.

(32) And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

(33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

I think that you can see that the suffering predicted by the prophet Moses in Leviticus, is NOT ORDINARY.

This next Scripture is concerning the children of Israel – the judgments pronounced by God when they would turn to idolatry. God said, When you turn to idolatry, this is what I am going to do.

Deuteronomy 32:24-29

(24) They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

(25) The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

(26) I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:

(27) Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.

(28) For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

And here is the heart-cry of God, before any of it happened.

(29) O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

When you read the prophets, God has some wonderful things to say about these people; and God says, O that they were wise, that they understood, so they wouldn’t have to go through all of this!

In chapters 27 and 28 of Deuteronomy, it is really quite a thing. I’m going to point out some of the blessings of Israel, and I am going to point out some of the curses that were predicted to come upon them. Can you imagine this kind of meeting, when Israel is gathered together, and here is how it begins:

Deuteronomy 27:14-26

(14) And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,

A public meeting, and the preachers get up and say:

(15) Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

I used to do it a lot more than I do now – invite people in the congregation, “If you believe what I am saying, say Amen.” But this would be a solemn meeting when you have to say “Amen” to all these curses.

(16) Cursed

And all the people have to say “Amen.”

(17) Cursed

And all the people have to say “Amen.”

(18) Cursed

(19) Cursed

(20) Cursed

(21) Cursed

(22) Cursed

(23) Cursed

(24) Cursed

(25) Cursed

(26) Cursed

I think they went home from that meeting heavy-hearted don’t you? Those are the curses that were lifted, and when they were prophesied the congregation had to say “So be it! If we do this, the curse of God will come upon us.” And all the people said “Amen” all the way through.

When you come to the next chapter, you have in the first part, from verses 1 to 13, some Promised Blessings to Israel. Then from verses 15 right through to 28, the Promised Curses.

I find difficulty with preachers today who take the book of Deuteronomy and want to take all the blessings to themselves, and leave all the curses to Israel. That’s the way it is done! You never hear anybody preaching on these cursed verses today, it’s only the blessed ones. And I think the principle stands; if you are going to share in Israel’s blessings, you better be prepared to share in their curses; because they are all in the same chapter. I would rather leave it where it belongs, and thank God, this isn’t talking about me, it is talking about the curses of the children of Israel.

Lets read the blessings that we all like.

Deuteronomy 28:1-13

(1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

There is a Promise – a Blessing; Israel, if you behave I will bless you.

(2) And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

(3) Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

(4) Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

(5) Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

(6) Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

(7) The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

I have heard Christians take that and say, “That belongs to me.” Be careful, you better read all the chapter.

(8) The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

(9) The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.

(10) And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

(11) And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

(12) The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

(13) And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;

There, are all the Blessings promised to Israel.

But now, lets go to verse 15. You can’t stop at verse 13.

Deuteronomy 28:15-28

(15) But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

He is still talking to Israel.

(16) Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

(17) Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

(18) Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

(19) Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

(20) The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

(21) The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

(22) The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

(23) And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

(24) The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

(25) The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

(26) And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

(27) The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

(28) The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

Those are awful curses; and here they are upon the children of Israel. God brought them into the land, and He said, “If you obey Me, I will bless you; if you don’t obey Me, I’m going to curse you;” and He spells them out.

Regarding the Jewish people when they are under the curse.

Deuteronomy 28:37

(37) And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.

I don’t have to say much about that. Did you ever go to someone who pulled a raw deal on you, and say under your breath, “That dirty Jew?” Or if you didn’t say “Dirty Jew” – did you ever call somebody a Jew because of his dealings with you? God said that the day would come when the Jews would become a proverb, and it has happened. They have become a proverb, and that is proof that they are under the curse of God.

Deuteronomy 28:43

(43) The stranger (the Gentile) that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

That is the prediction of God regarding His Judgment.

Deuteronomy 28:53

(53) And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

And if that isn’t bringing them down low in Judgment, I don’t know what is!

Deuteronomy 28:63-67

(63) And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

(64) And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

(65) And among these nations

You will never understand a Jew today, unless you remember these verses. Jews, not in the land of Israel, are basically different than Jews in Israel; because in Israel they are at home. In Canada they are not at home. And why not?

(Among the Gentiles) thou shalt find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

(66) And thy life shall hand in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

Every once-in-a-while something happens to show you how this is revived. When Mr. Keetstra took his stand in Alberta, all the Jews suddenly began to fear and tremble inside. They are not at home, and they are fearful what happened in the days of Hitler could happen again. They have that constant fear of what happens. What was Mr. Keetstra’s view? “Wipe out all the Jews so the world can have peace.” Imagine! And he was teaching his students this!

(67) In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! And at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! For the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

Every time a Jew looks around, he sees somebody who is rising up in anti-Semitism or something of that nature. So, you understand a Jew by reading that.

What are we following? We are following the predictions of the suffering of the Jewish people. God tells us why they will suffer. I am simply pointing out the prophesies regarding the sufferings were predicted before they ever happened.

Isaiah 22:18

(18) He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country:

What does that mean? Did you ever see boys out in the field kick the football? That is exactly what the prophet has said; the Jew is going to be treated like a ball that you kick around in a large field. They have been kicked from country to country, from city to city, from nation to nation -- exactly like the prophet said!

Ezekiel 7:2, 4, 15

Talking about the land, and the people in the land.

(2) Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

(4) And mine eye shall not spare thee,

What a statement! God said He would not spare Israel. That is a horrible thing to read in the Bible – that God said He wouldn’t spare these people.

neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

(15) The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.

All I suggest to you – read Jewish history. Read the history of the past. Exactly what is in the prophets has taken place.

Ezekiel 7:25-27

(25) Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

(26) Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. (the old men)

(27) The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

I must say this in passing: there is a verse in Romans that I want to bring back to this, because I know, about now when you read this, you wonder what kind of God is this that we are dealing with! God says He is going to treat Israel according to what they deserve.

Now turn to Romans. I want to remind you again, I bring to your remembrance the 22 verse of Romans 11. Paul says this:

Romans 11:22

(22) Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God:

Everybody wants to believe in the Goodness of God. Nobody wants to believe in the Severity of God. Everybody wants to believe in Heaven. Nobody wants to believe in Hell. But the same Bible that talks about the Goodness of God, talks about the Severity of God. Did you get that?

Now, read on. Where do you see God’s Severity? And in the context, who is it talking about? -- Israel! Where do you see God’s Goodness? Look at your own life. God has surely been good to Gentiles, and God has surely been good to us; but He has been Severe on Israel. Why? -- He took the smallest nation, not the largest. There is the Grace of God.

Israel is the smallest of the nations. He took the smallest nation to be an example of His Severity. And more than that – I hear people constantly saying “I expect God will give me what I deserve.” Did you ever hear that? “I’ll get what I deserve, and I think I deserve quite a bit.” It is like that verse in the 3rd epistle of John; and how Christians apply it. I want to put it in here again:

3 John 2

(2) Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Somebody comes along and takes that and says, “You know, I think I am pretty Spiritual, I should be pretty healthy!” I remember my teacher telling me “Don’t ever pray that over me – that you be only as healthy as you are Spiritual.” The preacher said, “If God treated me, as a Christian, according to what I deserve, and I was only well when I deserved to be well, I’d be sick all the time.” I think you can see through that. And there are people who say, “Let God deal with me according to what I deserve.” Listen, God says, Look at Israel.

Go back to where I was in Ezekiel. God said, I will do after their way, and according to their deserts. And what did they deserve? Curse, curse, curse, curse, and more curse; that is what they deserved, and that is what they got; because God is illustrating not only His Severity, and not only His Judgment, but God is illustrating to the whole world – if people get what they think they deserve, they are only going to get a curse. That is why the Old Testament ends with the word “Curse.”

Ezekiel 11:8-10

(8) Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God.

You read the history of Israel – they had been plundered by armies over and over again.

(9) And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

(10) Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

You are going to fall in the land of Israel; you are going to fall by the sword, and you will know that I am the One Who is doing it!

Ezekiel 23:46-48

(46) For thus saith the Lord God; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.

What an awful thing to have to read – speaking of Israel before it happened.

(47) And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords;

What does that mean? Cut their heads off with swords.

They shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

When you put it all together, it is a horrible picture. But I think you will agree with me that I have proven to you from the Scriptures, that God said the Jews were going to suffer. I don’t think I need to read more. God said that these people were going to suffer.

2. Appeal To History

I have brought along a number of books. I have mentioned this book to you before. It is THE JEW’S GOD AND HISTORY. I know it is not fair to an author to do what I am going to do – pick and choose what I am going to read. If I can sell the book, that will be alright. I think that every Christian that wants to study this subject should have this history. He said, on pages 313 and 314:

Anti-Semitism began about 1850; the kind that is in the world today. Anti-Semitism is illogical and irrational, and stems from unconscious forces.

In other words, this author who is a Jew, can’t explain what is behind it.

First comes the prejudice, then follows the rationalization, the justification, for the feeling. On the other hand, Anti-Jewish violence stems from logical, rational conscious motivations.

He is making the distinction between one who is Anti-Jewish, and one who is Anti-Semitic. If you listen carefully, you will get the difference.

Secondly, Anti-Semitism is directly toward the Jewish race. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the individual Jew. Jew-hate is directed against a Jew for what he does, or what he is -- but not Anti-Semitism.

Thirdly, Anti-Semitism deliberately seeks out Jews, and only Jews. The nations hate the Jews.

And Fourthly, Anti-Semitism does not seek a solution, does not hold out redemption to the Jew; there is no alternative – destroy him. To the true Anti-Semite, the whole reason behind Anti-Semitism is the crime of being Jewish. Go back to the days of Hitler.

He goes on to talk about it.

Contrast Arabs today, with what happened in Germany. The Jews had never rebelled against the Germans. They had spread no heresy, annexed no German territory. They had, in fact, contributed greatly to her culture. But the guilt of the Jews was in the fact that they were Jewish. Any human being suspected as having as little as 1/10^th Jewish blood, was guilty of the crime of being a Jew.

And that is the philosophy, in vision, not only of Germany, but the entire European Continent that they would one day be free of Jews. In fact, Hitler said, that 500 years after his death, there wouldn’t be any Jews in the world, nor would they be remembered. Well, that hasn’t come to pass.

There are so many things in this book that have to do with this subject. I am trying to point out from some of these books, the sufferings.

On pages 373 to 378 I read:

There were first the concentration camps for the Jewish people. During the first five years of the Nazi Regime, most concentration camps were for Christians. I don’t know that everybody knows that. The first stage began in 1933, the second stage in 1935, the third stage in 1939, and then the fifth and final stage was instituted in 1941. Hitler included the murder of all Jews in Europe, with a program of all kind of atrocities that you can hardly believe could happen.

I have here a clipping out of STRIKE ZION. He goes back and talks about the days of the sufferings of the Jews.

Where in the world are the most civilized and cultured of countries? It would show no respect for the United States or for the Commonwealth; really it is the Christian countries of Western Europe, which are the flower of civilization and culture – the highest point which man has yet developed. And if anyone had asked, “Do you think it possible that within relatively a few years, one of these countries would drive millions of old people and children, literally naked, into gas chambers?” You would not think it possible!

Secondly, you would have said, “You will never get people to do it.” Can you ever imagine that you would ever get men and children of their own, to drive children into tens of thousands of gas chambers? If it had been said or suggested, that on top of that, human beings would be used as guinea pigs; that their sexual organs would be literally, taken in front of their eyes while they were conscious -- as experiments to see whether men and woman could be sterilized in mass. Again, you would have said, “It is impossible.”

