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The Wars of Israel and Judah
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeThe State of Israel represents only a part of the ancient Israel, specifically the remains of the southern Kingdom of Judah, while the northern ten tribes of the Kingdom of Israel have been scattered across Western Europe, North America, South Africa, and Australia. These modern descendants of the Israelites, including both Israel and Judah, face a shared enemy in radical Islam, though many in these nations do not recognize the threat, except for modern-day Judah, which has been fighting for its existence since 1947. God will ultimately prevail, as prophecies indicate that scattered Israel will be regathered in the Promised Land, and Israel and Judah, whatever remnant remains, will be united once again with true worship of God restored to them. However, a remnant of Israel will be saved and brought through the time of Jacob's Trouble, with only those who turn to God and repent being spared. This remnant suggests that few will see the need for repentance, and it is estimated that perhaps only ten percent of greater Israel may survive. God will determine the exact number, knowing the hearts and works of His people, and the spiritual condition of these nations will decide their fate, not military strength.
144,000 of the Tribes of Israel
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe attributes of the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14 are found in prophecies of Israel, indicating that a humbled remnant of Israel will turn to God.
Israel's Restoration and the Zeitgeist of Zeal
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)God's determined purpose is to regather and restore the remnant of Israel, bringing them back to the Land of Promise after a period of scattering and punishment for their sins. In Isaiah 11:11, the Lord sets His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from lands like Assyria and Egypt, providing a highway for their return as He did during the Exodus. Jeremiah 16:14-15 emphasizes this regathering, declaring that the Lord will bring Israel back from the north and all lands of exile to the land given to their fathers, surpassing even the memory of their deliverance from Egypt. Restoration, distinct yet closely linked to regathering, involves God bringing Israel back into His favor. This includes a singular act of atonement, as Zechariah 3:9 states that God will remove the iniquity of the land in one day, and a gradual process of increasing Israel's wealth and prestige among nations, as described in Isaiah 60:10-11, where foreigners build their walls and kings minister to them. Punishment precedes restoration, with Jeremiah 16:18 noting that God will punish Israel in full for their sins before restoring them. In the context of Jacob's trouble, a time of unparalleled tribulation as depicted in Jeremiah 30:5-7, God promises salvation and restoration for Israel. Jeremiah 30:3 affirms that God will bring back His people from captivity to possess the land of their fathers. This restoration includes breaking the yoke of oppression and establishing service to the Lord and David their king, as seen in Jeremiah 30:8-9, while God's fierce anger falls on the wicked in the latter days. Moses, in Deuteronomy 30:1-3, introduces the future regathering and restoration of scattered Israel, speaking to both immediate listeners and their descendants. When Israel reflects on the blessings and curses in captivity, God will have compassion, gather them from all nations, and prosper them more than their fathers, as stated in Deuteronomy 30:5-6, circumcising their hearts to love Him fully. This spiritual transformation, further elaborated in Ezekiel 36:26-27, involves God giving a new heart and spirit, ensuring obedience through His Spirit. Ezekiel 37:21-22 speaks of God gathering Israel from among the nations, making them one nation under one king, no longer divided. A covenant of peace, everlasting in nature, will be established, with God's sanctuary among them forever, as noted in Ezekiel 37:26-27. Despite this promise, rebellion persists in some, and Ezekiel 20:38 declares that God will purge rebels from among the regathered, preventing their entry into the land of Israel to maintain its holiness. God's plan extends beyond regathering and restoration to a worldwide mission. In Ezekiel 48:30-35, the city's gates, named after Israel's tribes, are seen as exits, metaphorically suggesting a going out to spread God's word. Isaiah 27:6 envisions Israel taking root, blossoming, and bearing fruit that covers the earth, indicating a global impact. Christ, as a shepherd in Jeremiah 31:10 and Ezekiel 37:24, leads His flock, potentially out of the land to preach the gospel, mirroring the New Testament model of going out to all nations, as in Matthew 28:19. Israel's role in God's salvific work, as Psalm 74:12 states, is to bring salvation throughout the earth. Restored Israel, under the New Covenant, will carry the gospel to all peoples, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that all families of the earth will be blessed through him. Isaiah 2:3 captures this dual movement of going out to teach God's ways and drawing people to Zion, where the law and word of the Lord go forth from Jerusalem.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Ten): Where Is Israel Today?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughNo matter how scattered Israel is, God will not lose the smallest grain. Using Jerusalem as a reference point, Israel dispersed north and west into Europe.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Thirteen): Jacob's Trouble
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughDuring Jacob's Trouble, a confederacy of gentile peoples (particularly the offspring of Ishmael and Esau) will destroy the nations of modern-day Israel.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Seven): Romans 9
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPaul describes physical Israel as broken branches, allowing gentile branches to be grafted in, ultimately leading to the return of Israel to God's grace.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Fourteen): Israel Redeemed
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod employs a winnowing process in selecting those who will enter the Millennium. The process includes punishment for Israel's failure to serve as priests.
The Remnant
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughThe subject of a remnant occurs 540 times in the Bible! What is a remnant? How does it apply in this end time? How does it apply to the church?
