Israel

When we were in South Africa, we were privy to a very significant time in the history of South Africa. And that was when Mr. Nelson Mandela became president and all the changes that evolved around there. And as we all know, he became a very well-known figure worldwide. And as a leader, he is one that sets an example to others. People pay attention and look and follow and, in a sense, imitate. And so he produced a very positive example of bringing different cultures together in peace into a new government. I'm not saying that everything is peaceful because it's not the world tomorrow. But what he achieved is remarkable with considering he's dealing with carnal minds. So a leader can have a very positive effect on his followers and followers in the nation, and people in the nation who then follow the example of that leader. Another example of a leader is during the Second World War, Hitler. He, the opposite, the just opposite, he was a bad leader, as we all know. And many people followed his bad example and just did a number of very serious criminal acts because of the example of that leader. A leader, in a sense, is like a light, a light that you put up on top of the hill, and that will be noticed. And turn with me, please, very briefly, to Matthew 6, verses 22 and 23. Matthew 6, verses 22 and 23.

I don't use a knife-bar, though. So that takes me a little longer to turn to the scripture, so I hope you bear with me. Matthew 6, verses 22 and 23. And it reads, the lamp of the body is the eye. So the thing about the body is basically a body which has many members, and one of those members is the eye, and the eye is the lamp of that body. So a lot is said by the eye. So a lot of people can say, when you look at people, eye contact is very important, because a lot is said by the eye.

So it says, if therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. And so the eye, in a sense, takes, quote-unquote, a leadership role in the body of defining certain things of what the body is going to do. And then it says, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

And so if the eye is bad, if the eye is good, it kind of sets an example to that whole body. If the eye is bad, in a sense, it's an example to the whole body. And by the way, when it's talking about the eye, it's actually, it really is a window to the heart.

Because if you look at the verse before, you know, in verse 21, it's actually talking about laying treasures in heaven, and wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also, and then go straight into the land of the body, which is the eye. Because the eye goes directly to the heart. And therefore, it says, if therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness? And so the eye basically expresses, it's a window to the heart, and it shows what's in one's heart, and therefore it's visible through the eye.

It's very interesting. You can see through the eyes when you look at people, where the people are happy, where the people are sad. And that is a reflection of the heart, right deep into the heart. And so, but, the example here says, if the heart is bad, the eye will be bad, right, which is the lamp to the body.

And basically, it's like a lamp. It guides that whole body. So think of the body as with different members, the hands, etc., and the hands, and the legs, etc., are members of that body, following the leadership of that eye. And of that heart. Now, I know it's a little bit of an extended example or analogy, but it applies, the principle applies to people. If a person is a leader, that affects the followers.

If a person is a leader of a nation, or a leader of a company, or of an enterprise, if it's a good leader, you'll have good followers, following, and vice versa. But the same is true with nations. A nation that sets up a good example in the world will actually have an influence on other nations around the world to follow that example. And the reverse is equally true. And so, God made a nation to be a leader to the world.

God made Israel to be a leader to the world, to be an example to the world. Now, that example can be good, or that example can be bad. Why did God make Israel as an example to the world? Well, it all started with Abraham. And if you turn with me, please. So today we're going to do a little bit of a Bible study on the history of Israel. And we're going to start with Genesis 22. In Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to do something which was required, or which required a lot of faith and courage, which was very courageous, because he had to give up his son.

Isaac. And you may think, how can God expect somebody to kill his son? God didn't. Because God had told him just before that through Isaac, you will have many children. So he knew that promise. But God was testing his faith, Abraham's faith on God, and he said, well, go and kill your son. And obviously, God didn't want him to, because God didn't. But he was just testing whether he actually trusted God.

And so he was prepared to do it, and God says, no, don't do it. Now I know, I know your heart. I know that you are really trusting me. I really don't want you to kill your son. That's a really good story. Which is a beautiful story, but it shows Abraham's complete trust and faith in God.

Doesn't it? Doesn't it show Abraham's absolute trust in God? That is a clear proof that faith requires words. That faith requires obedience. Because had he not obeyed, he would have not proven the faith in God. So when people in the world say, in the religions of the world say, oh well, all we need is faith, you don't need to obey, that is a lie. Because, yeah, in the simple example, we can see that it requires absolute trust in God. And that, obedience requires trust. But anyway, in verses 15 through 18 of Genesis 22, it says, the angel of the Lord came to Abraham, and it said, Because you've done this by myself, I have sworn, says the Eternal, because you've done this thing, and you're not who have helped your son, your only son, blessing our blesses, you multiply and multiply, you're the sand, which is the star of heaven, and is the sand which is on the seashore, and you're the sadness, which is the gate of your enemies. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed my voice. Because you had faith, and because you obeyed my voice, because you had that faith, all the nations will be blessed.

