"Role of Israel in Bible Prophecy" - Pastor Stephen Bohr

what does the bible have to say about the role of israel in bible prophecy i'd like to begin our study by going to the book of acts chapter 6 and verse 7. and as you're looking for that text acts 6 7 i'd like to say that after the holy spirit was poured out on the day of pentecost the christian movement experienced phenomenal explosive growth a multitude of clergy and laity were joining the new christian movement which by the way was called the way now let's read acts chapter 6 and verse 7 which describes this phenomenal growth after the day of pentecost it says there and the word of god increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith notice the terminology increased multiplied greatly and then it says a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith obviously after the outpouring of the holy spirit there were tremendous conversions not only in degree but also in quantity the book of acts makes it very clear that one of the reasons for this phenomenal growth of christianity is because of a christian leader whose name is known by all of us stephen let's notice the very next verse after the one that we've just read verse 8 immediately after speaking about this phenomenal growth through the power of the holy spirit it says and stephen full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people and so you have this new christian movement growing phenomenally among the laity and among the clergy thousands and thousands of jews are joining this christian movement which was called the way this phenomenal growth led the jewish governing council to be deeply concerned among the council members by the way there were 70 of them in the sanhedrin among them was found a young man called saul of tarsus he was judaism's most promising prospect with a brilliant future ahead of him in judaism the bible tells us that he was no intellectual lightweight he was a genius he was a hebrew scholar actually we can read saul of tarsus his own words when he testified later on in his life before the jews in jerusalem in acts chapter 22 and verse 3 we find these words at his defense he says this i am verily a man which am a jew born in tarsus a city in cilicia yet brought up in this city at the feet of gamaliel by the way gamaliel was like to say the one of the greatest theologians of the time and then he continues saying and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers and was zealous toward god as ye all are this day we find this young man saul of tarsus energetic intelligent zealous and relentless saul of tarsus had what we might call tunnel vision he believed that god had chosen the jewish nation irrevocably and unconditionally and therefore this competitive movement the christian movement the way must be extirpated he had an admirable singleness of purpose that purpose was to uproot the way which was competing with the jewish nation saul's hatred for the christian movement can be discerned in the attitude that he had towards stephen in fact we are told in the book of acts that saul of tarsus was not an innocent bystander in the stoning of stephen he was actually an active participant the apostle paul who at this time was called saul actually describes his attitude when stephen was being martyred in acts chapter 22 and verse 20 we find him describing his attitude as this man of god was being stoned he says this and when the blood of thy martyr stephen was shed i also was standing by and consenting unto his death and kept the raiment of them that slew him in other words those who were slain him saul of tarsus kept the clothing at his feet while he encouraged them to kill this man after stephen was stoned saul of tarsus undertook a crusade against the way it was his objective to stamp out the movement that was growing like grass fire and threatening the very existence of judaism in fact we're told in acts chapter 9 and verse 2 how saul of tarsus persecuted the christian movement after the stoning of stephen it says there in acts chapter 9 in verse 2 and saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the lord went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women he might bring them bound unto jerusalem notice the terminology breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the lord you see saul of tarsus hated the growing christian movement because he felt that if this movement grew it would result in the uprooting of judaism but god had chosen judaism irrevocably and unconditionally and so he made up his mind that he was going to destroy this budding movement but not only did saul of tarsus hate the christians he also hated jesus christ with a passion later on in his life as he's reminiscing about his early experiences we find his description of his attitude towards jesus acts 26 and verses 9 through 11 acts chapter 26 and verses 9 through 11 saul of tarsus describes how he felt back then he says this i verily thought with myself that i ought to do many things contrary to the name of jesus of nazareth which thing i also did in jerusalem and many of the saints did i shut up in prison having received authority from the chief priests and when they were put to death i gave my voice against them and i punished them oft in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme to blaspheme the name of jesus that is and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them i persecuted them even unto strange cities now the reason why saul of tarsus hated christians and hated jesus so much is because he feared that because multitudes were joining this movement both from the laity and from the clergy this movement was going to take the place of judaism in fact the concern of saul of tarsus was the same concern that the jewish