This article is called Israel at home, and it is part 4 of a 6-part series. This brings us up to the time of the Jewish Messiah, JESUS CHRIST. ALL of these parts relate and build together to show the total picture of God’s plan and working with his “chosen people”, and the Church in this series of articles. I will start Part 4 with the truth of end-time doctrine and prophecy. “ALL END TIME PROPHECY POINTS TO THE JEWS, NOT THE CHURCH. ALL END TIME PROPHECY POINTS TO THE TRIBULATION, NOT THE RAPTURE.” In part 3, I ended with the year 63 BC when the Romans had conquered the Grecian Empire. Israel who was slaves of the Greeks now became the slaves of the Romans.
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LIFE IN ISRAEL
The Jews/Israel had been allowed to come back home to Jerusalem and rebuild the 2nd Temple. Now they are under Roman domination, they are slaves in their own land. The only rights the Jews have are the rights the Romans allow them to have. You had these religious Jews constantly offering animal sacrifices to their Invisible God. Yet the Roman had hundreds of gods themselves. You had these Jews who did not even want to associate with the Romans, Gentiles, or anyone who was not Jewish.
The Roman soldiers did not want to be there guarding some religious group who had an invisible God that no one could see. And consider the Romans could NOT even enter their Temple because this would “DEFILE” them and the Temple. The Jews were looking for their Messiah to come and set up the earthly Kingdom that God had promised them. If I had personally chosen a time for Messiah to come, it would have not been this time. I would have said, “Oh No, bad timing.” But this was the time when God chose to send His promised Messiah named Jesus. You also have to consider God’s timing, it was one of those times when the Jews needed a “DELIVERER” the most.
King Herod really wanted to be liked by the Jews. Herod was only part Jewish but was placed in Israel as their King. (The Jews never accepted him as a real King). He undertook to rebuild their temple. Their temple was not the same size and grandeur of Solomon’s temple. But it was still the same second Temple and renamed Herod’s Temple. HEROD WAS THE FAMILY NAME; he was known as Herod the Great.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE MESSIAH
It was in this time that Jesus was born. It was this Herod the great, who instituted “THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENT” (the death of all male children age 2 and under). Herod’s own son was killed in this rampage. It was stated in Rome that “it was better to be Herod’s PIG, then Herod’s SON.” He was a brutal man who killed his father-in-law, several of his ten wives, and two of his sons. He ignored the laws of God to suit himself and chose the favor of Rome over his own people.
Jesus grew and started his public ministry at the age of 30. Jesus was the Jews promised Messiah, but He was not the Messiah the Jews (especially the religious Jewish Rulers) wanted. They knew Messiah would be “The lion of the tribe of Judah.: He would not only be King but He would be an invincible warrior. They wanted their Messiah to come, lead a revolt, defeat the Romans, send them packing back to Rome, and free the Jews from slavery in their own land.
Jesus was all that and all they wanted, but He had come to set them FREE, in a different manner. this was God’s purpose and plan for now. Jesus had come with a message of love and forgiveness. Those whos lives Jesus had touched, cleansed and healed, gladly accepted him. And to be honest with you, the religious rulers could not compete with Him. John records their thoughts and feeling. John 11:48-53 “If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perishes not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.” It was the REJECTION of Christ their Messiah. Jesus had come to His OWN people the Jews. John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own (JEWS) received him not.” What had Jesus told His disciples when he had sent them out to minister? Matthew 10:6 “But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Before his death, Jesus had told his disciples that he was going away but would RETURN. Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him and asked 3 questions. You can find this in Luke 21 Mark 13 and Matthew 24:1-3 “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye, not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone (of the TEMPLE) upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, (Tell us), (1) when shall these things be? and (2) what shall be the sign of thy coming, (3) and of the end of the world?
You can read this for yourself. Jesus answers their questions. He also reminds them of the writings of their Jewish prophets, even those who had been in CAPTIVITY in Babylon and under different Nations. (END TIME PROPHECY.) The disciples were Jews but also understood what Jesus was saying. Jesus goes on to tell them of the time period called “TRIBULATION” This is when Jesus said He would return, The second coming of Christ. The death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ opened the door of salvation and forgiveness to “whosoever will.
THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
After Jesus resurrection from the grave, He walked with his disciples for 40 days then ascended back to heaven. He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from Him, through the Holy Spirit. 10 days later on the Jewish Feast day called Pentecost, The Holy Spirit came to permanently indwell in every believer. This was what we call “THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH.” This is when believers are placed in the body of Christ. Yet, the first message was preached to the Jews, so was the second message and so forth. In fact, the door of salvation was finally opened unto the “Gentiles” until Acts Chapter 10 by Peter. “Now they are all swept away in an instant, as the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house clearly get saved and receive the Holy Spirit in the same manner as the Jews had on the Day of Pentecost.”
Salvation had now come to the Gentiles and no one was excluded. This was the start of Dispensation of Grace and the Church Age. God now lived and indwelled in a new temple, the human heart.
In Romans 11 verses 8 and 25, Paul the apostle says, that Israel, the Jews have been “partially blinded.” God is still faithful in His Covenant relationship with his Chosen People. Paul further states that this partial blindness of the Jews will continue until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. This is also what Luke records Jesus saying, in Luke 21: 24 ” And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
What does this mean? It means that governmental and political POWERS will be under “GENTILE CONTROL” over Israel, and worldwide until the Second coming of Christ during the TRIBULATION PERIOD.” When did the “times of the Gentiles start for Israel? It started for Israel when they were taken into Babylon. Israel will be under Gentile control until the 2nd return of Christ. I did list all of Israel’s Captivities under Gentile controlled nations in Part 3 of this series?
All life in Jerusalem centered around the Temple. The temple represented “God’s presence on earth with his chosen people. I really think in the mind of the Jews, they felt and believed they had exclusive control of God. You were accepted as long as you converted to Judaism. Jesus had condemned the leaders, the religious rules for being hypocrites and said they were lower than snakes. They had taken the law of God and made it stricter on the Jews than God Himself had.
This new religion of Christianity was called “THE WAY.” Jesus had said, John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Would the Romans in charge allow it? Would the Jews accept it and pull away from the temple and Judaism? Jesus already had a great following. As I previously stated the Jewish religious rulers had stated, “If we leave this man alone all men will believe in Him. Would the religious rulers lose their power and control over the people? Would there be a worship of God without the temple?
There were other reasons they rejected Jesus as Messiah. They had to discredit Jesus and make sure He went away before, they lost their own power and authority. The Jewish religious rulers lay every trap they could for Jesus. They wanted to accuse Him of breaking God’s laws, accuse Him of Blasphemy. They told their Roman Masters that Jesus wanted to overthrow the Roman Kingdom in Jerusalem and become King.
The Jewish religious rulers hated their Roman Masters, but they were willing to use them to accomplish their own purpose. They wanted the Roman rulers to put Jesus to death. (The power of the death penalty had been taken from the Jews by the Romans). They presented Jesus as a direct threat to the Roman Empire. The Romans found no fault in Jesus when he was examined and put on trial, they found no reason to apply the death penalty.
John records in Chapter 19 how Pilate sought to release Jesus. 12 “And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.” verse 15 “But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.”
If I may put this in simple terms: The religious rulers told the governor Pilate, you say Jesus is our King, we do not say that. Should we go tell Caesar that you have found a new King named Jesus, and no longer server him? Should we tell Caesar, the Roman Emperor, your boss, that you no longer serve or recognize him or the power and authority of Rome? Then they cried out and proclaimed, “WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR.” This was a direct threat to Pilate and it was Politics at its worst.
Pilate governor of Rome said, Matthew chapter 27 “I find no fault in Him (Jesus). Pilate took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.” Pilate was not innocent by washing his hands, and it would not take away his guilt of shedding “INNOCENT BLOOD.” The religious rulers and the Jews said, verse 25 “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” WOW. I think at that moment the Jews were not remembering the law of “BLOOD GUILTNESS” given by God to them. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Bloodguiltiness-Bloodguilt
Let me make one thing very clear here. Am I saying that every Jew who has been born since that day is cursed? ABSOLUTELY NOT. The religious rulers of that day were the REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE JEWISH NATION. Not every Jew rejected Christ, just read Acts chapter 2 and 3. Never forget that ALL of us are responsible to God for our own decisions, and that includes all human beings. As I have stated previously, The Jews were and are God’s chosen people, and God cannot lie, and God will fulfill every promise he made to the Jewish people, He will fulfill His Plan.
