JESUS CHRIST: HIS PROPHETIC WORD TO NATIONAL ISRAEL!!

This is a must read for those of you who are interested in prophecy. In the Parable of the LORD’S VINEYARD [Matthew 21:33-46] we gain much insight into how the Lord dealt with the Jewish people of His day, regarding their rejection of not only Him, but of the prophets through the ages. This parable was given by the Lord Jesus Christ, the creator of the world, almost two thousand years ago: 

Matthew 21:33
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

The householder in this parable is the Lord God Almighty, and the  husbandmen are the gardeners who were responsible for the vineyard.  In this case the husbandmen [gardeners] are the children of Israel who were entrusted with the Word of God down through the years.  The children of Israel were the ones who were instructed by the Lord, and they often had His prophets sent to them. In fact the book of Isaiah shows us clearly that the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel. 

Isaiah 5:7-8
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.  Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

Matthew 21:34-36
And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 

In this part of the parable the Lord is describing the history of the children of Israel and how they treated the sevants of the Lord.  These servants were beaten, persecuted and even killed at times.  In fact if you read chapter seven in the New Testament book of Acts you will hear Stephen, a man of faith and power, rehearse the history of Israel in great detail. In fact this chapter is one of the clearest testimonies in the whole New Testament of how the Jewish people were confronted regarding their rejection of JESUS their MESSIAH.

At one point Stephen addressed the Jewish leaders who were standing before him and said the following:

 Acts 7:51-52
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One [Jesus Christ]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.  When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Stephen told the Jewish leaders that they were resisting the Holy Ghost just as their fathers did. Stephen also made a point of telling these Jewish leaders that they were responsible for killing the prophets who prophesied of the coming Christ [MESSIAH].  We know the Messiah is Jesus. Stephen was stoned to death a short time later like so many others of the Lord’s faithful witnesses. [Acts 7:55-60] 

Matthew 21:37-39  

But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

This part of the parable describes what happened when Jesus Christ arrived on the scene. He was rejected by the majority of the Jewish people, especially the chief priests and the elders, and they wanted Jesus Christ to be put to death. The scriptures below testify to the truth that they were surely involved in putting Christ [MESSIAH] to death.

Matthew 27:1
When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

The Lord was not surprised by what was coming and He told His own disciples that His death was the fulfillment of prophecy. The Word of God is truly amazing in its accuracy regarding the prophetic word.  The scriptures foresaw what took place here, and declared it hundreds of years before.

Luke 18:31-33
Then he [Jesus] took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

Matthew 21:40
When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

Here the Lord Jesus Christ asks the Jewish religious leaders, who were listening to Him tell this parable, what should be done to those who did all of those things to the Lord’s servants. Jesus was now getting to the very heart of the matter, as He always did, and He wanted them to give Him the answer to His question.

Matthew 21:41
They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

The Jewish religious rulers responded and told Jesus, that those who did those things were wicked and they should be destroyed! Not only that, but they said that the vineyard should be let out [given over to] to other husbandmen [gardeners] who would bring forth the fruits in their seasons. They had no idea that their answer played right into the meaning of the parable.  They were able to see the unrighteousness of what was done to the servants in that parable, but they did not realize that they were the very ones whom the Lord was describing.

Matthew 21:42
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

The Lord Jesus Christ then quoted Psalm 118:22 regarding Himself as being that STONE which the builders [Israel] rejected and who had become the head of the corner [or cornerstone]. The Lord was basically telling the leaders of Israel that the very one standing before them was the very one whom they needed. The Lord was and is the chief cornerstone in the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom which would be made up of Jewish and Gentile believers. 

Matthew 21:43
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Could Jesus Christ, the creator of the earth, [John 1:1-3], have been any clearer in His pronunciation against the leaders of Israel.  The Lord made His point that Israel had rejected the prophets who were sent to them, and they would end up killing Him too.  Yes, the Lord was prophesying of His very own death, but He was also telling Israel that the Kingdom would be taken from them, and it was! The nation that the Lord said would be given the Kingdom is simply that “holy nation” of believers described by Peter. [1 Peter 2:9-10]  This gospel is not about Israel but it is all about Jesus Christ. The prophets prophesy about Jesus Christ because it is all about HIM. The Lord is going to have a people who serve Him and worship HIM with all of their heart, and those people are going to come from every part of this large world in which we live.  If a person has not been born again then they are not part of the Kingdom of God [John 3:1-8] because entrance into this Kingdom is only through Jesus Christ. Do not let anybody replace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a false gospel, because a curse comes along with a false gospel. [Galatians 1:8-9]

WHO ARE GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE? 

They are those who believe the testimony that God gave of His Son Jesus Christ! [Jewish and Gentile]

WHO IS THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE? 

It is those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! [Jewish and Gentile]

God is not a respector of persons, and any person who desires salvation in Christ will not be turned away. Does that mean that a person who has led a life without the Lord, and who has lived in absolute decadence their whole life can be saved? Absolutely YES.  That very same person can also be called the apple of God’s eye, and one of God’s chosen people as much as any person who has received the Lord since the beginning of the world.  This gospel is not about Israel, but it is all about Jesus Christ!