leaders had when they made their decision to put jesus to death in john chapter 11 and verses 47 and 48 after jesus resurrected lazarus we find that the jewish council gathers together and they say we have to destroy this man and i want you to notice the reason why they felt that they needed to destroy jesus john chapter 11 and verses 47 and 48 it says there then gathered the chief priests and the pharisees a council and said what do we for this man do with many miracles if we let thus alone let him thus alone all men will believe on him and the romans shall come and take away both our place and our nation you see the growth of christianity led the jews both in the days of saul of tarsus and in the days of christ to want to extirpate this movement because they were afraid as it says here that the romans would come away and take away their place and their nation because everyone would be joining this new movement and following jesus christ so saul undertook a crusade to the city of damascus where he had heard that there were many christians who had adopted the new faith if you look at a map of the holy land you will see that he left jerusalem and traveled north then he crossed the southern end of lebanon and approached the city of damascus from the west actually uh a few years ago i had the privilege of visiting the place where it is believed that saul has had his encounter with jesus christ there's actually a monastery now in that place but it was very interesting to see a portion of the old roman road where the apostle paul would have traveled to the city of damascus he was intent on destroying any christian that he could find in the city but as he was traveling to damascus as he was on the outskirts of the city suddenly he saw a brilliant light in heaven and a voice that spoke to him you see he met on the road to damascus jesus christ face to face the person that he had learned to despise and to hate the person that he had led people to blaspheme now confronted him on the road this encounter radically changed the life and the theology of the apostle paul you see before this saul of tarsus was israel-centered in his interpretation of prophecy but after encountering jesus he now becomes christ-centered in his interpretation of bible prophecy let's read the description of saul's experience on the road to damascus as it is provided by luke the writer of the book of acts acts chapter 9 and verses three through six acts chapter nine and verses three to six it says and as he journeyed he came near damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him saul saul why persecutest thou me and he said who art thou lord and the lord said i am jesus whom thou persecutests it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks in other words at this point he was he was kicking against his gungeons in fact when he saw the stoning of stephen he was very profoundly impacted by the serenity and the calm of stephen as the people were throwing the stones he knew that there was something special in stephen that he needed and he wanted but the moment that his conscience started bothering him and saying this man is of god he picked up and he decided that he would go on a crusade to damascus to quiet his conscience because his old sinful heart was rebelling against the light that god was providing him with and so on the road to damascus he meets jesus christ whom he had hated so much and the bible says in the book of acts that he was left blind and do you know actually his physical blindness was an indication of the blindness the spiritual blindness that he had before he received jesus christ you see we have other experiences in the bible where physical blindness is really an illustration of spiritual blindness he had been blind he had been blindly persecuting christians and persecuting jesus christ in the person of the christians he had blindly done this but now he's left physically blind and he's told to go to the house of judas where ananias is going to meet him to return his sight to him and that's exactly what happened saul of tarsus went to this home by the way we had the privilege also of going to the place where it is believed that uh saul of tarsus received his sight once again he went there and ananias placed his hands upon saul of tarsus and his eyesight was returned to him notice that when he receives jesus christ his blindness is now turned into sight and god has chosen now saul of tarsus this champion of the jews of the tribe of benjamin circumcised the eighth day with reference to the law blameless god has now chosen him not to lead to the growth of judaism but to lead to the growth of the new christian movement in fact to reach out to the jews and to the gentile to turn them from blindness onto light in fact notice in acts chapter 26 and verse 18 the words that jesus speaks about the mission that now saul of tarsus had it says there in acts 26 and verse 18 to open their what see there is the theme of the opening of the eyes as he was physically blind but then his eyesight was restored his physical eyesight he was actually before this spiritual spiritually blind and when he meets jesus his spiritual eyes are open now god says i want you to go not only to the gentiles we're going to notice but to the jews and i want you to share your experience with them so that their blindness can also be turned to sight notice acts 26 and verse 18 says to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of satan unto god that they might receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me now some people mistakenly think that the apostle paul was called only to be a messenger to the gentiles but in fact god called him not only to open the eyes of the gentiles but also to open the eyes of the jews so that they