But, of course, if once you allow yourself to think that there was some body of men, who because of their race or color, were not really human beings, then you are justified in apposing every sort of disability on them. If once you thought they were justified in treating such groups as if they were animals, and said, “Well, we slaughter animals don’t we?” – then Aushwitz was simply the logical end of that thinking. The Jews became looked upon as less than men!

Their wives were thrown alive into concrete cells filled with poison fumes. In their agony of agonies, they cried “Oh God, why have we been forsaken?” When the fumes suffocated them to death, the gold was taken from their teeth, the hair was taken from their heads, the fat of their tissues was cut off, and then they were boned in the ovens and their bones were crushed by a machine to be used later to fertilize.

You go on and think of that. I have seen with my eyes; on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and I request to go when I am there. If you go to the Museum out in the New Jerusalem – the one that they have for the nations -- unless you request to see a lot of this, you won’t see it. But I have gone into this little Mausoleum near Mount Zion, where David was buried, and I have seen with my eyes, soap made from the fat of Jewish bodies. I have seen lampshades made from the skins of Jewish bodies. Don’t try and tell me that they haven’t suffered. The Jews have suffered like no other nation has suffered on the face of the earth!

I have a book called THE DAWN OF WORLD REDEMTION. This is taken from page 119. The book is written by Erich Sauer, a German theologian, whom I consider one of the best theologians in Germany in my generation. He puts this on the bottom of page 119:

In August AD70, in the destruction of Jerusalem, 1,100,00 Jews were killed; 1,100,000 Jews were killed in Jerusalem at the Roman destruction. In AD132 to 135, there were 500,000 Jews killed. In AD1096, between May and July in Germany, 12,000 Jews were killed. In 1290, November 1^st, there was the expulsion of all Jews from England; over 16,000 were threatened to be hung if they didn’t leave. And that law remained in England for 370 years. For 400 years, England would not allow Jews within it’s borders.

I don’t find it very edifying to talk about this; but it is part of the Bible story, so we have to look at it.

I thought of something that happened in a class. It is a number of years ago now. I was going over this kind of thing, talking about the sufferings of the Jews, and I was coming down very hard on Hitler’s Germany. Sitting in the front seat of that class was a boy that I will identify only as Ralph; he had come out from Germany after the war. He had been saved, and here he is sitting right in front of me, and I am being so hard, apparently on the German people, that he trembled like a leaf. I hurt him so deeply, that ever since, when I talk about it, I want to say this:

As I go back over and read just a skeleton outline of the sufferings of the Jews, don’t miss this point; there isn’t one country, in all of their scatterings, that hasn’t at some time or other, caused the Jews to suffer. They have suffered everywhere. Notice some of these outstanding dates:

AD70 1,100,000 Jews died.

It was the Romans, The Europeans that brought the destruction.

1096 12,000 Jews died in Germany

1290 The expulsion of the Jews from England. And that was only

repealed 370 years later.

1298 100,000 Jews were killed in Austria.

1306 the Jews were expelled from France – 100,000 under the threat of

death. They either leave France or die!

1492 Have you ever heard the date before? Columbus sailed the ocean

blue. Columbus was a Jew, but the history books don’t tell you

that. In 1492 on August 2^nd, 300,000 Jews were expelled from

Spain, or they faced the inquisition – death by torture or get out.

That is why Columbus went out to find America. He went out to

find another land for these Jewish people.

1648, 12,000 were killed in Poland by the Kazaks. In the years 1648 to

1658, over a ten year period, 400,000 Polish Jews were slaughtered.

1939-45 6,000,000

And then the worst since the Romans. It was the Romans that

slaughtered the Jews at the beginning of church history. And it

was Germany’s Hitler that Erich Sauer acknowledges, murdered

many hundreds of thousands of Jews during the years of the

Second World War between 1939 to 1945.

The truth is, 6 million Jews were slaughtered, not in the historic

past, but in my lifetime.

Where are the Jews suffering today? Are you watching? They are suffering in Russia today. This man Shcharansky was put in jail for thirteen years, and now they are trying to make a deal with Russia. Russia is demanding 3 million dollars ransom, in addition for exchanging another Russian prisoner. They are trying to get this man out of jail, and I read someplace in a recent paper, that the Jews of America and Canada have said “If it is going to take 3 million, they will raise it and they will get him out.”

I hope it happens. What was his crime? This man’s crime was that he tried to make a way for Jews to get out of Russia to go back to Israel. That’s all! He was trying to get them to leave. They put him in prison for 13 years.

The Jews have suffered more from the hand of intelligent, educated men in my lifetime, than ever before in history. When you stop and think of it, it reminds me of what Martin Luther said, “You educate men without the Bible, and you will make them clever devils. And history proves that! We have had clever devils because they haven’t had the Bible.

I have another little magazine called SALVATION. This article says:

Let us cut them off from being a nation.

That is in the Psalms. I will show it to you in another lesson. “Come, let us cut them off.” That’s the desire of the Gentiles.

Let the name of Israel be no more remembered.

Popes, Councils, Bishops, Monks, Kings, Peoples seemed equally enraged against them, all through history. You go back to Pharaoh, the head of the Gentile world of his time. Conceived the idea of a policy of extermination. The very means which Pharaoh had planned for the extermination of God’s people, were chosen of God for his own destruction. Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned.

Remember? he was going to drown all the babies, and it turned around; that is what happened to him. Nebuchadnezzar, the Gentile Jew-hater, tried to destroy the Jews by putting them into the fire; but the flames that would not burn the Jews, slew those men that were thrown into the furnace. Darius, the wild beast in the days of Daniel’s enemies – put Daniel into the lion’s den. Haman tried to kill them. Rome and Greece tried to exterminate the Jews, but those great empires are no more. The history has been an awful history.

3. Their Sufferings Are Not Finished

Their sufferings, I am sorry to say, are not yet finished. Here are some predictions that have to do with something that is still yet future.

Zechariah 13:8

(8) And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

I find that extremely interesting and arresting. Hitler destroyed 1/3^rd of the Jewish people. There were 18 million when he started. And when he finished, only 12 million Jews remained; 6 million were 1/3^rd. I am persuaded it is a type and shadow of what is predicted here in the Bible. When God gets finished with these people, 2/3^rd of this people are going to be cut off and die.

You have all heard of the Great Tribulation. And I have to believe that the coming Tribulation, is associated primarily, not with me, but with the Jewish people.

Jeremiah 30:3, 6-7

(3) For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord:

After I have talked about the Jew’s suffering, our next subject is the miracle of their preservation. And then after that, the miracle of their restoration. So, you see, you don’t stop with one subject; the one is interwoven with the other.

I will bring again

God is going to bring these people back again.

(6) Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

What has caused this – for men to suddenly go blank in their face?

(7) Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of

Not of the church’s trouble. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s the church’s trouble.

it is even the time of JACOB’S trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Praise God, there is a Promise; he is going to be saved out of it. God is going to intervene, or they would all be destroyed. This is not past, this is future. Notice those words none is like it.

It is so important for you to see, the sufferings of the Jews are not finished.

Daniel 12:1

(1) And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was

Now, if that isn’t talking about what Jeremiah is talking about, I don’t think I understand my Bible!

such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

I want to establish why I think this is future.

Matthew 24:21-22, 29-30

(21) And then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

(22) And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

(29) Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

(30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

I think it is plain. It has to be future; because the Lord is going to come back immediately after the suffering of the Jews. Immediately after the Tribulation, the Lord is going to come back. And if the Tribulation of the Jews is all past, the Lord should be here. Immediately after they suffer like they never suffered before, the Lord will come. You can see trouble building up in the world.

4. Current Events Seem To Be Preparing For Such A Time Of Trouble

Current events seem to be preparing for such a time of trouble. I believe the trends are in the right direction.

Matthew 23:37

(37) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

(38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

(39) For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Don’t miss a word here! Jesus was in Jerusalem when he made this prediction. Jesus said, I am going to leave your Jewish house desolate. That includes the Temple and all the rest. And you are not going to see me again Israel till you say “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. There is a Promise of the Return of Christ, in that verse. Israel, I’m leaving you desolate, and you are going to have all kinds of trouble; but I am going to be seen again. I’m going to Come Again.

After saying that,

Matthew 24:1-9

(1) And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.

(2) And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

He was talking about AD70.

(3) And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?

Jesus had made a Prediction that the Temple was going to be destroyed, and He had made a prediction that He was going to Come Again. And so they are asking about it.

(4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

(5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

(6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

They had asked, “What will be the end of the age?” and so, Jesus starts answering that question.

(7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

(8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.

(9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all Gentiles for my name’s sake.

In the context, He is talking to Jews. Primarily, that is what it is about. At the end of the age, the whole world is going to turn against the Jew. And that is why they are going to have trouble like they’ve never had before.

Jesus predicted trouble. Men are warning trouble is coming.

The heading of this article is: HOW YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE.

It started from 1975, building up to the year 2000. Every once-in-a-while, I do my arithmetic and I think of all the years I have been preaching about the Tribulation on its way, and the Coming of the Lord, the suffering and the scattering of the Jews, and then the return of the Jews, etc. I get excited when I think, in 14 years, it is going to be the year 2000.

But here is a scientist; not a Bible man. Let me read a bit.

Higher incomes, but more shortages.

I think they are dead on!

Expanding cities, shrinking dollars.

Isn’t that interesting! You would think that was written yesterday.

Moderation at home, Nuclear skirmishes abroad.

Science and technology, once the oracles for all problems, now are found to be creating new problems through their solutions.

Isn’t that a masterpiece! They had the idea, a few years ago, that if we would let science do it, we would get all the answers; but the more answers they bring, the more problems they create.

The poorest nations, with populations that are multiplying, because of health conditions already are burying their dead in famines that soon may engulf, not only Africa, but South Asia.

And you know that that is where the populations of the world are. When I read this kind of thing, I say, “If I said a preacher wrote this,” right away I would turn off the audience. But when I say a scientist wrote this, everybody is ready to listen.”

In America, the world’s richest nation, the massive growth of affluence and education seems to be generating discontent, and a scrambling of values and social disarray.

The more money we get, the more discontent we are.

In that situation they have a crush for leadership. Seeming to be finding few persons who are willing to take the responsibility of coping with the problems, some exploded, which are emerging on today’s society. What is the dilemma of modern man? The dilemma is that never before has so much self-discipline been needed from the public, and at the same time, never before has the capacity to enforce discipline been so weak.

We never needed discipline so much, and there never was a time when we are so weak to enforce it.

Can you see what is happening in our nation?

I think that anybody can see that world trouble is around the corner. You don’t have to have much Bible faith to see it. There is a spirit of racial hate now in the world, that was not here a few years ago. Are you observing? -- Races are starting to hate each other. There is a spirit of lawlessness that is now world-wide.

In the news, very recently, the opposition attacked the Minister of Finance of Canada, over the dollar. The opposition member said, “When is the government going to do something about this, their problem?” Mr. Wilson answered, and I have to agree, “The problem is not the government’s problem; it is the nation’s problem.” He is 100% right on. There is a spirit of iniquity that is abounding. Verse 12 of Matthew 24, Jesus said, Iniquity shall abound.

I have good students. They read for me. I had this given to me today: It is out of PEOPLE MAGAZINE, and I will tell you who is being quoted.

A poll was taken. The caption of this is one of the latest TV productions called “SIN.” I was not aware of it, but they are spending 14 million dollars to produce this TV special -- I think 5 hours. The main actress is Joan Collins. I was told by a student, that this lady claims to be a Born Again Christian. If that is true, then what I am about to read is ten times worse. I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know what she looks like; but the editors asked Joan questions, and here are her answers as printed in People Magazine:

Homosexuality is fine within reason; like if two hairdressers lived today, that’s OK.