Now, this is an important point for us to understand. God is not discriminating, I put, Israel better than others. But God, Abraham's children, are going to be the leaders, the example through which God will bless everybody else. It's not that they're better, but they'll just be, quote-unquote, the vehicle, the mechanism through which God will bless everybody else. You see, the Israelites today are blinded. That's what Paul said. Turn with me to Romans 11. In Romans 11, we can see the Israelites are blinded. See, Paul was referring to the Israelites, himself being an Israelite, and he says in verse 1, I say then, has God cast away his people? Certainly not, for I'm an Israelite. God has not cast away the Israelites. I'm an Israelite. But then he shows in verse 11, a bit further down, he says, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fail? Have Israelites stumbled so that they could be eliminated? No, certainly not. But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation comes with Gentiles. God has used that to give an opportunity to do Gentiles, to bring blessings to the Gentiles, and continue in verse 12. Now, if their fall is reached for the world, and their failure reaches for the Gentiles, how much more will they do for us? So when they are blessed, the Gentiles even will be more blessed. So God is not discriminating, yeah? But God has decided to use Israel as a lamp to the world, as a leader to the world, as an example to the nations. An example of good, and an example of bad.

So today, brethren, I want to talk to you about Israel being an example to the nations. And because of that, when you are a leader and you are an example, there is a responsibility and accountability, a price to pay for being the boss, the leader. There is a price to pay. And if the leader arrives, you'll be blessed, and surely that proves God's fightfulness. If the leader dis-avives, it will also prove God's fightfulness because there will be severe punishment on the leader. But God's promises have to be fulfilled. They will be fulfilled. So my question is, so what, why am I covering this? So what does it have to do with me and you and I? It's because you and I will see the punishment and the blessings so that you and I can consider the example. And from there, you and I have to determine what we are going to do individually, because that example brings us a lesson of what we need to do individually. Brethren, it's not an easy sermon to give. I must say it right up front. I was very sad to prepare this. And I am very sad to prepare this.

Because you and I can see the punishment ahead because Israel has failed in being a good example.

So we need to consider the punishment that is coming ahead because God is faithful to His promises. But it's something we have to do to take that example as a warning, because we individually are also being judged. The nations will be judged, and we individually will be judged.

So let's look in a couple of sections. First, let's look at Israel's responsibility. So let's go through a little bit of a history lesson. What was the promise passed down from Abraham through Isaac to Jacob?

Now, why do I say to Jacob? Because Jacob, as we'll see in a moment, his name was changed to Israel. So the blessing came from Abraham to Isaac to Israel.

So let's start with Genesis 28. Genesis 28. We'll start in verse 1. Then Isaac called Jacob. So the blessing was given to Abraham, as we saw. And then Abraham gave it to Isaac, and then Isaac called Jacob to give Jacob the blessing. And look at it in verse 2. Arise, go to another area, and take yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban, from relatives. And then verse 3, May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples, that you may be an multitude of nations. So, right here is blessing Israel, which is Jacob. Jacob became Israel. And saying to Jacob, or to Israel, you're going to be many nations. Israel, you're going to be many nations.

And verse 4, And give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham. And so, there it is. You're going to be blessed, and you're going to be many nations. Now, let's look a little bit further down in Genesis 35. Genesis 35, verse 10 and 11.

And God said to him, that's for Jacob, Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name. So, we call his name Israel. And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. So, there will be many nations, but there will be one big nation, and it will be a company of nations, and it will also be kings that will come from your body.

So, this is interesting, because he has a prophecy of a nation, a large nation, and a company of nations. So now, let's go a little bit further down, because this was given to Israel. And then look at chapter 48, verse 14. He says, Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first one. And then look at in verse 19. And he crossed his hands like this. And you know the story, I'm not going into all the details. But his father refused, because this is what Jacob was doing to his grandchildren in from Manasseh. So he's passing the blessing of Jacob, of Israel, to his grandchildren. In other words, when he was in front of his son Joseph, Joseph had two children, Ephraim and Manasseh. And he was passing, Jacob was passing his blessing to his grandchildren in from Manasseh, and crossed his arms like this. And Joseph said, no, don't do that. Don't cross your arms. But Jacob, the father, which was the name of Israel, refused and said, I know my son, I know. He shall also become a people, and he also shall be great. But truly, his younger brother, that's why he crossed his hands, the younger, which was Ephraim, shall be greater than him, the older that's Manasseh. And his descendants shall become a multitude of nations. In other words, Ephraim shall become a multitude of nations. So he blessed them that day, saying, by you, Israel will bless, saying, may God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh. God will provide the blessings to the other nations through Ephraim and Manasseh. It will be through them, Ephraim and Manasseh, that God will bless the other nations around the world. So the blessing was given to Israel, but Israel, which is Jacob, Israel, passed that on to Ephraim and Manasseh, and said that blessing to the nations will be done through these two entities, Ephraim and Manasseh. And thus he said, Ephraim before Manasseh, he was the company of nations. Now, you and I know that they went to slavery, to Egypt, they went to Egypt, then they came out of Egypt, they came out of the nation. Then there was a time there was King David. You know, there was King David, the nation prospered, and then there was King Solomon, the nation even prospered further. Solomon died. At the end of Solomon, when he died, his son, Raulbuam, took the road. And Raulbuam, the very first thing he was asked by the Israelites is, hey, take the taxes which are heavy and reduce them. The taxation is heavy, the burden is high, reduce the taxes. Let's look at that in 1 Kings 12.

