Changing times
Isaiah 61
I have just returned from my trip to Israel, full of the joy of the Lord - amazed at His grace and compassion, filled with the wonder of this unchanging, glorious, covenant keeping God and zealous to proclaim His excellence. I learned much - about myself, which was sometimes hard but also so liberating; about Israel, a land and a people with such a passion and purpose and about the Museum of the Bible, a vision so exciting and challenging that it almost takes your breath away in its scope.
It would be too difficult for me to put that vision into words here so I will simply recommend that you go online and check them out. Whilst you are doing that why not think about how you could help, what you might be able to do to promote this vision, to bring the Bible back into our culture, to make it a part of our conversation and our education system - to bring the Word of the Living God out into the light and on the way give understanding about the everlasting promise of God to His people Israel and His blessing to those who love her.
For the first few days I found myself enthralled with the sights and the sounds, with the places we visited and the people we met. It was a helter-skelter ride full of facts and history and spiritual reality and every day at the end I fell to sleep with my mind full to overflowing with love for my God. I wondered how I might bring a tour to Israel, where to stay and what to do - I was planning it all in my head and asking the Lord to show me and then He began to speak quietly about the fact of the rapture which will soon be coming and about the fact that when it does that will be the closing of the door for the gentiles - the time when He will focus again on His people Israel.
You see this is the truth - God has not finished with His people Israel, He has not rejected them, though by and large they have rejected Him. He has temporarily hardened their hearts so that we gentiles may have the opportunity to hear the gospel and to respond in faith. He has thereby grafted us in to the place of blessing and has told us that He has done this in order to make the Jews jealous so that they turn to Him. For the past 2,000 years or so there have been millions of gentiles who have believed in the Lord Jesus and received His gift of salvation but very few Jews - BUT there will be a time and I think it will come soon, when this will be reversed and again He will start to deal with His people Israel. We are in the final moments between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel 9 and we must do all that we can to proclaim His truth.
Make it your business, your desire and your goal to understand the mystery that God has revealed in Christ. Know the Lord Jesus and make Him known - understand that one day soon the Deliverer will come from Zion and all Israel will be saved. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob and though at the moment, from the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for our sake - from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers - why? Because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:25-29
I have come back with a deeper desire to give all that I can, my time, my energy, my resources back to Him. I am filled with a passion not towaste a moment because I know that the time is short. I have surrendered anew all that I am and all that I have and asked Him to take everything and use it for His purpose and for His glory and I have trusted that He will do it and that I will be filled with joy as He does.
Please watch this blog and those that follow and share them with your friends - please come before the Lord with thanksgiving that we have been given this opportunity to submit and surrender all to Him. Please do not waste a moment but with every muscle and sinew in your body determine to serve the Lord in this place at this time.
