Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith. Missile attacks and terrorism—the violence in Israel knows no bounds. Israel, apart from the hand of God, it's unlikely it could have survived since its rebirth over 75 years ago. Today, why Israel's very existence is the first of the seven signs of Christ's return from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is Running to Win with Dr.
Irwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Irwin Lutzer is in a series on seven signs of Christ's return. Pastor, tell us about the miracle of Israel and why it's so important. You know, Dave, you've raised a very controversial issue, which, of course, I address in the message that we're about to hear. But many of us are deeply convinced.
That when you read the Old Testament, God is always talking about bringing His people back into the land, and there in the land, Jesus Christ is going to return someday in glory, and His people, the Jewish people, are going to believe in Jesus. The Apostle Paul made the prediction that all Israel shall be saved.
Now, of course, he doesn't mean that every individual Israelite will. But what he means is, a time is coming when Israel will be in the land, and God is going to bring His people back. For a gift of any amount, we're making available for you a book entitled "When Jesus Returns." The purpose of this book is not to give us a sequence of events. Many books do that, and they do it well. But this book looks at prophecy from various aspects.
For example, Michelle Bachman has a chapter entitled "Perilous Times When America Abandons Its Role of Global Leadership." Well, that's interesting, and then we can go on to other writers such as Jack Hibbs. Why the Rapture Matters and Why It's Important. This book will enable you to see prophecy from various angles. For a gift of any amount, we're making it available for you. This is what you do: go to rtwoffer dot com or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven.
Now let us listen carefully as we go to the pulpit of Moody Church, and following the message, I'll have more information for you.
So, why should we study prophecy?
Well, the answer, of course, is that both the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles, along with Christ Himself, predicted His return. As a matter of fact, in the New Testament alone, there are more than three hundred references to the fact that Jesus Christ is going to come again. And the Bible is filled with warnings, warnings about those who are unprepared for His coming. Recognizing that we should be alert and awake spiritually speaking, lest He come in our generation. Of course, even if he doesn't come, we are still accountable to God.
There is still a judgment. But imagine being a part of that generation that the Christian church has looked forward to for two thousand years, becoming a part of that generation when Jesus Christ appears in wonder and in glory. If you're with us last time, you know that the reason that we should study prophecy is because the Scripture is clear. We ought to live holy lives. We emphasize that, in light of the fact that all these things will be burned up, eventually, what manner of people we should be, because people and the word of God survive the fire.
But today we come to the first sign of Christ's return, and it is that Israel is reborn. Let me read what was read on May Fourteenth, nineteen forty-eight, when Zionist leader David Ben Gurion read this official proclamation in Jerusalem. By virtue of the natural historical right of the Jewish people and the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations, we hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel. Moments later, President Truman issued a statement granting official recognition to the new state. The next day, war breaks out.
Five nations that surround Israel fight against this tiny country that was very unprotected. And somehow, somehow, Israel was able to retain its existence. Since that time, it suffered through four other wars, and Israel continues to exist.
Now the question is: What possible connection could there be between this and the return of Jesus Christ? I mean, here you have a historical fact that took place many years ago, and yet we're talking about the possibility that this is somehow related to the return of Jesus Christ. What's the connection?
Well, let me tell you. The connection is this. I believe that the Bible teaches that the Jewish people—that is, the descendants of Abraham through Isaac. That those people are going to be in the land that we call today Israel, though its borders will be much larger. They will be in the land when Jesus Christ returns in glory, and He's going to come to the Mount of Olives, as we shall explain in another message.
And He will rule over them, and they will accept Him as their Messiah to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Now you say, "Well, that's very interesting, but how do you know?" Well, this I believe is what the Bible expressly teaches, as we shall learn in the next few moments. But before we turn to the Bible, let me tell you that we have to discuss this question with a great deal of sensitivity to realize that there are also Arabs, and they have many good arguments and many good claims, shall we say, for the land.
Now we can argue historically and politically and say that the Jews were there first, and that's true. But the Arabs, they have residency rights as well, and therefore the conflict. We need to treat this with a sense of even-handedness because you remember a few years ago we had a man speak here who is a Palestinian Christian, an Arab Christian who lives in Bethlehem, and he told me over lunch as we were discussing this, he said, "One person's prophecy is another's personal tragedy." He and his family lived close to Haifa. In the land of Israel, and when the state was formed, they were forced to become part of a refugee camp, and they lived there for many, many years. And their land was confiscated, taken from them.
