The past several weeks, in our newspapers, the subject
that's dominating the news is Israel. Israel. I pick up a morning paper and
I read Bethlehem. Jerusalem and Israel. And the other morning I picked up my paper and read all
these things and then I picked up the Bible. And I began to wonder if something's
happening today that is most unusual, most mysterious, ordained
of God. And I'd like to know, wouldn't
you? I don't have the answers, but I found some scripture, and
I'm not certain what it means, but I know what it says. And I'm going to begin the service
tonight with that scripture that I read the other morning, and
begin our service with it. After we sing and have the reading
of Romans 10, I want us to look at Romans 11, verse by verse,
and see what the Lord is saying. There are two words, two names
that this world despises. One is Jehovah, God my Savior,
Jehovah now, God my Savior, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Nisa, Jehovah
Sikindu, Jehovah Raya, Jehovah my Lord, my Redeemer, my Savior,
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man. And the other word is
Israel. Every nation in this world hates
Israel. Did you know that? Except three,
three countries. Every nation, even Russia that's
not Arabic, Russia, China, India, Pakistan,
Pakistan, just name any country, hate Israel, it's the name that
they hate. That name Israel, when God Almighty
wrestled, our Lord wrestled with Jacob, that's when he gave him
that name, Israel. And it means Prince of God. His name no longer would be Jacob,
but Israel. He gave him that name, and he
gave that name to the sons of Jacob and to the nation of Israel. And those two names are not going
to perish off this earth until Christ comes. I guarantee you
that, and this is what the scripture says. You turn to Psalms 83. Those three nations, I'll name
them, they're America, England, and Australia. And you know the
difference? All three of those nations are
people who've been blessed with an understanding of the Word
of God. England, that produced those great preachers, John Newton,
Isaac Watts, Charles Spurgeon, John Gill, John Bunyan, Whitefield,
Knox, just keep naming them. And America was blessed with
the pilgrims and Puritans that came over here and established
the gospel in this country. And Australia, where the gospel
has been preached. But the rest of the countries,
and we have a president who reads his Bible, he says every day,
and he reads about Israel. And you can tell that because
he's afraid to do anything contrary to Israel. careful walk where
Israel is concerned, and so do the English people and Americans,
but not the rest of the world. Now, you listen to this in Psalm
83, verse 1. Keep not thou silence, O God,
hold not thou peace, be not still, O God, for lo, thy enemies make
a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up their They
have taken crafty counsel against our people, and consulted against
our hidden ones. That refers to Psalm 27, that
our hidden ones, where it says in Psalm 27, in time of trouble
he'll hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me and set me up on a rock. That's his people.
They have said, Come, let us cut them off from being a nation. Why? That the name of Israel
may be no more in remembrance. We've got to do away with that
name, Israel. We've got to blot out that name. If those people over there were
called Indians or whatever, but if they are called Israel, They
trace their heritage back to Abraham and the people of God.
