As God sprinkles the Israelites and cleanses them from all their unholiness and they become the nation he intended them to be, he will make them to be. They had no power to become that on their own.
So, the first sanctification, or setting apart as holy we need to be familiar with as we study God’s Word is Israel’s future national sanctification. That will keep us from falling into all sorts of false doctrine when it comes to when they are gathered, and whether we have become spiritual Israel, and whether it is up to us how to usher in the kingdom through our good behavior, as many think.
Israel will be under great persecution during an upcoming time known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, as the anti-Christ will be proclaiming his right to be the monarch of the earth. So, do not think for a second that Satan does not know that God’s plan is to have a Millennial Reign, a government right here on the earth with Jesus Christ at the helm over the earth.
Ezekiel 36:26-28, when will this national sanctification come to fruition? When Israel is willing to accept Jesus Christ as their messiah and admit they swore falsely when they entered into a covenant with God vowing they could merit a righteous standing before him through their performance.
Do not look at 1948 and say, “Well, prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.” That is not prophecy. Matthew 24:21, for then shall be great tribulation, this is speaking of the final 3 and half years of that 7 year time period after we are out of here. This is the time period during which Israel will be seeking him early, as God stated through Hosea 5:15.
When it came to Israel’s promised earthly kingdom and the forgiveness of sins by the earthly King of that promised earthly kingdom, what was absolutely essential to that forgiveness being granted?
Well it was always the issue of faith. It’s always been the issue of faith down through out history. Faith of course, without faith, the Israelites would not be forgiven and without forgiveness there would not be any healing.
No forgiveness would mean no part in the promised earthly kingdom. The Gentiles were to come through Israel’s rise that they also might have forgiveness of sins by the same King, Israel never rose to that priesthood position.
What would faith do in that program when faith was called upon to do a work to prove itself? So, it is the same issue over and again in that earthly kingdom program, John’s baptism with water was for the purpose of Israel making their confession, being identified with the confession that Israel was called upon to make back in Leviticus 26:40. The same confession that Daniel made in Daniel 9:4.
Baptism was essential if it was possible to make your confession at that time for failure under the Law Contract. Forgiveness by the King of Kings who had the authority to grant that forgiveness or by those who had been granted such authority by the King of Kings for that matter, was contingence upon the express of faith required in that program for that forgiveness to be granted, which was John’s baptism of repentance for the reemission of sins.
It was not an option testimony in the days of Jesus Christ, it was a requirement for the remission of sins. It was the way people could be identified with the faith associated with the confession of Leviticus 26:40.
Do not be too discouraged as you watch the times unfold and the worries come, they just bring us ever closer to what we would call “our blessed hope.” Satan, in his attempt to be like God, also, wants a world wide governmental system, but without Christ.
The one world government architects of our day are steering us ever closer and at an ever more rapid pace toward that time, when the entire world will need an answer man. Rest assured, an answer man will arrive on the scene once God has called his ambassadors of the age of grace home.
But, as the world will learn when the answer man comes along, he will not really have the answers at all, he will be the false fixer. The only fix planet earth will ever have, will only come from the return of the rightful Monarch of this planet, Jesus Christ.
The kingdom of heaven is not referring to a kingdom IN heaven, it is not a kingdom located in heaven, it is referring to a kingdom to be set up here on this planet with the son of God ruling and reigning as King. Israel had not been made aware of what God had in mind, concerning his rulership in the heavenly realm.
God kept those truths hidden until he later revealed them to the apostle Paul for us. Israel, on the other hand, expected an earthly kingdom. They were promised a piece of real estate on this planet as an everlasting possession and they expected an earthly king to come and rule and reign in that earthly kingdom.
Of course, there would be one step remaining before Israel’s kingdom could be realized. Israel would have to accept the king that God had in mind to reign in that kingdom. Should Israel reject God’s anointed King, God could certainly place that kingdom on hold, which the Bible tells us is precisely what God did.
But, God could not do away with that kingdom altogether, because he had already promised it to the nation Israel. Israel’s identity crisis and it was not her identity that she had a crisis over, it was the identity of Jesus. God knew they would accept their king in a future time, that is what the tribulation period is all about; bringing them to their knees, and bringing those who will believe, to believe.
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