Messianic Perspectives

Announcer (Female): Today the eyes of the world are on the Middle East as world leaders try to jumpstart the stalled peace process. What does the future hold for this troubled part of the world? We'll find out today as Pastor Albert Runge talks about Jerusalem: The Focus of Prophecy, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Liz Aiello: Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctly first-century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Aiello. Today we'll be hearing from Associate Bible Teacher Albert Runge as he talks about Jerusalem: The Focus of Prophecy. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. But first, with today's study, here is Al Runge.

Al Runge: Thank you for allowing me to come into your home and to share with you a wonderful message of Jesus, our Jewish Messiah. I'm continuing my messages on Jerusalem, the Focus of Prophecy. Prophecy can be better appreciated if we have a background in history. The secularist doesn't see any plan or purpose in history, and that is why he fears for the future. And for good reason. If mankind is just an accident of nature, if humanity is just another animal species, then we are all in deep trouble.

I can understand why so many young people drop out of their education and careers. It is because they don't believe there's any hope for the future. Secular philosophers tell them look at the destruction of the rainforests, it will deplete our oxygen. Look at the decline of the ozone level, it will cause cancer of the skin. Look at the pollution of our water, air, and earth, it will poison us. Look at the weapons of mass destruction, it will destroy us. Many nations already have the ability to destroy every man, woman, and child on the earth many times over, either by nuclear weapons or through biological warfare.

Humanity not only has the power, but it also has the meanness and evil in its very nature to do it. To have any kind of hope, we need to have a biblical view of history. Isaiah 46:8 and 10 give that to us. "Remember this. Recall to mind, all you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none other. I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.'"

Here are some basic facts. God exists. He declares the end from the beginning. He knows all things that will happen, and things that have not yet happened, he explains them in the scriptures. He has a future for mankind and he shall bring it to pass. He can do what he wants and no one can stop him. These are the reasons we are focusing on the revealed prophecies of God's word concerning Jerusalem. In our last message, we discovered that the old temple system in Jerusalem was abolished because it no longer served its purposes.

The Lord Jesus is now completing a spiritual temple. The Apostle Peter explains it in 1 Peter 2:4 and 6. "As you come to Jesus, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him, you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual temple, to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." So in this age, God is building a spiritual temple made up of believing Jews and Gentiles. But God is not yet finished with the nation of Israel. We can see that in the scriptures and in current events.

I remember reading a theological book written in 1935 in which the author said Israel would never again become a nation because God is finished with them. In 1948, Israel became a nation, proving him wrong. It is a nation again and its capital is Jerusalem, which brings us to an incredible prophecy in Zechariah 12:1-3 because it predicts that prior to the Lord's return to the earth, Jerusalem will again be inhabited by Jews during a time of great conflict over the city.

This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. "The Lord who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundations of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him. He declares..." Now, before we get to what he declares, I want to ask this question: who owns the land of Israel? The answer is the creator of the heavens and the earth, the one who formed the spirit of man within him. God decides who will have the land. And according to scripture, he's given it to his son, Jesus, the King of the Jews, to reign from Jerusalem over the whole world.

Now, let's listen to what he declares. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem." I am sympathetic with the sufferings of the Palestinians, but I hope that they understand that God has a plan for a Jewish state. The Palestinians are laying siege to Jerusalem by throwing stones, shooting, and planting bombs. I don't mean all the Palestinians, of course. Many of them are just common, ordinary people that just want to live their life in peace.

But it seems to me that the leaders of the Palestinians at this time are unrealistic of what they are doing. They seem intoxicated with an illusion that they will drive the Jews into the sea. They're acting like people that are drunk. Zechariah, the Jewish prophet, also said in verse 3, "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who heave it away will surely be hurt, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it." All nations of the earth are gathered against the Jews having Jerusalem. That's what's happening. That's what will happen.

The imagery here is of a person who is trying to throw away a very heavy stone, too heavy to lift, and is hurt by doing it. The prophet predicted that all nations will be against the Jews controlling Jerusalem. There is a conflict now over who should control Jerusalem. Here is a quote from Arafat a few years ago: "We say that the Israelis keep their part of Jerusalem, the new city in their state, and we will keep our parts of the old Jerusalem where the temple site is."