could understand the significance of jesus so that they could become christ-centered instead of israel-centered you say where does the bible say such a thing acts chapter 9 in verse 15 acts chapter 9 and verse 15 says this about the mission of saul of tarsus but the lord said unto him that is unto ananias go thy way for he that is saul of tarsus is a chosen vessel unto me notice this to bear my name before the gentiles and kings and whom else and the children of israel in other words saul of tarsus who later became paul was not only called to minister to the gentiles he was also called to open the eyes of the blind jews who had the same perspective that he had before his conversion that is so they could see that the center of their faith was not the irrevocable decision of god to choose israel but the center of their faith was to be found in jesus christ the messiah and we're told in acts chapter 9 and verse 18 that saul of tarsus was baptized notice what it says there and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales and he received sight forth forthwith and arose and was what arose and was baptized who was he baptized into what is the meaning of baptism you know that the meaning of baptism is that when a person is immersed under the water it says that they are baptized into christ it says in romans chapter six so now saul of tarsus when he is baptized he is incorporated into christianity in other words he has changed from a focus upon literal israel and now he is a member of spiritual israel he is a member of the christian church and now the apostle paul when he preaches the old testament he doesn't find israel at the center of the old testament he finds jesus as the center of all of the old testament prophecies notice for example acts chapter 26 verses 22 and 23 acts 26 and verses 22 and 23 here he speaks about his new perspective you see before this when he read the prophecies of the old testament everything was centered in israel oh yeah the enemies are going to come against israel yes lo and behold how wonderful is the temple of israel oh yes look at the sacrificial system of israel everything was centered on israel before this but now as he looks at the old testament he finds that the center of focus of the old testament is jesus and only jesus notice acts 26 verses 22 and 23 having therefore obtained help of god i continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great saying none other things than those which the prophets and moses did say should come that christ should suffer and that he should be first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people that is unto the jews and unto the gentiles who was at the center of the old testament in the mind of saul of tarsus now in the mind of paul it was not israel it was whom it was jesus jesus was the center of the old testament there's a fantastic passage now that i want to read it's an extensive passage but it is profound where the apostle paul is reminiscing and remembering his experience when he used to be jewish centered instead of christ centered we find that passage in philippians chapter 3 and verses 3 to 10. in fact the apostle paul is writing this during his first imprisonment in the city of rome he's writing to the philippians probably there was no church that the apostle paul loved more than the philippian church you can you can see it as you read this book how much he loved the people from this church now notice philippians chapter 3 and verses 3 through 10. and i want you particularly to to look at the focus the change in focus from when he was a jew and now when he is a christian it says this for we are the circumcision which worship god in the spirit what does that mean to be circumcised it means to what to worship god in the spirit notice what he continues saying and rejoiced in whom in christ jesus let me ask you the question just to stop a moment here can a person be literally physically circumcised and be uncircumcised according to the biblical definition according to this passage yes or no yes because he says for we are the circumcision in other words truly circumcised people rejoice in whom worship god in the spirit and rejoice in whom in christ jesus and have no confidence in the flesh in a moment we're going to see what that means though i might also have confidence in the flesh if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh i more circumcised the eighth day of the stock of israel of the tribe of benjamin a hebrew of the hebrews as touching the law a pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless what is the center of focus uh that he's describing at this point what was important at this point in his life it was judaism it was the fact did he have confidence in the flesh yes or no in fleshly circumcision absolutely he said oh i was circumcised the eighth day i was of the stock of israel i was of the tribal benjamin hebrew of the hebrews as touching the law of pharisee concerning zeal i persecuted the church touching the righteousness which is in the law i was blameless that's his description of his life outside of christ everything was centered in his jewishness everything was centered in israel he thought he was a true israelite but now notice how he looks at the past in the light of his encounter with jesus on the road to damascus he says but what things were gained to me notice this what things were gained to me those i counted loss for christ yea doubtless and i count all things but lost in other words all those things that i trusted in which means to have confidence in the flesh he says i count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord for whom i have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as done that i may win christ how does he look at his jewishness