I don’t know what hairdressing has to do with it!

Mercy killings of the terminally ill are justifiable when the patients are vegetables.

Pre-marital sex is perfectly normal, and what was once called “living in sin,” Isn’t really sin

And if you can imagine having this published:

I would not want my children; Tera 22, Sasha 20, and Katie 13, to marry unless they live with the person for at least a year.

Divorce is far better than an unhappy marriage. It is just one of those things.

Actually divorce has been three of those things for Joan.

Pornography is acceptable for barren sex lives.

Tax cheating isn’t exactly a sin. It is just wrong.

If a bank made an error in her favor, she said she would report it, others said they wouldn’t. Down and down the line.

I think that is a little demonstration and illustration of the fact that (and this is the upper crust of society) iniquity is abounding. We’ve got it in our world. Labor and unrest is increasing, economic instability – the gathering storm. It is no wonder they are talking about the brink of a New Age.

These are not fanatical preachers, and they haven’t read the words of Jesus and the prophets; but he makes the statement: “In the last 25 years (and this is a scientist) the world has advanced in science, knowledge, and industry, but retrogressed in morals and manners.

And I say, “Amen scientist, preach it!” In this article, he went on to say:

We have produced intellectual giants, and moral bigamy.

And I say “Amen” to that.

There has always been some sexual promiscuity. I know several periods that have even been worse, but not in the United States. We do stand at the edge of something. Lets hope it is not a precipice.

Our age of science is creating special problems on earth, warns Lewis Mumford. The problem of our time is the control of quantity, a burst of energy, of knowledge. We cannot assimilate, much less organize in it some meaningful pattern. We are victims of accumulated process. We are even surrendering thought to a machine.

Two people, by the name of Durrand, blame our moral laxity on the weakening of family ties, and the fast-growing industrialization.

Mrs. Durrand says, “You would not have this epidemic delinquency if they had any kind of belief at home, and in church. You can see the reaction to being denuded of religion.”

Arnold Twainby wrote, “In all western history there has been nothing so wicked as what the Nazi did. Extreme cruelty, extreme human-ness are particular to this our age.

I have another whole list of things that I have cut out, regarding our generation:

THE WORLD ON THE GRIP OF CRISIS.

A famed scientist, not a preacher, predicts catastrophe – the greatest in history. That is what the scientist says we are in for.

And I thought this really captured it:

Here is a Canadian standing out here on the edge of the precipice with the rocks falling down. And the caption is:

THE WAY AHEAD FOR CANADA:

There is a natural reluctance to let pessimism take control, even though general confidence may be in short supply.

If you ever heard conglomeration of words that is sort of a contradiction! They don’t know what to say about it, they don’t want to be pessimists. Everybody wants to be an optimist, but they have nothing to be optimist about.

A FUTURE WITHOUT DIRECTION

We face a world that is leaderless, dangerous, uneconomic, unjust, and ungovernable;

too different to agree, and too interconnected to separate. We have suddenly become one world. We can’t get along. Worry, worry, worry – A nation united, and everybody is worried. Investors are worried. You better believe it; Those who have jobs are worrying. Those who have pensions are worrying. Business is worrying. Everybody is worrying today. Why? The whole world knows trouble is around the corner.

Well, as a Christian I lift up my head, my redemption draweth nigh.

The next thing we look at: Crime is on the increase. I think this is quite a thing to cut out of a most recent newspaper regarding British Columbia.

CANADIAN’S CRIME IS WILDEST IN THE WEST.

You start looking at the crimes in Eastern Canada; and the farther West you come, it gets worse – until you get to B.C. where we happen to live; and according to the newspaper, it is the worst.

You hear more about battered women all the time in the newspapers. This is very recent, right up to date, 1986. This is from Ontario, a Super Market:

ROBBERY SAYS BLACK

Multi-millionaire financier, Conrad Black says, Employees of Dominion Stores Ltd. rob the Super Market chain of millions of dollars of produce every year. We had 20 million in produce, stolen by employees.

That is every year! That is not the “crooks,” that’s the “honest” people.

Here I have an article:

THE CRIME WAVE

Employees in the United States and Canada steel an estimated 10 million a day in cash and merchandise from their companies

Criminals are young; they don’t have to be old to be criminals.

CHILD VIOLENCE ESCALATING

Some of the things they have in here are too horrible to read.

Young gangs, robberies, children as young as eight and nine have been arrested on charges of rape, and robbery, and assault; where killing is “Kid Stuff.” In the U.S. schools, the crimes are like allured paperback. More children were killed in the U.S. schools, often in gun fights, within the period of 1970 to 1975 than soldiers killed in three years of the Vietnam war.

The Terrorist onslaught! Just start thinking about the schools. They are killing more people than they are in the war, and they march against wars, but look what is happening. You know the schools are out of control. The next thing that is ahead for us is Crime Inflation.

CARTOON

I know the States have brought down inflation a bit, and so has Canada; but you better believe that all the signs are that the world traveler is inflation; and we are in for more trouble.

He is coming off the airplane and he says, “The necessities of life are getting so expensive these days, all we can afford are the luxuries.”

I think he has it right on! The things that you really need are getting so expensive, you can’t afford them; but the things you don’t need, they are not too bad in price. That is what is happening.

I wrote a paper that I want to read part of:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

(17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

(18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

A teaching has recently flooded our country and our circle of fellowship, that in my opinion, is turning the eyes of believers from the unseen to the seen; turning us from the eternal to the temporal, from the Spiritual to the material.

I firmly believe that we will not see the Great Tribulation. Did you hear me? The Tribulation is coming, but the Church of Jesus Christ, I am persuaded, will not see it. But if I have read the prophets correctly, and the Way of God with nations, it may be that God will allow our financial system to collapse, as He did in 1929.

I am persuaded, if believers will not believe the Bible, if they will not be taught by Scripture, then they will have to be taught by circumstances. That is how God works; He tells you from His Word, but if you won’t listen, He will Speak by circumstances.

God will likely allow our financial system to collapse; and the only thing that will stop it could be the Rapture. Oh I hope the Rapture will take place one of these days! There are Canadian/American Christians who are teaching and preaching and believing that gain is Godliness, and good things are material things. They are teaching that Christians have a right to live with big houses and big cars, and big salaries, without any reverses; unless, of course, you backslide or haven’t got any faith. I feel strongly, that God will knock out the foundation of all of this carnal theology. Why? He Loves His People! He wants us to have our treasure, not on earth, but in Heaven.

I am noticing that people, by in large, who do not accept the doctrine of a material Millennium, are those who are having a tendency often to become more and more materialistic in their living, and in their theology. God may have to teach this generation that materialism is not what we should seek.

This is not the Millennium. This world is not our home. Our blessings are not here. Our citizenship is in Heaven, and I think it is time we started recognizing that. And if the Lord has to let the troubles get here, in order to teach us – Blessed trouble that teaches us that our confidence is not in dollars, our confidence is in the Lord, He will do it!

What do you talk about most? What do you talk about most when you get together with other Christians - about the things of the Lord? I would like to see a return to days like days when I started preaching; when I went into a home for supper, the first thing we did was get out the Bible, and discuss some Bible project. That is how I was raised. That is how I lived. That is how I want to live again. God, stir our hearts as we look at things as they really are. I feel what I am saying!

Have you been looking at the newspapers this week? It is still amazing, in my opinion, how these Jewish people continue to capture the news. The release of Mr. Anatoly Shcharansky, meant so much to my wife and I, because last year we picked up the book on the story. We read it together last year, and have followed it ever since. Many Christians have been praying, and the whole family of this man have been looking for this. He was released from prison February 11, 1986.

Isaiah says that the day will come when the Lord will say to Russia, “Give Up!” We saw a little indication of what that is. We saw this man on television tell about his reading the Psalms for nine years in the prison in Russia. He said he kept himself from going insane by reading and studying the Psalms. And if I heard him correctly, he said he had memorized 100 of the 150 Psalms. He said that when he wrote a letter to his mother on the occasion of the death of his father, it was the 27^th Psalm that had been most blessed to him.

Immediately after we saw him on TV, my wife and I took our Bibles and we read the 27^th Psalm as if we were in a Russian prison. I would suggest to anyone who looks at this, to read the 27^th Psalm; and understand what this man was talking about when he said it kept his mind during that experience.

To me, it is just another illustration of what we have been talking about. The Jewish people are not only in the Bible; you can’t get rid of them when it comes to history and current history. They are constantly here.

We have been pointing out some of the major prophecies made about the people of Israel in the Old Testament Scriptures; prophesies that have actually become a part of history.

We look back at the major headings:

#1 The Bible foretold the scattering of the Jews from their land, to all kingdoms of the earth. That certainly has become a reality of history.

#2 The Bible foretold the desolations of the land of Israel. They would be scattered to all the nations, and as a result of their scattering, the land would become desolate. And that too, has become a part of history.

#3 The Bible foretold the sufferings of the Jews. And this too, has become a part of history. And someone has said, “People should behold the Jew and tremble, but you should also behold the Jew and believe; because you have so many things that are observable when you study about them. Their suffering, as we discovered, is recorded in history.

Their sufferings are not yet finished. The Bible predicts that there will be more suffering.

We now go back to what we have been currently talking about.

4. Current Events Seem To Be Preparing For Such A Time Of Trouble

We read again that part of the passage that pertains to what we want to talk about in these next few moments.

A number of years ago, when I was in the city of Kamloops, one of the High School teachers phoned up to the church where I was ministering and asked if I would go and talk to the High School students. I found myself sitting with students in a semi-circular fashion in front of me, and I talked about these very things that Jesus had predicted in Matthew 24:6-8.

Matthew 24:6-8

Jesus said the sign of His Coming, and the end of the age would include this:

(6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: (or talk of wars)

It is really quite a contradiction today. There never was so much talk about peace, and at the same time, so much preparation for war. Now you try and put that together! But Jesus said, a sign of the end would be wars, and talk of wars.

see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet,

(7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

(8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In my opinion, we haven’t started to yet see all that is here. We see trends in that direction; but the fulfillment of this is still in the future.

I talked, and showed the students some of the things that are already happening, and the teacher said at the end of my lecture: “You ask that preacher some questions if you have any.” There was silence; I thought all those students would be jumping at me because I dared to believe in the Bible!

One girl, sitting left of me, looked up in my face and very seriously said, “Sir, have you peace in your heart?” That was the question. “In the face of all of this, have you peace in your heart. Why?” I didn’t go to that school to have an altar call, or to have an evangelistic service, but what an opportunity to talk to those students about the personal salvation that can bring peace to one’s heart; because when we know what is going to happen, how can you have peace? The only way you can have peace is by having the Prince of Peace in your heart. And so, I was able to talk about that.

Regarding this statement, that there shall be famines and pestilences: Earlier we talked about the warnings of men -- that trouble is coming. We also talked about crime and inflation. I have been gathering together some of the material in recent years, relative, not to the predictions of the Bible, but to the predictions of man.

This shows a picture of the fault down in California, and it states:

GET READY FOR THE BIG ONE: THE BIG QUAKE IS YET TO COME.

That is the warning of the newspapers.

And then, the Vancouver Province, less than a year ago:

EARTHQUAKE: WE ARE OVER-DUE FOR ONE

As I have said to my students before, if a preacher today were to make such a statement, they would call him a fanatic. But here, the paper warns us that the big earthquake is coming. And I think it was in that same paper:

WE ARE ON SHAKY GROUND -- It is talking about us right here in Vancouver.

