Israel’s birth, fate and warning to the Gentile nations (1)

By John Abiola

“Brethren,my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (Romans 10:1).

God being supreme has always been a master planner in His agenda concerning anything He decides to start. Gen 12:1 sheds light on our understanding of how God started the journey of birthing a new and covenanted nation, in which the Bible recorded that in it all the families of the nation shall be blessed (Gen 12: 3).

God told Abraham, “I would make thee of a great nation” with a covenant backing up the fulfillment of this promise. So, from the obedience of Abraham, God began to lay bricks which He conceived in His heart of the covenanted nation called ISREAL.

When Abraham left Haran his country he was about 75 years old, it took 25 years before God’s promise to Abraham came into fulfillment. When Abraham became impatient with God’s promise, through flesh he begat Ishmael and what followed next which he begat by the Spirit became ISRAEL, the seed, God began to plant till the evolvement of the nation of Isreal which took extra several years before it became a nation of stature.

Along the line, Israel became the firstborn of God, the nation of Isreal with the covenant of God upon them, a full-fledged nation with a covenant backing them.

Israel’s deviation.

Israel deviated immediately after it was given the law. They misinterpreted the spiritual meaning of the law. Israel accepted the law that God gave to them, and they dived into the knowledge of the law, but when the appointed time came for God to complete His preordained plan right from Abraham’s obedience, they missed God’s plan through disobedience and other annex sins.

God decided to make a complete fulfillment by sending His son Jesus Christ for her spiritual realignment and Revival. Unfortunately for Israel, she did not get the next direction that God already stated in the person of Jesus Christ. Israel missed God’s pre-planned goal for them, they rejected him, choosing rather to focus on the law and not on the lawgiver.

The most unfortunate thing, in Israel’s action, is what is stated in Deut.18.15 – “The LORD your God will raise for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.”

This expounds our understanding to know that Israel knew about the coming of Jesus Christ. The law prophesied about him. It was not a matter of ignorance any longer, it shows Isreal ABJECT REJECTION to the coming of Jesus Christ due to pride and unbelief.

The synoptic Gospel, gives broad stories of several actions of the rejection towards Jesus Christ, although they knew about his coming through the hardness of their heart, coupled with unbelief, spiritual pride, and prejudice, their hearts focused on the law without focusing on the lawgiver. This made them give in to devilish schemes and reject him which lead to the spiritual declination and retardation in Isreal right now.

Matt. 27:25- ” Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and our children”.

Let’s get a broader view of this through scripture.

Matt.2.5 – And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet”
Matt.2.6 – “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”‘

This is an extract from Mathew 2. From the preceding verses, Herod became troubled because of the coming of Jesus Christ and sought to kill him, having found out that he is called the King of the Jews. But before he proceeded to carry out his murder schemes against Jesus Christ, He approached the scribes and the chief priests. (Matt.2:4).

We must come to an understanding of who chief priests are; Chief priests are certain influential religious leaders, they are scholars of the Jewish laws, they are also interpreters of the law. They were the HEADS of the people of Isreal. This was the sect of people Herod went to ask from who Jesus Christ is and his call. They replied with those words. This sheds light to our understanding that they knew about the coming of Jesus Christ but something was dysfunctional with them.

They were given to spiritual blindness, they interpreted the law at face value not at spiritual enlightenment. This was one of the reasons why God sent His son to the house of Israel, first and foremost to open their eyes to understand that the laws were laid down as bricks, they were stepping stones towards the appearance of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the main theme of the law.

He is the one the law was written about. All the prophets in the Torah and the Bible prophesied about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But they were spiritually blind, instead of acknowledging their blindness, they hardened their hearts, and because of this, pride set in, which led to their more intense blindness and fall. Christ was sent to them to let them know and comprehend that it’s not the observance of the law that matters anymore, in fact, because of God’s changed plan, anyone subjected to the law is dead, and anyone in need of life now should accept Jesus Christ.

Hence, the state of Israel before Jesus Christ came was SPIRITUAL DEADNESS AND BLINDNESS. ( Acts 7:51-53).

On the Law

The law is simply written down rules, commandments, regulations, and precepts that God himself laid down to guide the children of Israel on how they are to live right.

The law was given by God to the people of Isreal through Moses the prophet. (Deut.5:1-10.22, 11:1-26.19).
It was more like a channeling transmission, through Moses the law was given to the people to access. So therefore, the people of Isreal practiced the precepts of the law.

The hidden and main motive of the law given was to guide them on how they are to live right in pleasing God. Unfortunately, the people of Isreal did not get this entirely. They became bound to the law, instead of knowing the reason behind the law. The law was a shadow of the things that were to come in the future. In other words, the laws were bricks that were being laid down towards the coming of Jesus Christ.