as being what worthless outside of jesus you see being a literal jew being a literal israelite has absolutely no importance and no meaning outside of christ saul of tarsus paul actually says i considered all of these things done in the light of my relationship with jesus now he continues saying and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of christ the righteousness which is of god by faith you see folks the experience of saul of tarsus on the road to damascus was a life-changing experience for him and by the way he considered this so important that he tells his story twice in the book of acts and luke tells it another time the story of his conversion is told three times in the book of acts because it was a life-changing episode you see saul of tarsus the apostle paul was not now israel-centered but in everything he was christ-centered now because of this experience saul of tarsus had a total shift in his theology in his theological way of thinking you see before he would say it's literally important israel that counts it is the literal temple that counts it is the literal sacrifices that count it is the literal shekinah in the temple that counts in other words everything in his mind which was important was literal but he soon discovered that to be an israelite did not mean to be circumcised according to the flesh but it meant to have joined jesus christ let's notice several passages where saul of tarsus the apostle paul now defines what it means to be a jew what it means to be an israelite are those who are teaching futurism and dispensationalism right in saying that the jews who do not believe in jesus christ are really true jews are really god's true israel today not according to the definition of the apostle paul notice romans chapter 2 verses 28 and 29 romans chapter 2 verses 28 and 29. the apostle paul is categorical here he says for he is not a jew which is one outwardly what is an outward jew it's one who has been what circumcised according to the flesh for he is not a jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh let me ask you is it possible to be circumcised physically but uncircumcised in the sight of god yes and it's all defined by your relationship to whom to jesus notice what he continues saying but he is a jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the what of the heart in other words a converted heart to jesus in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men like the jews like to receive but of god notice also romans chapter 9 and verses 6 through 8 on this same point there are jews and then there are jews there are physical jews and there are spiritual jews and physical jews in god's definition are not really jews are you understanding me because paul says he is not a jew who is merely circumcised according to the flesh that is not a jew he says a jew is one whose heart has been what has been changed by the holy spirit romans 9 6-8 here the apostle paul says this not as though the word of god hath taken non-effect now notice this for they are not all israel which are of israel what not all israelites are what our israelites is what he's saying now come on what does he mean that not all israel is israel he means the same thing as saying that not all jews are jews what is the definition of a true jew and a true israelite it is one who has gone through the experience of saul of tarsus who has had a conversion experience who has received jesus christ as savior and lord that is truly the definition of a jew in this case how many of the unbelieving jews in the middle east are truly israel not according to the biblical definition none of them are because to be a true jew to be a true israelite means to commit your life to jesus he continues saying neither because they are the seed of abraham are they all children is it possible to be physically a descendant of abraham and not really be the seed of abraham according to paul yes he continues saying that is actually a little bit earlier he says neither because they are the seed of abraham are they all children but in isaac shall thy seed be called that is they which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of god in other words literal jews are not the children of god but the children of the promise are counted for the seed those who receive jesus as savior and lord notice also what we find in galatians 3 26-29 you can't make this any clearer than what the apostle paul does here in galatians 3 26-29 he says this for ye are all the children of god how because you were born in jerusalem because you have abraham's blood because your last name is goldberg or wahlberg no he says 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 now notice this and if he be christ's then are ye abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise who will inherit all of the promises that god made in the old testament to israel only those who are whose only those who are christ because it says if you are christ's then you are abraham's seed and you will be an heir of the promises that were made to abraham so if you're outside of christ do you have a right to claim any of those promises that god made to israel absolutely not in fact the apostle paul says in second corinthians chapter 1 and verse 20 that all of the promises of god are yea and amen in christ jesus no promise of the old testament will be fulfilled with literal israel outside of jesus unbelieving in jesus notice also colossians 3 verses 9 through 11 on the definition of what a jew is or what a true israelite is colossians 3 verses 9 through 11 the apostle paul says this lie not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds in other words you've been converted the old man has been buried in the waters of baptism and then he says