Now, don’t get ready and pack your suitcase and move away, because you think an earthquake is coming. If you are in the Will of God, being here now, you better stay. But the fact still is that earthquakes are increasing. I don’t think there is any question relative to that.

The next thing Jesus talked about was “famine.” Famines are already a world problem. One article states:

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF FAMINE?

And another one:

FAMINE HORRORS, IT IS JUST THE START!

And then another one regarding Africa, and the famine there. Some of you have been following that.

Another here:

FAMINE, HORRORS: MILLIONS ARE GOING TO STARVE TO DEATH

That is not the prediction of a Christian paper; that is from the papers that are published by Newspaper Editors.

The European Common Market is doing something that I think the Lord is going to judge them for. I cut this out of the paper a few months ago:

EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET STEPS UP FOOD DESTRUCTION.

On the one side where half of the world is going to bed hungry, the European community spent 330 million dollars last year, to deliberately destroy more than two-million tons of fruit and vegetables to defend high prices paid to farmers.

That is happening! On the one hand, there isn’t enough food; on the other hand, for the love of money, they are destroying it. When you think of all the milk that gets dumped, even in our Province at the present time; God is going to judge regarding the behavior of men. There is no question! And so, famines are already a world problem.

Pestilence. I keep another file on this subject.

SUPER RATS AND FLEAS

Half of the world’s food is destroyed by molds and pests. The rats are reported to be bigger than cats in New Brunswick.

I find those kind of things most interesting to read about.

THE KILLER BEES ARE COMING

They are on their way from South America, and they are going to hit our country in 1988.

That isn’t very far ahead.

THE BUGS ARE COMING

The locusts swarm may attack 50 nations the UN agency says.

THE RATS MAY OVER-RUN CHINA

There are more rats than people in India. And they are warning about these pests that are now overtaking our world. They come up with something to get rid of one thing, and when they do, it creates two more new problems. They don’t know how to handle these problems that are coming.

Here is another:

PESTILENCE AND POLLUTION

Here is a cartoon based on Revelation 4, where you have the four horsemen. The cartoonist said: “The fifth horseman: Pollution.”

The 1980’s are seen as a matter of life and breath. They are telling us about the conditions that are starting to prevail with pollution. Remember, it’s a real problem. Suddenly pestilence and pollution and famines are starting to increase in our world.

The Newsweek Magazine asks the question:

ARE WE RUNNING OUT OF WATER?

You know that the safest place to be, as far as water is concerned, is in Canada. In Canada, we have more fresh water, than in any other place in the world.

A few years ago, the Canadian Indian told us that we were going to kill ourselves by our cleanliness. But what have we done? We have pumped millions of gallons of pollution into the rivers. By being so clean, with all our detergents, and the soap we use for washing our dishes; we are suddenly, by our cleanliness, doing away with ourselves! That is what man is doing.

Jesus said that there would be pestilence, there would be pollution, and another thing that brings trouble to the world, is population.

Here is an article:

THE POPULATION HITS 4.9 BILLION.

Over the past 25 years Africa’s population has almost doubled -- from 275 million to 546 million; and the population will double again in just 23 years.

I have referred to “Shoeing The Horse.” I was given this problem when I went to school, just to teach me a principle. If I remember correctly, you put 29 nails on one foot of a horse. You start with the first nail, and that costs you one penny. And then the next nail you double it. And that is only two pennies. The third nail, you double it, and that gives four. And from there on, you keep going up and doubling the cost of each nail; and remember, you put four shoes on a horse. By the time you are finished, the figure is so tremendous that the average student can’t even read the figure that he comes up with. You simply double it.

Lets go back to the time of the flood. There were only eight people on this earth. Now double that from 8 to 16. Now you figure it out. We are now up to almost 5 billion, and it will take the same amount of time to double that. When you double 16, you only have 32; but when you double 4 billion, you have 8 billion all of a sudden.

Jesus said famine. What is going to put famines on this globe? Pests eating up food. Another thing, earthquakes. And another thing, population of the earth.

I have all kinds of statements here. One of the things that men are saying:

CANADA NEEDS A POPULATION POLICY.

That is out of a nurse’s magazine.

Must we wait until there is catastrophe? – World crisis is looming over population!

There are now 1.2 million out of work. What are we going to do with this population that is suddenly upon us? We are damned if we don’t do something about it; and we are damned if we do; because what’s happening? -- The countries in which there is the most production are having the least babies. And the countries who have the least production are having the most babies. And so we are not catching up.

If our generation doesn’t have any more babies, as we are doing – we go down to Zero growth. Who is going to push my wheel chair? I don’t know if that gets through to you, but somebody is going to have to push your wheelchair, and there won’t be anybody to do it. We are creating a gap in this plan of God. You see, every generation is to take it’s place. What am I getting at? It doesn’t matter what men do today, everything is creating problems. There are problems in every direction.

I have one other file here, that talks about the world climate being unpredictable.

OUR CRAZY WEATHER

I want to tell you; all God has to do is change the pattern of the weather. I know that there are Saskatchewan farmers who think that they will always be able to grow wheat. If God changes the weather pattern, that can soon be gone. And so, you don’t have to be insane to believe the Bible. The world is headed for trouble. And that is what Jesus said.

5. Trouble For Israel Can Be Seen As The World, Represented at the UN, Continues To Cool Towards Israel

In fact, very recently, they tried to vote Israel out of the United Nations.

Zechariah 12:2-3

(2) Behold, I will make Jerusalem (the center of the land of Israel) a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

(3) And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

That is a prophesy in relationship to the Jewish people. The latter part of the verse says, the day is going to come when all the nations are going to gather against the Jews.

I showed you this verse:

Zechariah 14:1-2

(1) Behold, the day of the Lord cometh (that definitely puts it into the future) and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;

It is positively going to happen. The trouble for the Jews is not yet finished.

Joel 3:2

(2) I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat.

This is talking about the valley of Jehoshaphat, just outside of the city of Jerusalem.

Revelation 16:12-16

This is certainly a prediction that there is going to be trouble for the Jews in their land.

(12) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;

There are so many people who will read the book of Revelation and say that it is only signs and symbols. Well then, how can you make a sign or a symbol out of the Euphrates River? It is talking about the River where you know where it is!

and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

(13) And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

(14) For they are the spirits of devils (demons), working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

(15) Behold, I come as a thief.

It is just before the Lord comes. Have you got that? The Lord hasn’t come when this happens, but He is going to Come right at this time.

Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

(16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Megiddo is in the land of Israel. The book of Revelation makes it very positive, where this war of which you read in the Old Testament, is going to be fought. It will be fought in the land of Israel.

Israel’s enemies are now from the North, East, and the South; and each one is connected with religion. I know people don’t think communism is a religion, but it is.

Russia from the North is the enemy of Israel.

From the East – Islam Religion.

And from the West – Rome - Religion.

Rome is an enemy of Israel; don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. The Roman Vatican has not to this moment recognized Israel as a nation. They cannot! And the reason they cannot, is because they claim to be the vicar of God on earth. And if they are that, then there is no place for Israel – that is the reason for it.

The media helped turn the world against Israel during the Lebanese War. That is just last year. All these things that they reported, I’ll tell you, in my opinion, they will have to give an account for some of those false reports.

IV. The Bible Foretold The Preservation Of The Jews.

Each point is prophesy. He told of the scattering, the desolations of the land, the sufferings of the people, and now, God foretold the preservation of the Jewish people.

Their origin was a wonderful miracle. Stop and think. How did these Jewish people come into being? Their mother Sarah was 90 years old when she had her boy Isaac. When you stop and think of that, that was a miraculous beginning. And so, from the beginning, it was a miracle. And their preservation is a continued miracle.

1. The Nations Would Destroy Them If They Could

President Nasser used this text; and I don’t think he knew he was doing it, when he prepared to destroy the Jews.

Psalm 83:4

(4) They have said, (talking about the Gentile nations) Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

You should remember where that is. That is the way the nations feel. And right to this day, it hasn’t changed.

2. Their Preservation Predicted

Their preservation has been predicted in a whole list of Scriptures. Lets follow through those Scriptures very carefully.

Jeremiah 30:11

A tremendous statement regarding Jacob/Israel:

(11) For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee,

That is rather an amazing statement. God is going to bring the nations to an end. There will not always be a Britain. There will not always be a Russia. God says He is going to bring a full end to the nations where He has scattered the Jews.

Yet will I not make a full end of thee (Israel);

I get blessed when I read that. God is going to scatter them, and He is going to bring Judgment on all the nations, but He is going to preserve the Jew. This is a Promise, a prediction of their preservation.

but I will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

Jeremiah 30:16-24

(16) Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured;

Isn’t that some statement! Read back in history; God is not unjust, and He is not going to forget.

And all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

(17) For I will restore health unto thee, (speaking now of Israel), and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

(18) Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

(19) And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

(20) Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

(21) And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? Saith the Lord.

(22) And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

(23) Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

(24) The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

The prophesy has to do with the latter days, but through it, God is going to preserve the people of Israel.

Leviticus 26:44-45

(44) And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies,

We are talking about the preservation of these people. I am showing you the Scriptures that prove their preservation.

I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.

(45) But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.

You try and figure that out. In one statement, what is here? God says that because of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, He cannot destroy the people of Israel. He made a Covenant, and He said, Although you haven’t behaved yourselves, I made a Promise, and I have to keep My Promise, and I WILL keep My Promise.

Jeremiah 31:35-37

(35) Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:

(36) If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

(37) Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

But you know that you cannot search out the Heavens or the foundations, therefore, it is a Promise of their preservation.

Jeremiah 33:23-26

(23) Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

(24) Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? Thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

(25) Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

(26) Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

I don’t think the language could be plainer!

Ezekiel 11:16

This is very specific regarding the children of Israel in their captivity.

(16) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries,

You know and I know that He scattered them; and I know they are among the Gentiles.

yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

What is a little sanctuary? A place of protection. God said, I am going to scatter them, but I am going to build little sanctuaries, and I am going to preserve them in their captivity.

Ezekiel 12:14-16

(14) And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

(15) And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

(16) But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

I’m going to scatter them. They are going to come under the sword. They are going to come under pestilence. They are going to come under famine; but in spite of it all, I am going to leave a remnant of those people. It doesn’t matter where you put them, God has promised to preserve them.

Amos 9:8-9

Again, it talks about God’s Judgments, but there is a little word here that needs to be brought to our attention.

(8) Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

He is going to destroy a kingdom, but not the people.

(9) For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn if sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

The sinners are going to die, but God is going to preserve a remnant of these Jewish people.

Romans 11:1-2

The whole chapter deals with the story. If you want the Holy Spirit’s commentary on the Old Testament, regarding the Jews, then study the 11^th chapter of the book of Romans. If I did this in every class, I wouldn’t do it too often.

(1) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? (Israel)

I think I told you, but I want you to get it if you didn’t get it: Look at verse 2.

(2) God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.

I don’t know how anything could be plainer than that! You have a question in verse 1 -- Hath God cast away Israel? That is the context. Verse 2 – God hath not.

Did Paul write that before the Cross, or after the Cross? Did Paul write that before Pentecost, or after Pentecost? Did Paul write that in our day, or somebody else’s day? Don’t go wrong on this. Hath God finished with Israel? God hath not! That’s the declaration of the Spirit of God, and that is what I believe. God is the One Who is going to preserve them.

The Bible teaching regarding the Jewish people and nation is contrary to the natural mind. The whole thing is against this. Are you going to put your mind up against it? In my opinion, this makes it all the more Divine. The Virgin Birth is against the natural mind too, but I accept it. Inspiration is against my mind too, but I accept it. What is in the Bible regarding the Jewish people is based on Revelation and not on human reason. I want to keep pressing that in. People reject things in the Bible on the basis of human reason. I receive them on the basis of Divine Revelation. God is the One Who tells me about the Jew. God is the One who tells me He is going to preserve the Jew; and I accept it because God says it.

