Israel in Prophecy with Tim Moore

Part 1

Dr. Reagan: Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Blessed Hope, and welcome to Christ in Prophecy. Back in November of 2020 this ministry conducted a virtual Bible prophecy conference over the Internet via live streaming. The theme of the conference was “What on Earth is God Doing?” Colonel Tim Moore, our Associate Evangelist, and my designated successor, spoke about what God is doing among the Jewish people.

Today’s program is going to be devoted to the presentation Colonel Moore made. Here now, is Colonel Tim Moore.

Tim Moore’s Presentation: What on Earth is God Doing Among the Jewish People?

Tim Moore: For many years, Lamb & Lion Ministries has proclaimed the Lord’s soon return by highlighting six categories of signs: nature, society, spiritual, world politics, technology, and Israel. In just the past year we’ve seen a dramatic increase in natural disasters, from the COVID pandemic, to storms, and floods, and fires, and even a murder hornet.

The wheels of our society seem to be coming off this year with division straining our union, unrest plaguing our communities, and riots destroying our cities. It’s easy to wonder, “What on Earth is God Doing?”

Fulfilling the Lord’s reference to “birth pangs”, all the signs are increasing in frequency and intensity. For anyone with eyes to see, or ears to hear they bear witness that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return.

But today, I want to focus on the last category of signs, the signs of Israel, and answer the question, “What is God doing among the Jewish people?”

The Jews trace their lineage all the way back to Abraham, the father of Isaac and grandfather of Jacob. In Genesis 12, the Lord called Abram to leave his native country and go to a land He would show him. He said this in Genesis 12:2-3, “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Why did God choose Abraham? What superlative character trait did God see in him? Well, Genesis does not answer that question directly, but it does record that Abram believed God and obeyed Him.

Even predating Abraham, the Lord deemed Noah to be righteous and blameless in his generation because he “walked with God.” And Noah passed a blessing on to his son Shem, Abram’s ancestor. To this day, Jews are considered Semitic people, and hostility toward them is called anti-Semitism.

Early in His interactive relationship with Abram, God cemented the audaciousness of His promise to multiply Abram’s descendants by renaming Him Abraham “the father of many nations.”

God also established a Land Covenant, promising a portion of real estate in what we now call the Middle East to Abraham and his chosen descendants, even though their possession of that Promised Land would not come to pass for many hundreds of years.

Beautifully, I would add, God also foreshadowed a clear Messianic promise to Abraham. In response to Abraham’s inquiry about the timing of God’s fulfilment to send a son of promise, God said, “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you.” God affirmed His covenant relationship with Abraham’s son Isaac and reaffirmed it with Jacob. His renaming of Jacob provided the namesake that would forever mark the Jewish people: Israel.

The lineage of blessing continued down through Israel’s sons. Well, in fulfillment of God’s declared timeline, the children of Israel languished in captivity for 400 years in Egypt. Then, the LORD delivered them under the leadership of Moses, and provided clear instructions for setting themselves apart from the pagan world in order to stay in close relationship with Him.

For many years, God’s own Shekinah Glory, His very presence, dwelled in the midst of the Jews, first in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple. In that regard, the prophetic promise of Zechariah 8:23 was once a reality to the Jews: Any number of people could have grabbed the garment of a Jew and exclaimed, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” And indeed, He was!

But Moses warned the children of Israel about the consequences of disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28:15-68, God described the rejection, isolation, and dispersal of His own chosen people if they failed to honor Him, and to obey His commandments.

Time and time again, the Jews grew complacent about their relationship with the LORD. They took for granted that having been chosen they were immune from God’s judgment and safe from His wrath. They ignored the prophets who warned them to put aside their idolatrous ways. And as Paul Harvey would say, we all know the rest of the story. The northern kingdom of Israel was overwhelmed and obliterated. Later, the Babylonians conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem, including the Temple. Seventy-years after that, God motivated Cyrus to allow Jews to return to the land to rebuild the city and the temple. Eventually, Jews became predominant in the land once again, although never with the same power and influence as when David and Solomon reigned.

Over time, the Jews once again grew smug in their appreciation of their chosen status. So, by the time Jesus ministered among them, He observed, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Approaching the city of Jerusalem just prior to His final Passover, Jesus wept and lamented Jerusalem’s impending destruction, to the point that one stone would not be left on another, because He said, “You did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Two-thousand years earlier, Moses had already been told that Israel would indeed turn away from the Lord. Less than 40 years after their rejection of Jesus as Messiah, God delivered the punishment Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 28 and 29: dispersion, persecution, and desolation of the Land. So far I’ve laid the foundation of what happened to the Jewish people throughout Biblical history. By the 20th Century, their hope was virtually snuffed out.

