Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: On May 14, 1948, the Jewish National Council proclaimed the birth of the modern State of Israel. Was this unprecedented event foretold by the ancient prophets, or was it merely an accident of history? We'll find out today, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Today, Gary Hedrick is leading our discussion about whether or not the modern State of Israel is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. And now, with today's installment, here's Gary.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Welcome listening friend to another edition of the program. It's good to have you with us today as we continue our series of studies dealing with the question of whether or not the rebirth of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. If you've been with us for the last few programs, you know we've been talking about Matthew chapter 24, one of the most intriguing prophetic passages in the entire Bible.

On the last program, we were talking about the sign of the Son of Man. In verse three, the disciples had asked the Lord, "What will be the sign," singular, "the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age?" And in verse 30, the Lord said, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn." If you were with us last time, you know the key to figuring out what that sign is is found in verse 30. You have to look at verse 30 through Jewish eyes; that is, you've got to use the Old Testament to interpret the New Testament. If you didn't get in on that discussion last time, I'd recommend that you send for the tape.

Now, before our time gets away from us today, let's get back to the disciples' two questions here in Matthew 24. They wanted to know first of all when the temple would be destroyed, and secondly, they wanted to know when Christ would return to earth. They said, "When shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world, of the end of the age?" Now, here's His answer, verse four: "And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no one deceive you, for many will come in my name saying, 'I am the Christ, I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many."

Verse six: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places." Did you hear what He said? "All these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." He said these things in themselves are not signs of the end because false Messiahs and warfare and famine and pestilence and earthquake are things that will characterize the entire Church Age.

These are all things that have been going on since the beginning of human history. So if these are things that have always been going on, how could they be a sign of the end of the age? Well, the answer is in the next verse. Now watch this, verse eight: "All these are the beginning of sorrows." You see, it's a prophetic analogy. In the Greek, the word translated "sorrows" here literally means birth pangs. Our Lord is drawing an analogy or a comparison between the prophetic trends that will precede His second coming and the labor pains or contractions that precede childbirth.

This metaphor explains the significance of the prophetic trends enumerated here in Matthew chapter 24. How does an expectant mother know when she's about to give birth? Well, by the increasing frequency and intensity of her labor pains. When those pains are a minute or so apart and very painful, she knows her baby is about to be born. Remember those two things: frequency and intensity. That's the key. Certain prophetic trends like warfare, earthquakes, famine, and disease would characterize much of the Church Age, but Jesus said, "The end is not yet." (Matthew 24:6).

That is, these events do not become signs of the end until they begin to increase noticeably in frequency and intensity. That's when they become signs of the end. So let's take a closer look at the prophetic trends outlined here in Matthew chapter 24 and see if we can answer the question of whether or not prophetic signs can apply to the Church Age. The first prophetic trend Jesus mentions is in Matthew 24 verse 5. Here's what He said: "For many shall come in my name saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many."

There have been many false Messiahs during the past 2,000 years, my friend. In the days of the second temple, for example, many Jews in Eretz Israel were expecting the coming of the Messiah. Even before the birth of Christ, many false Messiahs had come claiming to be Him. The rabbis had conditioned the people to believe that the Messiah would deliver them from the cruel and oppressive rule of the Romans. One reason the Jewish leaders rejected Yeshua of Nazareth was that He didn't fit the profile of their messianic expectations.

There were other false Messiahs in the eastern countries in the 8th century, during the first crusade from 1096 to 1099 AD, in Byzantium, during the Spanish Inquisition, and at other difficult times in Jewish history, people have come along who claim to be the Messiah. For about ten years from the year 1523 to 1532 AD, David Reubeni and Solomon Molcho convinced many Jews in Europe, Egypt, and Eretz Israel that the Messiah's arrival was imminent. Reubeni claimed to be a general of the army of the lost ten tribes of Israel.

According to ancient Jewish tradition, the lost people of the kingdom of Israel, who were carried into captivity in ancient times by the Assyrians, are supposed to appear again when Messiah comes. But perhaps the most famous of the false Messiahs was Sabbatai Zevi. He claimed to be the Messiah, but few people believed him until Rabbi Nathan, who was a rabbi in Gaza, announced that he had seen a vision that Zevi really was the Messiah. A messianic movement began to spread like wildfire.

Jews all over the world began fasting and praying and giving their money and making plans to return to the land of Israel. There were stories of signs and wonders and miracles and rumors that the lost ten tribes had been located in Africa or in Mecca or near Gaza. The movement ended abruptly, however, in the year 1666 when Zevi converted to the Muslim faith. He died in disgrace a few years later. So false Messiahs have been fairly common over the last 2,000 years.

But remember what we said about these signs. As we approach the time of the end, they will increase in frequency and intensity. And there's no question about it, listening friend, there is a messianic fervor today that's unparalleled in modern times among the Jews. Never before in recent memory has there been such an anticipation among the Jewish people of the imminence of Messiah's coming. If you're listening on our New York station, you know what I'm talking about.

Go down into Crown Heights where you've got the Lubavitcher Jews, and you see great big banners saying, "We want Messiah now." Bless their hearts, they're ready. They just don't know who He's going to be, and they're going to be mighty surprised when they find out He's Yeshua HaMashiach. That's why the prophet Zechariah said, "And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications." Listen, "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

Well, we're not done with this first prophetic trend yet, but unfortunately, that's all of our time for today. So the first prophetic trend is the appearance of false Messiahs. We'll have more to say about this on the next program. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you Gary. And thank you listening friend for tuning in today. You know, with everything that's been happening recently in the Middle East, it's vital that Christians understand what the Bible says about this important piece of real estate. Has God given up on His people Israel like the replacement theologians would have us believe? Is God finished with the Jewish people as some people claim? Absolutely not.

In fact, nearly 2,000 years after the destruction of the temple, God is now beginning to deal with His people Israel in a very specific way. All the information you need on this timely subject is right here on one convenient CD. It's available for a gift of just six dollars or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just ask for series number GT12. The title is simply, "The Rebirth of Israel in 1948 - Was it a Fulfillment of Prophecy?"

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So we'll look forward to hearing from you. Just drop us a line at Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292 or email us at info@cjfm.org. 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. This is Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you? As Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series on "The Rebirth of Israel in 1948 - Was it a Fulfillment of Prophecy?" right here on Messianic Perspectives.