The Rebirth of the State of Israel: God Does the Miraculous - Genesis Part 34

The great theologian was once asked how can you be so sure that God exists, barely hesitating, he said the Jews. And he's right. Friends the continuation of the Jewish people down through the centuries is nothing short of miraculous. Pure and simple. No other people has ever been scattered in all of history for 2000 years, like the Jewish people have and then survived as a people know other people in history have lost their homeland for 2000 years, and then ever been restored to their homeland except the Jewish people, and no other language in history has ever died out as a living spoken language and then been revived as a living, spoken language, except for Hebrew. In short, the Jewish people are a historical anomaly by every stretch of the imagination. They should not exist today and yet miraculously they do and how do we explain this well the Bible gives us a very simple explanation. It simply tells us that God isn't finished with the Jewish people. Yet now for the last several weeks in our verse by verse study of the book of Genesis this is what we've been talking about today we want to conclude our discussion by focusing on another miraculous thing God did beside the survival of the Jewish people for 20 centuries and that is we want to focus on God's restoring the Jewish people to the land of Israel. But before we dig him.

Let's do a tiny bit of review last week we saw three things number one we saw that because of their rejection of cries, God has moved the Jewish people offstage. For now, we saw a number two that God has placed the church center stage in his dealings with mankind, for right now. And number three we saw that this is only a temporary situation that one day God is going to take the church out of the world at the rapture and then God is going to restore the Jewish people to center stage and fulfill every promise that he ever made them. We also learned last week that we call this theological understanding of the Bible.

Dispensationalism and one of the most profound of all of these promises that God has made the Jewish people that is going to fulfill to them. We saw in Genesis chapter 15, where God promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendents as a permanent as an eternal possession from the Nile River to the Euphrates River. This is an enormous land-grant and yet this was God's promise to Abraham and to his descendents now folks, we must understand that with the exception of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the rebirth of the modern state of Israel is one of the most miraculous things God has ever done since the creation of the world and this is what I want to talk to you about today we want to talk about the rebirth of the modern state of Israel. And I think the best way for us to start is to go back and let's look and see what the Bible says about this whole topic so in the book of Genesis as we've already seen God promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and then to a specific son of Abraham, Isaac, and then to a specific grandson of his Jacob and after the Exodus from Egypt.

I think we all know that under the leadership of Joshua God led the Jewish people into the land of Canaan and gave them parts of the land grants that he is made to Abraham, but the Jewish people wore incorrigible he unfaithful to God at the beginning through massive idolatry and disobedience and then it culminated in their rejection of Christ as their Messiah. And so finally God spell the Jewish people from the land of Canaan. This happened in 135 A.D. under Roman Emperor Hadrian, where he threw every Jew out of the holy land and made it a capital offense punishable by death for any Jewish for a person to be found within the borders of Palestine now was interesting is the God of predicted all of this in the Bible ahead of time. Ezekiel 36 verse 17 when the house of Israel was living in their own land. The Bible says they defiled good by their ways and their deeds, therefore I will pour out my wrath on them. God says, and I will batter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands and you know it's interesting is that the Lord Jesus Christ himself actually predicted this was going to happen as well. Luke 21 verse 20 when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then recognize Jesus said that her desolation is at hand and there will be great distress upon the land that is Israel and wrath upon this people Jewish people. Jesus said, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led the captive into all the nations.

Now this is the way it was for 1800 years, but God had also predicted in the Bible that one day at the end of the age he would rectify all of this he would regather his people from all the lands to where they had been spread and he would restore them to the land of Israel, listen Jeremiah 16 verse 14 it says, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no longer be said, as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, but rather it will be said, as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites from all the countries where he'd banished them for I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. Ezekiel 37 verse 21 thus says the sovereign Lord.

I will take the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone and bring them into their own land, and they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob my servant, they their songs and their son sans with the last word forever. Amos chapter 9 verse 14. I will restore my people Israel. God says they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them and I will plant them on their land and they will never again be rooted out from their land which I have given them says the Lord. And finally, Ezekiel 36 verse 22.

Therefore say to the house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord is not for your say, O house of Israel that I'm about to act, but for the sake of my holy name for all nations will know that I am the sovereign Lord, for I will prove myself mighty in their site and God. How are you going to prove yourself mighty in their site for I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land and bring you back into your own land. I the Lord have spoken this and I will do it.

So what I want to do now is take us back in history and I want us to see the miracles that God did in history in order to fulfill what he said. He said all I the Lord will, I promise you this, and I'm a do it. I want you to see what God had to do to make this come to pass.