But Israel’s faithlessness did not cancel the promises of God. Through Moses He also promised Israel He would “never fail them or forsake them.” The Lord reiterated His faithfulness through other prophetic promises. I actually get excited reflecting on these ancient promises. Why? Because so many of them were fulfilled in my own lifetime, or the lifetime of my parents. People who express a desire to see a modern-day miracle simply don’t have eyes to see what the Lord is doing.

Just consider what the Lord has done for the Jewish People. He said he would scatter them around the world but preserve them as a distinct people. He did that, even as they suffered generations of persecution in the Diaspora. Even as they were oppressed and killed in pogroms. Even as they suffered, and millions died in the horror of the Holocaust. Through it all, they maintained a common identity as Jews. What other ancient people group that was scattered and oppressed still exists in the world today?

Where are those other ancient peoples? He also said that He would regather them from the four corners of the world, even saying to the North, “Give them up!” And to the South, “Do not hold them back!” You should know that in 1948 there were about 600,000 Jews in Israel—a tenth as many as were killed in the Holocaust. Today there are over 6.8 million Jews in Israel, almost half of all the world total. And over 76% of Jews are Sabras; born in the Land of Israel.

He also promised that He would reestablish Israel as a single nation, in Eretz Israel, their own Promised Land. And He did that on May 14, 1948. That single event has more prophetic significance than most Christians realize even today. It’s like God restarted the prophetic clock marking time to the Rapture and to the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ.

But He also said that their land would become desolate and barren, but be rejuvenated when the Jews returned home. The desolation of the land of Israel has been well-documented. When Mark Twain traveled to the Holy Land in the late 1800’s, he described a wasteland, sparse of population and with little vegetation. Today, the land is teeming with life once again, and producing bountifully.

Well, there is another reason that the Lord said that He would restore the Jews. He said that He would revive their ancient language. And He did just that, raising up Eliezer Ben Yehuda to inspire them as they returned to Israel to adopt their spoken language as being Hebrew, the official language of Israel. I have to tell you that even in my own home we speak a little Hebrew on a daily basis. Every time my grandson runs in and calls out, “Saba, Saba,” the Hebrew word for grandfather. Now, my wife likes to say it is the word for old man, but nevertheless, we are speaking Ancient Hebrew even in my home.

But the Lord also promised that the Jewish people would never again be uprooted from their ancient homeland. And, in spite of repeated wars and ongoing threats from the Arab nations that surround Israel, He has protected and preserved the Jews in Israel. Through an incredible resurgence He made their military “like a burning torch among sheaves” giving them miraculous victories over far stronger and more numerous foes.

He said that in the end times, Israel would once again possess its ancient capitol Jerusalem. Jesus explained that “Jerusalem would be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” And that era ended on June 7, 1967 when the Jews regained sovereignty over the city. The chief rabbi of the IDF was so excited that he hurried to the Western Wall, blew a shofar, and cried out, “I proclaim to you the beginning of the Messianic Age.”

The Lord also said that when the Jews were regathered and in control of Jerusalem, the entire world focus would come on Israel, and specifically Jerusalem. Well, in the first 10 years after the United Nations Human Rights Council was established in 2006, Israel was condemned 62 times. Syria, North Korea, and Iran combined were condemned less than half as often.

Regardless, there are other dangerous currents evident in the American political scene. The rising voices of the Left include radicals like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, all vocally opposed to Israel. This is actually how the world perceives that wing of the Democratic Party. This is a picture from BBC News for example. And the radical leftist wing of the Democratic Party is supportive of organizations like Black Lives Matter, which has openly touted its anti-Israel ideology. Interestingly, I’ve observed that in all the major riots and Black Lives Matter protests around the nation, rabid anti-Semitic activists like Linda Sarsour manage to show up to spout their hate-filled propaganda. And movements like Boycott, Divest, and Sanction have been mainstreamed on American college campuses from coast to coast, filling young minds with anti-Israel mentalities.