and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him now notice this where there is neither greek nor jew circumcision nor uncircumcision barbarian scythian bond nor free but christ is all and in all are you understanding that according to the apostle paul there is a new israel which is described in a christ-centered manner so let me ask you where is israel today where is true israel today over in the middle east no true israel is where two or three are gathered in the name of jesus which means that israel then is worldwide are you understanding my my point because there are israelites true israelites that have received jesus that are to be found where all over the world in other words israel is spiritual those who have joined jesus have been converted to jesus and those who live all over the world by the way jesus also saw this distinction between physical israel and spiritual israel notice john chapter 8 john chapter 8 and verses 37 as well as verse 44 john chapter 8 verse 37 and verse 44. you see jesus is speaking here to the literal jews and they're saying oh well you know abraham is our father and we are the children therefore of abraham now notice verse 37 john 8 37 jesus says i know that ye are abraham's seed but ye seek to kill me because my word hath no place in you and then i want you to notice verse 44 the the what jesus says is going to be shocking to them he says i know you're the children of abraham but then he's going to say you're not really the children of abraham whose children were they notice verse 44 ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do what did they want to do with jesus at this point they wanted to kill jesus were they literal children of abraham were they literal jews were they physical jews yes were they real children of abraham jesus says no they were children of the devil because being a child of abraham does not have to do with the blood you have or the last name you have or the place that you live it has to do with which savior you serve that's what it means to be true israel so there is israel and then there is israel according to jesus notice also first corinthians chapter 9 and verse 20. this is a very very interesting verse first corinthians chapter 9 and verse 20. here the apostle paul is talking about how he can reach the jews now notice this is so interesting we need to read the bible carefully and slowly here the apostle paul says and unto the jews i became as a jew does that sound strange to the jews i became as a jew what was paul so why would he have to become as a jew it must mean that he no longer considered himself what a jew in the physical sense of the word are you understanding me or not but he says sometimes i kind of fit in with the culture of judaism even though i was no longer a jew i behaved as a jew in order to reach the jews here he's saying that there are jews and then there are jews are you understanding what he's saying to the jews i became as a jew that's like saying if you're african-american he says to the african-americans i became as an african-american say now wait a minute you are what paul is saying is that ethnicity no longer matters what matters is our connection to jesus christ now there are several results of paul's encounter with jesus on the road to damascus first of all he now understands that israel is not physical but spiritual he understands that israel is not local but worldwide wherever two or three are gathered in the name of jesus there jesus is present you see in the old testament jesus made himself present in the jerusalem temple but when he pours out the holy spirit he's present everywhere where two or three are gathered together and we're going to notice that that means that the temple is everywhere in fact you know many of the dispensationalists say you know the apostle paul speaks about this tree in romans chapter 11. and he says that eventually all israel will be saved in romans 11 26 and they say see all of those literal jews in the middle east are going to be saved but what they forget to do is read earlier in the chapter where the apostle paul uses the analogy of the tree he speaks of one tree by the way the tree represents god's true people now that tree has natural branches what do the natural branches represent they represent physical jews who have accepted jesus he makes it very very clear but some of those branches were unbelieving in other words they rejected the messiah so what happened with those branches they were cut off what happened if those branches which were cut off now came to believe again they were grafted into the tree again but that tree also had wild olive branches what do the wild olive branches represent they represent the gentiles which were taken and grafted into the tree let me ask you how many trees are there there's one tree which is composed of jews and gentiles all of the people of god so when the apostle paul says that all israel will be saved he means all of the literal jews who receive jesus and all of the gentiles who receive jesus christ and are joined to him by the way the apostle paul also realized that god has only one body you see the dispensationalists the futurists teach that god has radical radically separate plans for the jews and for the gentiles his plan for the jews was suspended 2 000 years ago when the jews rejected christ the prophetic clock that deals with the jews stopped and for 2000 years god has not carried on any plan for the jews what they say is that the time will come when the church will be raptured to heaven and then when the church is gone god will start the prophetic clock of the jews ticking again and now the prophecies of the old testament will be fulfilled in them the fact is the new testament does not teach a radical separation of jews and