They're Israelites, and they're hated for that reason. Now, turn
to Jeremiah 31. Listen to this now. This is interesting,
Jeremiah 31. You've read this so many times
in Jeremiah 31, verse 31. Look at it. I'll make a new covenant with
the house of Israel, with the house of Jacob." Now, the word
Israel, house of Israel, nation of Israel, is used interchangeably. It's used in reference to Abraham's
seed and people of God in the Old Testament and us. We're all
Israel. And this covenant is with us,
with all of Israel redeemed. Now, verse 32. It's not according to the covenant
I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Anybody doubt about
who that is? To which my covenant they break,
although I was a husband to them, saith the Lord. But this shall
be the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord. I'll put my law in their inward
parts. I'll write it in their hearts. I'll be their God. They'll
be my people." the children of grace, sons of Jacob, you and
me, Jew and Gentile. And they shall teach no more
every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the Lord. But they shall all know me, from the least of them
to the greatest of them, saith the Lord. And I will forgive
their iniquity, I will remember their sins no more." And most
of the time when I've read this, I've stopped out there. When
I went on to read the next verses, you read them with me, look,
verse 35. Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light
by day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a
light by night, and divides the sea when the waves thereof are
over, the Lord of hosts is his name." That refers to Jeremiah
10.10. Listen to this. The Lord of hosts
is his name. Jeremiah 10.10 says, The Lord
is a true God, a living God, an everlasting King. At his wrath
the earth shall tremble, and nations shall not be able to
abide his indignation." All right, read on now, verse 36. The Lord
of hosts is his name. Now, if those ordinances depart
from before me, what ordinances? The sun to rule by day, and the
moon by night, and the stars. If they depart, saith the Lord,
then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation
before me forever." But they are not going to cease to be
a nation until the sun stops shining, and the moon stops shining,
and the stars stop directing people's voyages. Not until those
ordinances pass away. Thus saith the Lord, if heaven
above can be measured, and it can, and the foundations of the
earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of
Israel. For all that they've done, saith
the Lord, if ye measure the heavens, measure the earth, I'll cast
off my people." There's another scripture. If you'll turn with
me to Galatians, chapter 6, verse 15 and 16. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, 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." That's our name. It always has
been the name of the sons of Jacob since he gave them that
name, sons of God, prince of God. The world hates that name,
Jehovah and Israel. We're going to look at some more
scriptures. We'll turn to Romans 9 just a
moment before we sing a song, Romans chapter 9. And like I
say, this name is used interchangeably. It refers to Israel, beginning
with Abraham, and it refers to 13th Street Baptist Church, it's
God's Israel. And the relationship is the same. Abraham's God is my God. Abraham's
faith is my faith, your faith. Abraham's confidence and hope
is my confidence and hope. I'm an Israelite. See this right
here in Romans 9, verse 7, verse 6, Romans 9, 6. Not as though the word of God
had taken on effect. They are not all Israel, which
are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham
or their children. There are lots of people that
are natural seeds of Abraham out there that do not belong
to God. They're not his son. But in Isaac,
shalt thou seed be called. And that seed in Isaac is Christ. That's the seed. Oh, it's such
an interesting reading. I think something's happening. You think, well, it's been 2,000
years since our Lord died on the cross, since he called his
disciples, who were all Jews, Israelites, the Apostle Paul
and wrote the New Testament. It's been a long time. When Harry Truman, President
of the United States, almost stood alone in declaring Israel to be a nation. That's exactly right. He stood
almost alone. Everybody, all the nations were
opposed to Israel being recognized as a nation. It just was by a
thin hair that that thing was accomplished, to be a nation
now. in our lifetime. Our Lord said
something about this generation would not pass till all these
things be fulfilled, too. But it's been that way with Israel
from the beginning. Go back 4,000 years to Abraham,
when there wasn't a nation Israel. God called Abraham out of his
father's house. He said, you go to a land I'll
show you, and I'll make you a great nation. I'll give you that land
and it's yours forever, that land. Abraham never occupied
that land. He never owned a foot of it.