So here we go. You ready ready.

Here we go. It all begins in France in 1895 the Jewish captain in the French army was accused of treason's name was Alfred Dreyfus and later by the way he was proved innocent.

And as he was led through the streets of Paris on his way to trial. Angry mobs lined the streets chanting death to the Jews depth of the Jews. There was a Jewish reporter in town covering all of this name Theodore Hartsell and he was shocked to see this Christian anti-Semitism erupt so viciously in France, I mean the land of the Enlightenment and watching this Hartsell immediately concluded that the only hope there was a protecting Jews in Europe against this latent anti-Semitism that could erupt at any time was for the Jewish people to have their own land to have a country of their own and Hartsell called disposition Zionism now personal God.

In 1904, but not before he had excited a lot of people about this idea of Zionism of the Jewish people having their own country and one of those people. He excited was a young man named Kiam Weitzman in 1906 Weitzman held a meeting with then Prime Minister of Great Britain, Arthur Balfour and Balfour being a deeply committed Christian evangelical had several meetings with Weitzman and then Balfour did the most amazing thing in 1917. While serving as the foreign secretary. Great Britain Balfour got the British cabinets to agree to the following policy and I quote his Majesty's government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use its best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this objective." This became known as the Balfour declaration and it is unprecedented in history. For the first time in 1800 years. We now have a nation. Great Britain saying that we support the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people. This was miracle number one.

Five weeks later, the British marched into Jerusalem, having captured it from the Ottoman Turks at the end of World War I 1917 and then in 1922 the newly formed league of Nations instructed Great Britain that they were supporting the Balfour declaration. Here's what the league of Nations said and I quote they said Great Britain should place the country that is of Palestine under such political, administrative, and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home friends. This is miracle number two. Now we don't have a single nation saying that they support the creation of a Jewish homeland. Now we have the entire world to the league of Nations saying that they support the creation of a Jewish homeland. This is never happened in 19 centuries.

Miracle number two is a will, my gosh looks to me like that's the end of the miracles because this thing is a done deal. All the hall not quite friends. Nothing is as simple as it looks in the Arab peoples who were living in Palestine didn't agree with this and so therefore they began to hold general strikes and they began to riot and they began to attack British targets in Palestine and they eventually wore the British down with all of this violence in all of these strikes getting the British in 1939 to issue the infamous white paper which canceled all Jewish immigration into Palestine and capitulated to every Arab demands against the Jews noticed the year of this 1939, just as Hitler was beginning to target the Jews Great Britain shut down any opportunity for Jews to escape Winston Churchill was incensed. He said and I quote this is a breach. It is a violation of our pledge is the abandonment of the Balfour declaration and it is the end of the vision. The whole and the dream" they know one thing I love about God I love the fact that God finishes what he starts. Don't you love that, God started this and God was going to finish unable to quench the growing violence in Palestine. Finally, the British government after World War II decided to punt and so in 1947, the British government announced that it was pulling out of Palestine and that it was giving the conundrum of Palestine to the United Nations to deal with and so the United Nations in what may be the only instance where the UN has ever supported the nation of Israel in November 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine and create the modern state of Israel.

This is a miracle.

Number three. Now we don't have a nation.

Great Britain or even the world, saying it would be a good idea to have a Jewish homeland.

Now we have the United Nations actually creating out of nothing a homeland for the Jewish people praise the Lord for that. A man now God is not through. He's going to couple more miracles to get this thing done on May 15, 1948 Israel proclaimed its independence and immediately 300 million Arabs declared war on Israel.

In fact, five Arab nations Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq simultaneously invaded with military troops.

The tiny nation of Israel. Israel is at their survival was hanging by a thread. They desperately needed a friend and they found that friend and Pres. Harry S Truman now initially Pres. Truman was not very receptive about this whole idea of root Zionism.

He was not in a very receptive mood about creating a Jewish homeland and there were two reasons why number one all of his advisors were telling him it was a terrible idea. They were telling him that because it can political considerations and because of oil considerations he needed to side with the errors in fact. Then Secretary of State George Marshall was so worked up about this that he told Truman that if Truman recognized the Jewish state. He Marshall would not only vote against Truman in the next election. He would even campaign against Truman. Second reason Truman was a lit initially not very receptive is that he'd already been visited by Zionist groups, and they would come in and they would lecture him in a condescending way even had one rabbi come into the Oval Office and beat his fist on the desk in the Oval Office and scream and point his finger at Pres. Truman. Truman did like that so he banned the all Zionist groups from ever coming to the White House again until further notice. I would call back. Not being in a very receptive mood when you yeah but miraculously in the beginning months. The first few months of 1948, Pres. Truman agreed to see our old friend Kiam Weitzman and by the end of those meetings.