gentiles it teaches that they are both to be united in one they are one israel there's no longer jew nor greek the apostle paul says besides there's only one tree according to romans chapter 11 by the way christ has only one body according to the apostle paul notice first corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. first corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. here the apostle paul says for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be jews or gentiles whether we be bond or free and all have been made to drink into one spirit how many bodies does jesus have he has one body which is the jewish nation and he has another body which is the gentiles is that what the apostle paul teaches no he teaches that there is one body of christ composed of jews and gentiles one plan for both which is centered in jesus christ notice also ephesians chapter five three verses five and six on this same point here the apostle paul says which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit and what what is revealed that the gentiles should be fellow heirs fellow heirs with whom with the jews and of the same what and of the same body and partakers of his promised in christ by the gospel how many bodies does jesus have two mutually separable bodies no he has one body and that is the body of jesus christ furthermore the apostle paul now knows that the temple the true temple of god is not the literal temple in jerusalem notice what we find in ephesians chapter 2 and verses 20 to 22 about paul's understanding what the temple is you see he used to think that the literal temple that was it that's where god meets with his people now he discovers when he has his encounter with jesus that the temple is a worldwide temple and that the temple is a spiritual temple it actually represents the church notice ephesians chapter 2 and verses 20 through 22 it says and all and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets see here's the foundations of the new temple what are the foundations of the new temple literal stones no he says upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets jesus christ himself being the chief what cornerstone what is the cornerstone of the new temple jesus what are the foundations the apostles and the prophets and then notice in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the lord what are the stones that are built up in the temple upon the foundation what are they we are right believers so he says in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the lord in whom notice ye also are builded together for inhabitation of god through the spirit do you remember that in the old testament who dwelt in the temple in the old testament the shekinah glory right was the shekinah glory located in one place yes the shekinah glory was in the sanctuary but now the apostle paul says no longer does god have a literal temple over the middle east because the temple is a spiritual temple the foundations are spiritual apostles and prophets the chief cornerstone is a person jesus christ the stones of the temple represent the believers and the shekinah glory represents the holy spirit for inhabitation of god through the spirit it says here so let me ask you where is the holy spirit today the holy spirit is everywhere isn't he he's present everywhere so my question is this where is the temple today the temple is everywhere where there are two or three people gathered in the name of jesus in other words the temple in the writings of the apostle paul is not a rebuilt jerusalem temple it is a spiritual temple composed of believers who have accepted jesus christ and whose faith is founded on the teachings of the apostles and the prophets let me ask you this then what did the apostle paul mean when he said in ii thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3 that the antichrist would sit in the temple of god showing himself to be god is he talking about a rebuilt jerusalem temple where this nasty antichrist this little horn this beast this man of sin is going to sit during the last seven years of the history of the world and he's going to sit in this literal temple he's going to blaspheme the name of jesus and persecute the saints of the most high is that the perspective of the apostle paul no for him the temple is spiritual and worldwide therefore the antichrist must also be a spiritual and a worldwide system are you understanding my point someone who would try to usurp the place of jesus christ within the christian church which is symbolized by the temple by the way how long would the man of sin sit in the temple of god do you know that the bible says that the antichrist second thessalonians 2 which we're going to have a whole lecture on that later on ii thessalonians 2 says that the antichrist was already trying to surface in the days of the apostle paul he says the mystery of iniquity already works but that antichrist power is not destroyed until the second coming of jesus so if the antichrist power is trying to surface in the days of the apostle paul but is not destroyed until jesus comes it must mean that the period of his dominion or the period of his rule cannot refer to literal three and a half years are you understanding and it must mean that it's not a literal individual either do you know a literal individual that has lived from the days of paul until today do you know anyone who has lived from the times of paul nasty individual who'll be destroyed when jesus comes i don't know of any any individual literal person because what we're dealing with here is a worldwide what a worldwide system where the antichrist sits in the temple of god which is the spiritual worldwide temple by the way do you know that many of these futurists teach that the sacrificial