Then Raulbuam, that Solomon's son, came to Seccam, which is a city in the northern part, which is the northern part of the area in Palestine, which was the area where the Israelites tribes were, as we call them. And so he went for all Israel, had gone to Seccam to make him king. As you know, the land had been divided into different sections, and it was towards the south was the land for different tribes like Judah, and towards the north was tribes like Ephraim, Manasseh, and others, and Reuben, etc. So they went to Seccam, which was a city in the northern region, in the northern tribes. So let's continue reading. So it happened when Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, heard about it. Now Jeroboam was the person that had been in exile. As you can see, he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt. And so he came into the land of Israel, and they sent and called him, the Jeroboam, the Jeroboam, and the whole assembly of Israel. Now note, he's already starting to use the word Israel here, as we'll see. It's important because it's referring actually to the tribes in the north. He came and spoke to Reoboam and said, Your father made our yoke heavy now, therefore lighten the burdensome service of your father. In other words, and his heavy yoke, which he put on us, and will serve you. And it was reduced taxes, reduced this thing, because it's very heavy, and will serve you. So he said, Okay, I'm going to think about it. I'm going to get advice. So he got the older people, he got advice, and all the people said, Yeah, do this. And then he called in his younger little friends, and the younger friends said, Ah, don't do that! Make it heavier. And so he followed the advice of his younger friends. And what had happened? Look at in verse 19 through 21. It became a split. There was a split. Then the northern tribes rebelled, and it says, So Israel, that's the northern tribes, has been a rebellion against the house of David, against the nation of Judah. To this day. Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back. They said for him and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah.

Verse 21, And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin. So basically what we have is the house of David, that is Judah, and Benjamin stayed together, that's two, and the other ten stayed with this new king, Jeroboam. From there was a split between the king of the north and the king of the south. The kingdom of the north became known as Israel, and the kingdom of the south became known as Judah.

Even they all are Israelites. So think about it, it's like saying, there is a split in the United States, and maybe the north gets called America, and the south gets called Texas. Something like that, but they're still North Americans, right? But that's what happened. That's basically what happened.

So we had ten tribes in the north called Israel, which included Ephraim, Manasseh, Reuben, Sivil and others. On the south, you had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. So ask yourself questions, like we heard in the Bible study, I mean in the sermon, as you do Bible study, that's twelve. But when they're thirteen, yes, the thirteenth was the Levites, and most of the Levites stayed with Judah.

Most of the Levites were the Greeks, basically, they stayed with Judah. So there we have what basically happened. There were two nations, North Israel and the Jerusalem, and South Judah and Solomon's son, Rehobo. Now, this division happened in the year 930 before Christ. Here it was nearly a thousand years before Christ. 930. They stayed like that, until, for about two hundred years. Now think about it, the United States just recently went through its 200th year by century, you know, two hundred years. Two hundred years is a long time.

They stayed like that, there's two nations for two hundred years, a nation in the North Israel and a nation in the South Judah. Some two hundred years later, in 733, 732, before Christ, then Israel was attacked by a nation from the North called Assyria, and they were sent to captivity in more than one way, in two ways.

So let's just look at that time when Israel went into captivity in Assyria, which is in 2 Kings chapter 15. 2 Kings chapter 15. 2 Kings chapter 15 verse 29. In the days of Pekka, king of Israel, then Bikla, Pilazar, king of Assyria, came and took the following cities, and he carried them to Assyria. So he went and took a number of cities and a number of people and the people from Naphtali, which is one of the tribes, and they took them to Assyria.

Not the whole nation of Israel, just a portion, certain cities and the tribe of Naphtali, they went to captivity. That was the first way of Assyrian captivity in about 733 before the time of Christ, which means, was about 200 years after they been, let's call it an independent nation, from the southern nation of Judah. Now, you can just read a little bit further in chapter 16, verse 5 and 6, when it shows that the remaining people of Israel, because not always taken captive, only a portion, the remaining people of Israel are now fighting against the southern tribe of the Jews.

So we have Israel fighting Jews and looking up in verse 5 and 6 of chapter 16. Then the resident king of Syria and Pekkah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came to Jerusalem to make war. In other words, Israel, the nation in the north, made an alliance with the king of Syria, so Israel and Syria, so their neighboring nations are there, the north, and they came south to Jerusalem to make war against the Jews, against the nation of Judah.

At that time, the resident king of Syria captured Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah. In other words, drove the Jews from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath and well-dared to the south. So here we have a time where we show Israel fighting against the Jews. So clearly it's two different nations, Israel and the Jews. And then a little bit further, in chapter 17, verse 5 and 6, you see, in chapter 17, verse 5 and 6, Now the king of Syria went throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.

