Bramhall, John W: God's Future Program-23 ~ The Nat'l.Resurrection Of Israel

Beloved radio friends, we greet you in the name of the one whose name is above every name, the Lord Jesus our Savior, and continue to welcome you and invite you to be interested in the ministry of the prophetic word we are seeking to give. We will conclude this message concerning the national resurrection of Israel with the reference to the scripture that we have read in Luke chapter twenty one, the parable of the Lord Jesus, which we read again, beginning at verse twenty nine through thirty three. And Jesus spake to them a parable, behold, a fig tree and all the trees, when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. We've already touched upon the fact that the parable suggests, in its figurative language, the fig tree is Israel, and you and I have been considering how Israel as a nation is shooting forth its branches and sprouting, and also that all the nations around them are being molded and shaped into their place, which the prophetic word of God declares will be so at the end of the age. But may I say again, my beloved, that God's purpose to regather Israel is already underway, and though they are now there in unbelief, we have noted certain solemn facts and prophetic scriptures that indicate the fulfillment of his resurrection of the nation is near at hand. God's purpose to gather them together is undoubtedly to refine his earthly people and furnish a godly remnant for the messianic and the millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The present population of Israel is upward toward three million. In past centuries, it was only about five hundred, And yet their present return, according to the prophecies of God's word, will end in great and deep disappointment, and even the experience of their greatest sorrow as a nation, the Great Tribulation. But out of that Great Tribulation, God will bring a remnant of his earthly people to be the nucleus and the glory of the nation of Israel in that millennial day under the return of our Lord. Now, may I read one verse particularly in verse thirty and thirty one of our chapter in Luke? When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. Just as you and I can see the budding of the trees in spring, and as they shoot forth their green shoots, we know summer is very near. Now note the application in the of these words by the Lord Jesus. So likewise, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Now may I emphasize the meaning of the kingdom of God being nigh at hand? The expression is the same that John the Baptist stated in his preaching. The kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye. And what John was doing was telling the message that the king was near and that the king would soon manifest himself to the nation of Israel. Beloved, you and I should realize the words of the Lord Jesus in rela- in relation to the Middle East crisis of today is seeking to tell us that his coming is near. The kingdom of glory that he will set up upon the earth is soon to be established, and the nearness of it, you and I should realize. Oh, may I state, and I want you to note something. Note his words in verse thirty two: Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. Beloved, I want you to think with me of a fact that is solemn. The coming of the Lord, the setting up of his kingdom of power and glory, will it be in this present generation that you and I are now living in? What is a generation? There are two meanings to the expression. It represents a race of people or a nation of people, but it also represents, in our understanding, a period of time. When we speak of a generation in relation to the length of time, it is commonly understood to be approximately between thirty three and forty years. Now, said the Lord Jesus, when you see the sprouting of the nation of Israel and the formation of the nations of the end time shaping up, recognize the generation living then will not pass away till all shall be fulfilled. Yes, my beloved, there's no question of doubt that we could safely assume that the present generation upon the earth, many will live during this period of time when the kingdom of our Messiah and Lord will be set up upon the earth. My beloved, I would re-emphasize the nearness of the coming of our Lord Jesus. Now, if this be so, that we are seeing events even in relation to Israel, that are shaping up the last events with, with them that God will manifest to refine and purify the nation and bring a remnant of them through the Great Tribulation to be the nucleus of the coming glorious nation. Surely, if people are now living that will live through that, then the coming of the Lord is near. May I state to those whom we have often spoken to in times past regarding future events, that the first great prophetic event that must and will take place is the rapture of the saints, the coming of the Lord for his church. Now, if these events that we see around us in the crisis of the nations today all point to the nearness of the kingdom of our Lord in millennial power and glory, then how much nearer are we to the blessed event called the rapture, when the Lord will take his church out of this scene? May I repeat the words of the Lord Jesus, verse thirty two and thirty three? Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. If you will read the preceding section of Luke twenty one, you will find the Lord Jesus speaking of his second coming. You will find him declaring the signs that will be manifested in relation to the world and in relation to Israel. May we just speak of one or two. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Great earthquakes and famines and pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Ye shall hear of wars and commotions, but be not terrified, for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by. And thus you have given conditions that the Lord describes that you and I are facing, as well as seeing in their prevailing character today that indicate the nearness of his return. But I would point out that to the believers, in our chapter, in verse twenty eight particularly, the words of the Lord Jesus declare, when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. I would like to point out carefully the contrast between verse 28 and verse thirty one. In verse thirty one, the Lord Jesus said, when you see these things come to pass, you know that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. But in verse twenty eight, the Lord Jesus says, when you see these things begin to come to pass. Now, beloved, you and I are not seeing these things coming to pass in their entirety, but you and I are seeing some of these things beginning to come to pass. And to the disciples of today, his admonition to the believers of today is this: Look up, lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. Oh my beloved, here is an exhortation by the blessed Lord Jesus to those who belong to him. As we see these things beginning to come to pass, our responsibility is to notice them. Then the second thing we are to do is to look up. The third thing we are to do is to lift up our heads. Why? Beloved, the church waits for the coming of our Lord, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. The word redemption is signally and entirely used in the New Testament in addressing the New Testament saints, not the Jewish saints. My beloved, you and I should breathlessly realize the resurrection of the nation of Israel in its national entity that you and I are seeing today, and the Middle East crisis coming to its full. The coming of the Lord for his people is near. My friend, are you ready for him? Do you belong to him? I pray that today you will make the Savior yours before it will be forever too late. Be saved now. Father, bless and prosper the word to thy glory in our Savior's name. Amen.