Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

final seven years before Christ's return that is known as Daniel's last week (Daniel 9:27). John Darby (1800-1882), who published many prophetic books wrote, "Once the time of the Church of Christ is over, the time of Israel will start again." The conclusion of the church age is called the dispensation of the grace of God in Ephesians 3:1-4. At this time, the spiritual decline among the Gentile nations will be so great that all spiritual attention, for seven years, will be placed on Israel and the Jewish people. At this time, God will graft the Jewish branch back into the olive tree and, "all Israel shall be saved." The prophets warned, "Jerusalem will become a cup of trembling" to the nations of the world, and "all nations shall be gathered together against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:1-3). Many Israeli leaders are befriending American, Canadian and other Evangelical church leaders. They have found that Israel has few friends in the world and they understand the importance of cooperation between friends. One noted Jewish family obtained a 300-year-old Torah scroll that came from a Russian synagogue for our international ministry center. I was a good friend of Yehuda Getz, a chief rabbi in Israel who has since departed from this life. Two of my closest friends outside of America are Jews who live in Jerusalem. I would advise Christians not to judge Jews by the few among them who seek to remove God and Christianity from American culture. I would advise the Jews not to judge all Christians by a handful of anti Semitics who call themselves Christians. Look at those whose lives reflect the teachings of the Bible and, through love, seek to build bridges to their Jewish brothers and sisters. Christians believe that the Messiah is coming to restore all things, and that He was a Jew who was born of a Jewish mother. Is it any wonder that Christians love Hebrew people, Hebrew culture, and Hebrew Scriptures? Jesus died for Jews and Gentiles. A Jewish man allowed Christ to borrow his tomb, a Roman solder was converted while Christ was dying, and a black man named Simon the Cyrenian helped carry Jesus' cross. Jesus died for everyone (Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:39, Matthew 27:32). I believe we are in the early stages of a restoration of the breach. Since Christ will rule from Jerusalem for 1,000 years, we must learn to understand our Hebrew roots!

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