In the ninth year of Isaiah, the king of Syria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria and placed them in Elath by the Habor, the river of Galzon, and in the cities of the Means. So, for so, it was that the children of Israel had sinned. So the whole of Israel was removed now. The whole of Israel. Look at in verse 18. Look in verse 18 of the same chapter. Now the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his side. There was none left.

None left. All of the northern tribe, there was one, the first captivity, wave of captivity, and now in the second wave of captivity, they all left. The second wave was about ten years later. So during that time, during that period of ten years, some maybe started fleeing and running away, whatever it is, but by those ten years we're finished, all of them had been taken away. They took captivity and there was nobody left in the northern area. That's when they brought in other people that became now the Samaritans during the time of Christ because they were not Israelites.

They were the Samaritans at the time of Christ. They were people that fell in that vacant land. But the ones that were left there were Judah. So the Israelites were punished. The Israelites were punished. Now, it is important to understand, and the reason why I went into this is to show you very clearly, there's two groups. There's a nation of the north Israel and a nation in the south which is Judah. Then all are Israelites, but they split themselves after Solomon into two nations, and one of them was punished.

But now, understand that God promises blessings and curses, and you can go back to the history and look that about a hundred years later, Judah was also taken to slavery, to Babylon. Because they also disobeyed. So they were also taken to slavery, to Babylon. So, Israel was taken first, as an example. Judah did not learn from that example, and they were punished as well.

Now, let's look at the times of the end. At the times of the end is in Genesis 49, because in Genesis 49, in Genesis 49, starting in Chapter 1, after Jacob, which was Israel, had given the blessing to Abraham and Manasseh. He then, just before he died, gave these blessings to all his children. In Genesis 49, it says, and Jacob called his sons and said, gather together what I may tell you, what would befall you in the last days. I want to tell you what's going to happen in the last days, at the end time. And then he starts describing different things that will happen to those different tribes, which we know there are many tribes. There was Judah, there were others, and each one had different characteristics and different blessings. But if we drop down to verse 22 through 25, it's talking about Joseph, his son Joseph, that is the father of Abraham and Manasseh. I hope you're not confused. Abraham asked Jacob, Jacob's name became Israel. Israel had a son called Joseph, and Joseph had two children, Abraham and Manasseh. Joseph was the son of Jacob, or Israel, and now Jacob, or Israel, is blessing Joseph, which means Abraham and Manasseh. And he says, Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well. His branches run over the wall. In other words, he is so fruitful that he's got a territory, and it will go right over the territory, and it will expand beyond them, because it's so fruitful. He says, the arches have bitterly grieved him. In other words, his enemies are always at him. They want to fight him.

Shotted him and hated him. But his bow remaining strength. But Joseph's military power remains strong. Joseph as a nation, as we know, remains strong. And the arms of his hands were made strong. Not because they are the right nation. Not because they are very intelligent. Not because they are better people. But by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. It's God that made the nations and the military power strong. From there is the shepherd, the son of Israel. By the God of your Father who will help you, and by the mighty God who bless you with blessings of heaven above. It was good rain in June season. The blessings of the deep that lies beneath good minerals and oil and gold and things on the ground. The blessings of the brethren of the womb. In other words, you will have children and your animals will be fruitful, etc. The blessings of your Father will excel. The blessings of your, my ancestors and so on. So it basically shows that through Joseph, which is in Fremen Manasseh, will be very blessed. We also saw just a few verses before in Genesis 48, verse 20, that God will bless through Israel. The other nations. And we saw that the blessing will be through Ephraim and Manasseh. So the blessings to other nations will be through Ephraim and Manasseh. And it says that in the last days, they'll be fruitful. They'll be powerful. We've seen there'll be a nation and a company of nations. They'll be powerful militarily. And which nations are there in the world today that represent that? Which nations are there in the world today that represent that? Because the Bible, a third of the Bible is prophecy. A third of this Bible is prophecy. And a third of it, therefore, is talking about blessings and cursings related to Israel. Now, if you and I don't know who Israel is and who these two big nations, a group of nations are, the big nations, the company of nations, then we don't understand prophecy. As simple as that. We really don't understand prophecy. That means we don't understand a third of the Bible. It's God. And the world does not understand it. Because God will bless the world through these nations.

Brethren, over the last 200 years, which we're now in the time of the end, the world has been blessed through different things that England and the United States have. done to other nations. England became a company of nations around the world. The British Commonwealth was a company of nations. And the United States became the most powerful nation in the world. Forfilling God's prophecy. Not because they're better, not because they're great people, but by the hand of the mighty God of Israel. He made it. So if ifram, which is England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of South Africa, and others, we're great nations. The company of nations. And they spread across the whole world. Manasseh, United States of America, the greatest nation in the world. God's blessing. Now we have, and to go on with the sermon, a wonderful Bible study guide. I call it a Bible study guide. I don't call it booklets. I call it Bible study guides. It's a wonderful Bible study guide. And using the sermon, study your Bible, write it down, and check and prove. Now, this booklet has been thoroughly researched. And what's more, it's got a lot of facts. And it's not a booklet that talks about quote-unquote discrimination. That says how well this nation is better. Now, what it says is this nation is an example. Example to good, or an example to bad. You see, England and United States were blessed. So I'm not going to go today to prove that England and United States are indeed ifram and manasseh. You're welcome to do your own study. But what I'm saying is, they were blessed due to God's faithfulness. Yes, they were partly blessed during the days of Solomon and David. But God had promised further blessings at the time of the end, and those blessings had happened. And it will happen in the world tomorrow. But when those blessings happened, there it should have been a light and an example of the Lord. And today, these nations are a darkness of morality and indecency to the world.