system will be reestablished once again once the temple is rebuilt that goes totally against the grain of the book of hebrews hebrews chapter 7 and verse 27. says this about the sacrifice of jesus who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the peoples for this he did once when he offered up himself there will be no more sacrifices because when jesus died on the cross all of the sacrifices came to an end when he said it is finished that's why the veil of the temple was rent into from top to bottom god was saying the whole sacrificial system has come to an end so how can you teach that during the millennium the sacrificial system will be established among the literal jews it's beyond my understanding the apostle paul also realized that the important thing was no longer the so-called holy land in the middle east he realized that what god promised abraham was not that little strip of land which is such a bone of contention these days he realized that god actually only gave that to abraham abraham as a down payment that he was going to give him actually the whole world that's why in romans chapter 4 and verse 13 it says that god promised abraham that he would inherit the world furthermore people speak about the importance of literal jerusalem being that capital over there in the middle east do you know that the book of hebrews teaches clearly that the jerusalem the true jerusalem today is the heavenly jerusalem in fact in hebrews chapter 11 and verses 13 through 16 we're told that abraham isaac and jacob looked for a city not the one in the middle east they looked for a city a heavenly city whose builder and maker is whom is god in fact the apostle paul tells us in philippians 3 20 and 21 that our citizenship is where our citizenship is in the heavenly jerusalem not the earthly jerusalem the earthly jerusalem has absolutely no prophetic significance or importance anymore because everything has shifted to heaven and has shifted spiritually to the church on a worldwide scale by the way do you know that the new jerusalem will have people from both the old and the new testament because god is only going to have one city not two we are told in revelation 21 that the foundations of the city have the names of the twelve apostles but the gates of the city have the names of the twelve tribes so there you have old testament saints and new testament saints represented in the one heavenly city furthermore if the temple is worldwide and israel is worldwide then israel's enemies must also be spiritual and worldwide are you understanding what i'm saying that's why the apostle paul says that we're not struggling against flesh and blood we are struggling against principalities and against powers you know the text ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12 says that the enemies of israel today are not literal enemies it's not russia it's not the arabs it's not the chinese who come from the east the the enemies of the church are not flesh and blood they are principalities and powers of darkness in high places now do you know who the the nemesis of israel was in the old testament par excellence it was babylon that literal city of babylon over in iraq where sodom hussein used to rule but let me ask you in the end time is that going to be the enemy of god's people literal babylon over there in iraq do you know that some futurists teach that there has to be a re-establishment of babylon over there in iraq in order for revelation to be fulfilled the fact is folks that revelation 17 tells us that this harlot which is called babylon sits on many waters which are multitudes nations tongues and peoples in other words the enemy of god's people babylon the nemesis of israel is a worldwide system which must mean that israel and the temple must also be what must also be spiritual and worldwide what are the weapons of god's israel in this warfare f-16s abrams tanks no in that same passage in ephesians chapter 6 the apostle paul says that we're supposed to garb ourselves with what with the whole armor of god which is a spiritual armor that spiritual israel has so that battle over the middle east where they use tanks and f-16s has nothing to do with bible prophecy because the warfare is a spiritual warfare against spiritual israel with spiritual weapons in fact the apostle paul says in second corinthians 10 verse 4 that the battle involves spiritual weapons and that we are supposed to be garbed with jesus christ in this warfare in this battle allow me to mention that jesus said that there's also only one israel he said in john chapter 10 and verse 16 he says i have many sheep that are not of this fold he's speaking about the jewish nation he says i have many sheep that are not of this fold i must also attract them and when i attract them there will be one fold and one shepherd one israel in other words not two one furthermore in revelation chapter 12 only one woman represents all of old testament and new testament israel isn't that right revelation 12 you have this woman who has this child in her womb obviously this is the old testament because the child hasn't been born yet and then the child is born and then the woman the same woman flees into the wilderness for 1260 years let me ask you the woman in the old testament the woman in the new testament isn't the same woman absolutely that's why jesus chose 12 apostles because he was trying to indicate that israel was continuing the 12 tribes of israel of the old testament were continuing through the 12 apostles in the new testament in other words israel has a continuity are you understanding what i'm saying that's why he chose 12. and if you don't think that he chose 12 purposely when one of them fell and apostatized with was judas the disciples got together and they said we