Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
“And He who sits on the
throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said,
"Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me,
"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I
will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without
cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God
and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:5-7 NASU)
When it’s all been said
and done, when the times of the end have been completed, there will be One Who
sits on the throne, having accomplished His Father’s will, fully established
and in good order.
The Lamb of God, the
Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Alpha and the Omega, Him who has risen from the
dead – Jesus the Christ, Yeshua HaMahsiach - will rule and reign in His glory,
power and majesty.
The One who gave all,
who left heaven to become flesh and dwell amongst us, who walked with man for
those years on this planet before His cruel, sacrificial death on the cross and
His mighty resurrection – He will have received His Bride, dined at the
Marriage Supper, and begun the celebration with the biggest party ever put
together. With joy, peace and awesome love for all eternity, Jesus will have
received His long awaited reward.
The King of kings and
the Lord of lords – our Almighty God, is even now seated on His righteous
throne. The royal crown sits gloriously on His head, as He rules and reigns
forever.
With all those redeemed
by His blood, who have given their lives for Him, from the times of Adam,
Abraham, Moses, Peter and Paul; through the centuries with all the prophets,
patriarchs, matriarchs, saints of God saved from all the nations, they too will
receive their crowns and experience the eternal life that has awaited them in
heaven. They too will rule with righteousness and honor.
In this heavenly realm,
abiding in this New Jerusalem, there will no longer be any sickness or death.
The persecuted and once heavy burdened will have been given new spiritual
bodies, never again to experience lack, need or suffer through ridicule and
being bullied.
Those martyred during
the Great Tribulation, slain for standing for truth, believing in their Living Redeemer
even as the sword fell down upon their head; who kept looking up to the One who
gave courage and strength during their time of life, and then through their
appointed time of death, will too join the heavenly ranks. They also will be
clothed with white robes, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and then seated with
crowns on their restored heads.
Whatever we are going to
go through in these times, the end of days, it will all have been worth it. The
promises promised will have been kept.
When it’s all been said
and done, our eternal reward will be to have our Lord and Savior Jesus (Yeshua)
share His majestic home with us. What a glorious time that will be.
And it will never end.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People.
Inc.
P.S. We sure could use
your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and
the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have
been given.
In May, 2016, my wife
Laurie and I will be traveling to Israel to spend time with our friends. We
support them in word and deed.
Love For His People,
Inc. is a charitable,
not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love
of the Father in the nations.
If these messages
minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and
maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we
consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible
contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
Now Think On This #200 “When
It’s All Been Said and Done” by Steve Martin
Date: In the year of our
Lord 2015 (10.31.15) Saturday at 7:00 am in Charlotte, NC
All previous editions
of Now Think On This can be found on this
Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with
your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below.
Thanks! Steve
In light of the growing alliance between Russia and Iran, and the growing interest in eschatology among Muslims, Jews and Christians, many of you have questions regarding these prophecies.
Today, let's answer three of the most frequently asked questions.
Q: Will the War of Gog and Magog happen before or after the Rapture?
A: The truth is we simply do not know the answer for certain, because Ezekiel does not say. Many of the theologians I cited in Epicenter believe the war will occur after the Rapture. In the novel Left Behind, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins describe the War of Gog and Magog as having already happened before the Rapture takes place. In The Ezekiel Option, I also chose to portray the war occurring before the Rapture.
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (NASB). We also know from Ezekiel that God will use the War of Gog and Magog to display his glory to all nations and to pour out his Holy Spirit, particularly on the nation of Israel. As a result of the entire world seeing God defend Israel from the onslaught of the Russian-Iranian coalition, a dramatic spiritual awakening will occur around the globe. It would certainly be consistent with God’s heart for humanity that he would cause this cataclysmic moment to occur before the Rapture in order to shake people out of their spiritual apathy and/or rebellion and give them at least one more chance to receive Christ as their Savior before the terrible events of the Tribulation occur.
But let me be clear: I believe that the Rapture could occur at any moment, and I would certainly not be surprised in any way if it occurred before the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 come to pass. Christian theologians speak of the “doctrine of imminence.” This means that according to the Bible there is no prophetic event that has to happen before Jesus snatches his church from the earth. That is, the Bible teaches us that we should be ready for Jesus to come for us at any moment. I fully believe that. But it should be noted with regard to this doctrine that while no major prophetic event has to happenbefore the Rapture, that doesn’t mean no such event will happen first. Perhaps the clearest evidence of this truth is the rebirth of Israel. This major prophetic event was foretold in Ezekiel 36–37, yet its fulfillment happened before the Rapture. Thus, it is certainly possible that other events—such as the events of Ezekiel 38–39—could happen before the Rapture as well.
Q: Ezekiel says the War of Gog and Magog will happen in the last days. Doesn’t that by definition mean it will happen during the seven years of the Tribulation?