3. Leviticus 26:28

I want you to notice something very specific in these next verses.

Leviticus 26:27-28

(27) And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;

(28) Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I will chastise you seven times for your sins.

I want you to observe that – seven times! I am persuaded that God can count. And more than that, I do not know that the calendar I am going to present to you, is God’s calendar. I’m not sure, but it becomes mighty exciting when you start putting history up along side of this prophesy -- that the Jews are going to suffer seven times.

I think anyone who will read the Old Testament very carefully, cannot but be arrested by the fact that there is much Bible relative to the subject. In fact, there is more about this subject than anything else in the Old Testament.

4. Now Look At The History

We want to look at some things in history, relative to these people.

606-586 BC

From 606 to 586, the Jewish people faced extermination at the hand of Babylon. The modern name for Babylon is Iraq. In the book of Chronicles, it tells you about that destruction that fell upon these people.

2 Chronicles 36:15-21

It was one of those severe tests on the children of Israel. The preceding verses tell you about the last two kings that reigned, and then verse 15:

(15) And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers (his prophets), rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people (the people of Israel), and on his dwelling place: (The temple at Jerusalem; that is what it is talking about.)

(16) But they (the children of Israel) mocked the messengers of God,

Rather sad! That was step #1.

and despised his words, and misused his prophets,

Three steps: mocked, despised, misused. History follows that. It has always been that way.

until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

What I want you to notice is: it definitely tells, what followed was the wrath of the Lord. Did you get that? What did we read? God said, If you are going to be contrary, I’m going to rise up in wrath seven times. And so, here I am positively told that what follows is the wrath of God on the children of Israel. What happened? He brought the Chaldees.

(17) Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

(18) And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the reassures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.

(19) And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

(20) And them that had escaped from the sword (and it is implied there were few that escaped) carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

(21) To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.

That was the result of God’s wrath. They faced extermination at the hand of what is now modern Iraq.

515-510 B.C.

They faced extermination at the hand of Persia which is the modern country of Iran. So those middle-eastern countries were against Israel then. The story is in the book of Esther.

I cannot take time in these lessons to read all of the story of Esther. But, if you know anything about it, there was a man in Persia whose name was Haman. And for twelve months he gambled; he went down to find his lucky day. And apparently, he hit the jackpot on the 13^th day of the month. Therefore, he decided that a good day to kill the Jews would be the 13^th day of December.

I have wondered, as I read that, “Is that why we think the 13^th unlucky?” I don’t know, but read the book of Esther. It was the 13^th day of the month. He is going to exterminate, and if you read it, he wasn’t content to do it just in his city, but there were 127 provinces. He had the king sign a decree that the Jews be exterminated. And you know how it turned around. God raised up Esther; and because of Esther, the Jews were not exterminated; but they did face it at that particular time in history. So I guess that is #2.

170 B.C.

They faced extermination at the hand of Antiochus, who was a Syrian. Iraq tried to exterminate them, then Iran tried to exterminate them. And now Syria tried to exterminate them.

All Bible scholars who have studied the book of Daniel are persuaded that this is who it is talking about.

Daniel 8:9-14

(9) And out of one of them came forth a little horn,

That’s rather interesting when you read Daniel; leaders are called horns. But when God looks at these big horns, they are only little. Praise the Lord for that! Hitler thought he was a big horn. And Stalin thought he was a big horn. And a few others in history thought they were big; but God says they are only little.

which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. (the land of Israel)

(10) And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

(11) Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

(12) And an host was given him

In regard to this prophesy; if you have read the history of what is involved in there, what was this abomination? Antiochus went into the Temple and offered a sow; and he slaughtered the Jews. That’s where the story of Jewish Macabees comes in. If you have the Apocrypha, you can read about the Macabees rising up. God preserved a few, but this man was out to destroy them.

So the Babylonians were out to destroy the Jew. And then Persia under Haman was out to destroy them. And then in the days of Antiochus.

70-135 AD

They faced extermination at the hands of Rome (Europe).

Then after a lapse of 1800 years:

1933-1946

They faced the same at the hands of a European whose name was Hitler. And since 1948, they have been continuing a struggle against Islam. I still believe that they are going to face the worst time during the Tribulation.

Now, will you go back and count what we have added up here.

1. Babylon

2. Persia

3. Syria

4. Romans

5. Hitler

6. The world against them

7. They have one more to go – The Tribulation

It looks to me that we are coming very near the end; because God said He would chastise them exactly seven times – no more – no less. They have faced it, and they are going to face it one more time.

5. Current Facts

We have seen the hand of God help the Jews, not only in wars, but also in 1976.

I have here the Vancouver Province, July 5, 1976. That was one of my highlight experiences, again regarding God helping the Jews. It’s the story of the hostages. You all remember when 101 Jews were taken hostage; the Americans tried to rescue them but did not succeed. The Jews went in and rescued them. What the Americans tried to do, the Jews were able to do.

But the thing that blessed me was the fact that on that days – July 5, 1976 the headline in the Vancouver Province, had to do with Israel. And a way down at the bottom of the page UNCLE SAM BLOWS OUT HIS CANDLES.

I don’t know if you get the irony of this; it was the United States’ two hundredth birthday. The greatest nation in the world is celebrating its birthday; but it doesn’t capture the headlines! On that very day when the United States should have had the headline, little Israel gets it! And they get it with a story that is something like the story of recent hours; the world stands back in awe at what those people were able to do. There is no question in my mind – God helped them. And if you read your Bible and read history, you have to believe that.

6. They Have Been Kept

The Jewish people have been kept.

1. In A River

They couldn’t drown Moses – Remember that? The Jew Moses – the Nile wouldn’t swallow him up.

2. In A Fire

They put three Hebrews in a fiery furnace, and the fire wouldn’t burn them.

3. In A Fish

They put one Jew in a fish (Jonah), and the fish couldn’t digest him.

4. From Lions

They put Daniel in a den of lions, and lions couldn’t eat him. Now, if that isn’t preservation!

5. They Are The Bush

They are the bush that burns but is never consumed. And that has been their history.

I have something here that another student sent to me. I am always glad when somebody sends me something. I haven’t seen too many copies of it around.

HITLER’S DAUGHTER WEDS SON OF RABBI

Hitler’s daughter marries the son of a murdered Rabbi.

The comment, and this, is out of the Calgary Herald:

Some Rabbis tend to see the mystical finger of God.

What am I telling you? God has helped these people, and God has preserved these people. Hitler did his best to destroy the Jewish people, and now his grandchild will be a Jew in Israel. I think the irony of that is tremendous. Here is the man who said, that 500 years after he was gone, it would be a Jewless world; the Jews would be forgotten and exterminated, and no longer remembered. But here, from his own seed Jews will be produced. Well, I praise God that I have these kind of things, to show to people; because I believe that God is the only one who could have preserved them. They have come through flood and fire, but they are still here. Praise the Lord.

V. Prophecy Foretold The Re-gathering Of The Jews.

There is more Scripture on this subject, than on most major Bible subjects. But, also, there is more unbelief regarding this subject than any other subject in the Bible. Prophesy said that the Jews would be re-gathered. I am still persuaded that faith cometh by hearing, and it comes by hearing the Word of God; and this is God’s Word, and we are proving it by what has happened.

1. Scriptures

Deuteronomy 30:1-8

(1) And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse,

The first thing I want you to observe is the order; first the blessing, and then the curse. Don’t miss that. When Deuteronomy was written, the children of Israel had not come into Canaan yet. Joshua brought them in. And Moses said, God is going to bless you, and He is going to bring you into your land; and then after that, because of your behavior, He is going to put curses upon you.

when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, (that is part of the curse)

(2) And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

(3) That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

They are going to be blessed, then they are going to be scattered, and then they are going to be re-gathered. That is the order.

(4) If any of thine be driven out

I have been observing this verse for forty years. Before Sputnik came into existence, I referred to it; and I didn’t even know what it meant. When Challenger went up the other day, one of the crew members was a Jewish women. Did you notice that? So, one out of seven, was Jewish. I used to say, jokingly, “When the time comes that people can reside in space, (and of course, forty years ago I thought that would never happen), I think the first one who would want to go would be a Jew; because a Jew loves to get his foot on some other property.” I’m not saying that because I despise the Jew, but look what we are going to read now; and remember, this was written back in the days of Moses, 3500 years ago.

If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven,

Imagine that being in the Bible! In our day, it starts to make a lot more sense. They used to brag about what they were going to do; and now if they did it, we wouldn’t be surprised. In Genesis 6 - nothing will refrain them from doing what they imagine to do.

If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

In other words, it doesn’t matter how far they go, He can bring them back. What I am trying to impress upon you is that the whole thing from beginning to end, is miraculous. Leave God out, and it’s all impossible. Bring God in, and it is gloriously possible. With God nothing shall be impossible.

(5) And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed,

When Moses wrote this, they haven’t even come in yet. Are you getting the force of this? They didn’t possess the land until Joshua. But they are going to possess it, then they are going to be driven from it, and then they are going to come back into it.

and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

When God gets finished the next time with the Jew, anything of the past is going to be outstripped in comparison.

(6) And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

We are going to prove this as we go on in our reading. You see, there are some people who are saying, “The Jews are going back today to the land of Israel, and they are not believers. How can you account for this?”

When I was in Israel in 1952, Brother Foster had been a missionary there for a number of years. We met with him in the Hotel in Jerusalem, and one question was: “Brother Foster, how many saved, born again Jews are in Israel?” And he said, “I don’t think that you could go from Dan to Beersheba and find more than 200.”

I know that is thirty years ago, but you know, in comparison to the increase of the population, there are very few believing Jews in Israel. Ninety per cent of them, at least, are atheistic – unbelievers. That makes it all the more wonderful; because God said, and I am going to show it to you later, He would gather them back in their unbelief. And after He gets them back, then He is going to regenerate them. He is not going to regenerate them and than take them back; He is going to take them back in their unbelief, and regenerate them after they get there.

Here is His regeneration promise:

(7) And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.

That is after the Lord saves Israel That is what He is going to do to the Gentiles.

(8) And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.

Verses 6, 7, and 8 are still future. What is stated here regarding the Jewish people has not happened yet. But there you have a Promise of a re-gathering.

There is a word in this next Scripture that is used, and now becomes an important word to any student of the Scripture on this subject.

Isaiah 10:20-21

(20) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

(21) The REMNANT shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

All the Jews are not going to go back. There will be a re-gathering of a remnant. That fact is everywhere in the Bible.

Isaiah 6:13

This is when they were going to go back from Babylon; I showed you this verse in an earlier class, but I refresh your memory:

(13) But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return,

A tenth shall return. What do you know about the tenth in the Bible? The tenth belongeth to the Lord. The tenth is the Lord’s. God sets down a premise here, that there is a remnant.

FOR EVERY TEN THAT WENT OUT IN THE CAPTIVITY OF BABYLON,

ONE WILL RETURN

Isaiah 11: 11-12

(11) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, (there is that word again)

(12) And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

A positive thing, He is going to scatter them all over the earth, and then He is going to re-gather them. That phrase “the second time:” Somebody comes along and says, When Isaiah wrote, he was writing about the return from Babylon as being the second time. You see, it is before the return from Babylon.

Let me refresh your memory. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, it was not a remnant. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He brought out the whole nation. But do you notice what Isaiah says? The Lord shall set His hand the second time, to restore a remnant. When did He do it the first time? He did it the first time when He brought them back from Babylon. Got that? Don’t put Egypt in there. The first time was out of Babylon. When did He start to do it the second time? In our day, in our time.