He wandered his whole life looking for a kingdom and living in tents
with Isaac and Jacob. But then years passed and Israel
went down to Egypt. Four hundred years they were
down there. 400 years in captivity and slavery. It went down to
just 70 of them when it went down there. 400 years passed. 400 years now. Longer than this country has
been a nation, they were in captivity. And God raised up Moses, an Israelite. He preserved the purity of those
people and their nation and their heritage, even while they were
in slavery and bondage in Egypt, in a pagan country. living with
those people. Yet he preserved Israel and raised
Moses up and took him down there to lead them out of captivity
and establish the Passover, the promise of redemption through
Christ, the picture of redemption through Christ. Moses led them
out, brought them to the mountain. God gave them the law. God gave
them the Levitical law and the Mosaic economy and set them up
with a tabernacle. But they lapsed into idolatry
and backsliding and paganism. They had the great kingdom under
David and the great kingdom under Solomon, but from there for a
thousand years, it's downhill all the way. I mean, paganism
and idolatry, but still Israel. And then 400 more years of silence,
total silence from Malachi, 400 years of nothing. from God, until that angel came
down and said to Mary, the rightful heir to David's throne, Mary and Joseph, tribe of Judah,
that was still the tribe of Judah, they were still the house and
lineage of David. The house and lineage of David
could be traced all the way back to David from Mary and from Joseph. Tell them you're going to have
a son, the Savior. And God sent the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sent him to the Jews. He was born in Bethlehem, city
of David. He said to that Canaanite woman,
I'm sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Well, we
know that's us, too, but it's still Israel. And then they nailed
Him to a cross. He's in the world, the world
knew Him not, He came unto His own, His own received Him not.
We'll not have this man reign over us. Let His blood be on
us and our children. Nailed Him to a cross. He rose from the dead, sent His
disciples out to preach the gospel. And then the emperor Titus came
in in 70, was that A.D. 70? Came in the Roman legions
and Titus and destroyed Jerusalem. Later flattened. The Jews began
to disperse to all of the nations. It wasn't in Israel. And 1900 years have gone by.
And then an American president, impressed by somebody, who was
impressed by God that Israel was going to be a nation. And
they set up that nation. And that's what's over there
now. And they've done everything in their power to do away with
that nation. In 1967, the whole Arab world
turned on them. Egypt and Syria and Lebanon and
you name all those countries declared war on them. And like
David of old, Israel whipped them in six days. They turned
tail and ran home. I mean, they outnumbered them
ten to one, and they just left their tanks and trucks and everything
along the road and went home, routed by Israel. And here we are in 2002, and Israel is the big issue. That
little country over there, not much bigger than few Kentucky
counties, Boyd County and Greenup County and Elliott County, maybe.
That's all big Israel is. But they got the whole world
upset. The whole world has declared war on that country. And our
country, our President is being judged by how he treats Israel.
And God's dealing with Israel, too. He'd better stay with Israel. He'd better stay with us, too. Because you look at Romans 11.
Let's look at this a little bit. And like I said, I don't know
what all this means, but I do know what it says. Now let's
see what it says. In Romans 11, verse 1, Paul says,
I say then, hath God cast away his people? Now who's he talking
about? He's talking about Israel. That's exactly who he's talking
about. God forbid, I am an Israelite. Paul said, I'm an example. that
God hadn't cast away his people, he said, I was born a Hebrew
of Hebrews, a tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee of Pharisees, under
the law. I'm an Israelite. And God saved
me. And God made me the chief apostle.
And God gave me 13 of the New Testament epistles to write.
I'm an Israelite. You see that? He wasn't a Gentile,
he was an Israelite. I don't think any book in the
Bible is written about Gentiles. I'm an Israelite, I'm of the
seed of Abraham, the tribe of Benjamin. Verse 2, God hath not
cast away his people whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the scripture
saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel?
This is one of their own prophets. He made intercession against
Israel. He said, Lord, those people have killed your prophets.
They've digged down your altars, and I'm left alone, and they
seek my life. They're going to kill me too.
What saith the answer of God to Elijah? I have reserved to
myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed their knee to
the image of Baal. And Paul says, Now brethren,
even so then. Now that's what he told Elijah
way back then. He said, I've got people you don't know anything
about. Elijah said, I'm the only one left, just go ahead and kill
me too. The Lord said, you don't know what you're talking about.
I've got 7,000 believers in Israel. 7,000 men, not counting the women
and children. And Paul says, even so then at this present
time, when I'm writing this epistle, also there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. God has an elect people among
Israel and among every nation. Now watch this, it's the election
of grace. If it's by grace, there's no more of works. Otherwise,
grace is not grace. We understand that, don't we?