Do you remember what the Lord Jesus Christ told that  Gentile woman of Samaria concerning the worship of God?

John 4:21-26
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias [Messiah] cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.  

Jesus made it clear to this Gentile woman, that the city of Jerusalem did not matter when it came to the worship of God. Jesus told the woman that God must be worshiped in Spirit and truth, and the physical location had nothing to do with the true worship of God. Perhaps Jesus was looking forward into this modern day where people have made a religious idol out of the city of Jerusalem, and the National State of Israel.

Jesus told this Gentile woman that He was in fact the Messiah that she was looking for, which clearly shows us that the Lord will reveal Himself to anyone who truly desires to know Him.  This woman had been married many times, and she was living with a man at the time, but the Lord offered her mercy. Do you remember what the angel said to the apostle John, in the book of Revelation, when John went to bow down and worship him?

Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

If a person does not have the testimony of Jesus in their heart, and on their lips, then they are not true worshipers of God. The angel made that very clear to John. The angel also let John know that the spirit of prophecy will put the testimony of Jesus within a persons heart. If a person truly wants to know what the Word of God is about, then they will find out very quickly that it is Jesus Christ who is the central figure in the Bible, and the redeemer whom they need.

Matthew 21:44
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Jesus Christ did not mince words when He spoke, and here he tells the Jewish leaders that those who reject Him would end up as powder.  The word of God still stands true today for both Jew and Gentile. It is either Christ or nothing, and there are no back doors, side doors, or any other door you might think of in this plan of salvation. Jesus said this:

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Matthew 21:45-46
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

At this point the Jewish priests and the Pharisees caught on to what Jesus was telling them, and they realized that He was speaking about them. They would have grabbed Jesus right then and there but they feared for their own lives so they did not take Him at this point.

ACTUAL QUOTE FROM JESUS CHRIST

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Related Audio Message: The Parable Of The Vineyard =  AUDIO HERE

Related Article: The Strong Delusion Of “Christian Zionism”

Related YOU TUBE VIDEO: ISRAEL AND THEIR REJECTION OF JESUS THE MESSIAH!
 

REVEALED! APOSTLE PETER AGAINST POPE WORSHIP!

There is an interesting passage of scripture in the book of Acts, where the apostle Peter was meeting with a man named Cornelius:

Acts 10:25-26
And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. 

Cornelius was a humble man, and at the Lord’s request Peter (through a vison) was sent to instruct him. When Peter arrived at the place where Cornelius and his friends were gathered, Cornelius threw himself down on the floor to worship him. Peter quickly rebuked the man for doing that, and flat out told Cornelius that he was a man just like him.  

Fast forward to modern times, and you will see people bowing down before the Roman Catholic Popes [including the present Pope] kissing their rings, paying homage to them wherever they may go. This is actually something that has been going on for centuries. Considering the fact that Peter is said to have been the first Pope, one must wonder why they would even allow that practice.

Peter made it clear to Cornelius that he was just a man like he was. In fact Peter was married, and at one time the Lord healed his mother-in-law of a fever:

Matthew 8:14-15
And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

So as you can see Peter was a married man and just a regular guy like everyone else. Peter knew full well that this man Cornelius needed to be corrected quickly, lest that type of thinking would get deep into his spiritual system.

If a person has been truly born again of the Spirit, they are fully aware that they have received the mercy of God, and have been snatched from the highway to Hell by the grace of God. A person that has been born again of the Spirit, also realizes that CHRIST, and Him alone, will always get ALL of the glory. That is the reason why Peter stopped this man from paying any homage to him.

There is not one person on this earth who can be called HOLY outside of what CHRIST has done for them on the cross, and that is the beautiful thing about salvation. We are all on the same level ground, with no exceptions. It is true that the Lord will use people in different capacities, such as teachers, evangelists, preachers and other things. But every single one of those people are not one DROP above anybody else, in terms of “holiness,” including the new born Christian.  Do not ever forget that.

We find another example in the book of Revelation when the apostle John attempted to worship an angel:

Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 22:9-10
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

So we can see that same spiritual principle at work here. The angel from Heaven rebuked John when he attempted to worship him. 

It is plain and simple idolatry when a person gives worship to any person [including angels] except the true and living God. We can see how John simply wanted to pay respect to this angel, whom he knew lived in the very presence of God, but the angel knew better than to receive worship from anyone.  He knew that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Dalai Lama has been called “His Holiness” and the Pope is referred to as the “Holy Father” but we must never forget to take heed to the words of Jesus the CHRIST [MESSIAH] when He said:

Matthew 23:9-10
And call no man your father upon the earth: for ONE is your FATHER, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters: for ONE is your Master, even CHRIST

EXPELLED!! NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED!! NEW MOVIE!!

