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Reuven and
Mary Lou Doron: "STANDING WITH GOD FOR ISRAEL
--TRUTH Must be Declared with Clarity and Boldness"
REPENT AND RETURN
As
elections are nearing in the USA, we have been asked to provide context and
prayer directives for a national prayer initiative issued for the American
praying public. We offer some of these to our friends and partners in this
One New Man prayer network to help strengthen your resolve and prayer during
these important times.
The first gospel message that was ever preached upon the face of the earth
was concluded with these words:
"Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He
may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom Heaven must receive until
the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth
of His holy prophets from ancient time." Acts 3: 19-21
In these few intense words, Peter, the Fisherman turned Apostle, called the
Hebrew nation to repentance while also pointing them to the most fantastic
and glorious promise of Messiah's return to rule and reign upon the earth.
However, this anticipated and apocalyptic second coming of our Savior as
King of kings and Lord of lords, according to Peter's message, will be
preceded by what the Scripture calls
"the
period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of
His holy prophets from ancient time."
What
did God speak by the mouth of His holy prophets? What was Peter prophesying
about in Jerusalem's dusty alleys more than 2,000 years ago?
THE
KINGDOM
The ancient Hebrew prophets, while speaking of a global righteous Kingdom
and testifying of God's love and mercy toward all mankind, primarily
prophesied about the restoration of Israel in the Kingdom of God. Paramount
in all the great prophetic themes was always God's calling, discipline,
purging, and ultimate restoration of the people of Israel, their faith,
purpose, land, and special place as the "first born" of all nations. That
first born position has been compromised, resisted, and embattled for 4,500
years, yet it must be restored before the end comes.
Mindful of these great promises, the disciples asked the Lord just before
His ascension, inquiring,
"Lord, is
it at this time You are restoring the Kingdom to Israel?"
Jesus did not rebuke or ridicule them for their question as if it was
irrelevant or immaterial, rather
"He said
to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has
fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts
1:6–8
In
other words, according to our Lord, that promised Kingdom will surely come,
but only after the gospel has reached the whole earth.
It is written that in preparation for the Lord's return to rule over the
earth, God will first
"...gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle...Then the LORD will
go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of
battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives...living
waters will flow out of Jerusalem...
And
the LORD will be King over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be (the
only) One, and His name (the only) One...Then it will come about that any
who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from
year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the
Feast of Booths..." Zechariah 14
The unavoidable prophetic implication is that at some point in time, just
before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, the nations of the earth will
engage in open hostility toward Jerusalem and the people of the covenant as
the International community resists God's plan and purpose for the Jewish
nation and for the coming Kingdom.
Looking at the same episode through a different prophetic viewpoint, we find
that
"...when
the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will
sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him;
and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats..." Matthew 25:31-32
The prophetic implication of this prophecy is that at His return as King and
Lord of all, the Son of God will make a distinction between sheep and goat
nations. In other words, He will divide between the "God-oriented" and
"God-resisting" nations of the world. Those nations, the prophecy indicates,
will be judged according to the measure of their participation in God's
redemptive purposes in the earth, and their treatment of the Jewish people.
The Scripture offers us a glimpse into this mysterious connection between
Israel and the nations, saying,
"When the
Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of
man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the
sons of Israel." Deuteronomy 32:8
According to this word of God, International dynamics are directly related
to the people of Israel; their lot, their number, and their well-being.
DISCERNING THE ONE BODY OF OUR LORD
In addition Paul, while building up the Ephesian disciples, reminded them
that
"...you
were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far
off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For
He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the
barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity...that
in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace."
Ephesians 2:12-15
This oneness of Jew and Gentile is possible only in the Messiah, but it has
been resisted, maligned, and compromised for thousands of years through
racism and ignorance on both sides. Insecurity, pride, and greed fueled the
power struggle between Rome and Jerusalem over the centuries, resulting in
deep wounds of rejection, abuse, treachery, hatred, and suspicion which have
scarred the Jewish national soul causing great hardness and disillusionment.
That prophesied oneness is primarily a oneness of spirit and of purpose.
The need to rediscover and contend for it is critical at this time as this
revelation is at the heart of discerning the Body of our Lord. Restoring
the Hebraic roots and foundations of our Faith is part of God's inoculation
against the diseases of worldliness, heathenism, and paganism that plague
the Church.
The natural and spiritual seed of Father Abraham must unite in the Messiah
as both fix their eyes on Him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
"And as
this oneness of spirit and purpose is rediscovered and reclaimed, it will
trigger the anticipated oneness between Heaven and earth as the floodgates
open wide and divine life, peace, and righteousness freely flow upon the
earth from His throne."
Jesus is coming back for one Bride, one Body, made up of both Jew and
Gentile in one spirit. Our love and witness must be sincere and our witness
genuine, as words alone will not suffice to open blind eyes and break down
the dividing wall of hostility.
HOW TO
PRAY?
True
Witness
Ask the Lord for the Apostle's attitude, saying,
"If
somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them"
Romans 11:14.
Provoking Israel to jealousy is one of the Church's greatest calls and
challenges. For the Hebrew nation to see the beauty of Holiness and majesty
of God displayed in His saints, the church must continue to surrender to
Him, becoming a Temple blazing with His Spirit life.
Your
National Leadership
Ask the Lord not only for a Pro-Israel government with an instinctive sense
of the significance of the strategic friendship with Israel, but also for
supportive leaders in the various branches. While some nations have been
historically and consistently supportive of Israel's cause, it was often the
unrighteous influence of powerful individuals who tipped the scales through
greed and anti-Semitic sentiments.
Pray for good men and women to arise in your nation's government who will
honor and practice the Judeo-Christian principles upon which righteous
nations are built.
A
Harvest of Jewish Souls
It was God who placed the veil over the eyes of the Jewish nation, and only
God can remove it. Seek the Lord on behalf of your Jewish neighbors,
co-workers, friends, and known Jews you may be mindful of. The harvest comes
in one soul at a time, and each requires unique intercession, battle, and
strategy.
"Then He
said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His
harvest." Matthew 9:37-38 |
