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Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Almost in every Sunday service we sing the song "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one", while the ushers collect the offerings. We sing it in three languages, in German, English, and Hebrew, and my favourite part is singing the song in the Hebrew language, the language that this passage was originally written in. It is a scripture found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and is the highest commandment from God to Israel. We, as Christians, serve the same God, because there is no other God. (see also Isaiah 43:10-12)
Hear o, Israel, the LORD our God, the Lord our God is one. (2x) Our God, our God, the Lord our God is one. (2x) |
Hör, o Israel der HERR ist unser Gott, der HERR ist unser Gott allein. (2x) Unser Gott, unser Gott, der HERR ist Gott allein. (2x) |
SHMA Israel adonai elohaynu adonai echad. (2x) Elohaynu, elohaynu adonai echad. (2x) שׁמע ישׂראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד׃ |
While we, as Gentiles, can sing by the grace of God: "...our God is One", it was not always like that. The Jews are the chosen people of God, through the covenant God made with Abraham. When they did not receive their Messiah and cried out, "Crucify him", there was only a short time left until their Messiah, Jesus Christ would be carrying the sins of all mankind at the cross of Calvary and be starting a new covenant with all who believe the Gospel. He entrusted His disciples, who He taught for three years, with the message, His power and authority, when they received the gift of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached this message first to the Jews: Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Later this message would be taken first of all by the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles, and then by the church unto the ends of the world. Whether you are an American, an African, an Arab, or whether you come from Europe, or from the vast nations of Asia, you are a Gentile; but by obeying the Gospel, you will be born into the family of God and grafted into the olive tree, which is Israel. (Romans 11 is a great chapter concerning this subject)
What about the Jews then? The Gospel is for them too, because it includes all men, and the Gospel was preached by the Early Church to the Jews and Gentiles alike. (Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.) There is no salvation in any other name than in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12) Nevertheless, there is a difference, for when the time of the Gentiles and God's grace for the nations soon comes to an end, God is not yet finished with Israel -- their time is coming whereby, God will turn back to His people and they will call on Him, whom they pierced, and He will answer them. It will be during a great time of trouble, when Israel is in great distress and all nations will end up turning against her. Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (see also Jeremiah 31 and 32)
Woe to any nation who rises up against Israel, troubles are on the way. No UNO, no Arabian nation, nor Russia, China, the USA or any other nation can stop the blessings promised by God for Israel. The Holocaust happened not so long ago, but already in many nations, a spirit of anti-Semitism is rising up and the media is feeding it. Why? The devil always tries to destroy the plans of God and we know that God always wins.
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The birth of the State of Israel is a miracle itself, and also, in a similar way the Six-Day War, which was not only wrought by the brilliant performance of the Israeli military, but due to God has having His hand over this nation. When all the nations come against Israel one day, being led by the anti-christ, a glorious victory will be won, which is still yet to come. After this time, no worldly cabinet and government will be set up in Israel, but Jesus Christ Himself will rule in Jerusalem over all the nations in the millennium reign of Jesus Christ. This will be the fulfilment of end time prophecy which is still yet to come, and no devil is able to destroy God's plans. (Revelation 19:11ff, Zechariah 14 and Revelation 20:1-6, Micah 4, Isaiah 65:16ff)
What should we do at this present time? It is our obligation and responsibility as Christians to pray for our political leaders, to pray for the peace of Israel, and above all to be involved in our Father's business, because the time remaining for the Gentiles is short. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, Psalm 122, Luk 10:2) We must always be aware of the time in which we are living, and realize that there is not much time left for us. It is a good time now given to us by God, a time of grace. The Lord Jesus is soon coming back to rapture the church, and this will trigger the uprising of the antichrist and the wrath of God upon this evil generation. We must be prepared and ready to go, so that we will escape the Great Tribulation. This will be the end of the church age, and God will turn back to His people Israel.
I love to sing this Jewish refrain, Sh'ma Israel, because somehow I feel that I belong to the same family. And I love Israel and pray for the peace of Israel, which, of course, only the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, is able to bring. ra
(Left)
Here is a clip of the proclamation from David Ben Gurion, as he proclaims
the rebirth of the nation of Israel. He has not mentioned God in this
part, but who can keep HIM outside of the picture? Jesus Christ Himself
has steered all this and He will also ordain everything which is to
come! (Right) View of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The Wailing Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. |