You see, the world was blessed in part physically and spiritually through the nations of England and Manasseh. There's been, if you compare the world to what it was during the Dark Ages in the 15 and the 1600s to what it is today, the blessings have come through ifram and manasseh. That was a promise given to that nation through the Old Covenant. And it's still valid today. It's still applicable. It was a blessing, a physical covenant to that nation. Then we're to be different. You can read in Leviticus 20, 26, for instance, where it says, you are to be different. Why? It's because of discrimination. No. You're to be different so that you don't sin like the others, that you don't commit those sins so that then others follow your example of purity. There were not just physical blessings. There were spiritual blessings. Through ifram was King James in 1611 that decreed and completed the publishing of the King James Bible. The King James Bible, now 400 years later, is still recognized as the best known translation of the Bible in the world. And because of that, and sacrifices of people that have did that to get the Bible to the world, many other nations and many other languages now have the Bible with their own individual translations, yes. But it is direct through the blessing that went through ifram. Yes, God then used them to go into other nations as well. Not only because of that, because of the blessing of the Master, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is being preached to the whole world. For instance, I am personally involved in the production of material in the Portuguese language of the Gospel to the God of the whole world. Now, how is that possible physically speaking? It is only possible because of the donations and the gift and the blessing of the people of Manasseh. It is not because of the blessings of the financial support of the people of Portugal or Brazil. It is the blessing from Manasseh that God gave to Manasseh. And you know what? That is true for every other language that God's Word is being done. Whether it is French, whether it is Spanish, whatever it is, it is because of the blessing that God has given to Manasseh. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is being preached to the whole world through the blessings of Manasseh.

Israel, in Fremen Manasseh, the blessings are to come through them, as we saw in Genesis 4, Re 8, 20. Israel, in Fremen Manasseh, we have been the tool that God has used, the physical tool, to bless the other nations. But as you all know, the commandments say, I'll buy and I'll bless you, and if you do so, I'll punish you. Turn with me to Ezekiel 20. Ezekiel 20.

Ezekiel 12 Ezekiel 20 It says, It's a fact.

We went to slavery. Now, in the modern end time, because of the promise he gave to Abraham, and was passed through Jacob to his children and grandchildren, in the end time there will be some blessings to fulfill that promise. Those blessings now have occurred, but they, when they be blessed, they do so by it. They do so by it. Continue reading them in verse 21, for instance. Not understanding the children rebelled against me. They do not walk in my statues. We're not careful to observe my judgments. Why? Look at example. Today you go to the churches here in the states, and the churches out there, you go to what they say. Oh, you don't have to obey God. All you need is faith. You don't have to obey God. And what does God say? You have rebelled against me, you've not been careful to obey. That's what the churches today are saying.

It says, They were not careful to observe my judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them. In other words, you'll prosper, you'll succeed, you'll be well, you'll be blessed. But they profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and fulfill my anger against them in the wilderness. God says, I will punish them. Now, this is the hard part of the sermon.

God is faithful, and He will fulfill this promising blessing. America, we have the greatest physical blessings in the world today. But there's a price, and a cost, and accountability. You should have given an example to the world, and we're not. So He says, continue reading in verse 22, Nevertheless, I threw my hand and acted for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I have brought them out. Also, I raised my hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that our wool scattered them amongst the Gentiles, and dispersed them throughout the countries. This has happened before. It's going to happen again. He says, our wool scattered them.

You see, brethren, the nation has rebelled. Israel has rebelled. And I'm not just talking about America. I'm talking about the nations of Israel have rebelled, and not just England. There are other nations like France and others that are also part of Israel have rebelled. And look at verse 36. Verse 36 of the same chapter. Just as I pleaded my case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead my case with you, says the Lord God. I'll make you fast under the rod, and I'll bring you into the bond of the covenant.

There is an old covenant which exists to physical Israel. There was a promise to physical Israel. The old covenant is not applied to Gentiles, but applies to Israel, to physical Israel. And I'll purge the rebels from among you. I will purge the rebels from among you. How is God going to do that? There are rebels in the nation of Israel. And in the nature of Israel there are many nations. It's not just the Jews. Yes, they are just one of the nations. Not just Manasseh, just another nation. Not just England, the nations of Israel. I'll purge the rebels from among you, and those that transgress against me, I'll bring them out of the country where they live, where they dwell. But they shall not enter the land of Israel. They will not enter the kingdom of the world tomorrow. That will be ruled by the leaders of the kingdom of God. They will not enter the wonderful world tomorrow. That's what it says. I'll purge those rebels and they'll not be in the world tomorrow.

