Q&A: Has God Rejected Natural Israel Today?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Q&A: Has God Rejected Natural Israel Today?</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Dear Brother Joseph,</div> <bR> <div> Thanks for your short article concerning "Israel". I mostly agree with you, yet we do have some basic disagreements. My mother tongue isn´t English. Because of that it´s too difficult to express my view concerning "Israel" in depth. Let me ask you some questions:</div> <bR> <div> What was and what is Zionism historically? How and why did it come, whats its goal and where will it go? Is Zionism really from God (as most christian believe "Gods blessing for the jewish people and all mankind") or is it against Him (Gods test / a deceiving spirit / Gods proofing fire for all mankind / a "sign" of God)? Where are the Zionist leaders searching for holiness (obidience)? What's behind their religious masquerade? What are (or what were) they: Confessing God fearers or God haters? </div> <bR> <div> Are most evangelical-orthodox christians as much under a delusion as most Jewish people? If so, how could this happen?</div> <bR> <div> Dear H., </div> <bR> <div> You have raised some very good questions, and I will answer them according to the insight that I have been given. Most of your questions seem to revolve around the character and motives of those who have been involved as leaders of the Zionist movement to establish a Jewish state. I would agree with you and others that the leaders of the Zionist movement are not all examples of men and women who are pleasing to Yahweh. I have not studied the Zionist movement in depth, but it is my understanding from what I have read that most of those who served as leaders were NOT followers of Yahshua, nor did they confess Him as their Messiah. This would place them in the category of those whom Paul described with these words, "From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake" (Romans 11:28). </div> <bR> <div> These words of Paul are true, and this seems to bring us to a great paradox. How can the blessing of Yahweh be upon a people who are enemies of the gospel? How can a bunch of people who deny the deity of Yahshua have any claim to being used of Yahweh in establishing a Zionist homeland? How can God's blessing be upon those who spurn the sacrifice of His Son? </div> <bR> <div> I think it is thoughts like these that have troubled you. I believe the answer to these questions begins to be apparent as we look at the Scripture I quoted above in its context. The Scripture in its entirety says this: </div> <bR> <div> Romans 11:28-29<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God's choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT>For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]</div> <div> Amplified Bible<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> It is quite possible that the Zionist leaders are enemies of the gospel of Yahshua, yet at the same time they are still considered beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers. Yahweh made promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David that He said He would never repent of. We find one such promise in the following passage: </div> <bR> <div> II Samuel 7:8-14<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> "Now therefore, <I><B>thus you shall say to My servant David</B></I>, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. <I><B>I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them</B></I>, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also declares to you that Yahweh will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, <I><B>I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever</B></I>. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; <I><B>when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men..."</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> David had reason to be concerned about his descendants and the continuance of his kingdom. David had witnessed King Saul's transgression and he had seen Yahweh take the kingdom from Saul and his descendants and give it to another. David had reason to be concerned that his own transgression, or the transgression of his descendants, should cause the kingdom to be taken away and the promises given to be annulled. Yet Yahweh assured David that He would not remove His blessings from David's lineage. He made this promise because of His love for David, not because of His love for any of His descendants. Even if David's descendants should forsake God, Yahweh would yet show favor and love to them because of His great love for His faithful servant David. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob also had similar promises given to them. </div> <bR> <div> Now let us look at an example of how this was demonstrated in a very literal sense. </div> <bR> <div> I Kings 11:9-13<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Now Yahweh was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what Yahweh had commanded. So Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. <I><B>Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David</B></I>, but I will tear it out of the hand of your Son.<I><B> However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> What is witnessed here is something that has been witnessed for thousands of years. Though all of Israel should turn from God, yet God will not completely turn from them because of His promises to their forefathers who were faithful and who walked with God. This is true down to this present day. Natural Israel, though they should one and all deny the deity of Yahshua, will not be forsaken due to God's promises to their forefathers. This is again what Paul was saying: </div> <bR> <div> Romans 11:28-29<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice <I><B>they are beloved for the sake of the fathers</B></I>; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. </div> <bR> <div> The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. Natural Israel is still beloved to God for the sake of the forefathers. Yet Paul goes on even more in this passage to say that among those who are natural Israelites, tracing their lineage back to the twelve tribes, God has always preserved a remnant who have been faithful to Himself. This is true to this day. There are numerous Messianic Jews who profess Yahshua as Savior and Lord and who follow Him as His disciples. One day Paul tells us that "all Israel will be saved", but for now we see only a remnant. </div> <bR> <div> In understanding these things we can now discern that it is quite possible for Yahweh to perform a work through those who are disobedient that is a fulfillment of promises made to their forefathers. The Zionist leaders can one and all deny Yahshua, they can all be enemies of the gospel, they can be wicked men led of selfish motives, and they can still be instruments of God in fulfilling His promises to their forefathers. I believe this is largely the case today. </div> <bR> <div> Israel is blessed, not because of the character and motives of her Zionist founders and leaders. She is blessed because of Yahweh's promises to the forefathers. We can scrutinize and examine the present leaders and population of Israel and find that the vast majority are enemies of the gospel, either being Orthodox Jews who deny Yahshua's divinity, or being secular Jews who have no strong religious convictions, but this does not disqualify them from God's love, <I><B>for they are beloved for the sake of the forefathers.</B></I> </div> <bR> <div> As a Christian, this concept of being blessed because of God's love for another should not be foreign to us. We are beloved for the sake of Christ! We are acceptable to Yahweh through His Son Yahshua. It is not because of what we have done that our sins are forgiven. It is because of what Yahshua has done. He chose us while we were yet enemies, and He showed His great love for us when we were also enemies of the gospel. What then if He should choose to show the same love, mercy and grace to a rebellious Israel BEFORE she manifests the fruit of repentance? This is God's way. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. </div> <bR> <div> Romans 2:4<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? </div> <bR> <div> God is showing His kindness to Israel, and it will lead to her repentance. Though she may yet have to endure more stripes as well, she will finally realize how merciful and patient Yahweh has been with her. </div> <bR> <div> As we look for Israel's salvation, we must be mindful that though she is still rebellious, Yahweh is still jealous of her for the sake of the forefathers and His great promises He has made. Yahweh will not consider any guiltless who treat her with contempt and arrogance, or who touch her in an evil way. Yahweh will view this no differently than if they had committed evil against Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or David. He is jealous over Israel for the sake of the forefathers. </div> <bR> <div> I hope you find these words helpful. I think the saint is really getting off on the wrong track by focusing on the character and motives and stated aims of those who are Zionists. The issue of God's heart toward Israel has more to do with His promises to the forefathers than it does with them. Such things can serve to merely be a distraction. The correct view is not a Zionist view, or an Orthodox view, it is Yahweh's view and it can be summed up in these words: </div> <div> <I><B>They are beloved for the sake of the fathers...</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days, </div> <bR> <div> Joseph</div> <bR> <div> E-mail: </div> <div> website: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" ><A HREF="http://heart4god.ws" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://heart4god.ws"><U><U>http://heart4god.ws</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>