We're God's children by election, by his choice, not ours. Well,
we choose him because he chose us. It's by grace. But now if
it be of works, then there's no more of grace. You can't have
part grace and part works. You can't have salvation partly
by grace and partly by works. It's all of free, sovereign grace. Not of works, otherwise work
is not work. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest are blinded. What did Israel seek? What was
Israel seeking for all these years? Acceptance with God, a
part in the kingdom of God, eternal life. Well, how did they seek
it in the law? in the ceremonies, in the circumcision,
in all these things that Moses gave them. That's the way they
hoped to find acceptance with God, by what they did. Well,
they didn't obtain it. You can't obtain righteousness
by works. Righteousness is by grace, through
faith. But the election hath obtained
that acceptance, that glory, that kingdom, and the rest were
blinded. Who's the rest? That's Israel.
They've been blinded. Now look at verse 8. According
as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes
that they should not see, ears that they should not hear, even
to this day. Israel is blinded. Now let's
go back to Isaiah 29. That's what that refers to as
it is written. Isaiah 29, verse 10. Let's go
back there and let's read that. This is prophesied by Isaiah
long years before Paul ever preached. Isaiah 29, verse 10. Listen. Isaiah 29, verse 10. For the Lord hath poured out
upon you the spirit of deep sleep, closed your eyes. The prophets
and your rulers and seers hath he covered. And the vision of
all is become unto you as the words of a book that's sealed."
You've got the book, but it's sealed. They read Moses as a
veil on their face. They can't understand it. That's
the reason he said, these scriptures in the Old Testament are read
in their synagogues every day. And yet they fulfilled every
word of them in condemning Jesus Christ. And when they had fulfilled
everything that was written of Christ in their own Bible, they
took him down from the tree and put him in a grave and said,
Now we're through with him. It's a sealed book, because they're
blind. Read on. And the vision had become
new words of a book that was sealed, which men delivered to
one who had learned, saying, Here's a man that's smart. Read
this, I pray thee. He says, I cannot, it's sealed.
And the book is delivered to him that's not learned. Read
this, I pray thee. He says, I'm not learned. Wherefore
the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their
mouth, with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart
far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of
men, therefore, behold, I will proceed to do an awesome, miraculous,
marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder.
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding
of their prudent men shall be healed." And that's what's happened
right here to Israel. With all their prophets and priests
and Alan and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and David
and Solomon and all these men. They read their writings, they
don't know what they're saying. Now back to Romans 11, verse
9. And David said, Let their table
be made a star. What is that table? Passover
table. Their table of ceremonies and
sacrifices. Instead of being a blessing,
it's a blessing to us. We see the Passover and it points
us to the Lord's table, points us to Christ. But they see the
Passover as a means to an end, or the end. That's the way to
be saved, keeping the Passover. It's a snare, it's a trap, it's
a stumbling block, it's a recompense to them. Verse 10, Let their eyes be darkened
that they may not see, and bow down their back always. This
is Israel. Now wait a minute, I say then,
have they stumbled that they should fall completely? Has God cast them away? That's
the way we started this chapter. Has God cast them away? Have
they fallen forever? God forbid. He's one of the only
writers of Scripture that used those two words, God forbid.
And every time he uses them, it's to denounce some ridiculous
supposition. One man said, well, let's do
evil that good may come. He said, God forbid. Let sin,
that grace may abound, God forbid, you know. And then he says here,
God cast away his people forever, God forbid. God forbid. But rather, through
their fall, salvation comes to the Gentiles. Or to provoke them
to jealousy. You ever heard Bob read that
a while ago, didn't you? To provoke them to jealousy.
Paul preached to those Jews one time, and they said, we don't
believe what you're saying. He said, I'll turn to the Gentiles. Then he
read the scripture he preached to the Gentiles, and they received
the word with gladness. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed, and the Jews got madder than ever.