And I have to contain myself here. The Bible says, that God is going to restore a remnant a second time, and there is no prophesy of a third time, so I guess this has to be the last time. Amen! There is only a second time Promise. And He is going to gather a remnant.

Isaiah 14:1-2

I want you to notice as I read; pay attention to little words.

(1) For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

(2) And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Isaiah 43:1-6

I think this one has a special meaning for us right at this particular time.

(1) But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel,

There you have Jacob/Israel. When ever it is Jacob, I hope you know it is not talking about us. There are some people who think that you can call the Church Israel. It doesn’t always work out to do that. But you never heard anybody suggest that the Church is Jacob. At least I haven’t, have you? He is talking about these people after the flesh.

(3) For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

(4) Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Here are the verses that pertain to this particular part. We used that when we were talking about the wars, but now verse 5.

(5) Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Not too many from the west are going back.

(6) I will say to the north (Russia) Give up;

I think we had an example of that.

and to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

God is the One, and you can see, He said he would spread them to the north and south, and east and west, and now He said, I am going to gather them from all these countries.

Here is where the thinking of God and our thinking gets complicated. You see, that small moment has lasted over two-thousand years. But we need to compare time with eternity; and I wish we would learn that.

So often, people say, “Well, it was so wonderful for that person to die and get out of their misery.” You are talking as a man when you say that. You are forgetting that we should be thinking in terms of eternity. And 2000 years, in God’s reckoning, is but for a moment.

Isaiah 54:7

(7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

That is a Promise to the Jewish people.

Jeremiah 30:1-3

(1) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

(2) Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

(3) For lo, the days come, saith the Lord,

Isn’t it marvelous? Stop and think! God said, Jeremiah write in a Book; and here we are with our Bibles. We’ve got the Book of Jeremiah, and it was written not only for that generation, but it is written for us to read.

For lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel

Somebody said, that has reference to Babylon – no, no. When Jeremiah wrote this, they hadn’t come back once. God said, I am not only going to do it once, I am going to do it again.

I will bring again the captivity of my people and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

Notice that the last thing of chapter 30 is; in the latter days ye shall consider it.

Jeremiah 31:1-10

(1) At the same time (the latter days) saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

(2) Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

(3) The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

If you want to apply that to yourself, that is well and good, but don’t forget, the interpretation has to do with Israel. God says He has loved Israel with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness am I drawing thee.

(4) Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

(5) Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

(6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.

(7) For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

(8) Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.

(9) They shall come with weeping

It is pretty hard to make this “Heaven” isn’t it. There are some people who try to read Heaven into some of this. I don’t think there will be any lame people in Heaven. And I don’t think there will be anybody having travail as mentioned here. It is not a return to Heaven, it is a return to the Holy Land.

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

(10) Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations (Gentiles), and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him

The next time He gathers, He will not scatter him. If you try and put this into past history, when God brought them back from Babylon, the Lord scattered them again. But that is not the fulfillment of this Promise. God said, I’ve scattered them, and I am going to gather them; and the next time I gather them, I am going to keep them. Isn’t that wonderful! Isn’t that a wonderful Promise – I am going to keep them. God is doing the gathering, and God is going to do the keeping.

Jeremiah 32:37-44

Will you notice these wonderful phrases:

(37) Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath;

That’s a plain statement. In the re-gathering of the children of Israel, the Will of God is involved. And no man can frustrate the Will of God!

and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

(38) And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

(39) And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

(40) And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

(41) Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

(42) For thus saith the Lord; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

(43) And field shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

(44) Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of south: for I will cause their captivity to return saith the Lord.

It is not talking about Babylon, because He is going to do it again.

Jeremiah 33:7, 14-26

(7) And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

It’s all very positive. I think you are going to have to agree with me before I am finished. There is more Scripture on this subject than on any other.

Recap:

We have stated that one cannot study these first books of the Bible without considering two major subjects. One having to do with the people of Israel, the other having to do with the land of Israel. You study about the land, you have to study about the people; you study about the people, you have to study about the land.

Since the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt 3500 years ago, these people have continued to have a great part in human history. And as we have seen, the Bible has much to say about them, most prophetically and historically.

We have looked at the major prophecies about the people of Israel, right from the time of the Exodus. We have pointed out the fact that these prophesies have merged into history.

Looking back at the major headings of lesson 19:

1. The nation would be scattered all over the world, and that has become a

reality.

2. The land would be left and become desolate, and that also is true.

3. The scattered people would suffer greatly at the hand of all the Gentile

nations. All you have to do is read history and see how true that is.

4. In spite of their severe suffering, the people would be miraculously

preserved. And that too, is the record of history. The world would

annihilate the Jew if they could, but they haven’t been able to do that.

5. That brings us up to where we left off here. Prophesy foretold the re-

gathering of the Jews. We are looking at those Scriptures.

______________________________________________________________

Now continuing on:

Jeremiah 33:7, 14-26

(7) And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

In that verse, it is very important to notice, not only the captivity of Judah, but the captivity of Israel. All the tribes are involved in that Promise.

(14) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

You will notice, back in verse 7, both are there, and here they are again.

(15) In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

(16) In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.

(17) For thus said the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

(18) Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

(19) And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying,

(20) Thus saith the Lord; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

(21) Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

(22) As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

(23) Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

(24) Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen he hath even cast them off?

The two families. Back in verse 7, what is it talking about? Judah and Israel.

thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

(25) Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

(26) Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

There you have it again, of the return from their captivity.

Jeremiah 46:27-28

(27) But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

(28) Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee:

That is some statement to look at! Think of all the nations where these people have been.

but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

Ezekiel 11:17

More Promises made to these people regarding their future.

(17) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

That is a positive Promise; when He gathers them, He will give them the land.

Ezekiel 20:33-34, 41

(33) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

(34) And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a might hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

(41) I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

God scattered them, and here He is telling us, over and over again, He is going to gather them.

Ezekiel 28:25-26

(25) Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.

If you want some evidence regarding who this land belongs too, just keep piling it up. It is “Their” not “There.” This land is the property of Israel.

(26) And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.

Ezekiel 34:11-13

There is so much on this subject, I don’t know how anybody can read the Bible and not see how often it is mentioned.

(11) For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

(12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

(13) And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

When you read verse 13, you have no question as to who He is talking about when He is talking about His sheep that will be gathered.

Ezekiel 34:23-30

(23) And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

(24) And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

(25) And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

(26) And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

(27) And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land,

That statement makes it very positive that this Scripture has not yet been fulfilled. Anybody can see that; because the word that is the key there is “SAFE.” And if you are watching the news, the Jews certainly don’t feel safe in Israel now. They are anything but safe. But the day is going to come when they are safe in their land, and they will know that it is the Lord Who has done it.

(28) And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

(29) And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, nether bear the shame of the heathen any more.

(30) Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord.

Ezekiel 36:24, 33, 38

Maybe we will all be persuaded after a while, that God said this often enough that we should pay attention to it.

(24) For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

(33) Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

(38) As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 37:12, 21

Verse 12 you have symbolism, and then verse 21 you have it explained.

(12) Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

What is He talking about? Look at verse 21.

(21) And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen (the Gentiles, the nations), whither they be gone and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land;

They have been like they have been buried in the nations. They are like dead bones in the nations, and God says He is going to bring them out.

Ezekiel 39:25-28

(25) Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

Now notice verse 26

(26) After that they have borne their shame,

(27) When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;

(28) Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

I think that is one of the most outstanding prophesies in all of the book of Ezekiel. The day is going to come when the only place there will be Jewish people will be in the land of Israel. There won’t be any in Canada, and there won’t be any in Russia. Russia is doing her best to keep these people, because they have so much money.

It is like the case of the children of Israel in Egypt. When Israel went out of Egypt, they spoiled the Egyptians because they took so much with them. And if all of the Jews went back out of all of these countries, what a mess the financial situation would be in. But the day is going to come – God declares it – there won’t be Jews any place but in the land of Israel. That takes a lot of faith to believe that. Faith believes what God says, because God says it.

Hosea 3:4-5

The refrain of all the prophets has to do with this subject.

(4) For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,

They haven’t had a king since 600 years before Christ. So the many days are 2600 years at least.

and without a prince, and without a sacrifice,

They haven’t had a sacrifice since AD70.

And without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

All those things have to do with their Temple worship. For almost 2000 years, they haven’t had any of that. And you ask a Jew today, “Why don’t you have a sacrifice?” and they will say, “Because we haven’t got a Temple.” If they had a Temple, they would have a sacrifice, but they haven’t had one. And God said, they would abide many days without a king, many days without a sacrifice, and many days without a Temple.

(5) Afterward

There is an afterward. God is not through with these people. After many days without a sacrifice, after many days without a king:

shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter day.

“Latter days” in the prophets always have to do with the Second Coming of Christ. And so, when Christ Comes again, these Scriptures are going to have the fulfillment.

Let me say this again, and again: The refrain of all the prophets is the final restoration and blessing of Israel.

Amos 9:14-15

(14) And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them;

You can’t apply that verse to Heaven. There won’t be any waste cities in Heaven that will need to be rebuilt. These people are going to go back to their land and build the waste cities.

and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

(15) And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

As I have gone around the country in the last twenty years, preaching this; do you know what some people would like to put on the end of that verse? They would like it to read: And they shall be in their land and they shall not be pulled up saith Lorne Pritchard. That’s an 1986 rendition of the text. But I want you to notice that I am not saying this. And I haven’t said hardly anything tonight. All I have done is read from the Scriptures. It is the Lord. The Lord hath said that this is going to happen.

John 10:27-29

(27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

(28) And I give unto them eternal life: and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

(29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

I don’t know how many times the word “pluck” is found in the Bible; some translations say “pull,” but it is the same thing.

I’ve plucked chickens. I never read John 10:28 but I think of plucking feathers out of chickens. And when I read this verse in Amos; the Lord says He is going to plant them, and nobody is going to pluck them, nobody is going to pull them up again. When God plants, they are going to stay there.

A fellow was testifying one time. He read John 10:28, and he didn’t know what to say. He just spouted out: “Praise the Lord, I can’t be plucked.” And so, when I read John 10:28 I say, “Praise the Lord, I can’t be plucked. God says so.”

Now when it comes to the children of Israel, God says He is going to plant them. And God says when He does it the next time, nobody is going to be able to pluck them. Nobody is going to be able to pull them up again. They are going to be planted and planted for ever.

I come back to this: there are people who love to preach and teach and believe that John 10:28 means what it says. No man is able to pluck us out of our Father’s Hand. But listen, if we can’t depend that what God has said to Israel He will do, how can we depend that what God has said to us He will do?

I am persuaded that God will not allow me to be plucked; because I am persuaded, when He gets through with Israel, nobody will be able to pluck them up either. They will be planted, never to be pulled again. Why? God said it, and I believe it.

Micah 7:15-20

(15) According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt

I remind you, there should be no question in anybody’s mind who it is talking about. Who came out of Egypt? The children of Israel.

Will I show unto him (Israel) marvelous things.

(16) The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

(17) They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee (Israel).

I don’t know all that is implied in this passage of Scripture; but the day is going to come when everybody is going to tremble when they see a Jew. The children of Israel are going to be so powerful, and the rest of the world are going to wonder where they get their power.

(18) Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

(19) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins (Israel’s sins) into the depths of the sea.

(20) Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Here is a verse that says, Go back from Micah, and read through Ezekiel, read through Jeremiah, read through all of the history books. Go right back to Genesis. What has God been doing? He has been making Promises to Israel. And what is He going to do? He is going to keep them all.

