Out of Zion

Susan Michael: Welcome to the final part of our Connecting the Bible to Today series. For many Christians, there is a disconnect between the Bible and today, especially between the Old Testament and today. For some Christians, there is even a disconnect between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I want to connect the dots for you because the story that began in Genesis is still going on today.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Israel Answers series, connecting Israel, the Bible, and you. Join Susan Michael as she explores timely issues and current events from a scriptural perspective to equip the Christian world with a balanced and biblical response. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, which will ignite your faith and bring the Bible to life in your everyday world. Now, let’s join Susan with your Israel Answers.

Susan Michael: We often have this idea in the Christian church that God finished with the Jews in the Old Testament and sort of gave up on them. In the New Testament, we have a new plan with a new people, the church. But the plan or story that began in Genesis is not over; it is still being written today. Paul said in Romans 11, when speaking of the Jewish people specifically, that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.

I do not have time to tell you the whole story today, but I am going to link in our show notes to a previous episode where I do just that. What I want to do in our short time today is to connect that story to today. That story is the story of God's love for the world, his plan to redeem the world, and it is also a story of the battle against God's plan. Central to this story is the calling and the role of the Jewish people.

The calling of Israel is not because God loves them more than any other people. God did not line up all the peoples of the earth and say, "Okay, I like this people better than all the rest, so I choose them." God did not choose them above the other peoples; he created them to be his people and to fulfill the purpose of bringing his plan of redemption to the world. The story that we read in Genesis actually began before the creation of the world.

In Ephesians 1:4-5, it says this: "Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." The story that we begin reading about in Genesis, the creation of the world, is actually not the beginning of the story. It is from eternity, from before the creation of the world.

In Revelation 13:8, it even refers to the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. This means that Jesus was always destined to die on our behalf on the cross. There was no Old Testament plan and New Testament plan. There was not a plan A and a plan B. Jesus was always plan A. We were predestined to be adopted into the family through Christ Jesus. God was not surprised by Israel's rejection of Jesus. In fact, he used it to carry out the plan.

The Apostle Paul says it is because of their rejection that the gospel went to the Gentiles. The point is this: God is so much greater than our failures. His promises are true, and he will fulfill his word, his will, and his promises. The story of the Bible is really the story of the people of Israel. From that story, we learn so much about God, his requirements, and how he engages his people.

In the New Testament, we add to that story a new people: believers in Jesus, one new man made up of both Jews and Gentiles. When the New Testament comes to an end, both the Jewish people and the Christians are scattered throughout the Roman Empire. The two groups developed into two very separate and different faiths. I have already talked about that in parts one and two of this series. Great animosity even developed between the two groups.

Anti-Semitism has pursued the Jewish people and even used the Christian church in this pursuit. I talked about that in part three. But God, the Creator of the universe, the sovereign God over all of history and above all principalities and powers, has brought the Jewish people back to their homeland after 2,000 years of exile. I talked about this in parts four and five of this series.

He has begun to fulfill everything that he promised to the Israelites back at Sinai and what the Hebrew prophets have predicted. The story that we read from Genesis to Revelation began before Genesis and it is continuing after the book of Revelation was written and the New Testament was closed. The story is not over. God did not take a break after John wrote the book of Revelation. He has been busy at work preparing the world for the ultimate fulfillment of the promises.

The Abrahamic covenant, God's promises to Abraham of a land, a people, and a mission to bless the world; the Mosaic covenant, in which he promised the Jewish people certain blessings in return for their relationship with him; the Davidic covenant, in which he promised to David an everlasting throne and a descendant of David to sit on that throne; and the new covenant that Jesus cut for us with his own blood all await their ultimate fulfillment.

The prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah are all going to be fulfilled. What a privilege it is to live in this generation. God is bringing his people back to the land and setting the stage for the fulfillment of all of his promises. It is the final and great act of history. When you get this in your gut and in your spirit, that is the day that the Bible becomes the most exciting book on the planet. It stands up and it comes alive. It goes 3D.

If this has not yet happened for you, I urge you to listen to my 3D Bible series and then take the year-long Walk Through the Bible series. I promise you will never be the same. In today's show notes, I am going to link to these resources. I want you to listen to the whole Connecting the Bible to Today series. I want you to listen to the 3D Bible episode about the story of the Bible and make a commitment to that year-long Walk Through the Bible.

Let the Bible come alive and impact your life today because it is so true and exciting. Thank you for joining me with this series. Please subscribe to this channel and sign up for our weekly email. I want to stay in touch with you, and I will see you back here next week as we continue Israel Answers. I also want to offer you a free download, 10 Reasons Why Christians Should Stand with Israel.

Get your free download by going to the link in today's show notes or go to outofzionshow.com and click on the tab for resources. We will have it there as well. Be sure to download this free resource. We are going to be talking about some of the points in it in the coming weeks. You can print it out and share it with friends and family. Invite them to join us here on the Out of Zion show for our Israel Answers series. I will see you back here next week, and until then, God bless.

Guest (Male): We hope you have enjoyed this episode of Out of Zion with Susan Michael. Be sure to subscribe to Out of Zion now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pray.com, Salem OnePlace, and Salem Live Audio. Out of Zion with Susan Michael is a production of ICEJ USA. All rights reserved.