Now verse 12, Now if the fall of them, of Israel, be the riches
of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentile,
how much more their fulness? What does that mean? I don't
know, but I know what it says. If their rebellion and their
fall and their resisting the truth has led to our salvation,
what in the world would it mean if God restored them again, brought
them back to their original glory, back to like it was in David's
day? Now, verse 13, I speak to you
Gentiles, Paul said, inasmuch as I'm an apostle of the Gentiles.
I magnify my office. He called me to preach to the
Gentiles. And I magnify my office, if by any means I might provoke
to emulation them which are of my flesh." Who's that? That's
Israel. That's what you read a while
ago. My heart's desired prayer to God for Israel is that my
kindred, my flesh, might be saved, people of my flesh. And he says,
I preach to you Gentiles, hoping That's what he's saying there.
And it might save some of them, because God hasn't cast them
away. It might save them. Verse 15, "...for if the casting
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the
receiving of them be?" When is that going to happen? but life
from the dead. Do you reckon what we're seeing
now, is Israel going to bloom again? If our Lord's greatest humiliation
took place outside the walls of Jerusalem, maybe some of his
greatest glory will take place. I don't know. Verse 16, look at this, "'For
as the firstfruits be holy, the lump is holy.'" You know, when
he's talking about the firstfruits, this will take you back to the
feast of the firstfruits. When Israel planted their crops,
they'd go out and reap the first sheaves and the first melons
and the first... they'd bring that to the tabernacle.
Firstfruits belong to the Lord. Firstborn, firstfruit, everything. First belongs to the Lord. But
he's talking here not just, and that's just the picture. He's
talking here about the firstfruits which are Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob. That's what he's talking about.
That's the firstfruits. That's right. Read on. And if
the root be holy, so are the branches. Who is the root? That's
the firstfruits. That's right. Read on. And if
the root be holy, so are the branches. Who is the root? Well,
that's the first Jew, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. See, that's the
root. That's the first fruit. And if
the first fruit be holy, so is the lump is holy. And if the
root be holy, so are the branches. Turn back to Romans 9. We need
to read this right here. Romans 9. Paul is talking about
verse 1 through 5, he's talking about the Jews. In Romans 9 verse
1, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also
bear me witness in the Holy Ghost. I have great heaviness and continuous
sorrow in my heart. I could wish that myself were
cursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
He's talking about the Jews. That's the burden that apostle
had for the Jewish people. Read on. There are Israelites
to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory. What's that glory?
Where was the glory of God on this earth during the life of
Moses? It was between the cherubims, over the ark, and the mercy seat. That's where the Shekinah glory
of God was in Israel. The glory of God. The Shekinah
glory of God. And the covenants, the covenant
of grace, the giving of the law, the service of God, the priesthood,
no nation had a priest but Israel, no nation had a blood sacrifice
but Israel, no nation had a high priest like Abram but Israel,
no nation had a mercy seat but Israel, no nation had a tabernacle
but Israel. That's right. And here's what
we're talking about now, this first fruits and this root. Whose
are the fathers? The fathers. Who are the fathers?
I've named them to you. The whole old 39 books of the
Old Testament are full of the fathers. They're all Jews. All of them. Whose are the fathers? Watch this now. And of whom,
as concerning the flesh, Christ came. He was born a Jew of the
tribe of Judah. of the house and lineage of David,
of a Jewish mother, that's exactly right, who is over all, who is
God Almighty blessed forever, that's who he is. How can you
hate Jews if your masters are Jews? How can you if your forefathers
are Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and David and Solomon and Isaiah
and Jeremiah? That's our heritage. That's our
root. That's our forefathers in the
faith. I tell you, I love them. I don't
know anything in this world that would thrill me like God unbaring
his mighty arm over there and letting that little nation whip
the world right now. That would please me to no end. All right, would you too, wouldn't
it? All right, let's see, where was
I? Back to chapter 11 now. All right, verse 13. Now, we
said, I read that. Now, verse 15. If the casting
away of Israel be the reconciling of the world, what shall the
receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruits
are holy, the lumps holy, if the root be holy, so are the
branches. Now, if some of the branches be broken off, And there
are 12 tribes and there are a lot of branches, a lot of branches. And they're broken off and you,
a wild olive tree, grafted in among them. Now with them you
partake of the root and the fatness of the olive tree. Now I was
down in Florida one time and a fellow showed me, I went out
to a plantation, an orange plantation where they grow oranges, where
they have all these different kinds of of oranges. Seedless
oranges. How do you get a seedless orange?
