"For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath
chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that
are upon the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 7:6
Adam and the entire human race was appointed by God to be a showpiece of the glory of God on the earth. But the incidence of sin in Adam brought about the abortion of this enterprise of God. In Abraham, God chose a nation, Israel, by which He was going to fulfill the mandate which Adam's rebellion aborted. Israel became a chosen nation that God was going to use in revealing to the rest of the world who He was, and how to worship and serve Him. To make Israel His people, a covenant was cut with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the mark of the covenant was given in the ordinance of circumcision.
God's covenant with Israel was predicated on their obedience. Through the years Israel consistently violated every term of the covenant, and their rebellion culminated in the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah and King. With this, God turned to the Gentiles and from them chose for Himself a new race of people, the church of Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter brought this truth to light when he wrote in 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
But beyond being the chosen of God, these two nations had another thing in common: they were God's witnesses. In Isaiah 43:10, God said of Israel, "you are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen." And in Acts 1:2, it is written of the church, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me..." Israel failed in being the voice of God to the nations, and God raised the church. But the witness of the church is about to come to an end; this will happen at the rapture of the church, and once again, God will turn to Israel to be His end of age witness heralding His message to the nations during the last seven years of this age. In Revelation chapter seven, we have the account of the 144,000 Jews who will be saved and sent as missionaries into the world proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. From that time going, Israel will be restored as the witness of God even unto the millennial kingdom.
What many don't seem to understand is that when God called Abraham, He separated to Himself two races who will be witnesses to Him at different times. These two races constituted a natural people, Israel, and a heavenly race, the church of Jesus Christ. "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Genesis 13:16. This is reference to the natural descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel.
"And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Genesis 15:5. This is reference to the church of Jesus Christ, the Lord from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:47. The clock is ticking and it will not be long before the church is taken out of the earth and then will come the Great Tribulation. Now is the time to call on the Lord when the door is mercy is still open. This is the witness of the church to the world.
Toni
Adam and the entire human race was appointed by God to be a showpiece of the glory of God on the earth. But the incidence of sin in Adam brought about the abortion of this enterprise of God. In Abraham, God chose a nation, Israel, by which He was going to fulfill the mandate which Adam's rebellion aborted. Israel became a chosen nation that God was going to use in revealing to the rest of the world who He was, and how to worship and serve Him. To make Israel His people, a covenant was cut with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the mark of the covenant was given in the ordinance of circumcision.
God's covenant with Israel was predicated on their obedience. Through the years Israel consistently violated every term of the covenant, and their rebellion culminated in the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah and King. With this, God turned to the Gentiles and from them chose for Himself a new race of people, the church of Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter brought this truth to light when he wrote in 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
But beyond being the chosen of God, these two nations had another thing in common: they were God's witnesses. In Isaiah 43:10, God said of Israel, "you are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen." And in Acts 1:2, it is written of the church, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me..." Israel failed in being the voice of God to the nations, and God raised the church. But the witness of the church is about to come to an end; this will happen at the rapture of the church, and once again, God will turn to Israel to be His end of age witness heralding His message to the nations during the last seven years of this age. In Revelation chapter seven, we have the account of the 144,000 Jews who will be saved and sent as missionaries into the world proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. From that time going, Israel will be restored as the witness of God even unto the millennial kingdom.
What many don't seem to understand is that when God called Abraham, He separated to Himself two races who will be witnesses to Him at different times. These two races constituted a natural people, Israel, and a heavenly race, the church of Jesus Christ. "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Genesis 13:16. This is reference to the natural descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel.
"And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Genesis 15:5. This is reference to the church of Jesus Christ, the Lord from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:47. The clock is ticking and it will not be long before the church is taken out of the earth and then will come the Great Tribulation. Now is the time to call on the Lord when the door is mercy is still open. This is the witness of the church to the world.
Toni
