Israel was, is, and always will be the apple of God’s eye. As Christians, we should love the Jewish people and pray for Israel. Why? Simply put, God says we should. Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and we can trust what God says.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We have Scripture, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, to guide us in our living. The Old Testament was fulfilled by Jesus, but the Old Testament was not negated. So, when we read prophecy passages, we can be certain they will be fulfilled just as Scripture says. When we read passages in which God tells of His love for Israel, we need to take note and love Israel, too.
“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: 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” (Jeremiah 31:35-36).
God will never stop loving Israel, and its existence as a nation is secure.
There is a very evil belief among many Christians that says that Christians have replaced Israel in God’s heart. That is a teaching straight from Satan. Christians are a separate group of believers. In the beginning, there were only people with no separate national or ethnic identity. Sin separates us from God, who loves all of His creation. To solve the sin problem, God began to teach humans what constitutes sin. He called Abraham, gave him the promised land which we call Israel, forever, and set in motion the steps to reconciliation.
It was through Abraham’s son Isaac that the promise would be fulfilled. Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity and was given the law. This law governed Israel for years and kept them separate from Gentiles, who were mostly ungodly pagans; it taught the ways of God.
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24-25).
This is a truth that many people don’t understand. Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. The Ten Commandments are still the moral guidance we should follow. When we fail to live up to God’s standards, we no longer have to offer a blood sacrifice to cover our sin. Jesus Christ was the blood sacrifice to take our sin away. Does that mean we no longer sin? Of course, we sin, and we always will while living on this side of Heaven.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
Some feel you have to confess to a priest or other clergy, but Christians only need to confess to Christ. No human can take your sin away.
Having said all of that, where does that leave Israel? Did Jesus die for their sins? Absolutely. The salvation of all people is available to everyone through Jesus Christ.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27-29).
That’s a blessing. By faith in Jesus, Gentiles become Abraham’s seed, just as the Jewish people can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Salvation isn’t an automatic thing. First, you have to realize you are a sinner and that no animal sacrifice can take sin away.
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goat should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
Only the blood of Jesus will take away sin completely. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
In order to obtain eternal life, you have to personally accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for your salvation. This goes for every ethnic group on earth.
There is no other way to find eternal life but through Jesus Christ. Allah cannot save you; Buddha cannot bring salvation, nor can Mormonism. I could keep going through a long list of cults and false teachings, but I will simply quote Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
There is no other way. Salvation is a free gift of God, but like all gifts, you have to accept it. You cannot be a Christian simply because your parents are Christians. You might have an easier time understanding your need for salvation through Jesus, but you have to accept His free gift for yourself.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Nobody can make that confession for you.
So, where does that leave the Jewish people? They have promises from God that He hasn’t turned away from them. Just as promised, the Messiah was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Jesus was Jewish, but as foretold in prophecy, He was rejected by the very people who should have recognized Him as their Messiah. It’s important to pay attention to prophecy. Because they rejected Him, salvation was opened to Gentiles, but the Jewish people were blinded and didn’t accept Him.
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).
If anybody tries to convince you that God no longer sees Israel as the apple of His eye, they are wrong. Eventually, all of Israel will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but they will face horrendous troubles to bring them to the truth. The Tribulation will be what brings them to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. When that happens, Jesus will return and end their battle with the evil that is even now working in this fallen world. That won’t happen until the “fulness of the Gentiles” has been accomplished. What is that? It’s a number of people who accept Jesus Christ for salvation. What is the number? Only God knows.
When people set a date for the Rapture, don’t believe them. Usually, they try to tie the Rapture to a Jewish Feast Day. Scripture clearly says that nobody knows the day, and they forget that it’s a number that needs to be reached, not a particular day. Of course, the number could happen on a Jewish Feast, but Christians need to witness to the lost. That’s the only way to help fulfill the time of the Gentiles and bring the Rapture.
Remember to pray for Israel. As the rockets take aim at that precious nation and the bombs drop on them, they need prayer. I have an App on my phone called Red Alert. An alarm goes off every time a rocket is fired at Israel or enemy aircraft enter Israeli air space. When the alarm sounds, I stop and pray for God’s protection over the apple of His eye. I pray that the bombs go off course and that the navigation fails on the airplanes. Scripture urges us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, God’s city and the Jewish capital.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).
Don’t pray for land division, but pray for peace. Remember, God told Abraham, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
That truth is as true today as it was when it was given.
Bless Israel, and don’t curse the apple of God’s eye.
God bless you all
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).