And the United Nations endorsed the Palestinian plan. The idea seemed to be reasonable on the surface, but the United Nations does not have the right to give away Jerusalem to anyone. Arafat now is going further and claiming much of the new city of Jerusalem for his people. There is also a Jewish view that corresponds to God's view. In the 1967 Israeli war, the Israeli army conquered the old city of Jerusalem for the first time since the Babylonian captivity, and General Dayan marched into Jerusalem. Immediately, he went to the Wailing Wall to pray.

He said, "We Jews have returned to our holy of holy places, never to leave again. The old Jerusalem is united with the new Jerusalem. Never, never, never again will we give it up." Now the conflict over Jerusalem is just a part of the picture of what is happening against the Jews today. Just a part of it. There is a worldwide resurgence of anti-semitism. Especially we see this in Russia and somewhat in Germany, but Stalin's grandson is forming an anti-semitic political party. He claims that nearly all the cases of mad cow disease are connected to Jews who are eaters of lamb brains.

And then the Communist Party newspaper that still operates claims that arms from Israel are being used to help Muslims separate from Russia. Any reasonable person can see through these lies. Who is creating them? Satan is. The enemy of Israel is behind them, who's called the devil. Jesus called the devil a liar, the father of lies, and a murderer. And the Bible explains why Satan hates the Jews in Revelation 12:17. "And the dragon was enraged against the woman." Metaphorically, the woman represents Israel who brought forth the manchild, Yeshua, who will rule the world with a rod of iron and unseat Satan and cast him into the lake of fire forever.

Verse 17 tells us much more. "And Satan went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Satan hates Israel because they brought forth the Messiah. He especially hates Messianic Jews who believe in Jesus because they seek to influence Israel for Jesus the Messiah. And we see some of this happening in some of the attempts of the religious parties in the Knesset. They are now attempting to pass a law to make it illegal to witness to a Jew about Jesus, even by mail or email, with a penalty of three months in prison.

What the lawmakers can't do through persuasion, they want to do through making Messianic Jews criminals. Israel may abolish freedom of religion and speech when it comes to Messianic Jews, but it cannot stop the truth of the messiahship of Jesus. We Jews who believe in Jesus, we suffer from anti-semitic Gentiles on one hand, and on the other hand, there are those among our people that would even attempt to make us criminals for trying to persuade the Jewish people to believe in Jesus who is the true and living Messiah.

But you can't kill the truth. You can't stop the truth. And if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus yet, may I encourage you to do it now? Because he's ready and willing to come into your life so that you can know and fellowship with him. God bless you as you think this over. May the Lord help you to see the truth. Amen.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Pastor Runge. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. You've been listening to Albert Runge, our Associate Bible Teacher here on Messianic Perspectives, and his discussion of Jerusalem: The Focus of Prophecy. In this fascinating series of studies, Pastor Al Runge explains the pivotal role the city of Jerusalem plays in Bible prophecy. He says it's no accident that this ancient city is the focal point of world attention in our generation. If you enjoyed today's study, you'll be glad to know that our special offer this week is the CD of this current series of studies on Jerusalem: The Focus of Prophecy. And you can have this set shipped right to your door for a gift of only $12. Just visit our secure online store at MessianicSpecialties.com to place your order.

If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. Let me remind you that when you order the materials we offer here on the program, you're not only enabling us to remain here on your station, but you're also helping us take the good news of Yeshua HaMashiach to Jewish people and Gentiles all over the world. Even if you're one of our regular listeners, you still may not know that we're much more than just a radio program. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries, one of the largest missionary organizations in the world.

We currently have missionary families serving the Lord all over the world, including the United States, Canada, South America, England, France, and, of course, Israel. So when you write, consider helping us with a gift above the suggested amount. We'd be very grateful. Have you enjoyed this edition of Messianic Perspectives? Why not continue to learn about the Jewish roots of your Christian faith by inviting a speaker from CJF Ministries? Call our toll-free number, 1-800-926-5397, and we'll be happy to handle all of the details. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that, too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Pastor Albert Runge continues our series of studies on Jerusalem: The Focus of Prophecy, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Announcer (Female): Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas, and is made possible on this station by the free-will contributions of our listeners in this area.