So let us recognize that, no matter what we say, we need to recognize the legitimacy, the legitimate rights of those Arab communities. But there's another reason why peace will never be brought to the Middle East apart from the appearing of Christ. I'll tell you because it is not just historical and political, interesting though that is. The real issue is religious. You see, when Muhammad was born in five seventy A.D.
and when he went into those trances and the words that he said were written down and they became the Quran. Muhammad rewrote biblical history, and what he said is that the promises do not come through Isaac but through Ishmael, and he believed that his descendancy was from Ishmael. And that really, it is not Sarah who bears the child that will inherit the promises, but rather it is Hagar. And therefore, the promises it is believed by millions, millions believe therefore that the promises are to be fulfilled to the Arabs and not the Jews.
So, what you really have going on in the Middle East is this. It is a conflict between Jehovah and Allah, between Isaac and Ishmael, between Sarah and Hagar, and between the Bible and the Quran, and that's why the roots go so deep and the antagonism seems to be so unrelenting. But now let us take our Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter twelve. And today I need to tell you that we are going to be reading a lot of passages of Scripture. If you wish to follow, you may.
If you wish to simply listen, you may. But the twelfth chapter of Genesis is where it all begins, where God says to Abram. Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.
And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. What did God promise Abraham? First of all, that he would be a great man. And both Jews and Arabs today admit to that. You can go to Jerusalem, and you can still see and think about the wonder of where Abraham lived and the honor that is given to him.
Secondly, God says you're going to be a great nation, and and through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. And certainly, that was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ. You see, Christ blesses the families of the earth. Because on his human side he was from the seed of Abraham, but God continues to talk to Abraham, and he continues to make a promise to Abraham, and and always adds some more details. For example, in chapter fifteen, the Lord takes Abraham outside and says, in verse five, he says, "Look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them." That's a challenge for the naked eye.
And Abraham, in effect, I'm sure, said, "God, I give up. I can't do that." And God says, "You know, in the very same way, your descendants will not be able to be counted." Doesn't mean that there are going to be the same number of descendants as there are stars. It just means that God says both are going to be uncountable. Verse six. Then he believed in the Lord, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
When do you think Abraham was saved in the Old Testament sense of the word? Right here.
Now he was not yet receiving the righteousness of Christ, but God credited Abraham's sin to Christ, knowing that Jesus would come hundreds of years later, die on a cross, so that even Abraham is saved because of the death of Christ. No one can be saved without the death of Christ as the basis of acceptance before God.
So Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. And the Lord said, "I am the Lord that brought you up out of Ur of Chaldees to give you this land to possess it." The rest of the chapter is is is taking animals and cutting them in two, and this was an old way that was used back then to make a treaty. And normally, the two people making the treaty would walk through those pieces of meat together. But if you read the text, and we don't have time to, Abraham falls asleep, and God alone walks through those symmetrical pieces of meat. Why?
Because God says, "I'm making a covenant with you, Abraham, and I am going to be the one to fulfill it, and it isn't even dependent upon you." It's important that you be faithful, and if you aren't, I'll discipline you. But at the end of the day, this is something that I'm going to do. And the Book of Hebrews confirms that. Where God says, "There's nobody else to swear by. I will swear by myself.
I am going to give this land to Abraham's descendants." So you'll notice how it ends in verse 18. On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, "To your descendants, I've given this land from the river of Egypt as far as the river, the great river, Euphrates." And then it lists the Canaanites that are in there, and I won't list them all. But it says in verse twenty one, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Gergeshite, the Jebusite, and as I am fond of saying, if you're into computers, the megabyte. God says I'm going to give you all that land, and He even delineates the borders of it.
Now, notice what He says in chapter seventeen to Abraham. He says in verse seven, the Lord is speaking again. Wouldn't it be wonderful? You know, if God came to you every other day and you could have a conversation with Him—that's what Abraham was doing. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your descendants after you, and I will give you and to your descendants after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan.
Now, catch this for an everlasting. Possession, and I will be their God. Throughout the Old Testament, God keeps confirming this to different people who are in the line of descent from Abraham. For example, let's look at Second Samuel chapter seven, where God says this to David. You know, one day God was talking to David and said, "David, I've got a couple of things to tell you." And I pick this up in chapter seven of Second Samuel, and we begin in verse twelve, where the Lord says, "When you are your days are completed and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up a descendant after you." That's a reference to Solomon, because God says Solomon is going to build the temple David that you weren't able to build.
And if Solomon is disobedient, I will correct him. But then God says in verse sixteen, "And your house, that is." Your lineage, your kingdom—that is, your sphere of rule, where you are reigning over there in Jerusalem and the territory adjacent to it—and your throne, that is, your royalty, your right to rule, shall be established forever. Wow. No wonder David said at the end. He said, "Who am I and what is my house that thou hast led me hither to?
Who could I be that you would use such a to whom you would give rather such a marvelous, unbelievable promise?" By the way, isn't it interesting that when Jesus is in the womb of Mary? The Lord comes and sends an angel and says, regarding the one who is to be born, he shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall rule over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. When God made this promise to David, God was thinking of Christ, who would fulfill it.
