Why Should Gentile Christians Support Israel?

Twas the night before Christmas…

Twas the night before Christmas, 2014, my sister walked through the door and her eyes went immediately to the countertop where my gift sat.  She saw the Hanukkiah I’d brought home for Christmas and exclaimed, “What?! … Are we Jewish now?”

I laughed and replied, “No, but since Jesus celebrated Hanukkah, shouldn’t we?”

John 10:22-23 (TLV) says, “Then came Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication;”) it was winter in Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon’s Colonnade.”

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, called a menorah (or hanukkiah). One branch is typically placed above or below the others and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shamash (Hebrew: שַׁמָּשׁ‎, “attendant”). Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shamash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival.[4] Other Hanukkah festivities include singing Hanukkah songs, playing the game of dreidel and eating oil-based foods, such as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods. Since the 1970s, the worldwide Chabad Hasidic movement has initiated public menorah lightings in open public places in many countries.[5] (Wikipedia, 2021)

The Baptist church we grew up with didn’t mention the Hanukkiah or the “Feast of Dedication” written in the Book of John, nor did we ever hear any teaching on the “Feasts of the Lord.”  I don’t recall hearing much about Israel, either.  At least not in the context of God’s promises toward her except by extension to the “church,” which many do without rightly dividing the scripture (II Timothy 2:15). For example, many teachers, preachers, and denominations wrongly ascribe God’s promises and blessings to the “church” when His Word is specific to an individual or nation.

First Baptist Church, however, did teach us to study the Bible. According to my Strong’s Concordance, “Israel” is listed 2,465 times.  With so many references in God’s Word, why wouldn’t we want to study its relevance to the past, present, and future acts of God regarding Israel?

Why should Gentile Christians support Israel?

In a word; “RESTORATION.” Israel is the only place or Nation that God has placed His Name and promises to restore the world. The Bible contains over 1,800 predictions concerning more than 700 separate subjects found in over 8,300 verses. That’s nearly a third of the Bible!  The Old Testament contains more than 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ alone, many with amazing specificity. Numerous prophecies have already been fulfilled, and they have come to pass precisely as foretold. The mathematical odds of someone making this number of predictions and having every one of them come to pass are light-years beyond the realm of human possibility. These miraculous prophecies could only be accomplished with the supernatural guidance of Him who sees the end from the beginning. It Must Be A God Thing!

Do you want to see Jesus’ return?  Does His empty grave give you hope? We know that when He does return, He will restore ALL things.

Jesus said, “For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem ADONAI. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” –Matthew 23:39

Do you want to see Jesus’ return?  Does His empty grave give you hope? We know that when He does return, He will restore ALL things. He’s not going to Rome, New York, or Anytown, USA — He’s not returning omnipresently over the whole earth. Jesus is returning to Israel!  But not until they call out to Him.

We want nothing more than for Him to find us joined with Him in His work when He returns. Please join us in sharing the love of Jesus with those living in the land and the people of Israel.

Experiencing God

Over thirty years ago, Henry Blackaby released a book and study guide entitled, “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.”

Of the thousands, if not tens-of-thousands of hours studying the bible in my lifetime, Experiencing God has been the greatest aid, alongside the bible, to grow my faith and trust in Jesus, my Savior, and my God. We see Him moving in Israel and choose to join Him in His work.

The premise is this;

God is always moving

John 5:17, 19-20 My Father is still working, and I am working… I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing.

He invites us to join Him in His work

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself… and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us.

When we do, He blesses us as we know and do the will of God

Ephesians 3:16-21 I pray that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Of the thousands, if not tens-of-thousands of hours studying the bible in my lifetime, Experiencing God has been the greatest aid, alongside the bible, to grow my faith and trust in Jesus, my Savior, and my God. We see Him moving in Israel and choose to join Him in His work.

#BLESS #BeTheBlessing #BlessIsrael #BlessedBeyondMeasure #Charity #ExperiencingGod #Blackaby #Return #Rapture #Bible #Maranatha