Israel has been a blessed nation of God. However, as a people and a nation they fell into sin and idolatry. However, God is not finished in His dealings with the nation of Israel. There are still many un-fulfilled promises given to Abraham and King David that is yet to be fulfilled. The below sets of verses give a description of Israel from their dispersal to all the nations (this happened in 70A.D.) to their future blessing. Have a look at the below Scriptures:
Deut 4
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant
of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you
a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD
thy God hath forbidden thee.
24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children,
and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall
corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness
of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy
God, to provoke him to anger:
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day,
that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto
ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your
days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye
shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the
LORD shall lead you.
28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands,
wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat,
nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou
shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with
all thy soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are
come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the
LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not
forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant
of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before
thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and
ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there
hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been
heard like it?
Here are some points related to the above verses:
1- Israel would remain long in the land.... verse 25 states that Israel would remain in their land for a long time... and they did.
2- Israel would fall away into idolatry... verse 25 states that Israel would corrupt themselves and go into idolatry and reject God, His Word, and His prophets. The Lord Jesus was rejected as well.
3- Israel would be kicked out of the land...verse 26, 27 state that Israel would be removed from their land. This occurred in 70A.D.
4- they would be scattered to nations ......verse 27 says they would be scattered to the nations. Notice that the word nations is plural. The people of Israel were literally scattered throughout the world. This is a unique scattering of the Jew. Back in Daniel's day Israel was sent in captivity to Babylon. However, this second scattering is much larger in scope and will involve all the nations.
5- given to idolatry in wanderings ..........verse 27, 28 state that when they are scattered to the nations, many would give themselves over to idolatry.
6- seek the Lord while dispersed ...........verse 29, 30 also mention that some will begin to seek the Lord during this time. God always has a remnant of people who believe in Him.
7- latter day trib...-.they will seek the Lord .. verse 30 describes a latter day time of tribulation when Israel will again seek the Lord. When will this occur? In the latter days. We are in the latter days now! Israel still has to go through the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy where they will endure persecution and the wrath of the devil and his antichrist. This cannot occur until after the rapture occurs. Once God removes His Church from the world in the rapture, the antichrist will be free to rise to power. Some time after that he will sign a 7 year peace treaty with Israel. During those 7 years Israel will experience the time of Jacobs trouble. Near the end of that period the people of Israel will turn back to God!
8- Israel will not be destroyed.....God will remember covenant .. verse 31 clearly states that Israel will not be forsaken or destroyed. Again we have seen that through nearly 2000 years since they have been scattered to all the nations. They are still a unique people. In 1948 God began moving and bringing the Jewish people out of the nations and back to their land of Israel. The land of Israel was a wasteland for almost 2000 years while the Jew was scattered to the nations. However, now that God is bringing them home, the land of Israel is blooming like a rose!
The above verses are very prophetic and they outline the history of Israel from the time they were scattered to all the nations to the time at the end of the age when the return to the Lord.
THE SCATTERING TO ALL THE NATIONS
In these verses God states that Israel will scattered to all the nations. Note that this is different from the time they were sent to Babylon for 70 years. This scattering is to all nations!
Deut 28
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.
Israel was literally driven from their land... and behind the scenes it was God who did 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.
God scattered the people of Israel to all the nations. They would not find peace in those nations.
65 And among these nations shalt thou 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 hang in doubt before thee; and thou
shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance
of thy life:
Just look at all the persecution the Jewish people have endured over the years. They were persecuted in Russia.. and later in Germany by Hitler.
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.
Israel sinned against their God and they were scattered to all the nations as punishment.
THE RE-GATHERING OF ISRAEL
The scattering will not last forever. God punished the people of Israel but there comes a time when they will be re-gathered back to their land. Below are several verses that describe the time that God will re-gather Israel back to their land. This process started in 1948 and continues this very day.
Deut 30
1 And it shall come to pass, 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,
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.
4 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:
5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which
thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he
will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Israel is in the process of returning to their land as the verses above describe. However, right now they are returning in a state of unbelief. But there is coming a day when the people of Israel will return to God in faith and love. This will happen near the end of the 7 year tribulation period. During that time will be the battle of Armageddon and the return of the Lord Jesus. Below are the verses that describe what will happen:
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.
7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine
enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and
do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every
work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the
fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for
good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good,
as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy
God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are
written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the
LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
CONCLUSION
Has God forsaken Israel? The answer is simple: NO. Here are some verses that reflect that fact:
Deut 4
31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not
forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant
of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Rom 11
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.
For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of
the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.
Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he
maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,
God still has big plans for the nation of Israel. Right now we are witnessing their return to their land in Israel. Even though they face opposition, the are still prospering in their land.
Right now we are living in a time period between Daniel's prophetic 69th and 70th week. This period is known as the church age. The church is composed of believers both Jewish and non-Jewish who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus. After the rapture the antichrist will come to power. He will sign that 7 year peace treaty with Israel. This will start up the clock for Daniel's 70th week. Israel has already gone through 69 of Daniel's prophetic weeks. There is the final 70th week for the nation of Israel to go through. God's plan right now is for the Church in the years between the 69th and 70th week. However, after the rapture the spotlight again turns back to Israel for that final 70th week. At the end of the 70th week will be the battle of Armageddon and the return of the Lord Jesus.
We are living in very prophetic days. The prophecies related to the end of the age and the return of the Lord Jesus are being setup. The time is short and soon the Lord will return. The most important thing is for a person to be ready to stand before the Lord. People are either saved or they are lost. There is no in-between. Which are you? Saved or Lost? Is Jesus your Saviour or have you rejected Him? Make your decision NOW!
Rev 22
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his
deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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