There is one other recent development on the political scene that will bear on the future. Just in recent months Donald Trump announced that peace negotiations had produced the Abraham Accords. This was a declaration of normal relations between Israel and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. These two tiny Arab states, amazingly rich with petrodollars, have decided to normalize their relationship with Israel, meaning diplomatically, economically, and at least to a degree militarily.

The impetus for this agreement is not an elephant in the room but really the tiger on the other side of the Persian Gulf. You see ever since Iraq was defanged as both a threat and a regional counterbalance by America, Iran has emerged as the looming menace in the Middle East. The ayatollahs and radicalized Muslims ruling Iran want to destabilize neighboring countries and solidify Arab hatred of Israel.

Dr. Reagan: We are going to pause here for a brief announcement, and then we will return to Colonel Moore’s presentation.

Part 2

Tim Moore: This brings us to what God will do through the Jewish people. The Lord made this promise to Abraham, He said, “All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” And that promise has been kept down through the many centuries as God has poured out blessing through the Jews. That happened in many ways.

First, Jews gave the world monotheism. Joshua 24:2 tells us that Abram hailed from a family of idol worshippers. But the LORD Himself called Abram to follow Him to a promised land. And then even in Canaan, the polytheism of idol worship was rampant, and led to horrific practices like temple prostitution and child sacrifice.

Genesis records that Abram believed in the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. In the generations that follow, the LORD God revealed Himself more fully, to the point that the great I AM allowed His glory to pass before Moses and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, and transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” Moses communicated the singular nature of the God of Israel in the famous Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, where he said, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

Well, the second way that the Lord blessed the world through the Jews is He also gave us the Word of God. Time, and time, again the prophets would proclaim, “Thus saith the LORD.” Their words were written down, first on stone tablets delivered to Moses, and then in parchment scrolls. Jewish scribes took great care in recording and preserving God’s Word. And although the Jews did not always obey His word, they typically displayed a reverence for it, as when the people stood when Ezra opened the book.

The writer of Hebrews said that God “spoke to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways.” And we have those accounts because they were written down and preserved through the generations. Jesus also bore witness to the validity of God’s Word every time He said, “As it is written…”

The third way God blessed the world through the Jews was His gracious relationship with His chosen people, which demonstrated the power of a covenant relationship with the living God. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach Jesus; and if necessary use words.” Whether they ever speak of God, the Jews offer a living testimony of either blessing or discipline in that covenant.

For instance, as they entered the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, when the Jewish people were faithful and obedient they were victorious against all odds. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down and idol-worshipping pagans fled before them. But when they strayed, disobeying, and dishonoring the LORD, they experienced defeat and despair. Throughout the long record of the Old Testament, that same pattern is repeated over and over, “the blessing or the curse” as outlined in Deuteronomy 11:26-28. And even when Israel was being disciplined as a beloved son, it was never cast aside. That is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and His grace, as Paul made clear in Romans 11.

But the greatest way the Jewish people have blessed the rest of the world, the most important blessing delivered through them was the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Foretold throughout the Old Testament, Jesus is the Promised One, the Savior who came to deliver His people from bondage. He was foreshadowed by Joseph, and Moses, and David. He was prophesied by Isaiah and all the other prophets. The hopes of the Jewish people and the fears of those opposed to God’s eternal plan were met in Him.

My friend Amir Tsarfati makes an important point. As an Israeli believer, he points out that Jesus came 2,000 years ago as a Jew. He was born to a Jewish mother, submitted to a Jewish father, ate Jewish food, spoke the language of common Jews, learned Jewish Scriptures, worshipped at the Jewish temple in the Jewish capitol, called 12 Jewish men to be His disciples, addressed Jewish expectations about the Messiah, and was crucified under a sign that read, “King of the Jews”.

The point of all these blessings poured out into the Jewish people is that they were also meant to flow through them to the rest of the world. Knowledge of the one true God, revelation offered through His living Word, a covenant relationship as fruit-bearing branches anchored in Him, and the Messiah who embodied the true God, the living Word, and the life-giving Vine. The Jews were supposed to be a conduit, not a reservoir of blessing. You know, in spite of themselves, at least at times those blessings have reached the rest of the world. Gentile followers of Jesus Christ know the true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Who first revealed Himself to those patriarchs of the Jewish people.

We have the written Word of God because Jews anointed by God’s Holy Spirit wrote down the revelations He gave to them, both in the Old Testament and the New. When Paul asked rhetorically, “What advantage has the Jew?” his first example is “that they were entrusted with the very oracles of God.” Thankfully, God’s Holy Spirit ensured that those oracles, His anointed Word, were incorporated into the canon of Scripture that we call the Bible.

