God Blesses the Children of Israel and the Church Concurrently
As prophetic scripture unfolds in the headlines of today's news sources, it is worthwhile to keep our eyes
on the prize of the increasing kingdom of God. Around the world, good reports are being heralded; reports about people of faith walking in love and seeing outrageous merciful manifestations of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.This month's blog is an encouraging word: a reminder of the shared destiny between Christians and Jews, between the genuine church and the people of Israel. Several years ago, when we were hosting a busload of pastors and leaders in Israel we experienced a moment of joyous revelation of this truth. Rabbi Benny Elon, a distinguished member of the Knesset (parliament) welcomed our group and stated, "We (the Jewish people) are the children of Abraham, and you (the Christians present) are the children of Abraham by faith."May the following lift your eyes to see the elegant unfolding plan of God.
God Blesses the Children of Israel and the Church Concurrently
There are over seven hundred references to Jerusalem in the Hebrew Scriptures. God clearly identifies Himself with His people, His land and His purposes.In the modern era, as God prepared to restore the Jewish people to their promised land, we can see parallels between the blessing of that restoration and the restoration in the church worldwide.In 1867, Mark Twain returned from the Middle East with a report about the desolate, rocky barren wasteland left virtually tree-less by the Ottoman Empire. You can read his observations in An Innocent Abroad.Following are some examples of this intertwined destiny:
| Israel | The Church |
| Late 1800s – Theodore Herzl campaigns inEurope for the Jewish homeland to be re-established in the Biblical heartland | Late 1800s – the first waves of the modern Pentecostal movement begin |
| 1904 – 1906 World community offers Uganda as a Jewish home, they choose to wait for“Palestine” (Roman name for Israel) | 1904 – 1906 Welsh and Azusa revivals sweep the world |
| 1947 - 1948 – The state of Israel is established, the land “smiles” according to local Arab proverbs! | 1947-1948 – the Dead Sea scrolls are found, providing archaeological evidence of the inerrancy of scripture and the Latter Rain movement is launched (Billy Graham, Paul Cain, Oral Roberts, etc.) |
| 1967 – Jerusalem returns to the Jews through a miraculous six day victory against innumerable odds | 1967 – the charismatic renewal transforms mainline denominations |
| 1973 – God preserves the tiny nation again during the Yom Kippur war | 1973 – The ‘Jesus people’ see thousands saved, especially in the American West. The Jews for Jesus, established in SF at that time, raises up many leaders of the modern Messianic movement. |
Life from the dead is Paul’s estimation of the Jews return to the promised land…could it be that the unprecedented harvests in Korea, China and Africa are connected to this restoration of Israel in God’s timing and providence?God has a shared destiny for Jews and Christians which continues today. The church, like Ruth is awakening to this connection and together we find Boaz in the harvest field… Download: God Blesses the Children of Israel and the Church Concurrently