So therefore when Christ came, the law by default in God’s plan ceased and Christ became the new law. Let me shed more light on this through the scripture I highlighted in the preceding verses.

Deut.18.18 – I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

That is a prophecy given about the coming of Jesus Christ which ends the continuation of the law. Here, God was trying to intimate the children of Israel to understand that through Moses I gave the law to you to practice but there is one I am sending who is far greater than Moses but just like him (in the aspect of human nature), I would speak my words (commandments) to you when He comes to listen to whatever he says for the words He speaks are mine but not his.

In essence, I gave the law, but now, when the fullness of time comes I am laying down another law, entirely new, which can only be gotten through the person of Jesus Christ, acceptance of his words and commandments which are mine. So therefore In the words of Apostle Paul, Christ became the end of the law and the inception of righteousness through him.

( Romans 10:1-5).

Now, let’s dive into the consequences of going against the GREATER PROPHET words and commandments.
Deut.18.19 – And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
That is the inevitable consequence of obstinacy towards the message (NEW LAW) Jesus Christ gives, to require of such person would be that the person would held accountable for whatever God charges upon him.

John 3 vs16 states the charges John 3.18 – “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”

So, the fate of he who rejects the new law in Christ Jesus is the inevitable fate of Condemnation. That is the current fate of Israel, a spiritual condemnation that brings Death.

The only hope Israel has right now is REPENTANCE. Once the action of deep and remorseful repentance is achieved, the gavel of condemnation is boycotted and righteousness through Jesus Christ is imputed on them. At the point of repentance, the move of revival ( Life) comes through and sets its gaze on her.

Nevertheless, until repentance is activated, revival will not happen in Israel’s case. Righteousness does not come from the law, it comes only through Jesus Christ the lawgiver, the reason behind the law. You see, God already knew the future state of Israel. Before Jesus Christ came, the nation of Isreal was already gaining the wrong view of the given law, they were in a state of spiritual blindness.

Jesus Christ was sent to open their eyes to enlighten them on the spiritual interpretation of the law. They were only given to ceremonial rites, observance of the law, and circumcision activities, Jesus Christ came to show them the true light of what things mean, so in as much as Christ became the end of the law, He also came to fulfill the law. So the only true way the people of Israel can access the new law is to heed the words of Jesus Christ which he has been commanded to speak, and this can only come through the action of repentance.

That is one reason why when Jesus began his public ministration. The message He first uttered was the message of “repentance “. Matt 4:17, ” From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand’, who was Jesus referring to? Israel of course.

He was calling the nation of Isreal back to repentance so that they could abandon the ceremonial activities of the law which God himself has stopped through the appearance of Jesus Christ.  And also so that they can access true righteousness through his precious blood. At this point, their spiritual blindness is removed and their eyes can comprehend the scriptures.

Salvation comes through Jesus Christ, it does not come through the law. In Israel’s acceptance of Jesus Christ, the assignment was given to Israel to fulfill, they would be able to fulfill it effectively. Israel can not fulfill this mandate through the observance of the law but only through Jesus Christ and his New law.

Hence, Israel missed her revival, her restoration, and her calling ( Gen 12: 3)

Israel’s pride.

One mistake Israel made which God held her responsible for is unbelief through her accelerated pride.
Israel knew the law, they knew the coming of Jesus Christ, as it was stated in their law. But they made a very terrible mistake. They entertained pride, and they were blind, (this was the reason Jesus Christ was sent to them to restore their spiritual blindness),

Instead of going back to the law, extracting Deuteronomy 18: 18 and other annex prophecies concerning Christ, after diving into it, going back to Jesus Christ to accept his new message and law, they became obdurately prideful. Instead of acknowledging their spiritual blindness, they sank deeper into the mud of pride, there was someone greater than Moses or Abraham, it was the son of God the lawgiver.

This action of pride led to the fulfillment of Proverbs 16:18-19, and 18:12 in their life, and so because of failure to recognize their blindness, reconfigure their relationship with God, and reaffirm the covenant upon them through Jesus Christ the stronger covenant, they sank deeper into sin and missed the calling of God upon them.
That was the inception of Israel’s deviation from the ordained plan of God for them.

Hence, the result of the current spiritual decline in Isreal, reports say, “1 Mar 2022 · Two percent of Israel’s population – 180,000 people – are Christian, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics” That means 98% of current Israelis are not Christians and they don’t even believe in Jesus Christ.

Can you see such spiritual catastrophe upon the nation of Israel, the firstborn nation of God? Can you sense the pain in the heart of God for Israel?

Read part two: Follow this link: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/israels-birth-fate-and-warning-to-the-gentile-nations-2/

Revive Us Again series 91.
John Abiola.
nigeriaglobalintercessorsng@gmail.com.