Well, you take a rootstock. He showed me out there, there
was just a regular old orange tree. It could be seed or whatever,
and it comes up. And he showed me how that you
cut a place in that thing and grab in a branch and wrap it. And it gets the nourishment from
that rootstock. But it grows what it is, you
know. It's a different brand. It's
a different kind of tree. It's orange, but it's a different
kind of oranges. But it gets its strength, and that's us. Our forefathers ate each
other, cannibals. That's right. When the Jews were
worshiping God, our forefathers ate one another. But God took
the root, Abraham and Isaac and David Jesus Christ our Lord came,
got the root stock, grafted us in. That's right. And I don't
bury the root, the root buries me. That's right. I don't add a thing to it, it
adds a lot to me. That's right, that's what he
says here. You're a partaker of the root, and the life, and
the fatness, don't you thank God for those men. Now boast
not yourself against the branches. Don't you take your sides against
Israel. Don't you take sides against
God's people. If you boast, you remember, you
bear not the root. The root bears you. Well, you
would say then, here somebody said, well, the branch was broken
off. God's good with them that I might be grafted in. Well,
because of unbelief they were broken off. And you stand by
faith. You better not be high-minded. But fear, for God spared not
the natural branches. Sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
take heed, he also spared not you. So you behold the goodness
and severity of God on them which fell." Severity. Oh, my, the
Jew, how they've suffered. How they've suffered. God's severity. But towards us, goodness, goodness. If we continue this goodness,
otherwise we'll be cut off, too. And that's what England, with
all of its gospel, now almost has none. All of those hymns
in that hymn book almost are written by men, Bonar, MacShane,
Brainerd, Newton, Watts, They don't have
any of that over there now. The gospel, Bill Clark told me
one time, the gospel of God's grace is not consistently preached
in any church over there. Cut off. This country, you watch
out, we're getting as far away from truth and godliness and
holiness and the grace of God as any country can get. We're
getting farther and farther and farther. Apostasy is taken over. Otherwise you'll be cut off.
And verse 23, and they also, if they abide, watch this now. They also, if they abide not
still in unbelief, will be grafted in. Do you understand what that's
saying? I don't, but I know, I don't
understand what it means, but I know what it's saying. If Israel
does not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted back in,
because God is able to graft them in again. Do you believe
that? I do. No missionary is going to do
it, God will do it. God will use a missionary. God is able. were cut out of the wild olive
tree, which is wild by nature. And you were grafted in contrary
to nature into a good olive tree. I want you to turn over to Ephesians
2. It's talking about us Gentiles.
Turn to Ephesians 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 11. Would you remember, Ephesians
2, 11, that you being in time past Gentiles in
the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called a circumcision
in the flesh made by hands. At that time you were without
Christ, without being an alien from the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope without
God in this world. But now in Christ Jesus, you
who were sometimes far off are made now by the blood of Christ,
you are grafted in. You were a wild Ash's coat, God's
wild olive branch, and he grafted you in. Now read back here my
text, Romans 11, 24. If you were cut out of the olive
tree which is wild by nature and grafted in contrary to nature
into a good olive tree, how much worse shall these, these Jews,
which be the natural branches, sons of Abraham, by Nature, nature,
nature, be grafted into their own tree. I wouldn't have you
ignorant, brethren, concerning this mystery. I would not, brethren,
you be ignorant of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own
conceits. I don't know what this means.