Pres. Harry S Truman had agreed that if the state of Israel ever declared its independence, the United States of America would support and recognize the modern state of Israel, and so on May 15, 1948, a mere 11 minutes after Israel declared its independence. Pres. Truman officially recognized the new Jewish state, making America the first nation in the world to recognize Israel. I called out miracle number four what he said a man is one more to come home or come and that is Israel's been invaded by five countries it wants, representing 300 million Arab enemies.

How did Israel ever survive. Yes, the United States recognize Israel and yes, the United States helped Israel a little bit with war matériel but how in the world could this tiny little nation fight off by invading powers and 300 million enemies and win that war for survival friends. There is no human explanation for that miracle number five and the Jewish nation is still here today in the United States for the last 65 years has been the strongest supporter of the nation of Israel on the phase of the earth.

Praise God for that. Amen.

You, Beth. Now, just before we move on though. I want you to understand that all of these miracles had an amazing impact on the people who were watching them unfold and especially on Pres. Truman in 1949 the first prime minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion and the first chief rabbi of Israel came to thank Pres. Truman at the White House for his support and that rabbi, the first chief rabbi of Israel said and I quote he said to Mr. Truman, God put you in your mother's womb so you could be the instrument to bring about the rebirth of Israel after 2000 years, and then the rabbi read the words of Persian king Cyrus 539 BC found in the book of Ezra in the Bible as one verse two the Lord God of heaven. Cyrus said has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, after which the chief rabbi turned to Pres. Truman and said and I quote to the people of Israel. Mr. Truman you are modern King Cyrus and if these words. Pres. Truman according to David Ben-Gurion broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.

So much so that David Ben-Gurion had to take the president in his arms and hold him until the president could compose himself foes. These were unbelievable events that were occurring that had unbelievable impact on the people who were watching them unfold. So let's summarize all still with me. What we learned today. Well, we learn that the birth of the modern state of Israel in 1948 was not an accident.

It was not a coincidence. It was not a lucky break. It was the fulfillment of God's unconditional eternal sovereign unbreakable promise to Abraham and Abraham's descendents. And as we have seen. It was literally a miracle. Five awful really.

God took an utterly powerless group of people, his people, the Jewish people living in ghettos without any centralized leadership or government with no financial power and no military power and no political power, and no diplomatic power and no legislative power and God did something for them that has never been done in the history of the world. Why did God do this. Willey told us. Ezekiel 36. It is not for your Saco house of Israel that I'm about to act. God said, but for the sake of my holy name. So the nations will know that I am the Lord, for I will prove myself.

My ED in their site for I will take you from the nation and gather you from every land and bring you back into your own land by way of balance. Please let me say before we move on, but we understand that what we have today is unbelieving Israel in the land which means that all of Israel's action are not godly and all of Israel's actions are not biblical. Which means that we do not as Christians automatically support every action that the nation of Israel takes but what we do support is Israel's right to exist and their right to own the land of Canaan as their God-given entitlement going all the way back to the book of Genesis. Amen their body with me.

We understand what were saying here right okay now that the stars were going to go in all of this because it's time for us to ask our most important question so are we ready to buy still awake. I killed you so far. Okay all got on the Internet you guys ready to go. Nice allowed to let me just say their body else's.

Had a good day so you have to really put out the witness.

Today, so here we go. Are you ready one now here we go one to say that is still possible. You guys are so awesome you say all I lawn your shameless I am.

I'm sorry. I am five.

What a great so what if he sells the hand that was also taught you say lawn hey you know I mean this is all been semi-interesting and by the way lawn we ever going to talk about Gentiles again.

I'm just curious yeah we will, I promise. But you say I don't understand what is any of this have to do with me. Well, that's the question really isn't the question we should be asking is what does the rebirth of the nation of Israel, what does that teach us as followers of Christ spiritually and the answer is that it teaches us that there is a totally sovereign God who is running this universe as we just saw my friends, God over a 1900 years had complete sovereignty over everything that happened to the nation of Israel. There were some good things that happen. There were some not so good things that happen, but through it all, God was utterly sovereign and use them all to accomplish his predict the plan for the nation of Israel. Now, what exactly do we mean, let's define what we say God is sovereign folks, we mean that God wields the power that cannot be overruled.

