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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Blessing
Israel
Many nations allied with
Israel
are condemning Israel
for what is perceived to be overkill in Gaza. To be clear, because you may
misunderstand me, I am pro-Israel, believing it is the only nation in
history to have been divinely appointed to historic and eschatological
significance. I believe
western nations must maintain a pro-Israel stance for their own strategic
purposes in the Middle East. That being said, in light of
Genesis 12:3 and Israel's failure live its divine calling, I also believe that we as Christians
should seriously process how, when and to what degree we bless
I believe God promised
Abram that He would become a great blessed nation (Genesis 12:2) that in
my opinion has yet to be realized. Some
say it was realized during King David's rule.
If it was, it didn't last long since a few decades later (922 BC)
civil war split Israel
in half. The north fell to Assyria
in 722 BC. The south fell to Babylon
in 586 BC. Israel never regained
nationhood until 1948 and I would say it's still not that great nation.
I believe God told Abram that He would bless those who bless him (Abram) and curse those who curs him (Genesis 12:3). Those believing the pronoun "him" refers to Israel the nation and not just Abram the man believe they must bless Israel at all cost, but should they?
Israel's restoration to
nationhood in 1948 may or may not be the event that leads to ending the
curses that culminate in the last great war on Israel that some say is
predicted in Ezekiel 39. Whatever
the case, Israel
is not yet the promised great nation.
If John the Baptist and Jesus were here today, John would preach
repentance as Jesus confronts the Jewish religious leaders.
With this in mind, blessing Israel
needs considerable thought. Think about this.
At the hand of God, northern Israel fell in 722 BC, southern Israel
fell in 586 BC while Jerusalem fell as Jesus predicted (Mark 13:2) in 70
AD. Does this have any
relevance about us blessing Israel? Are we to blindly bless Scripture
References
Genesis 12:2 and 3 "I will make you
[Abram] into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name
great, and you will be a blessing. I
will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and
all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Exodus 19:8 "The people [Jews]
all responded together, 'We will do everything the LORD
has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.'" Malachi 2:15 "Has not the one
God made you? You belong to
him in body and spirit. And
what does the one God seek? Godly
offspring. So be on your
guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth." Hosea 2:2 "Rebuke your
mother, [Israel] rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her
remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from
between her breasts." Malachi 2:2 "'If you do not
listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,' says the LORD
Almighty, 'I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor
me." Hosea 14:4 "I will heal their
waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from
them." Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour
out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace and supplication. They
will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as
one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves
for a firstborn son." Zechariah 14:2 "I will gather all
the nations to Jerusalem
to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and
the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the
people will not be taken from the city." Zechariah 13:8 "'In the whole
land,' declares the LORD, 'two-thirds will be
struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it.'" Romans 11:24 "After all, if you
[Gentles] were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and
contrary to nature were grafted into a
cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural
branches [Jews], be grafted into their own
olive tree!" Zechariah 14:4 "On that day his
[Jesus] feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Mark 13:2 "'Do
you see all these great buildings?' replied Jesus.
'Not one stone here will be left on another;
every one will be thrown down.' Luke 13:3 "I
tell you, no! But unless you repent,
you too will all perish." Psalm 122:6 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure."
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