The Jewish people also provided a living testimony of a covenant relationship. When they were faithful and obedient to God, He poured out blessing on them. And when they strayed and disobeyed, He chastised and disciplined. Without a word the Jews bear witness to the faithfulness of God and the power of His promises.

Finally, it was through the Jewish people that the Messiah came. Jesus is called the Son of David for a reason, that title demonstrates His royal Jewish lineage and proves that God was faithful to His promise to the ancient king who was called a man after His own heart. Paul asked, “Is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” So, it’s pretty good theology to proclaim, “My boss is a Jewish carpenter!” The Psalmist understood this when he wrote Psalm 67, he said, “God be gracious to us, the Jewish people, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let all the peoples praise You, O God, Let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.”

Well, now that the ancient prophetic promises are coming to pass, and being fulfilled, what is God doing today right before our eyes among the Jewish people?

First of all, He is still honoring His ancient covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is keeping His word.

God has poured out blessing on the Jews, giving them notorious skills in music, and art, and professions, and medicine, and science, which has in turn blessed the very nations where they were scattered. So adamant was God in His commitment to the Jews that He inspired Isaiah to write, “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.”

He told Jeremiah, “If the fixed order of the sun and the stars in the sky and the waves of the sea ever cease, or the heavens above can be measured, then the offspring of Israel will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” That means that even Israel’s faithlessness cannot negate the promises of God. And in the season of the Jesus’ return, it also means that all the ancient prophecies regarding Israel have come to pass in spite of Jewish unbelief and faithlessness.

You know most Jewish people today are united by their heritage, not their faith. In spite of an influential fraction of Orthodox Jews for instance, Israel remains a largely secular nation; 54% of Israeli Jews see themselves as non-religious. And even in the United States, almost 30% of Jews do not even believe in God. But God’s end time promises were not based on Jewish faithfulness. Ezekiel foretold the manner of Israel’s regathering over the past century. He said, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!” Why has He done this? Verse 23 says it is to “vindicate the holiness of His great name” and so that “the nations will know that He is the LORD.” He told Isaiah, “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My Name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.” In other words, God has honored His promises and kept His covenants not because of Jewish faithfulness today, but because He is God.

And even as He has regathered the Jews and poured out blessing on them once again, He is allowing continued persecution to test and refine them. Anti-Semitism has been an affliction on the Jewish people throughout 20 centuries of the Church Age. Persecution and pogroms were par for the course in most countries. There was a brief respite following World War II when the world was horrified at Hitler’s final solution that led to the Holocaust and killed six million Jews. Seventy-five years later, there are educated people who deny the Holocaust. And the specter of rabid anti-Semitism is raising its head in Europe and the United States, under the guise of movements like BDS. Scripture is very clear that persecution of the Jews will not subside until the Lord reigns, Jesus Christ himself from Mt. Zion, as a matter of fact it will only increase as the end draws near. That mounting persecution will eventually drive Jews in America and around the world to the enclave in Israel.

Four-thousand years ago, He made a promise to Abraham. And in all the millennia that have followed, He has never forgotten that promise. Paul’s letter to the Romans affirmed that God has not rejected His people, Israel.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the Jewish people continue to serve God’s purpose. They demonstrate the trustworthiness of God’s promises and telegraph the imminence of Jesus’ return.

If you are a Jew, all the blessings that accompany God’s choosing can be yours if you put your faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Accept that Yeshua is the Messiah all the prophets anticipated. Trust in Him, and you will realize all the blessedness that is your birthright. But if you reject Him, there is no other way to enter God’s eternal Sabbath rest.

Whether you are a Gentile or a Jew, the same God who is keeping His promise to Abraham’s chosen offspring will keep every promise to people who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and worships Him as Lord. He will protect and preserve you. Your life will be a living testimony of the blessing a covenant relationship with Him offers. As part of the Church, you will be a conduit of blessing to the world. And when the Bride of Christ is raptured in the twinkling of an eye, He will gather you to Himself with all the other believers who have put their faith in Jesus.

Closing

Folks, if you would like to get a video copy of Colonel Moore’s entire presentation together with the presentations that Nathan Jones and I made about Islam and America, stay tuned, and our announcer will tell you how you can get a DVD containing all three.

End of Program