have to name a successor because there have to be twelve because this is god's true israel by the way do you know that the redeemed will all sing a song that has old testament and new testament characteristics they will sing the song of moses and the lamb no to israels only one israel only one tree only one body only one temple only one flock one city that has characteristics of of both old and new testament israel in fact jesus told nicodemus the jew he says you know you think you're so great because you're a literal jew he says unless you're born again you're not going to see the kingdom of god and you're not going to enter the kingdom of god does that apply to the literal jews today must they be converted if they expect to see the kingdom of god or enter the kingdom of god yes it is conversion having the same experience of saul of theirs now as we draw this to a close allow me to mention galatians chapter four this is a very interesting chapter we don't have time to read uh all of the verses but primarily verses 21 to 31 here the apostle paul compares two women to two groups of people he speaks of hagar and he speaks of sarah and hagar's son ishmael and sarah's son isaac now let me ask you the jews of christ's day whose descendants would they be that would be isaac's descendants right yes physically isaac descends isaac's descendants yes but you know what the apostle paul says the apostle paul says the jews of my day are descendants of ishmael wow he's calling the jews of his day arabs you try doing that someday you'll be sorry he says the jerusalem that now is is in bondage like hagar was in bondage with her son said the jerusalem that now is is in bondage he says but we who have accepted jesus christ are free and he says the old jerusalem which is now is in bondage he says but our mother is the heavenly new jerusalem see his focus has shifted from the literal to the spiritual and by the way paul was not an outsider looking in he was an insider he was not anti-semitic because then he would be against himself the apostle paul loved israel in fact in romans 9 he says i wish i could be accursed if they could be saved but he knew that they could not be saved merely by being literal israel by being physical descendants of abraham he knew that they had to receive jesus as the messiah as he did in order to see the kingdom of god and in order to be saved the futuristic view of apostate protestantism today commits the same mistake as saul of tarsus before his conversion they jump from the old testament to the end time and totally bypass jesus they say that god chose literal israel unconditionally and irrevocably and that all the promises of the old testament must be literally fulfilled with literally literal israel in the literal temple in literal jerusalem with literal sacrifices with a literal and local antichrist sitting in a literal temple for a literal three and a half years the literal enemies must come from the literal north which is russia according to them from the literal south which are the arabic nations from the literal east which is china wielding literal weapons to wage a literal war against literal jerusalem in the literal valley of megiddo let me ask you is that all false prophecy it is false prophecy because when prophecy does not focus on jesus it is false prophecy because all prophecies must be focused on jesus christ so folks this futuristic system is a total system of false prophecy which bypasses jesus which directs people's eyes to the middle east oh yes prophecy is going to be fulfilled over there with literal israel in a literal temple a literal antichrist ruling a literal three and a half years that's where it's going to be fulfilled and meanwhile apostasy it runs rampant in the christian church and the true antichrist grows in rome and the united states grows into being the antichrist helper and no one can see it because they're looking in the wrong place you see the devil is a master of distraction he's an expert at what you call a counter play and i'll finish with this you know what a counter play is in football maybe a lot of you don't know much about football but in football you know many times the linemen will pull one way and that gives the impression to the defensive linemen that the runner is coming that way and so they all pull to the side where where the offensive line pulls but what they don't know is that the runner is going to sucker them into going around the other direction in other words it's a misdirection play and that's the way the devil works he works by misdirection he says prophecy is being fulfilled over here everybody look over here and then he runs around the end on the other side and by the time people wake up it's too late these are things that we must share with people so that they can understand what the issues are in the great controversy has to do not with the oil of the middle east it has to do with your connection with jesus and folks if we haven't received jesus in our heart we're not any better than the unbelieving jews so this is a call for all of all of us to give our hearts to jesus let us pray father in heaven we thank you for being with us this evening we thank you for the clarity of your holy word we're thankful that you reach the apostle paul what a champion he was lord i ask that you will give us all the experience of paul that you will break our hearts you will break our selfishness that you will enter our lives and make us like jesus humble and lowly of heart we thank you lord for having been with us and for answering our prayer for we ask it in jesus name amen [Music]

Channel: Aaron

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Id: LYZGArXixYE

Length: 61min 31sec (3691 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 19 2021