I just heard about a new movie that is coming out on April 18th 2008 and I must say that I am very excited about this movie. I went to the website HERE and I viewed the trailer, and it certainly looks like it will be a most interesting watch. I am not a prophet but I do sense that this movie is going to have a tremendous impact on the people of America, especially the youth, and that is truly exciting. I found out about this movie by reading a newsletter by Ken Ham, and he highly recommended this documentary. Ken is a very well known Christian author, and speaker on creationism. His website answersingenesis.org is filled with an overwheming supply of materials to support the Biblical view regarding creation. The following excerpts are from an article by Ken Ham from their monthly newsletter:

“. . . This film will shock you. It documents that America is losing some of its most important freedoms (especially in our tax supported institutions) because of what “THEY” are doing. You will be astounded at what “THEY” have already done to squash academic freedom and mock God.

And who are “THEY”? Atheists like Dr. Richard Dawkins, the scientific elite in America’s public education system, and even professors in private universities (like Baylor, which calls itself a Christian institution).

Expelled is filled with examples of those who have lost their jobs or been persecuted in some way because they dared question Darwinian evolution — or merely allowed someone to suggest the possibility of some vague intelligence behind the origin of life.

Sometimes they even go after their own. The film shows evolutionist Dr. Richard Steinberg, who was a journal editor for the tax supported Smithsonian Institution. He lost his position because his great “sin” was to allow an article that suggested the possibility of intelligent design to be published in a science journal! “THEY” expelled even him!”

I am looking forward to the release of this movie, and I hope that it is a huge success.

You can visit the website for EXPELLED HERE  

WHO IS THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD?

It is imperative for the people of the Lord to understand what the Bible has to say, regarding the topic of Israel, because we are living in perilous times for sure. There is a true Israel and there is a false Israel when it comes to salvation, and those who truly know the Lord Jesus Christ. The words below were written by the apostle Paul, a former persecutor and murderer of true believers in Jesus Christ.

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 2:28-29)

Paul made it ever so clear that being a Jew was not just a matter of a physical circumcision of the flesh, but a circumcision of the heart. A person may have had a physical circumcision performed on their fleshly body, but they have never had their hearts circumcised [a spiritual work in the heart]. In other words they are not right with God!

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: (Deuteronomy 10:16-17)

The apostle Paul made the same point again in the following verse of scripture:

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Romans 9:6)

There is a gross misunderstanding in the “Church World” regarding the people of Israel. I am talking about ethnic Israel, and those who do not follow the Lord Jesus Christ, nor have any wish to do so. The most religious of them do not make any bones about it either. They do not believe that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah] and they make it clear that they are awaiting His first coming. 

The only thing that really matters is what the Word of God has to say regarding Israel, and how a person can come to salvation. Jesus Christ poured out His heart [and eventually His own blood], when He preached to the people of Israel, and He told them in no uncertain terms that they would die in their sins without Him!

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:21-24)

Folks, those words stand as true today, as they did when Jesus first spoke them. Any person, whether they be Jewish or Gentile, who has died without Jesus Christ since that time has died in their sins, and gone into Hades [Hell] where they await the final judgment of God. That is the Gospel truth. In fact if that is not true then Jesus Christ is a liar.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

The apostle Paul suffered much because he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, straight and without a chaser. That is why his former cohorts wanted to kill him immediately after he turned to follow Jesus Christ. [Acts 9:23] Listen to Paul as he pours out his heart before King Agrippa with the Spirit of God all over him:

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. (Acts 26:4-11)

What power is heard in those words. This is the testimony of a Jewish man who thought that he was on the right track with God, until the Lord Jesus Christ confronted him right out of Heaven and showed him the right way to go. If Paul had died before that experience on the road to Damascus he would have died in his sins, just like anybody else, and he most certainly would have spent an eternity in Hell. Listen to Paul again as he speaks about the Israel of God.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:14-16)

The scriptures tell us the “ISRAEL OF GOD” is made up of those who glory only in the cross of Jesus Christ!  That includes both Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. People in the “Church World” have elevated ETHNIC ISRAEL [the Jewish people] and put them on a pedestal, something which the Lord Jesus Christ never did. Read the Gospel accounts for yourself and let the truth set you free.

DO YOU WANT TO BLESS ISRAEL? 

THEN PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THEM WITHOUT COMPROMISE!

TO HOLD BACK THE GOSPEL TRUTH IS NOT LOVE AT ALL!

TO HOLD BACK THE TRUTH IS NOT MERCIFUL AT ALL!

Salvation does not come any other way, except through faith in Jesus Christ. If a minister is leading anybody [Jewish or Gentile] to believe that they are under a different covenant, or that they can be saved in a different manner, they ought not to be in the pulpit of any church that bears the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12)

You may want to check out my other article:

THE STRONG DELUSION OF “CHRISTIAN” ZIONISM! 

Is that the sound of the warmongers’ drums that I hear in the distance? Is Iran in the “crosshairs” of the USA military machine?  If that is the case, then the “Christian” Zionists cannot be very far behind, as they rattle their tambourines in full support for war and destruction.

Related topics:

YOUTUBE VIDEO:HOW CAN A PERSON BECOME BORN AGAIN 

THE WICKEDNESS OF WAR!  [Article written in 1838 by an anonymous Christian]