I know what it says. Read it. Blindness in part is
happened to Israel to the fullness of the Gentiles becoming. I know
what that says for you. And I think I know what it means.
I think I do. Because in Luke 21, my master,
our Lord, your Redeemer, said this. In Luke 21, beginning with
verse 17. You will be hated of all men
for my name's sake. But there shall not be a hair
of your head perished. In your patience possess you
your souls. And when you shall see Jerusalem
encompassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof
is nigh. Let them which are in Judea flee
to the mountains. Let them which are in the midst
of it depart out. Let not them that are in the
countries enter thereunto. These be the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be fulfilled, woven to them
that are with child, to them that give succor in those days.
There shall be great distress in the land, wrath upon the people,
and they shall fall by the edge of the sword. They shall be led
away captive unto all nations in Jerusalem, but shall be trodden
down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
What we just read in Romans 11. to the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the
sun and the moon and the stars upon the earth, the stress of
nations, perplexities, sea and waves roaring, men's hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then, and then, and then shall they see the Son of Man.
coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now let's go back to my text in Romans
11, and I'll bring it to a close. Read Romans 11.25 one more time. I would not, brethren, you be
ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until
the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. That's exactly the
words of our Lord in Luke 21. And so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, they shall
come out of Zion to deliver and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant to them that
I'll take away their sins. As concerning the Gospels, they
are enemies for your sake. As touching the election, they
are beloved for the Father's sake. For the gifts and calling
of God are without repentance. Now, if you want, I was going
to read Numbers 23, 7-19. You take that down and read it
later. That's Balaam trying to curse Israel, and he couldn't.
He said, I can't curse what God's blessed. And he goes on talking
about that blessings forever. In spite of their backsliding,
the gifts and calling of God. What's the gift of God? Eternal
life. What's the calling? You see your calling, brethren?
Not many mighty wives are called, but God has chosen the foolish.
Salvation. And if Almighty God's purpose
regarding Israel was once established, it can never be renounced. That
scripture in Numbers 23 says God is not a man that he should
lie. He purposed it and he'll do it. Verse 30, now, for as you in
times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy
through the Jews unbelieved. Even so have these also now not
believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For
God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have
mercy upon all." This is all in God's purpose. Let's read
at the beginning of this message, I talked about Abraham and all
these men, Just departure. And then Moses, establishing
the law and the worship of God and the great kingdom of David
and Solomon. Then just departure. And then Silas, then Christ came.
And revival. The Jews, 3,000 of them were
saved at Pentecost. Those were Jews. 3,000 of them. And then for the past 1800 years, And now, we'll wait and see. All right,
verse 33. Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God. And here's what I know, how unsearchable
are his judgments, his ways of past finding out. For who hath
known the mind of the Lord, who hath been his counselor? For
who hath first given to him, it shall be recompensed unto
him again. Whatever takes place, it's of him, it's through him,
it's to him, for all things to whom be glory forever. And we are not as some who make
predictions. I wouldn't dare even attempt
to do such a thing. But I told someone the other
night in Fairmont that when the people of God when the Israelites
gathered at Pentecost, and the Spirit of God came, and the rushing
mighty wind, and the people began to preach the gospel in other
languages, Peter stood up before the people and he said, These things you are seeing are
that which Joel wrote. And he quoted what Joel wrote.
And we see these things take place that Joel wrote. Now, they
didn't know that that was going to happen. But when they saw
it happen, they knew Joel wrote on it. So this is the attitude
I take towards whatever happens in the next months or years,
during our lifetime, what's going on now. We'll be able to see
what takes place and we'll go to the scriptures and say, that's
what God said. Daniel said. That's what Ezekiel
said. We can't predict it, but we can give God the credit and
glory of when it does happen, and the price. Well, you jotted
down those scriptures, and you studied some more, and we wait.