Sign of the times

[michaelvpardo]

5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the LORD.
6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with eastern ways;
They are soothsayers like the Philistines,
And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made. Isaiah 2:5-8

This warning was given to "Jacob" (Israel before he contended for the blessing.) But what was true then is true now. The prophets wrote things which they didn't fully understand, but all was given for the benefit of the church (the body of christ, not some religious organization.) The church didn't replace the nation, but the nation will be glorified in the church. God does not change. I'm not quite sure what this means myself. I don't live in Israel, but still I see this sort of thing all around. There's no shortage of kingdom builders, but what king do they serve? Who's on the throne?

‘ This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.’ Daniel 4:17

 

[veteran]

Actually, Christ's Church and the idea of Israel as a nation, is the same thing. Difference is, it's not the Israel geographic state in the holy land, but the "commonwealth of Israel" that Paul taught in Ephesians 2, and includes the believing Gentiles with believing Israelites, as one body. Some call that today 'spiritual Israel', but it's actually the nation of Israel as a commonwealth of nations per prophecy, and it will be manifest literally in the holy lands of promise when Christ returns to gather us.

To show this distinction, even involving the holy lands, the nation state called Israel today is apostate away from God and His Christ, the majority of them still having refused Jesus of Nazareth as The Christ. And for this reason, God is going to send them a false messiah they will... believe on instead. That "strong delusion" (Paul calls it) is not meant to be upon the Israel of God which is Christ's Church, but upon those of the seed of Israel who still rebel against Christ Jesus, including rebellious Gentiles.