The Appointed Time for Israel
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Clyde FinkleaIn Leviticus 23, God's festivals are called appointed times. One appointed time for ancient Israel was the fulfillment of the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel.
Learn to Fear God
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidFearing God is equated with obeying or complying with God's instructions, voluntarily measuring all our thoughts and behavior against His Law.
The Second Exodus (Part Two)
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeThe timing of the regathering of Israel is uncertain, but here are the Scriptural markers that narrow the time frame to a significant prophetic event.
Shouting Gleanings and Singing Olives (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles WhitakerIsaiah's apocalypse resembles Exodus, as both begin with a narration of God's judgment on sinners and then move to a description of God's continuing work.
The Bride of Christ (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mark SchindlerOur daily choices build character that will endure divine testing. By aligning with God's divine order, we do our part in yielding to this active preparation.
The Second Exodus (Part One)
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeThe Bible tells us that the time is coming when God will regather Israel to the Land of Promise, a greater Exodus than that from the Land of Egypt.
Why Are We Here? (2004)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidKeeping the Feast of Tabernacles includes temporary dwellings, rejoicing before God, and learning to fear God and faithfully keep His law.
The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Millennium will come about because Jesus Christ is faithful to rescue mankind from its own stupidity, putting an end to sin and rebellion.
The Present Harvest (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)Christ empowers His disciples to preach and heal. He is saying there will be an incomplete work of healing and preaching in the run-up to His return.
Hope!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidHope is a joyful and contented expectation of salvation or fulfillment. Modern Israel has very little hope because of reaping the consequences of sin.
New Heavens and New Earth
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFollowing Jacob's Trouble, God will regather a remnant of the outcasts, breaking their yokes and bringing them to repentance and rest in the Promised Land.
Zephaniah (Part Three): Quick Destruction, Eternal Restoration
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughZephaniah has messages for the remnant of physical Israel, the house of David, and for the faithful remnant from the Israel of God.
The Book of Joel (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIn the fullness of time, God will pour His spirit on all peoples, including those who had formerly directed their hostility on God and His chosen people.
Prepare to Meet Your God! (Part Eight): Seek Me and Live!
Article by John W. Ritenbaugh and Richard T. RitenbaughThe prophecy of Amos, bearing a message of doom and destruction to Israel, also holds a glimmer of hope for a remnant of the nation. Although God declares, 'Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,' says the LORD (Amos 9:8), He will show mercy to a few and spare a remnant of Joseph (Amos 5:15). This remnant, a small representative of the original whole, is likened to a scrap of cloth or a pinch of hair hidden away (Ezekiel 5:1-4), a mere fraction compared to the vastness of the entire nation (Isaiah 10:22; 6:13). Historically, after Assyria conquered and enslaved Israel in 721-718 BC, many survivors were resettled in distant lands such as Halah, by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes (II Kings 17:5-6). Few, if any, returned to the Promised Land, instead migrating north and west into Europe and beyond (Isaiah 43:5-6; 49:12; Jeremiah 3:12, 18; 31:8; Zechariah 2:6; 8:7). The prophesied return of this remnant remains in the future, where they will come back to the land of Israel as a beaten, broken, and humbled people, having endured great suffering at the hands of captors worldwide (Jeremiah 31:8-9; Micah 4:6). Through their trials, they will understand their forsaking of God and His way of life, becoming ready to listen and obey His instructions (Isaiah 10:22; Zephaniah 3:13) and to reap the benefits of following Him (Isaiah 37:31; Zechariah 8:4-8, 11-15). God will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve, ensuring that not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground (Amos 9:9). In this process, the grain that passes through represents those who will be saved, while the pebbles caught in the sieve are those who will be destroyed for their complacency and denial of impending calamity (Amos 9:10). Despite the severe punishments of war, famine, pestilence, captivity, slavery, and exile, God desires a bountiful, happy life for His people, using these calamities as a final effort to turn them back to Him.
Shouting Gleanings and Singing Olives (Part One)
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)Isaiah 24 prophesies that God will preserve a remnant made up of grape gleanings (the His Church) and of olives (national Israelites) who will sing together.
The Time of Jacob's Trouble
Sermon by David C. GrabbeThe curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are warning shots over moral decay and national sins. Jacob's trouble will force a total reliance on God.
Not Just a Better America
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod does not endorse the American system any more than any other system not based on God's Laws. The Millennium will not resemble America.
The Needed Dimension
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUnless we humbly submit before God, all of His efforts go for naught. God will not give His Spirit to those who will not obey Him.
From Rubble to Utopia
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe World Tomorrow is not going to happen because of an instantaneous miracle. God takes His time to produce both physical and spiritual changes.
Reconciliation (Part Two): Christ's Work
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAfter reconciliation, there can finally be a meeting of minds as we are fashioned into a new creation, invited to sit in heavenly places, created for good works.
Will God Shorten the Day of the Tribulation?
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaZephaniah suggests that 'elect' may refer to a remnant called around the time of Christ's return, which God will give His Spirit and hide from the holocaust.
Psalms: Book Three (Part Five)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIf we would keep God's Feasts properly, we would be in sync with God's noble purpose for us, defending us from falling into apostasy and idolatry.