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

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

Halloween is coming. What does that mean to you? When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to dress up and go house to house begging for candy. Kids still do that today, but it seems as if it’s on a much creepier level. The costumes are very evil, as are the Halloween season movies. My focus has changed much over the years, and today I view Halloween as something I don’t want to take part in. The traditions all seem to glorify pure evil, and that has no value for any Christian.

As I drive around, I notice that many people decorate their yards with very creepy things. They plant gravestones in the front yard while ghostly sheets hover above. Skeletons are on the porch to welcome visitors with their eerie smiles. This year, I’ve noticed many people are putting huge skeletons in their front yards, which are 10 or 15 feet tall. Are they glorifying the Nephilim? It all makes me wonder what these people believe and what they worship. It’s a good idea to glorify and obey God in all you do.

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in our spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

The Christians in Corinth had many, many faults, and Paul wrote this letter to encourage them to shun evil, be obedient to God, and turn from their worldly ways. They were proud of their open-mindedness – their “wokeness” – and they accepted all manner of sin rather than being obedient to God.

The Nephilim were totally evil beings, giants who were the offspring of the Fallen Angels and human women. “There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4).

That is nothing to be glorified. God took such exception to the evil these creatures inflicted and the genetic tampering that was taking place, and He was sorry that He had created humans. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6).

That sounds much like people today. Genetic tampering and evil are corrupting God’s creation today. “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:11-12).

All of creation was affected, and God’s judgment had to come, or there would be nothing left to save. Noah and his family had kept themselves apart from the evils found all around them and were genetically pure. Because of this, God was able to use Noah to build an Ark to save eight genetically pure people and some animals.

Noah couldn’t hide the Ark, so I’m sure everybody around could see what he was doing. Were they curious? Did they ask questions? If they did, they most likely laughed at the answers they got. “God will send rain, and the earth will be flooded?” “You’re nuts.” Really? Since there had never been rain before, just a mist that watered the earth, the people couldn’t understand. They went on living their lives in ignorance and sin. Then it was too late. The Ark was finished, and judgment would come quickly.

Noah and his sons had trusted God and were obedient. I’m so thankful for people like them who don’t follow the ways of the world… the ways of Satan.

“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth” (Genesis 7:4).

I wonder if Noah ever began to question his faith. He had believed God and was obedient, but what was next? Everything he knew and was familiar with was on the outside of the Ark. God was in control of when all that would be saved were safe.

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).

Can you imagine the shock they all had? The door was open, then it was shut. Nobody could enter or exit. Everybody had a choice, so nobody could blame God for being left outside the Ark of safety. Then the rain started. The pitter-patter of rain on the roof was a new sound, but it wouldn’t be long until the fountains of the deep opened up and God’s judgment was in full swing. Why had so few people obeyed God? Why do so few seem to obey God today? Judgment is coming, the signs are all making news headlines, but few listen. Few are obedient to God. Put your faith in Jesus Christ today. God’s judgment is coming again, but Christians will be safe at Home with Jesus.

Obedience is a choice we all make. We have a huge advantage over those people in Noah’s day; we have the written word of God found in Scripture. When God told Noah to build the boat, he got busy following God’s instructions. That same attitude needs to be embraced today. The world around us is dying because most follow Satan’s evil. It’s nothing new for people to get caught in the trap of sin. Eve believed Satan’s lies, and Adam knew better but followed her in sin. When the fallen angels began taking “wives,” that might have looked like a lark to other women, who followed in sin, but it led to destruction. Soon, only Noah and his family had pure genes as God had created humans. Sin corrupts, and though it may look tempting, it always has consequences.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

We make our own choice of whether we follow sin and destroy our body with alcohol, drugs, and illicit sexual activity. God has given us His word as a guide in life. He even stepped into His creation to give us an example of how to conduct our lives. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Jesus Christ is our Ark of Salvation.

Much evil is gripping our world today, and I’m not sure how much longer until God shuts the door. When we study Scripture and understand prophecy, it’s very clear that the Time of Jacob’s Trouble will soon start. Of course, this reference is to Israel specifically, but the entire world will be affected. Remember, God has never stopped loving Israel; Christians have not replaced God’s chosen people.

Watching the war in Israel is like watching the end time’s prophecies coming alive. God hasn’t turned against Israel, but we are living in a special time known as the Age of Grace.

“For by grace as ye save through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

That means that those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation have found grace through Him, and we are no longer under the Law of Moses. Our salvation is secure. Jesus did all the work for us, but in gratitude we need to be obedient to Him. He told us to spread the Gospel, and we need to get busy.

You may, like Noah, be an example of faith by your obedience in the way you live, or you may be someone who has a Bible study in your home that welcomes people who otherwise wouldn’t attend worship services. Maybe you own a business and can use it to show God’s love. I shop at Hobby Lobby and always enjoy listening to the Christian songs that play while I shop. There are many ways you can show your faith. We cannot be a good witness for Christ if our life reflects the worldly ways around us. Obedience to God’s ways is important.

Just as in Noah’s time, judgment is coming soon. God promised to never again destroy the world by water, but the coming judgments will be worse. The Book of Revelation gives a very frightening account of the final judgments. Beginning in chapter 6, we can read of the earth being destroyed and people dying. A one-world order is coming soon, and it is often called the Beast System. The Anti-Christ will soon come to power and lead the world to destruction. Christians have hope. The Blessed Hope only found in Jesus Christ. We will be taken Home prior to the worst judgments of God that can be imagined.

The Apostle John was given a vision of this time of judgment, but he also saw the Rapture. He was first given seven letters written by Jesus to seven churches. These letters are also a summary of seven time periods of the Christian church. After the age described in the final letter, John sees a door.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).

Reading in English doesn’t have the same impact as reading in the original language. The English words “After this” and “hereafter” are both translated from the Greek phrase “meta tauta,” which is a chronological term for a sequence of events. Sequentially, chapters 2 and 3 (the church age) happen, then the next event is the Rapture, as seen in the above verse. Then after the Rapture, Chapter 5 shows what happens to Christians in Heaven. What an awesome place to spend eternity! Beginning in chapter 6, the final judgments begin with the opening of the seals.

Obedience to God is important for life on earth, as well as life for eternity. You have a choice whether to be obedient or to defy God. Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will bring eternal life. If you haven’t accepted Christ for salvation, then you need to do that now. If you have questions, you need to talk to a born-again Christian who can explain why you need Jesus and how you can find salvation.

“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).

Were you baptized as a baby? That’s not enough. You need to make your own decision. You need to confess with your own mouth and believe in your own heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Be obedient and do that now.

Shun the ways of the world and be obedient to God’s truth. Allow Him to change your life.

God bless you all

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).