It cannot be overcome, and it cannot be resisted. Actually, 297 times. The Bible says this about God. Couple of examples. Psalm 135 verse five says the Lord is great and sovereign above all, whatever the Lord pleases. He does Isaiah 46 verse 10. My purposes shall be established. God says, and I will accomplish my good pleasure. Daniel four verse 35 says God does according to his will with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth, and no one can ward off his hand and finally I love would Daniel says Daniel 221 he says it is he, God sets Kings up and who takes Kings down friends to say that God is sovereign is to say that he is actively running everything in this universe.

According to his personal pleasure.

According to his personal will and according to his personal plan and regardless whether you and I understand it, regardless whether you are not you and I can explain it. It doesn't matter every minute thing that is happening in our lives every minute thing that is happening in our country and every minute thing that is happening in our world is 15 perfectly into God's good and deliberate plan for this universe. That's what it means to say that God is sovereign and you know as followers of Christ. It's really important that we believe it's not just in our heads, but that we really believe it in our hearts and so here's the bottom line for today when it comes to our personal life when it comes to our financial life when it comes to our family life when it comes to our professional life. When it comes to our medical life when it comes to our country when it comes to our world as followers of Christ listen carefully. The only way for us to stay spiritually steady. The only way for us to maintain biblical and spiritual equilibrium with all of the stuff that this world throws at us. The only way for us to maintain our the joy of our salvation. Psalm 51 says is for us rest in the sovereignty of God. You know it's interesting, David and first Samuel 30 was a way from his hometown of Six Flags.

At one point when he came back an enemy marauding force of Amalekites had invaded the city conquered and burned it down and taken all the wives and children And the Bible has a very interesting verse in first Samuel 30 verse six it says and David sat down and encouraged himself in the Lord. David encouraged himself in the Lord. Hey, there were things around rounding that were upsetting him. There were things around him that were scaring him. There were things around emitted. Shaken his foundations and David said while I need to get my spiritual equilibrium back.

How do I do it. I encourage myself in the Lord and what it David do to encourage himself in the Lord verse of full friends number one.

He acknowledged God's sovereignty over what it happened.

Number two. He submitted to God's sovereignty over what it happened and number three. He rested in God's sovereignty over what it happened. He acknowledged submitted to. He rested you say, does that mean we never do anything. We just kind of passively sit around and recognize God's already know know know know know David went after those enemies friends. I'm not talking about what we do with our hands here I'm talking about what we do with our heart we do with our hearts and is not a one of us here, not you, not me. Every one of us every one of us have things in our life that scare us and that unsettle us and upset us and that shake our foundations when we need to do folks.

We need to do a David, we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord. We need to acknowledge God's sovereignty Lord.

This is the way it is because it's what you want.

We need to submit to God sovereign Lord. I will like this but this is the way you think it needs to be all submit to the and then we need to rest in God sovereign Lord you run in the world. Not me. I don't see how this fits into some good plan for my life but I'm going to believe you, and rest in you anyway. It's amazing how the joy of our salvation and spiritual steadiness returns we do that, that's for with our heads bowed in our eyes close.

I want to give you just a moment to pray yourself because there are these things in our lives that shake our foundation. Maybe you've got something going on right now in your life which are really struggling with folks Satan loves to rob us of the joy of our salvation by trying to convince us that we are sovereign over the figures of our life, but were not guardians, so acknowledge that today and surrender to that today, and rest in that today and then let it go into the hands of God. Take a moment to pray for Jesus. Some of us have just prayed about financial situations. Some of us have just prayed about medical situations. Some of us have just prayed for our children or parents were marriages or jobs.

Lord, there are thousands of things we could have just prayed for and probably somebody here prayed for everyone of we live in a world were lots of things happen. Lord in your sovereignty that we don't understand we don't get makes no sense to us, but I pray Lord, you would not let Satan rob us of the joy of our salvation by convincing us we have sovereign control of our lives.

We don't. Instead, help us to do with David to constantly encourage ourselves in the Lord by acknowledging and then surrendering to and then resting in the sovereignty of God over a lot, doesn't mean we don't do anything means that we do it with our heart settled call because it's resting on your sovereignty. So Lord for every one of us here today take away those things that are scaring and upsetting us, replace them with the joy of God and the peace of God as we nailed him to the cross and then take our seat at the foot of the cross and rest in the sovereignty of Christ. We pray these things in the name of the Lord Jesus.

What are God's people say that