I made the statement that all of the prophets talk about this; and I am trying to support that by showing you what we can read.

Zephaniah 3:20

(20) At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you (the Jew) a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

When God finishes doing what He is going to do, everybody is going to know that God has blessed the Jew. They don’t know it now, and they won’t believe it now, and they won’t believe the Promises, but they are going to have to some day because they are going to see it.

Zechariah 8:6-8

(6) Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes? Saith the Lord of hosts.

Just to set a little background for that: In the days of Zechariah, the Jews were very happy because 50,000 had come back from Babylon in their captivity. And the prophet is saying, If you think it is marvelous that 50,000 Jews went back from Babylon, God says, it is going to be greater than that. If you think that marvelous, what is it going to be like when I get them all back?

(7) Thus saith the Lord of hosts; behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

(8) And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

There is no question what God Plans to do.

You can see, I have given you prophesy after prophesy that God has foretold the re-gathering of these people.

Zechariah 10:6

(6) And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off:

That’s quite a thing when I look at that passage. When God gets finished, they will forget all their years of suffering; it will be as if they had never been cast off.

I think there is a wonderful application in there. When we get home to Heaven, and when the ages roll, and when we’ve got ten thousand years to sing about the Grace of God, the day is going to come, according to the Bible, when you will never remember that you were a sinner. It will be as if it has always been this way.

That is what it is going to be for Israel. When God gets through blessing them, they will finally forget all the history of their past. Won’t it be a great day when you can forget all your trials and all your troubles, and all your disappointments, and all your heartaches. It is going to happen for Israel, and God says, I told you that about Israel, so you would see what I promised to do for you. I’m going to do the same thing for you.

Zechariah 10:7-12

(7) And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine:

It’s not going to take wine to make them do it. Don’t misread that. But it is going to be like they suddenly got drunk and got happy. Did you ever see a man who had just enough liquor to be happy -- not enough to be miserable, but be happy. They are going to be like that, as if they just got drunk with wine.

Yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.

That’s what God has in store for these people.

(8) I will hiss for them, and gather them;

One translations says I will whistle for them. I don’t know if it is right or wrong. Here in the English Bible, it says hiss. Well, if the Lord wants to hiss and if He wants to make that a whistle, it is alright; but somehow, He is going to get them home.

(9) And I will sow them among the people; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.

(10) I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

I wouldn’t want to bring them into Lebanon today.

The Bible Promises that when God is finished; right from the Mediterranean, over to the Euphrates River, and a way north of Syria, and right down to Kadesh-Barnea, it is all going to belong to Israel.

And mark my word, the reason there is so much fighting in Lebanon today is because the enemy of God knows that that property belongs to God, and it belongs to Israel. And God says He is going to bring them back. I’m not talking about the Arabs when I say “the enemy.” – The enemy of God is not the Arabs, the enemy of God is primarily the devil.

Deuteronomy 28:10-

Here is where God made Promises to Moses. And then through the prophets, he verified all of these Promises.

(10) And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

Remember, they are all going to be afraid of Israel, because Israel is going to be so strong.

(11) And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods,

(12) The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Isn’t that interesting! When the Gentile nations go broke, there is one bank that won’t be broke. It will be the bank of Israel; and all the nations will have to borrow their money from Israel. Why?

(13) And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;

God says it and I believe it. The nation of Israel has been the caboose long enough; when God gets through, the children of Israel are going to move from the back of the train to the front of the train. They are going to become the head of the nations, and it is God Who is going to make it so, and bless them, because He said it.

He went to Moses and said, “If you don’t obey I am going to curse you.” and hasn’t He done that? But then He Promises He is going to bless them.

2. What Has Taken Place?

What has taken place? We have read all this Scripture; and I don’t know if you got blessed reading it, but I hope you will read it again and again. What has taken place? Israel IS a nation today, whether people want to accept it or not. God said they would become a nation, and they are a nation today. And remember there is much more to come; all the Scriptures, of course, are not fulfilled yet.

VI. Prophesy Foretold That The Re-gathering Would Be Gradual And In Unbelief.

Prophesy not only told the re-gathering of the Jews, but prophesy foretold that the re-gathering would be gradual, and in unbelief. I have books that ask this: “What do you think about the Jews going back to Israel today?” And the answer is: “Nothing but leaves.” I had a brother tell me that. It doesn’t mean anything. One brother said, “It is no more significant, the Jews going back to Israel, than a few Irishmen going back to Ireland.” That was the statement – No more significant. Well, there are not many Irishmen going back to Ireland, but I know a few Englishmen that go back to England.

In the light of the Scripture, how can anybody say that? There is great significance in the fact that the Jews are going back to their land. The reason, they say, is nothing they believe; because these people are going back and they are unbelievers. They are going back in unbelief. To me, that makes it even more wonderful. That makes it more miraculous.

You stop and think about some things you have seen. Can you explain to me how fish will fight up those ladders to go back to spawn. It doesn’t make very much sense. As you stand back and look at them beat themselves to death to try and get back there, you know that there is something in that fish that Somebody bigger than the fish has put in there.

You watch the migration of birds. They go south come the right time in the fall, and they come back. You tell me why it is. These birds go back to make their nests where they have been doing it for centuries and centuries and centuries. They still do it. Why do they do it? Somebody bigger than the birds has built something into the birds.

And now to see these Jews in their unbelief; they are not reading the Bible. They don’t believe the Bible; and yet, in spite of it, they are going back.

Some years ago, I was in the home of Dr. Bob Jacobs and his wife. Dr. Bob said to me, “I want to go back to Israel, but Gloria, my wife, thinks I’ve got rocks in my head.” That’s the way he describes it. You have to have rocks in your head to leave America and go to Israel. You’ve got to have rocks in your head to leave Canada and go back to Israel. Well, there are sure a lot of them that have rocks in their head; they are going back anyway. They are going back in their unbelief, and it is marvelous, it is miraculous. Now, where do we get this in the Scripture?

I want to show you two things. There is a statement that I think bears on this whole subject.

Isaiah 27:12

(12) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.

This tape is being made ten days after Shcharansky was let out of Russia, and taken back to Israel. One by one, God said I am going to take them back. And it is going to take some time to do that.

The Jews have been returning like waves, a few at a time. We are only seeing a shadow of the fulfillment of these Scriptures. I have read, when the day is going to come when these millions out of America, and the millions out of Russia – are going to leave those lands. We are just seeing the beginning. We are seeing them go back one by one as the prophet has said.

We have been considering, for a number of lessons, the subject of the people of Israel relative to the prophesies and their history connected with those prophesies.

In my opinion this passage of Scripture has been most abused throughout church history. I have actually been in churches and heard preachers read the first ten verses and they always stop there, so they won’t spoil their sermon. As I begin to read, I will show you what I mean. Reading now what is perhaps one of the better known portions in the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 37:1-12

(1) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

(2) And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

(3) And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

(4) Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

(5) Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

(6) And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

In one sense, down to verse six, you have the prophesy of the vision. He is told what is going to happen. Now you have the fulfillment of the vision in the next verse.

(7) So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

Do you have any imagination? I love to have little children sitting up in the front seat whenever I preach on Ezekiel 37. Having come from the farm, I put it this way:

Kids let’s go to the barnyard. Out in the barnyard we will find some dead bones of some horses and some dead bones of some cows; and we will stay around a while and we will see if we can re-live Ezekiel’s vision.

Use your imagination. It is wonderful how children can use imagination. They have better imagination than we have as we get older; we kind of tamper it off.

Now look here, there is a head bone of a horse, and imagine that we are standing here with a few kids, and that head bone starts to come at us. It’s moving toward us. And over there is the leg bone, and the leg bone starts to come over to the head bone. And then the tail bone is over there and it starts to come. And there are those ribs scattered all around, and now the ribs are coming. And each bone seems to find its own place, and the skeleton starts to form.

Kids, what would you do? I tell you what I think we would do -- we would run. Wouldn’t we run? If we saw a skeleton going together? Or the other side of that, we would know we were seeing a miracle taking place wouldn’t we?

The Jews are going back to Israel. They are going back dead bones. That is what Ezekiel is talking about. How do I know it? Let me read on.

(8) And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

They are still dead. There is no breath; and if there is no breath, they are dead. So the bones have come together, and the skin has gone on, and there is no breath.

(9) Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds. O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

(10) So I prophesied as he command me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

And that is where the preachers stop. They preach their sermons to that point.

And the next verse SHOULD READ:

(11) Dearly beloved these bones are the students in the extension of Jubilee Bible College. That is a pretty good description sometimes.

These bones are the Church of Jesus Christ.

NO. That is not what it says!

These bones are backslidden Christians.

NO. That is not what it says!

You should never stop at verse 10. Look at verse 11.

(11) Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel:

What does that mean? The twelve tribes.

behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

(12) Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

It is explained.

(21) And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

That’s what it is talking about. These bones are going back to Israel dead. There is no faith, no life in them. If they were going back in faith, it would not be nearly as miraculous as it is! They are going back in their unbelief. I think you can see that. The day is going to come when every Jew will have been gathered or killed.

Ezekiel 39:28

(28) Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

We are only seeing a shadow of these fulfillments. The Scriptures state clearly – Israel will continue as a nation. Don’t let anybody tell you that they are going to come to an end. Israel is here to stay. Regardless of what men say, it is here to stay. The presence of Israel and the prominence of Israel in world affairs, certainly must be considered as signs of the near-end of this age. After her final return (future) she will never again be driven from the land.

VII. Prophesy Foretold The Rebuilding Of The ‘Wastes’ In The Land.

There is more prophesy. God has not only Promised that these people would go back in unbelief, but now prophesy foretold the rebuilding of the ‘wastes’ in the land. You know, that really doesn’t make much sense.

The whole thing, I think, is written to challenge our faith. When it comes to faith, there are times that what you do by faith looks ridiculous to the world. Have you found that out? The language of faith is ridiculous. This doesn’t make very much sense, but that’s why it is so much more wonderful.

I have found, by experience, it’s a lot easier to go in and build a brand new house on a brand new site, than it is to go back where a house has been burnt down, partly burned, in ruins, and the basement partly knocked down. It really doesn’t make very much sense to go back and rebuild the ruins.

But, I am going to go back and show you that is what the Bible says. And more than that, I want to show you that is exactly what the Jews have been doing since 1948. They have been going back and building on the ruins of past generations. If they were doing anything else, it wouldn’t be fulfillment of Scripture.

1. Scriptures

We have read through the re-gathering; but this time I simply want you to notice the fact that there is a Promise of rebuilding the ‘wastes’ of the children of Israel.

Isaiah 61:4-9

(4) And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

Could language be any plainer than that? They are going to go back to their land that is desolate. They are going to build and repair the waste cities and the desolations (not of 70 years) but of many generations.

(5) And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,

What is the word strangers? -- Gentiles. The Jews are going to go back, and they are going to build, and they are going to have Gentiles to help them.

and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

They are going to turn all of these people who have been against them to become their servants. And the servants are going to be the ones who have been their enemies.

(6) But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

(7) For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

(8) For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

(9) And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

Those, when they go back and rebuild the waste, everybody is finally going to know, God is in this. They don’t know it now, but they are going to know it.

Isaiah 62:4

(4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

The word Beulah means married. God says He is going to be married to Israel, and when He does, He is going to restore the land.

Jeremiah 31:1-5

Notice from the last verse of chapter 30, it is the latter days.

(1) At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

(2) Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

(3) The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

(4) Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

(5) Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

The geography is so specific. There is no question about it.

Ezekiel, the language is tremendous; and it is a lot of reading, but we have to read it, because the only way to get the truth over to people is to read what God says specifically.