The rebels will be wiped out.

I'll bring them out of the country where they dwell. But they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Then you'll know I am and that I am what I am. So, brethren, Israel is an example to the nations. An example to do good and to show the nations when they do good, they follow the example and the nations will be blessed through it. Likewise, it's an example that when they do bad, they'll be punished. And so will also the other nations be punished because they follow that bad example.

So, punishment is to come, just like it happened in punishment in Israel. Let's read in Leviticus 26.

Leviticus 26.

And it shall be when you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an Eretas and you possess it and dwell in it. And you shall take some of the first of your produce of the ground which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God has given you and put it in the basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make his name abide. And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days and say to him, I declare today to the Lord your God that I come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us. And so we are, we are in the land that God promised to give us. Then the priest shall take the basket out of the land and set it down. And so, I'll be according, I'm not reading Leviticus 26 now. I was wondering why I'm reading the Pironomy 26, my apologies. Let me go back to Leviticus 26. Leviticus 26, my apologies. See, I'm still here, man. Very, you know. Leviticus 26, sorry. Ah ha! There, that sounds better. You shall not make idols for yourselves, neither a carved image, nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves, nor shall you set up an ingrates down in your hand to bow down to it. For you, for I am the Lord your God, and you shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord. In other words, don't make idols, don't do things wrong, keep the Sabbaths, and he says, if you do this, and keep my commands and perform them, then verse 4, I'll give you rain. And look at in verse 6, I'll give you peace in the land. And look at verse 9, I'll make you fruitful. So, there'll be a lot of blessings. If you do the right things, you'll be blessed. But if not, but if not, look in verse 14.

But if you do not obey me, and you do not observe all these commandments, look at verse 16, I'll then do this to you. I will even appoint terror over you.

Have we not had terrorism over us? We have not obeyed God.

Yes, we previously we got the blessings, but now we've not obeyed. We've come to the land that He promised to give us, and we've not honored Him. We've disobeyed.

So, the first punishment is terrorism. Brethren, it didn't come just in one day. It started building up.

But one day it kind of became like a big switch that turned on, and we had 9-11, 2001.

And we go further down in verse 18. After this, if you still do not obey me.

Now, give me terrorism, or give me the first punishment, like the first big snack, and I wake up or not. But if you don't wake up, I'll have to punish you even more.

Then I'll punish you seven times more for your service. And, interestingly enough, seven years exactly later, we see verse 19, I'll break the pride of your power, which is the starting of the economic fall-down, and the economic crash, breaking down the pride of the American dollar.

And the pride of the American dollar is still in the process of being broken down. But again, remember, the American dollar is what keeps God's work being done.

Because if it was not because of the American dollar, the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom could not be done around the world.

So God is kind of holding a day long enough until the work is done. Because we know, and you and I know, there'll be a time of the famine of the world, of yearning the world.

For that to happen, all you need to do is take the power of the dollar away, devalue the currency to nothing, and then we come to the work.

So the pride is being taken away, but the power has not been taken away yet. And then, if they don't repent, I'll bring you the next wave.

Or have a long after time, which will be. You and I don't know the times.

And the next wave is verse 21.

Then, if you walk contrary to me and you're not willing to obey me, I'll bring you seven times more plagues. There will be diseases, viruses, disease epidemics, biological warfare. I don't know.

And I'll send wild beasts. I mean, these biological things are really wild beasts. When they go wild, they are wild.

Among you, we shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number.

And your 71 interstate and your 65 interstate shall be desolate.

It's frightening when we go and put these things into reality to it.

We don't know how long the sea is.

But there's going to be some serious plagues.

It's punishment from God.

Now, if you still don't repent, then look at verse 23. And if by these things you still not reform to me, you haven't repented, you haven't challenged, you have not become obedient to God, you still say, oh, I need this faith and I don't obey.

But walk contrary to me, then I will also walk contrary to you, and I'll punish you seven times more for your sins, and I'll bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. So there will be a war. Could be internal warfare.

Could be a situation that deteriorates to a way that people stop fighting with one another inside the country. Whatever. And they say, and that will be together with illnesses, because then when you gather together with Indian cities, I'll send pestilence amongst you, so there'll be war and pestence.

And you know when there's war, there's always diseases.

Now, they can still repent. Now, if they don't repent, the first wife comes in verse 27. And after all this, you do not obey me, but walk contrary to me, then I'll walk contrary to you in fury, and I'll just tithe you seven times for your sins. And look at what the combination of this is. He says, you shall eat the flesh of your sons.