Now let's not lose sight of the premise that I have made today—that in the Bible, in the Old Testament, God predicts a day is coming when Israel is going to be gathered in the land, and Jesus is going to be the Messiah whom they are going to accept. And that's why we have this connection to prophecy.
Now, I am going to continue to read. There is an Old Testament prophet by the name of Jeremiah.
Now, you know the Jews—they were unfaithful. They turned to idols. They turned away from God, and and God had the Assyrians come and and take the northern tribes into captivity, and then later on He had the Babylonians come and they surrounded the city of Jerusalem in five eighty six BC, and and they took the Jews off, and Jerusalem was ruled by pagans, and and you have those periods of time when the Jews are out of the land. You know, if God was saying that there. Obedience or disobedience was dependent on whether or not he'd keep his side of the bargain.
He could have cast them off long ago and said, "I'm not going to put up with these people. I've had it up to here. I let it be. I'm going to give my blessings to somebody else if this is the way they're going to act." Remarkable thing is he hangs in there with them.
Now listen to Jeremiah's words in chapter twenty-three, and when I read this, I want all of you to be thinking of one question: Has this ever been fulfilled? Has this happened yet? Jeremiah twenty-three verse three: Then I myself shall gather the remnant of my flock out of the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I also shall raise up shepherds over them, and they will tend them, and they will not be afraid any longer or terrified. Nor will any be missing, declares the Lord.
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved, Israel will dwell securely, and this is his name by which he will be called, our Lord. Our righteousness—it's a reference to Christ ruling. Over the territory in the land, verse seven. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they will no longer say, "As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt," but "As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the northland and from all the countries where I have driven them," then they will live on their own soil.
What a promise! It's not been fulfilled. The Jews have been scattered. They've been brought back, but they're not accepting Christ as righteousness and and Christ like that. And they're not living securely in the land.
Just go to Israel today.
Soldier on every street corner.
Now I have to pause here because you've been so kind to listen to all that I have to say, and you know what? I've still not finished all that I'm going to say. There are some folks, and many of them are very fine Bible scholars, who believe that God is finished with the Jews as a nation because all of those promises of the Old Testament now are applied to us, the Church. And these fine people, I believe, are wrong. I just needed to throw that in.
Listen to this. Listen to Jeremiah thirty-one.
Now, listen up, all those of you who think that Israel does not have a future because God is finished with them. I think He wrote this text for people who might think of things like that. You'll notice what he says, Jeremiah thirty-one, verse thirty-five. Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the seas so that its waves roar. The Lord of Hosts is his name.
If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever. Thus says the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then also I will cast off the offspring of Israel for all that they have done. Declares the Lord. God says, "I'm hanging in with the nation. I will not cast them off at the end of time.
I will fulfill my promises to them." Now. The prophets keep saying the same thing. In the evening service, I'm doing a series on the book of Amos. But before we get to Amos, let me just read some words from Ezekiel. And I'll give you the reference after I have read it, so that you just listen carefully to what the prophet Ezekiel says.
Therefore, say to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went, and I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then." The nations will know that I am the Lord," declares the Lord, "when I prove myself holy among you in your sight. For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all of the lands and bring you into your own land. And then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from your filthiness and from your idols, and I'll give you a new heart.
And remove the heart of stone from your flesh, from you, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I'll put my spirit within you.
Well, the text goes on, but notice what God is saying: I'm going to bring you back into your land, and then you're going to be converted. You are going to accept the Messiah and the power of the Holy Spirit of God in your life. I mentioned prophets such as Amos; they all. Say essentially the same thing. Amos said, and by the way, that passage of scripture was Ezekiel chapter thirty-six.
But Amos says in chapter nine, also I will restore the captivity of my people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land, says the Lord God. Yes, my friend, I believe that God has a purpose for His people, the Jews, and someday those prophecies will be fulfilled. I'm holding in my hands a book entitled "When Jesus Returns." The general editor is Jan Markell.
She got a group of authors to write about prophecy from various aspects. For example, Anne Graham Lotz—you'll recognize her. She, of course, is the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth, and she has written on the topic—a warning to America from the Book of Joel. This book looks at prophecy various aspects. It is not necessarily a chart that tells us what is going to happen and the sequence, but rather looking at prophecy in various aspects.
I think it's going to be a tremendous blessing to you. Here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com. That's RTWoffer.com or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. We here at Running to Win are deeply convinced that the gospel of Jesus Christ must go around the world. And thank you so much for helping us.
We deeply appreciate your prayers and your support. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. Pastor Irwin Lutzer has brought part one of the Rebirth of Israel, the first sign in his series Seven Signs of Christ's Return.
Next time on Running to Win, more details of why the Rebirth of Israel points toward the coming of Christ. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Irwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