Ezekiel 36:6-11

(6) Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel,

We are primarily talking about the land, and what is going to happen to it.

and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:

(7) Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.

That is basically talking about the Arabs -- the Arab nations that surround Israel.

(8) But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.

(9) For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

(10) And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:

(11) And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

I have brought with me, a page out of a book of facts regarding Israel. It is out-dated now by about ten years. All I am going to read here are the towns that are being populated by the Jews.

Achar – did you know that is in the Bible? And at this date, 13,800 in it. Have you heard about Ashdod in the Old Testament? I have walked through those ruins. Ashdod is being rebuilt, and now it is a city of about 20,000. Beersheba is now a city of over 100,000. Elat is in the Bible. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron; they are all in the Bible. You go down the whole list, and exactly what the Bible says is happening. They are going back to the ruins of these old cities; and wherever they can settle, they are building on the ruins of past generations. It doesn’t make any sense, but they are doing it; because God said it.

Ezekiel 36:12-15

(12) Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

(13) Thus saith the Lord God; because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;

(14) Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God.

(15) Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God.

Did you notice how many times “no more,” “any more,” are mentioned. That almost sounds like Revelation 20. There is going to come a day when there will be no more death, and no more pain, and no more crying; but it is going to happen in the land of Israel before it happens in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Ezekiel 36:33-38

(33) Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

It’s very positive.

(34) And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

(35) And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

Now I have to hold myself, chain myself down, when I read this next verse.

(36) Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.

Did you get that? Don’t let anybody tell you it won’t be done. It will be done. Why will it be done? Because God says He is going to do it. Praise the Lord. I’m sure I have faith that this is going to happen; because God is going to be the doer of it when it is finished. That’s why so many things are so stupid to the human mind. Why should they go back? Why should they rebuild waste? Because God said, that is why. And God is going to do it.

(37) Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

(38) As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

VIII. God Will Fight For Israel Again

This is another whole study from the Scripture. God says He is going to fight for Israel again. I have a whole list of Scriptures.

Zechariah 14:1-3

I had a student, not too long ago, make a statement that was made to me a number of years ago. “You are kind of a sticker for little words.” And I certainly am a sticker for little words. Little words are very important.

(1) Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,

We can prove that is talking about the Second Coming of Christ.

And thy spoil (speaking of Jerusalem) shall be divided in the midst of thee.

(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;

We have talked about that. We emphasized there is going to be a World War, and that World War is going to center in the Valley of Jehoshaphat outside the city of Jerusalem.

and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

May I remind you of something again before I read on. At this present time, the city of Jerusalem is pretty well divided in two parts. The west is totally Jewish. The east is pretty well Arab. The Old City, and east of it, is an Arab section. I think if you were to go and draw a line down, you would have two halves.

I asked one brother, “What does this verse mean?” And he said, “This verse has to do with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.” And I said, “Brother, that may satisfy you, but it doesn’t satisfy me.” The reason I say that is because in AD70 the whole city of Jerusalem was plundered – not half of it. The whole city. If you read that text, did you notice it says specifically that half of the city shall go forth into captivity. That’s not the days of the Romans. That’s not AD70.

If the nations come against Jerusalem, I know who they are going to be against. They are not going to be against the Arabs, they are going to be against the Jews. And the section that is going to go into captivity, and to be rifled, will be the Jewish section. But what is significant is the prophesy says one-half. Do you know what is going to happen? All the nations are going to go against little Jerusalem. And it looks like this is going to be the end. But Praise God, we’ve got a Revelation beyond that.

Zechariah 14:3

(3) Then shall the Lord go forth,

Just when they are back against the wall, and no place to turn.

Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Now the big word “as.” He is going to fight as when He fought in the day of battle. And what does that mean to anybody? I guess you have to read some history to understand it. The Lord is going to fight again as He fought before. How did He fight before?

I want to refresh your memory regarding these things, so you can see the significance of the prophesy. The Lord is going to fight as He fought before.

The children of Israel are on their way out of Egypt, and they have come up against the Red Sea. The Water is in front of them, and they can’t back up, and they can’t go around. They can’t go any place.

Exodus 14:13-14

(13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still,

Isn’t that a wonderful thing? The hardest thing for flesh to do is to stand still, especially when you are facing the enemy.

Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today:

I have said before, this is the most sobering verse in the Old Testament.

for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

That sounds pretty final to me. Moses has seen Pharaoh for the last time. But now look at the next verse.

(14) The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

What is this story about? This story is about the Lord fighting for Israel. Have you got it? What does Zechariah 14:3 say? The Lord is going to fight for Israel as He fought in the day of battle.

Exodus 14:19-25

(19) And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

Look at the picture; Pharaoh and his host are coming up against the children of Israel. The cloud in which the Lord has been, has been ahead of Israel, and now it moves back behind them. Now we have the Lord; He is going to fight for Israel; and when He brings this cloud in, read the next verse.

(20) And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to theses: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

I don’t know how you can figure that out if you leave the Lord out of it. The Lord brought this cloud in, and it put Egypt in thick darkness so they couldn’t see anything. I don’t know a better way to win a battle than that, do you?

The enemy is in darkness, and Israel is in the light. Do you know that that light that went with them went all the way through the wilderness journey? For forty years, the children of Israel were never in the dark. God set up the best lighting system for them for forty years. Egypt didn’t dare move that night.

(21) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; (now notice the change of name) and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

(22) And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Have you any imagination? I sure like to use my imagination here. God is pushing back the water. There is a wall of water on both sides, and it is dry land for the children of Israel, and the Egyptians are still in the dark, and Israel is in the light.

(23) And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

(24) And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.

Who is fighting? The Lord.

(25) And took off their chariot wheels,

I almost have to snicker when I read that. Can you imagine; they are going with their wonderful chariots, and suddenly the wheels fall off of their chariots. What’s happening? The Lord is fighting.

and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily:

Did you ever try to pull something with the wheels off?

So that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

I want to tell you what is in this. When God fights, it doesn’t matter what kind of machinery the nations bring against Israel. It can be the best bombs in the world. It can be the best vehicles in the world; but when the Lord starts dropping off the wheels, they can’t do much.

Have you read the story of Napoleon? And more than that, have you read the story of the Second World War, when Germany announced that they were going to go in and annihilate Russian? They made their move toward Russian, but they didn’t count on the winter. When they started to move their tanks and their machinery, the frost hit and froze all the radiators, and froze up the tanks and the trucks. They couldn’t move, and thousands of men died; not because of the might of the armies on the other side, but they died because of the frost that God sent. He sure fought for Israel then. And the same thing is reported back in the days of Napoleon, when they started to move in. Listen, when God fights, He can bring all of creation to bear upon it.

Joshua 6:1-5

In each case, it tells us that God is doing the fighting.

(1) Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

When God starts to fight, people get scared. In the city of Jericho, nobody went out and nobody came in.

(2) And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

(3) And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

(4) And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

(5) And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall FALL OVER

NO. It doesn’t say that.

The wall of the city shall FALL DOWN FLAT

If you have read about it, that wall was pretty high, and if God had knocked it over, it would have still been a wall. But God didn’t say that He would knock it over. God said it would fall down flat.

Joshua 6:20

(20) So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

What was happening? God was doing the fighting. You can see that. What a foolish way to fight a battle -- to go out and break a pitcher, let a light shine, and blow a trumpet. There is no sense in that at all. But you see, they didn’t have to fight, and that is what they are told, -- God is going to fight. And there is only one explanation.

Do you know what had to happen in that case? God had to open up the ground underneath the wall; and I’ve got pictures to verify that. God opened up the ground, sent an earthquake, opened up the wall, and the wall just sunk down, and every man went straight into Jericho and they took the city.

I want to tell you, when God fights, He can send an earthquake.

May I go back to Zechariah 14. What does it tell you? The Lord is going to go forth and fight. His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, and the Mount of Olives is going to split – one half is going to go one way, and the other half the other way, and there is going to be a fleeing, like as they fled in the days of the earthquake. And so, what am I getting at? When you come to Zechariah, and the Lord fights, He is not only going to jam up the machinery, He is going to bring an earthquake to bear upon it. And I don’t know anything to frighten a few nations more than an earthquake. The Lord can do those kind of things. That is what He is going to do when He fights.

Joshua 10:7-14

(7) So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

(8) And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

(9) Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

(10) And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

(11) And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

(12) Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

(13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

(14) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

Did you get that?

Joshua’s long day. Have you ever felt you would like to have a long day? Have you ever said, “I wish I had more than twenty-four hours.” Joshua had one. He needed a little more time to fight this battle. And because he needed more time, God pushed back the sundial; the sun went back, and he had a long day, and it was God Who was doing the fighting.

Are you seeing what I am telling you? In the one case, God messes up the machinery. In the other case, He uses an earthquake. Now, what does He do? He disturbs the Heavens. God can disturb the Heavens when He wants to, when He fights.

Joshua 23:10

(10) One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

One Israeli will be better than a thousand men. Isn’t that a pretty good prediction! Look what is in there. It is God Who is fighting. And when the Lord fights, a thousand to one is still a majority. That is what He is saying. God fought before for Israel, and He will do it again.

Here is another story that really is insane when you read about it. It’s the story of Gideon’s three-hundred.

Judges 7:16-22

(16) And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

(17) And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

(18) When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

(19) So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

(20) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

(21) And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

(22) And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zerath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

You know the rest. They won the battle. They didn’t have to lift their sword, because every man turned his sword against the other fellow, and did the fighting for them.

1 Samuel 17:37-50

(37) David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saud said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

(38) And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

(39) And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

(40) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

(41) And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

(42) And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

(43) And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves: And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

(44) And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

(45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

(46) This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

(47) And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

(48) And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

(49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

(50) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

David went out, took a sling and five smooth stones. With a sling and a stone, he won the battle.

2 Chronicles 20:14-29

Here you have the same thing; God fighting.

(14) Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

(15) And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

(16) Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

(17) Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed, tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

(18) And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

(19) And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

(20) And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

(21) And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

(22) And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

It goes on to tell you that they took their swords and started slaying one-another; and all Israel did was go in and pick up the spoil. They went home with a spoil and didn’t even lift a sword. Isn’t that crazy! Who do you send out to battle? The choir. I want to tell you, when God is fighting, you don’t even need soldiers. When God is fighting, you don’t even need guns. And God says He is going to fight.

When you bring that to bear on Zechariah, isn’t it exciting to believe what God says is going to happen in the future! You can see all that is building up against Israel, and God is going to fight as He fought. He is going to bring everything to bear, and you know who is going to win!

Isaiah 31:1-5

(1) Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they6 are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!

(2) Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

(3) Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

(4) For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

(5) As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

Isaiah 41:8-15

(8) But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

(9) Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

(10) Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

(11) Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

(12) Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

(13) For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

(15) Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 30:11

(11) For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of the nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

That is rather sobering. God says He is going to make a full end of the nations where He has scattered the children of Israel, but He will not put an end to Israel.

The Concluding Statement:

We started all of this back in Joshua. As God fought for Israel in Joshua’s day, so will He fight again. As they possessed the land in Joshua’s day, so they will possess it again. As they divided the land for an inheritance, so shall it be done again.

Ezekiel 47:13-14

(13) Thus saith the Lord God; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.

(14) And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.

Everything that happened in the book of Joshua, according to the book of Ezekiel, is going to be re-fulfilled in fulfillment. And when Ezekiel is fulfilled, it is not going to be Joshua who is going to do it. The next time it is done, Jesus (not Joshua) will be the Leader. Jesus (not Joshua) will be the Judge. And, Jesus (not Joshua) will be the King. Won’t it be a great day, when Jesus is King of all the nations, ruling from Jerusalem! That’s what is going to happen.