Jesus Came to Jerusalem

OVOTC Service

December 10, 2017

“Jesus Came to Jerusalem”

Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

What does blessing Israel mean? ______

______.

On Wednesday, the POTUS announced that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So it is expected this announcement and decision would come with strong opposition internationally, but surprisingly also from some Christians.

Why is this event important?

1. A common biblical teaching in evangelical churchesis that Israel is the rightful owner of the historic land, which includes its historic capital, and both were given to the nation by God.
2. It honors the Bible and obedience to covenant set by God. (Genesis 12:3)
3. We are in the season where we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For such a time as this, to bring greater emphasis on God, the son and the Holy City.

Israel is where Jesus came and Israel is where He will return. Israel is where He will set up His Kingdom, it will be in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 8:3)

In the 1800’s, the regathering of the people of Israel began with the help of Christians prior to the start of the Zionist Movement in 1897. Fifty-one years later, May 14, 1948 the nation of Israel was reborn just as God said it would. (Isaiah 66:8)

Zionism is an international movement for the return of the Jewish people to Zion, the land of Israel, while exercising the right to retain authority of government over the state of Israel, which was promised to them in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Genesis chapters 12 and 15) Simply stated, a Zionist is one who believes Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself.

Christian Zionists are followers of Jesus who give support in any way possible to the Jewish state of Israel.

Do you consider yourself a Christian Zionist?

The nation of Israel was not only born in a day, but Jews began returning in great numbers, particularly after the Holocaust. No nation has ever disappeared for 2000 years, then came back into existence but God foretold it:

Ezekiel 34:13 – “And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.” (Ezekiel 20:34)

Amos 9:14-15 “I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabitthem; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” Says theLordyour God.(Isaiah 43:5-6)

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and the only place Christians are protected.

Freedom of religion

Though Israel was established as a Jewish state, it formally recognizes 15 religions, includingIslam, the Bá’haí and Druze faiths, as well as Chaldaic and many other Christian denominations.

Eachreligious community freely exercises its faith, observes its own holy days and weekly day of rest, and administersits own internal affairs. Israel protects the holy sites of all religions.

• The Báha’ís, a religious group persecuted in Muslim countries, built its world center in Haifa, Israel.

• Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where the Christian population is thriving instead of disappearing.

Between 1948 and 1998, Israel’s Christian community grew fourfold, from 34,000 to 130,000. Today, Israel’s Christian community is over 600,000.

(Mitchell Bard, “Myth: Israel is persecuting Christians,” Jewish Virtual Library; “130,000 Christians in Israel,” MFA, March 20, 2000.)

One More Prophesy Fulfilled:

Jeremiah 31:5-6 “You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and eatthemas ordinary food. 6For there shall be a day whenthe watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, ‘Arise, and let us go uptoZion, To theLordour God.’”

For 2,700 years the hills of Samaria were desolate. This scripture prophesied this desolate land would be covered with vineyards and watchmen. This prophecy is being fulfilled today.

Under the leadership of Tommy Waller, the hills of Samaria are being cultivated by teams of Christians from the USA volunteering their time to live there and plant, cultivate and harvest the vineyards for the Jewish farmers. University experts tested a soil sample and informed them “the land would never be able to produce.” Not only did it produce, but the wine from the grapes was entered in an international competition in Paris and won first place

Let’s not forget about the watchmen. The transliterated word for watchmen is “notzriym” (pronounced “notes-REEM”). In Modern Hebrew, this is the word for Christians. In other words, Jeremiah said the “notzriym” or “Christians” would come to the hills of Samaria and “farmers” would plant vineyards. And they did!

Future of Jerusalem

A year and half after the exiles from Babylon settled in the city of Bethel, a delegation was sent to Jerusalem to ask if they should continue to fast each summer as they did in Babylonia on the anniversary of the destruction of

the temple in Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar. On December 7, 518 B.C., God provided an answer to their question but also revealed this prophesy concerning Jerusalem: Zechariah 8:4-8, 20-24

1. God was deliberate in the emphasis He placed on Jerusalem. I believe God’s blessings on Israel are centered on the status of Jerusalem.

1. The prophecies about Israel have been fulfilled and are still being fulfilled today. God’s proclamation of blessing all who bless Israel and cursing all who curse Israel still applies today. If the USA wants to be a blessed nation, we must stand with Israel.(Psalm 33:12)

1. As Christians, everyone has to decide for themselves if they will obey God’s word or fall prey to the schemes of the enemy. We must know the Word for ourselves and submit to the Word according to our faith. (Philippians 2:12)

1. The prophecies regarding Israel coincide to End Times prophecy. Allegiance to Israel is important in preparation for Jesus Christ return.(Romans 11:26-27)