Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here.
Let me ask you a question. Are you eager to make a difference in the spiritual lives of others? When you give to Harvest, you become a part of our mission to make God known through unique avenues like television, radio, and large-scale evangelistic events. Support us today at harvest.org slash donate and help us to continue to spread the gospel around the world. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us a look at modern-day Israel and how they relate to Christian believers and to the one in whom we believe. There's a spiritual blindness among many Jews when it comes to Jesus.
There's a resistance, but actually there's been a dramatic change even recently. They're recognizing that these Christians, these evangelicals, these people of the Bible are true friends, and they're listening like they've never listened before. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again you hear when the angels are singing. This is the day, the day when life begins.
The key to financial security is spend less than you make. The key to driving safely is keep your eyes on the road. Well, Pastor Greg Laurie says the key to understanding the events of the end times is to keep our eyes on Israel. Israel is ground zero. And that's our focus today here on A New Beginning. As Pastor Greg continues his enlightening series, The Future is Written. We'll see how so much of Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. The Lord could come back at any time.
This is the day, the day when life begins. The Bible tells us in the last days Israel will be scattered. That's happened. Israel will be regathered. That too has happened. Israel will regain Jerusalem. That also has happened. Israel will be isolated.
That is happening. Now here comes the United States. We have been a strong and staunch ally of Israel historically.
But more recently we have backed off from that. Why should we support the nation Israel? Well one would say because they are the only real democracy in the Middle East. And that's true. But that's not the reason, the primary reason we should support them. I think the primary reason we should support Israel is because God has placed them in the land. And we want to stand with that.
Right. So maybe God, maybe Russia and our allies will march against Israel. What happens next? Ezekiel 38 18. This is what will happen in that day when Gog attacks the land of Israel. God says, my hot anger will be aroused declares the sovereign Lord. Don't tick off God.
You don't want to get on His bad side. He says, you are going to attack my people. Notice how the Lord takes it personally.
Why? Because Israel, the Jewish people, His chosen people are the apple of His eye. And so now God decimates the armies of Magog along with their allies. And there are so many weapons there.
It takes seven years to destroy them. And then God promises to pour His Spirit out on Israel in Ezekiel 39 29. But now let's go to our second passage. Romans 11. Verse 25. The Apostle Paul. I want you to understand the mystery dear brothers and sisters.
So you won't feel proud about yourselves. Blindness in part has happened to Israel. But this will only last until the full number of the Gentiles come to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. And so now a spiritual awakening is going to happen to the Jewish people. There is a spiritual blindness among many Jews when it comes to Jesus.
There is a resistance. But actually there has been a dramatic change even recently. I read just the other day that requests for Bibles in Israel have risen dramatically since October 7. I can think of many conversations that I have had with Jewish people who have thanked me personally for speaking up for them at this critical juncture.
I told you about the opportunity I had on October 8 I believe it was where I went to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles which is a museum dedicated to fight anti-Semitism. And it was pretty much a Jewish audience. And I had the privilege of speaking to them and telling them that we love them as Christians. And that we are praying for them.
But I didn't stop there. I told them how Jesus Christ had changed my life. I am not going to hide that part of it. This is why I love the Jewish people. This is why I care about them because their Messiah came to me as a Jew. The Bible was given to me by the Jews. I am a Gentile. I am not Jewish. But at the same time my love for them comes from my study of Scripture because effectively I am studying Jewish history just like you are right. So it was a beautiful opportunity to say as a Christian we care about you. We love you. And the reason we do is because of Jesus and what He has done for us. And they are listening like they have never listened before.
They are listening like they have never listened before. There is a rabbi who lives in Jerusalem and saw me defending Israel. He wrote me a beautiful letter and invited me to Shabbat dinner next time I am in Jerusalem. And said quote, You are a great friend of those who cherish the Word of God in a society that is growing more contemptuous of it all the time. Our communities are the last hold out. You see they are recognizing that these Christians, these evangelicals, these people of the Bible are our true friends. They are not against us. They are for us. So I think that is a beautiful thing. We love them because they are God's chosen people.
Listen. God made a promise to Israel and God keeps His promises. Now I want to bring this up because there is something called replacement theology that has gained some popularity in the church. So replacement theology basically says that all the promises given to the Jews have now been transferred to the church. And the promises given to the Jews are no longer operative.
They are all given to us. That is wrong and incorrect and is refuted many times in Scripture. God is a promise keeper. He is not a promise breaker. And He has made promises to Israel that He will keep. Here is a promise He made to the Jewish people in Jeremiah 33.