A: Ezekiel 38:16 does say these events will happen in the “last days” (NASB), but this term is not necessarily limited to the period of the Tribulation. The apostle Peter, for example, used the term in Acts 2 to refer to the period he was living in, and that was nearly two thousand years ago. Likewise, consider the words of another apostle in 1 John 2:18: “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.” Again, John was writing nearly two thousand years ago.
It’s important to note that the Hebrew term translated as “the last days” can also be translated as “in the distant future” (NLT) or “in days to come” (NIV). Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the term the last days refers to an indeterminate period of time leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. This period includes—but is not limited to—the seven years of the Tribulation.
That said, I don't believe the War of Gog and Magog can begin during the Tribulation. Why? Because Ezekiel 39 indicates that after the supernatural destruction of Israel's enemies, the people of Israel gather up and burn the weapons of their enemies for seven years. Yet when we look carefully at the writings of the prophet Daniel and the Book of Revelation, we see that 3 1/2 years into the seven year Tribulation, the Antichrist will invade Israel (aka, "the Beautiful Land" -- see Daniel 11:16 and 11:41-45) and set up his throne here and desecrate the Third Temple (which will have been built and been operational by Day One of the Tribulation). There is no way that Jewish Israelis will be burning the weapons of their enemies if their country is being invaded by the Antichrist. Thus, since the burning of the weapons occurs for seven years, it cannot be the same seven years of the Tribulation.
Q: Doesn’t the Bible tell us that the War of Gog and Magog will happen at the very end of time—after the Rapture, after the Tribulation, after the Battle of Armageddon, and after the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth—not before all these things as you have described?
A: Revelation 20:7-10 does speak of another War of Gog and Magog that occurs at the end of time, after all these other events. But this is a second war, not the war referred to by Ezekiel 38–39. We know this for several reasons.
First, Ezekiel’s war is described as occurring relatively soon after the rebirth of the State of Israel and the ingathering of the Jewish people from around the world (Ezekiel 36–37). The war in Revelation, by contrast, occurs after Jesus has reigned on earth for a thousand years.
Second, Ezekiel’s war involves a fearsome but limited coalition of countries that surround Israel, as we learned in earlier chapters. The war in Revelation involves all the nations from “every corner of the earth” coming to attack Israel (Revelation 20:8).
Third, after Ezekiel’s war, life continues. Bodies are gathered and buried for seven months, weaponry is gathered and burned for seven years, and Ezekiel 40–48 describes the Temple that will be built. By contrast, the war in Revelation is followed immediately and literally by the end of the world. Satan and his followers are judged and thrown into the “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10). The heavens and earth are destroyed. A completely new heaven and a new earth are created, and followers of Christ will live on this new earth for the rest of eternity.
Menorah near the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. Photo by Steve Martin
Sid Roth: The Harvest is Ripe in Israel
Why are Christians not leading Jewish people to Jesus?
Many believers have been misled by a spirit of deception. They have been told that a Jew who follows the old covenant is accepted by God without Jesus—so why witness to them?
Paul gives the definitive answer in Acts 4:12, "There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Most Jewish people have been deceived as well. From childhood we are told or it is implied that we cannot believe in Jesus and remain Jewish. We are told this by the Jewish community as well as the church.
Even a Jewish atheist has a desire to remain Jewish. Why? When we Jewish people were scattered to the four corners of the earth and eventually persecuted by our chosen nation of refuge as the Bible predicted in Deuteronomy 28, God had to devise a plan for those who survived.
God put His entire reputation on the line when He guaranteed that as long as there were waves, sun, moon and stars, there would be Jewish people on the earth (Jer. 31:35-36). The Jewish people lost their country, their temple and were murdered or had to flee for their lives for nearly 2,000 years. Any Jews who survived all of this should have assimilated into other religions long ago.
What is the secret of how God kept us as a distinct people? He put an instinct within us that says, "I was born a Jew and I will die a Jew." The majority of Jews—even a secular Jew who never sets foot in a synagogue—still identify as being a Jew.
So when a well-meaning Christian says, "You must convert to Christianity," what a Jew hears is: "You must stop being Jewish." This goes against our God-given instinct for Jewish survival.
The word "Christian" means "one of the Messiah's." By that definition, I am a Christian. But by Christian and Jewish usage it has come to mean "no longer Jewish." I cannot go against my God-given instinct. Instead, I refer to myself as a Jewish believer in Jesus as Messiah.
Why was it so important to God that the Jews remain a distinct people? We know the Jewish people were chosen to evangelize the Gentiles and did a great job at the first coming of Jesus. But the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. And God has chosen the Jewish people to evangelize the Gentiles just before Messiah's return.
When will this happen? At the "fullness of the Gentiles."