Jesus was put to death and paid the penalty for our sins. His sacrifice brought reconciliation between man and God. After Christ ascension into heaven as I mentioned, the Church was instituted on the day of Pentecost. On that day, Acts chapter 2 Peter stands up and preaches explaining what was going on. His message was “You have taken your Messiah and killed him.” 3,000 JEWS were saved on that day. The Christian Church now existed and the message of Jesus Christ was being proclaimed.
THE END AND SCATTERING OF THE JEWISH NATION AGAIN
Here is a very important fact that must not be forgotten. THE JEWISH NATION HAD BROKEN THE MOSAIC COVENANT, SINNED AND BEEN IN IDOL WORSHIP. THE MOSAIC COVENANT WAS A “CONDITIONAL COVENANT.” THEY HAD SWORN TO SERVE GOD AND KEEP HIS LAWS. THEIR BLESSINGS AND CURSES WERE DEPENDENT UPON THEMSELVES. This covenant would serve to set the nation of Israel apart from all other nations, as Gods chosen people..At the time of the covenant, God reminded the people of their obligation to be obedient to His law. The Jews had agreed. “And all the people answered together and said Exodus 19:8, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.” I want you to understand why the Jews had been in captivity and would continue to do so.
What I say right now may be the most important part of this article. I am NOT anti-semitic and I do not hate Jews. I am amazed at the hatred of Jews just because they are Jewish. My purpose is not to blame the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ. In reality, I and you are responsible for the death of Christ. It was MY AND YOUR sin that put him on the cross to die. It was “everyone’s sin” that placed him there and killed him. Yes, the Romans put him to death, Yes the Jewish leaders and representatives put Jesus there, and God the Father allowed it. Romans 8:32 King James Version (KJV) 32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Acts 2:23 King James Version (KJV) 23 “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”
The Jewish Religious Rulers (With the help of the Roman Authorities), started their Persecution of The Apostles and the Church, using the same method they used with Jesus. The Church grew and spread into all the known world. Just as Jesus gave his life for mankind and the Church, so did the Apostles, they were all Martyred except for 1 and that was John. AS IT WAS, SO SHALL IT BE. Does history repeat itself? YES.
The Jews rebelled against their masters, and In 70 A.D. Titus the Roman ruler brought his army to Jerusalem and put down the Jewish rebellion. He burned the 2nd Jewish Temple and plundered it. Scholars say that 1.2 million Jews were killed. The Jews were dispersed, scattered and ran into Arabia and other foreign countries.. If you want to see the events of this, I would suggest you look up and an old movie called “MASADA.”
Now the Jews are being persecuted and fleeing to any country for safety. Some Jews tried to stay and hold out but they eventually died. NOW THE JEWS, ISRAEL, CEASE TO BE A NATION, WITH NO HOLY CITY, JERUSALEM, AND NO TEMPLE. NO CULTURE, NO SOCIETY, AND NO LIFE. Titus was trying to wipe all that pertained to the Jews, where the Hebrew scriptures, the Temple, Sabbath and the festivals were banned on pain of death. It would be centuries, before the Jews and the nation of Israel would be established again.
CONCLUSION
I wrote this article in this series for a specific purpose. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR PAST, YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR FUTURE. Philosopher George Santayana said, ” Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The church was born out of Judaism. The church and the Jews have much in common as we will see. In the next part, Part 5, we are going up to the present, modern day times. This will show a miraculous time of the affairs and the situation of the present day Jews and Israel, THE CHURCH and ITS FUTURE, The JEWISH FUTURE looks a lot like their PAST. Remember I have told you, ALL END TIME PROPHECY POINTS TO THE JEWS AND THE TRIBULATION.
Thank you for reading ISRAEL AT HOME PART 4. I hope you will continue with part 5 of this series. Part 5 will hold many “SURPRISES for you, and it will bring us up to modern day Israel in 2018. AS IT WAS, SO SHALL IT BE. Does history repeat its self?
Your thought, opinions, and comments are welcome, so leave them below in the comment section. Ray