You can't get any plainer than this. The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, have you noticed what people are saying? They are saying the Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them. They are sneering and saying Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation. And this is what the Lord says. I would no more reject My people than I would change My laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.
How is that for clarity? It is so current. People are saying oh God has broken His covenant with the Jews and He doesn't care about the nation of Israel. God is saying are you kidding me? I will never abandon My covenant with them.
Ok. So this is the way it is. You see I am a Gentile as most of you are. And the Bible says we have been grafted into the promises of God. It means He made the promises to them but through Jesus our Messiah we have been brought into these promises with the Lord.
Not replacing them but grafted in. That is what the Bible says. God promises of course in Genesis 12 to Abraham and his descendants the Jews. It says I will bless those that bless you.
I will curse those that curse you. So that is why we want to bless the Jewish people. And so God wants to use us to bless the people who have blessed us. God wants to use you to bless the people who have blessed us. Verse 14. I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what the Gentiles have so I might save some of them.
Make them jealous. Ok. So this is very interesting. So years ago I was in Israel and we were doing a little tour. And I had a tour guide I used quite frequently.
His name was David. Great guy. We became very good friends. But we didn't agree on much. And he loved to debate me. And so we would have these extended debates. And he is a very intelligent guy and was challenging and interesting to talk to. So one day we were having one of our debates.
He is pushing back on what I believe. And on it went. And then at the end of our little journey I never felt like I made a lot of progress with David honestly. But at the end of our little journey we are getting off the bus and the driver says to me, you know I was listening to your conversation with David and I was wondering if he would come to my home for Shabbat dinner.
Sabbath dinner. And I said well I would be honored. Thank you. And so I didn't realize but he had been listening to all these conversations. I didn't even think of him.
He was right there. And then he said this statement to me. I have been listening to you talk about God and I am jealous of your relationship with God. And I thought wow. Haven't I read that somewhere?
But the Bible says that God uses us Gentiles who know Jesus to make the Jewish people who have this covenant relationship with Him jealous of this relationship. So I went to his home. They gave me a fantastic meal. I mean I was very hungry and we ate it and we thought that was fantastic. That was just the first course. Course after course came and it just went on and on.
And I was going into a food coma. And then he gathers all of his family. A couple of his sons serving in the Israeli army. All of his family. And he says please tell them what you were saying earlier in the bus. Ok I shall. And I preached the gospel to his whole family.
See but that's what it is. God keeps His promises. He will keep His promise to them. He will keep His promise to us as well.
God will not break His promises. I heard about a man who was getting married. He made an unusual offer to the pastor who would be officiating. He said pastor I would like to ask you to delete part of the vows that we will be doing together. You know that part where I say I promise to forsake all others only unto myself as long as we both shall live. I don't want to say that to my wife.
So don't ask me to say that. And here is a hundred dollars. The pastor took the money.
Ok. So the wedding day came and the man is standing up to the groom with his wife. His bride. And the pastor is going through the vows and he turns to the groom and says do you promise to obey her every wish and command and make her breakfast in bed every morning and promise to God and your lovely wife that you will not even look at another woman as long as you both shall live. Well the guy is you know he is under pressure.
He gulps and says I do. Then after the ceremony is over the groom goes to the pastor and says I thought we had a deal. And then the pastor put the hundred dollars back in his hand and said she made me a better offer.
God keeps his promises and he's made a lot of promises to us. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. So many listeners have commented on the help they received from Pastor Greg's messages like this one. Pastor Greg in a world of ever changing truths I am thankful for Harvest Ministries and your commitment to preach the whole gospel. When I hear your messages I never feel judged but instead I feel encouraged to adjust course if needed based on what God's word says. Thank you for always preaching the truth. It's a blessing to know that listeners are hearing these messages and God is using his word to touch hearts. How have Pastor Greg's studies impacted your life?
Would you let him know? Send an email to Greg at Harvest dot org. That's Greg at Harvest dot org. Well glad you've joined us today for a message in Pastor Greg's end time series called The Future is Written. Now let's come back and talk about Israel. God is waiting for the complete number of Gentiles to come to Christ. God is waiting for the complete number of Gentiles to come to Christ. Romans 11 26. Blindness in part has happened to Israel but this will only last until the full number of Gentiles come to Christ and then all Israel will be saved.