The 'Fullness of the Gentiles'
Every Gentile believer must understand the term, "the fullness of the Gentiles." As a new believer in Jesus, I was taught this referred to the time when all the Gentiles who were going to be saved had been saved and then God would bring about the salvation of Israel. But that never made sense to me because, even during the Tribulation, both Jews and Gentiles will be saved.
Then God showed me clearly the meaning of "the fullness of the Gentiles." As I studied the Bible, I found clues to know when this would take place. Luke 21:24 says, "They (the Jewish people) will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." On June 7, 1967, Jerusalem was once again in Jewish possession! But God said we must look for one more thing.
In Romans 11:25-26, Paul writes, "For a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved ... ." The key to this mystery is found in two places in these verses. First, Israel would be judicially blinded to the gospel in part. In other words, a remnant of Israel would be saved, but most would be blinded until this judgment was over.
How can we know when the judgment of blindness is over? The obvious answer is when we see large numbers of Jewish people turning to Jesus. We see this happen in our recent outreaches in Israel! But why now and not in 1967?
The second part of the answer is found in the meaning of the Greek word for "fullness." It can be translated "maturity." In other words, when the Gentile believers are mature in their biblical understanding of the Jew, Israel and the supernatural, Jews will be saved in larger numbers until "all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26). The call of the Gentile is to evangelize the Jew. Paul states in Romans 11:11, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid! But through their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles—to make them jealous."
I feel like a type of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness that the judicial judgment for the sin of spiritual blindness is over, and it's time for the Jew to come home—home to Israel and home to God.
Isaiah 40:2 says, "Speak kindly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been pardoned, that she has received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins."
No Longer Future but Now!
The spiritual blindness judgment is over! We Jewish people are now open to the gospel for the first time in almost 2,000 years. But Paul nails the problem in Romans 10:14, when he says: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Until the spiritual judgment ended, the best a Christian could do was have "Bless Israel" meetings without evangelism, give toward the return of Jews to Israel or supply humanitarian aid. And God knows we still need all of these.
But I want to shout it from the rooftops—the spiritual scales are off, the curse is over, and Jewish people are now open to the gospel! But even though we are ready to receive the Lord, our minds are still programmed with the lie that says, "You can't be Jewish and believe in Jesus." The only way to do a "mind bypass" around our intellectual arguments is through a demonstration of signs and wonders. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For Jews request a sign."
Last year, I led an evangelistic meeting in Jerusalem I called a "Lecture on the Supernatural." I promised that many who attended would be healed in their seats. The auditorium was jam-packed with 550 unsaved Jews. Many were instantly healed, and the majority stood up and prayed a prayer of salvation. This year I went back and held another outreach with 650 unsaved Jews in attendance. A total of 98 percent boldly stood up and prayed with me to receive Jesus as Messiah!
I have done these lectures all over the world, including Brazil, Germany, the United States and the former Soviet Union, with similar results. Why? Because I approach the Jew the biblical way, not with wisdom and clever words of men, but like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
Just like Paul, when I demonstrate God's kingdom through signs and wonders, I earn the right to present the King! When people are instantly healed, it is as if the spiritual scales come off and they are open to the gospel.
The Law of Evangelism
As we reach out to the Jewish people with the Good News, we activate what I call the "Law of Evangelism." When God called the first Jew, Abraham, it was with a heart to reach the rest of the world—the Gentiles. When Jesus wanted to reach the whole world, He said He went only (or went first) to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Again, this was a spiritual seed to reach the whole world. When Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wanted to reach his prize, he went to the Jew first (Rom. 1:16). "To the Jew first" is not just God's historical order for evangelism. It is His spiritual order, and it produces supernatural results.
My desire is to evangelize all people. When I go to the Jew first, I supernaturally reach more Gentiles than if I go to the Gentile first. One example is my evangelistic outreach in Kaifeng, China. I learned that Jewish silk traders had settled in Kaifeng centuries ago. Before leading an outreach, I went to Kaifeng to "spy out the land." I found the remnants of an ancient synagogue as well as a number of Chinese-Jewish descendants and a Jewish museum.
The director of the museum asked me why I wanted to bring a tour group and hold a meeting there. I asked him to open his Jewish Bible to Isaiah 49:12. It read in his Chinese language: "Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, and these from the land of Sinim." But in his Bible it did not say "Sinim." It said the real meaning of the word: "China."
Isaiah was saying that in the last days, Jews from China would return to Israel! How did Isaiah know there would be a nation of Israel in the last days? And even more amazing, how did he know there would be such a thing as Chinese Jews? The answer is simple. God dictated the prophecy, and Isaiah was being a good Jewish secretary!
I returned to Kaifeng with a group of believers, and we evangelized the Chinese Jews. I later learned that one of the Kaifeng Jews I led to the Lord immigrated to Israel just as Isaiah prophesied. My visit also triggered the Law of Evangelism. When I went to the Jew first in China, God spread my message about Jesus to that entire city. People actually recognized me on the streets from seeing me on local television. This would never have happened unless I went to the Jew first.