That is not pleasant to eat and read. You'll be serious family. I'll destroy your life-laces, your different churches and buildings and things that you prize highly. Verse 31, I'll lay your city's waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. And it was, I'll not listen to your prayers. Look at verse 33. I will scatter you among the nations. Brethren, this fifth wife, the way I see it, is the correct revelation. There we go to slavery. The nation will be in slavery. It will be the greater revelation, and there will be in Egypt. There will be slaves like in Egypt.

And that way God will separate the rebels. But we saw the rebels would be purged out. That's why Christ said in Luke 21, Luke 21, verse 36, Watch therefore and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the same man. You and I don't have to be a rebel. And therefore, when I can be counted amongst those that will escape all these things.

You see, it'll be a time, as it's aptly described in Jeremiah 30, in Jeremiah 30, verse 47, And now these things the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. Israel and Judah. It's both the North and the South. Israel and Judah. And now, we'll be talking about the Lord. Israel and Judah. It's both the North and the South. Israel and Judah.

For thus is the Lord. I have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

Ask now and see whether a man is ever in labor with a child, have you ever seen a man in labor with a baby?

You don't see a man in that. Then why do you see every man with his hand on his loins, like a woman in labor? And all faces turn to Baal, Alice, for the day is great, so that none is like it, and it is the time of Jacob's trouble. Who is Jacob? Jacob's nine most changed to Israel. That means North and South.

To both, to the North and to the South, the two, Israel and Judah. But he shall be saved out of it.

There is hope. He'll be saved out of it. In the end, the great tribulation will be a few left. But those will not be the rebels. There will be a few left. Look in Isaiah chapter 10 verse 3. Isaiah chapter 10 verse 3.

Brethren, this is not a happy sermon to give, but it's a warning that what's happening in the world is going to be punished. Isaiah 10 verse 3, what will you do in the day of punishment and in desolation which will come from afar? It will come from afar. In other words, it's not going to be from a nation around the corner. It will be from nations far overseas. They'll come. To whom will you flee for help?

To whom are you going to get help? And where will you leave your glory?

To which nation are you going to come to help? Because no nation is going to come to your help. Zero. Nobody is going to come to your help. During the Second World War, there were things, they were allies, and they got to get. This will be different. There will be nobody coming to your aid. No nation. We can already see in the news how it's lost with these things about espionage and things about it. It's causing great, great, if you listen to overseas news stations, great things against United States and hatred against United States. And it's not just this. There's going to be many more like this. There's going to reach to a point where no nation is going to say, I don't want to help you.

Look at Ezekiel chapter 7. Ezekiel chapter 7.

Verse 2.

And you, Son of Man, thus says the Lord of God to the land of Israel. And then the end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end has come upon you, and I will send my anger against you, and I'll judge you according to your ways, and I'll repay you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will repay your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst. And then you shall know that I am the Lord.

Thus is the Lord a disaster, a singular disaster. Behold, it has come, and the end has come, the end has come. It has dawned. It has dawned for you. Behold, it has come. Brethren, it's not the end of the world. It's the end of the sway. It's the time of judgment.

It's a time of judgment. Finally, it's the time of judgment.

Doom has come to you. You dwell in the land. The time has come. A day of trouble is here, and not of rejoicing in the mountains.

There'll be an end to the sin and corruption. And look in verse 19. They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse. I mean, you can have a big bank account, and all the useless. The stock market will crash to zero. Even gold, the people, they say, well, I've got to buy gold. Gold will be thrown in the streets. Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. What is the day of the wrath of the Lord? That's the day after the heavenly signs. Then is the day of the wrath of the Lord, which is the trumpet. The heavenly signs is the sixth seal, and then is the seventh seal, which is basically of the seven trumpets. It's the day of the wrath of the Lord. They will not satisfy their souls nor fill their stomachs, because it became the stumbling block of iniquity. After the heavenly signs, it's God's judgment on earth, and it's not just going to be on Israel. It will then be on all other nations. It will be on all other nations, a judgment that will come to all nations. Look in verse 26. The disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. They will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will perish from the priests and counsel from the elders. They will have no answers to what's happening. The king will mourn. The prince will be closed with desolation, and the hands of the common people will tremble. I'll do to them according to their way, and according to what they deserve, I will judge them. They shall know that I am the Lord. It's a time of judgment. The day of the Lord, the heavenly signs, signals when Christ starts judging planet earth.

And the day of the Lord is the day of His wrath, the day of Christ's wrath, and He's going to judge the earth.

Brethren, Israel is an example to all the nations.

An example of blessings, so the nations will be blessed. There will also be an example of punishment. They will be punished, and then all the other nations will be punished as well. You see, read with me, Abadiah, verse 12 through 15. Amos, Abadiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Abadiah. You see, when nations will see Israel being punished, they better not say, Aha! You deserve it! Look at it in verse 12.

You should have not taken rampage, and when they flee, killed them, not allowing them away of escape. You should have not stood at the crossroads to cut off those from among them who escaped, nor should you have to live up those among them who remained in the day of distress. You should have not done that. Why? Because there will be great tribulation.

There will be great tribulation. Matthew 24, 21 describes that point, that time. Matthew 24, 21.