Listen. Every soul matters to God and the Lord is waiting for the last one to believe. Now when the Bible says all Israel will be saved that does not mean literally every Jewish person will believe but what it is saying is he will keep his promises to them and he is waiting for the last one to come.
The way I see this is God is saying that there is walking around on this planet of ours the last person he is waiting for. Can you imagine if you knew who that person was? Like this person right here is the holdout. And when this guy comes to Christ we are all going to heaven. Would you be tempted to apply some pressure on him or her?
Come on man. What if you were that last person? And the Lord was just waiting on you. And then we go to heaven. You know there is a prototype if you will of someone in the Bible that is a bit like us. His name was Enoch. And you know the story of Enoch. The Bible says he walked with God and was not for God took him.
It is a very interesting story. No one quite like him. He is walking with God. Walk with him every day. Maybe one day the Lord said you know what buddy we are closer to my house than we are to yours.
Why don't you come home with me. The word took him means he translated him. He carried him across. Enoch was like a solo rapture you know. What will happen to a whole generation will happen to one single man. But prior to that he walked with God.
And that is what we all should be doing. Walking with God and be ready to meet God. Look. Let me just put a little bow on it now. We are coming. Jesus is coming again. The signs are getting bigger and they are getting brighter. And they are getting closer together. And he could come at any time. Oh Greg. I have been hearing this forever.
Yeah I know. The Bible even says a sign of the end times will be people saying oh we have heard this forever. But one of these days it is going to be the day. And we will be caught up to meet the Lord in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. My question for you is are you ready? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Are you? I hope so.
You might ask well how do I get ready? You have a relationship with God like Enoch. You walk with God. You are right with God. And if this is the day great.
If it isn't the day great. And look. We may die. We may not be raptured before we die. Or we may be raptured before we die. Whatever.
Look. All I know is I am going to heaven. If I go in a taxi or an Uber I am getting there. Ok. Now honestly I would prefer the rapture. I will say that. And if the Lord would be so gracious to allow that to happen I would be thrilled along with you. But if not I won't be disappointed. My hope is in the Lord.
And I know I will see him again. I just had a conversation with a friend of many years whose wife just passed on to heaven. She wrote this letter that was even funny at times. Like it says don't open until I die. So he didn't open it.
Now she has gone to be with the Lord. He opens it up. First thing she says. Make sure the cats are fed. And that is the mother of very specific instructions like clean up after yourself and you know these things. He's a guy. He needs help right. But then she says I'm good.
I'm ok. Don't worry about me. I'm safely at home in heaven. And then she gives all these scriptures. All these scriptures. And he said he looked up every one of those verses.
And it ministered to his heart so much. And she laid out this is what I want at my service. I don't want anyone wearing black.
I want them to wear bright colors. And I want them to celebrate the fact that I'm with the Lord. She had such clarity of mind you know. And I think if we really think clearly for a moment people in heaven are better off than us right. I know we miss them. I know we wish they were here with us. And there is nothing wrong with that. That is just our love for them. But at the same time if given a choice no one in heaven would ever want to come back here.
But we should want to go there. And the only way to know is have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead and stands at the door of your life and He knocks. And if you will hear His voice and open the door He will come in.
You can do that right here. Right now. And you will be rapture ready. Let's pray. Father I pray that you will speak to everyone here. Everyone watching.
Everyone listening. Lord you know where they are and you know what they need. And if they don't know you yet let this be the moment they put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. If you want Christ to come into your life. If you want Him to forgive you of your sin. If you want to know with certainty that you will go to heaven when you die.
If you want to be ready for the Lord's return. Let me lead you in this prayer. Pray these words. Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner.
But I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen. Such an important prayer. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie praying with those asking the Lord to forgive their sins so they can be ready for His return.
And if you just prayed that prayer and you've meant those words, then your sins have been forgiven and you're a new child of God. And we want to welcome you into God's family and we want to send you an important resource to help you build a strong foundation for your faith. Let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. Millions have read this edition of the Bible and enjoyed the hundreds and hundreds of helps, especially for those who are new to the faith. Well send it free of charge when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime. That's 1-800-821-3300.
Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org and click Know God. And Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity. And we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further.
Isn't that right? Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul?
Well let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son, or your daughter? Or your mom or your dad?
Or your best friend? Well I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well listen, God says all souls are mine.
God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission. Yeah that's right and you can make your donation right now at harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300.
That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Well next time, Pastor Greg draws some conclusions from our recent studies of Bible prophecy. Important insight is coming. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.