The Law of Evangelism is very important to God. Paul tells us in Romans 11:12, "Now if their (the Jewish people) transgression means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness mean?" The fullness, or maturity, of the Jews will culminate one day. According to Romans 11:15, "For if their (the Jewish people's) being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" As the Jewish people are restored to the body of Messiah, they will restore literal resurrection-from-the-dead power to the church. Get ready to witness the release of creative miracles in large numbers not seen since Bible days!
Better yet, the salvation of the Jewish people will usher in the return of Jesus. In Matthew 23:39, Jesus said to the Jewish people, "For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
The restoration of the Jewish people to the body of Messiah will be the catalyst to release the greatest Gentile revival in history. The prophet Amos predicted this. He said that when the tabernacle of David is restored, it would usher in such a great Gentile revival that there would be more fruit than we had laborers to harvest it. What is the tabernacle of David? The word for "tabernacle" in Hebrew means "house" or "family."
Who is the family of David? The Jewish people! When the Jewish people are restored to God, this is what will happen according to Amos 9:13: "Indeed, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman will overtake the one who is reaping, and the treader of grapes the ones who is sowing the seed ... ." And what will be the result of the initial Jewish harvest? God promises in Isaiah 27:6, "Israel shall blossom and bud and shall fill the whole world with fruit."
It is past time for the "fullness of the Gentiles." It is the Gentile Christians' finest hour. I appeal to you as Mordecai appealed to Esther: "For if you remain silent at this time, protection and deliverance for the Jews will be ordained from some other place, but you and your father's house shall be destroyed. And who knows if you may have attained royal position for such a time as this?" (Esth. 4:14).
The Jewish Express
A friend of mine, Penny Lea, was speaking at a pro-life meeting when she was approached by an elderly German man. He told her about an event that happened when he was a youth in Germany that continued to haunt him. As a child, he would attend church with his family every Sunday. During worship, a train would pass by on the tracks next to the church. As the church members sang, they could hear people on the trains shouting, crying and wailing. These were Jewish people jammed into cattle cars being taken to the gas chambers to be murdered. When the cries became too objectionable and loud, the pastor said, "Sing a little louder!" The young boy was now an elderly man, but the screams were with him every night.
Now I want to tell you about another train. It is called the "Jewish Express." It will stop in cities all over the world. Why? Because the Jewish people were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Jews are lining up at the "train stations." They board the train by receiving Jesus as Messiah. The Jewish people waiting to board are increasing, but few are telling them about Jesus. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
The Jewish person God has placed in your life is not an accident. You are the one who has that Jewish friend or former classmate. You are the one who knows a Jewish doctor, lawyer, dentist or merchant. You are the one chosen by God to evangelize them.
You may feel like you are not equipped to witness to a Jew. This is why I wrote a booklet I want to give you as a gift on how to reach the Jewish people. I draw on my more than 40 years of experience in Jewish evangelism, and now I want to pour it into you. Please visit sidroth.org/free to get your free copy of The Mystery Law of Evangelism Revealed.
Israel Ablaze for Jesus
I have a vision. I see Israel ablaze for Jesus! I see people going to Israel not just for tours, but to get under the 24/7 cloud of glory. I see many new Jewish believers boarding the Jewish Express train as modern-day Paul the apostles. I see Orthodox rabbis boarding who will be the greatest Bible teachers since Jesus. I see Jewish businessmen boarding the train who will make Christianity the head and not the tail. I see Jewish Hollywood movie stars, producers and directors who will use the entertainment industry to evangelize the world. Can't you hear the whistle blowing?
The devil knows his time is short. The world is quickly turning anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Will you "sing a little louder?" Or will you be like Queen Esther and boldly stand up for the Jewish people?
You have been called to the kingdom for such a time as this. Esther (the church), as you rise up to evangelize the Jew, no matter how dark the world gets, the glory of God and the blessings of Abraham will overtake you. Those who give to Jewish humanitarian causes and participate in "Bless Israel" meetings have found this to be true. But if God will bless you for this according to Genesis 12:3, how much more will He bless you for Jewish evangelism at the fullness of the Gentiles?
The only thing we take to heaven is souls! It's time to be "mature" and enter the great Jewish harvest that will catapult us into the greatest Gentile harvest in history!
"Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you" (Is. 60:1-2).
Sid Rothhas a passion for people to experience the power of God for the purpose of having intimacy with Him. Roth is a pioneer in the convergence of Jews and Gentiles in Messiah Jesus that brings about an explosion of God's power. His television program,It's Supernatural!, documents miracles and is viewed internationally.
Sid Roth shows the power of "first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" on The 700 Club atjewfirst.charismamag.com.
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