Matthew 24, 21.

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. It would be the end of the world.

But for the elect's sake, but for those few physical Israelites that need to keep living into the world tomorrow, and they will then be a blessing to the rest of the world, because of His promise that He will bless all nations through Israel, and He has selected them to do that, there will be a hand to save. Christ will come as the Savior of the world, not just as Yours and my individual Savior, but He will be the Savior of the world, first the Savior of Israel, and then the Savior of the world. Brethren, Jesus Christ the Savior will return. He will bring back peace on earth. And that's what we see in Revelation 19, verse 11.

And now, as so Evan Alton, and the old white horse, and he was sat on the end, was called faithful and true in righteousness. He judges and makes war. And that's Christ coming back to earth to judge the earth in righteousness, and make war, and finish this injustice that is in the world.

He will rule. He will rule correctly. And you and I will be able to rule under him. He will be the king of kings and lord of lords. And you and I, as we read in Revelation 20, verse 4 and 4, he says, we that will then be resurrected at that time will rule with him during the millennium for those people that will be saved, those physical Israelites, and the rest of the world that will be saved, but they will not be rebels. They will be teachable and malleable and willing to learn. The rebels would have been wiped out. Yes, there will be a great multitude of people that will come through the Great Revelation. Why? So that they can look into the world tomorrow for us to rule over and teach them, and it will be teachable and malleable. Look at Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah chapter 23.

Verse 5 through 8. Be all that days are coming, says the Lord, that all race to David a branch of righteousness. That's Jesus Christ. A king shall reign and prosper. That's Jesus Christ and execute judgment and righteousness on the earth.

As we saw earlier, there will be an end. Yes, there will be an end of this wickedness. There will be an end of this injustice. There will be an end of this evil world because there will be the beginning of a world in which there will be justice and judgment and righteousness. In these days, Judah will be saved. The nation of Judah will be saved, and Israel will do well safely. In those days when Christ comes back, there will still be Judah and there will still be Israel.

They will do well safely. Now, this is His name by which He will be called. This is what Jesus Christ will be called because He is the one that's going to come, and He's the one that's going to rule. He is the branch of righteousness, and the name is the Lord our righteousness, the Y-H-W-H, our righteousness, Jesus Christ. That's what He will be called. Therefore, the all the days are coming, says the Lord, and they shall no longer say, as the Lord lives who brought the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, from slavery. But they will say they're brought to the descendants of the house of Israel from slavery in all the other countries. The slavery out of Egypt will be nothing compared to the slavery they'll come out during, from the great revelation that Jesus Christ will bring them out of, and they will then dwell in their own land safely. And then you read in Isaiah 10 as well, Isaiah 10, verse 23-23. Isaiah 10, verse 20-23.

You see, the Bible is full of prophecy of Israel. If you don't understand who Israel is, you don't understand this whole prophecy. Isaiah 10, verse 20-23. And it shall come to pass in that day that a remnant, yes, there will be a few, those will be the ones that are not rebels, a remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them. It will never depend on another nation that's on top of you and controlling you, but will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in words of Jesus Christ, will be ruling there, and they'll depend on Christ. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, of the mighty God.

See, there will be a remnant. For thou your people of Israel, be as the son of the seed, a remnant of them will return. For the Lord of God will make a determined end in the midst of all the land. He will finish this and will start a new, a new peaceful birth. And that's why you and I read right at the end of Zechariah where he says that every nation will come to Jerusalem and will worship the King, Jesus Christ, and will keep the Feast of Tabernacles in that world-wonderful world tomorrow. Our brethren have brought us for us to consider that Israel is an example of good and bad, an example before they held accountable. A leader is held accountable and will be on full open display.

A leader is all accountable. Abi equals blessings. This abi equals curses and punishments. That's it. God's promises will fulfill and will be fulfilled. But because God is faithful, there is hope because He promised to Israel that they will be a blessing to all nations forever and therefore release hope and He's going to come back. And so as we see this punishment, we see that there will be a punishment. There will be terrible times and you and I can't rejoice when those terrible times come. We cannot. We just cannot. But other nations will also be punished. There will not just be a punishment to Israel. There will be punishment to all the other nations too. There will be a final judgment of the world to Israel first and then to the Gentile. Brethren, what is it that you and I need to do now? Considering this, what is it that you and I need to do now? Turn with me to Acts chapter 17 as a concluding structure. Acts 17, Acts 17. And I apologize to give a sad sermon, but I want you to give you an understanding that things are going to happen so you're not confused when they do happen. But understand there's something that we all need to be doing now. Acts 17 verse 30 and 31. Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has all time. Remember, the judgment will be in righteousness and He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. So He will charge. There isn't assurance it will happen, but remember He commands all men everywhere to repent.

There will be a time of judgment and of justice. It will all be through our loving Savior Jesus Christ. Thank God that He's going to come to save us from this terrible time. We have that hope, but our responsibility now is to make sure that we stay humble and repentant in the path of eternal life.