ONE NATION UNDER GOD
By Derek Rous*
[* The following can be found in the Prayer For Israel
(Summer Magazine 2016).
Bold, underlining and highlighting of words are
used throughout to emphasize truths, which are of great importance to
Christians.]
And I will make them
one nation in the land,
upon the mountains of Israel; and one king
shall be over them all:
Ezekiel 37: 22, R.V.
This passage will be the theme at this
years Annual Convention in July.
Here is a brief preview by Derek Rous:-
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So long as the
scriptures have been read, God has been calling believing people to pray for
the Peace of Jerusalem that will only be fully realised when Israel as a nation is redeemed. This has been at the heart of all Gods
praying people for 2000 years who longed to see not just the restoration of His
people back to the Land of Israel but the restoration of His people back to
God. (Ezekiel 36: 24-29.)
The
restoration of Israel to the
Land called Israel
is truly a miraculous event unsurpassed in the history of the nations. But it was neither an accident of our times
brought about because of the guilt and sympathy stirred in the hearts of the
nations as a result of the Holocaust.
Nor was it the result of Jewish ingenuity. Jewish bankers, or
overwhelming Jewish scientific, technological or military superiority.
Ezekiel 36 foretold this, - that restoration to the Land would be because
God brought it to pass. It would be His doing in the fulness of time - in the
latter days as a prelude to the nation being restored into a living
relationship with God. The Apostles preached after Pentecost
recorded in Acts 3, that if only Israel
understood and believed in all that the prophets foretold, they would have
known Jesus to be the redeemer of Israel. And because
they refused to believe it - they crucified their Messiah. The Apostles preaching was direct and
compassionate, reassuring them that despite their tragic action, there was
hope - because God had raised Jesus from death. It need not
be the disaster they thought, if only they would believe what the prophets had foretold of this Messiah. This day would be THE DAY prophesied by all the prophets concerning the restoration
of all things.
Gods
plan of restoration was not just concerned with individual redemption. Ezekiel 37: 22 spoke of
His plan to make Israel one Nation under
one King. Verse 17 speaks of joining two sticks representing Israel and Judah into one stick. This would be an event not seen since the
division of the nation under King Rehoboam in 932B.C. spoken of in 1
Kings 12: 19. Here Jeroboam
rebelled against Rehoboams unwise and heavy handed rule bringing about the breakaway
of the ten northern tribes.
We
are coming up to 3000 years since Israel was a united Nation but one day soon
it will be re-united - what a glorious and blessed day that will be.
One
might marvel at the fact that Israel
has a government today - the only democracy in the middle-east, ruling from Jerusalem. But when Messiah Jesus comes to rule, it
will not be a democracy. It will be a unique theocratic Nation where justice
and righteousness will be the experience of every one of its citizens. Israel
will be one pure united Nation in
the Land - on all the land allotted to them including the mountains of Israel and One King
will be over them. God will
establish an everlasting covenant of Peace with them and set His
Sanctuary in their midst forevermore (37: 26). Then,
it says the Nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.
Our
prayer for its fulfilment is like that of Isaiah in chapter 64 where he cries, Oh that you would
rend the heavens and come down.
Its like the prayer of Habakkuk who also had the same heart for Israel. This prophets name - one who clings, describes his sense of anguish as he sees the state
of the Nation. He trembles at the Word
of God when he realises how God will deal with His people. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry
and You will not hear?
How
does the Lord answer those prayers? His
answer is simple. He will come
down!
He will come because He has already come. Zechariah 12: 10 says that He will come when all nations come against Jerusalem in that Day and pour
out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem
the Spirit of grace and supplication. And as a nation they will look unto Him whom
they pierced. He will come in that day and open up the
fountain of living water that alone can cleanse away sin and uncleanness. Why? Because He
has already come and fulfilled the
work of substitutionary atonement at Calvary 2000 years previous which itself
was in the heart of God before the beginning of time. Revelation 13: 8 God will answer prayer!
Ezekiel 37: 26 talks
of making a covenant of peace
with them (Israel) which will be an everlasting covenant. He will also
set My
sanctuary in their midst for evermore. However, in chapter
20: 33 the Lord had already made clear that with a mighty hand, with
an outstretched arm and with fury poured out, I
will rule over you. And further in verse 37 I will make you pass
under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. What is this
referring to? It gives the impression
that Israel
is receiving some tough talk from the Lord.
Although opinions vary about the end times and consequences for Israel,
the passages above coupled with chapter 12 of Zechariahs prophecy and Jeremiah chapter 30 indicate that the realisation of the Kingdom age of
our Lord Jesus will not come about without serious troubles for the world in
which we all live including Israel.
One
cannot help hearing time and again through the mouthpiece of His prophets that Gods
justice is linked with His mercy. Hosea calls
for Israel
to return to the Lord. He has torn but He
will heal us - that we may live in His sight. (Hosea 6:
1). Seek Me and live calls the Lord through Amos (5: 4).
And
today, God calls out to His people whether in Israel or wherever they have
dispersed, Turn to Me
and live. Its the same message spoken by the prophets
of God, repeated by the apostles at Pentecost, the same message preached by Paul to the Jew
first (Romans 1: 16) and unchanged down the ages.
How will they become One Nation under
God? The same way it has always been through Repentance and Faith in
the Lord, the Messiah of Israel, the one and Only Son of God, Jesus of
Nazareth - the King of the Jews and coming King over all the earth.
THE END