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Our God Reigns
by
Brian Hennessy
For years Christian Zionists have been speaking words of love and
encouragement to Israel in fulfillment of a biblical verse uttered by
the prophet Isaiah over 2600 years ago. The Scripture commands those
(who have ears to hear) to boldly proclaim comfort to the nation of
Israel.
“Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God. Speak kindly to
Jerusalem; And call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her
iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1)
But as the specter of a catastrophic nuclear attack from Iran and her
allies grows
daily, how much comfort can words of kindness be? And how can it be
said that Israel’s warfare has ended when the war drums grow louder
every day? But as in all matters of faith, whatever is proclaimed by
God, though not visible now, is a certainty. No matter whether it is
the promise to an aging Abraham that he would have a son. Or an
assurance to Israel boxed in at the Red Sea that “the Egyptians you
see today, you will never see again” (Ex. 14:13). For whatever God
speaks will happen in its appointed time.
That’s why these words of Isaiah are so encouraging:
“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news; Lift
it up, do not fear, Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
(Isaiah 40:9)
Or as he phrases it later, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7).
If ever there was a time in the history of Israel that the people
needed to know God is on the throne and will protect the nation no
matter what, it is now. Clearly, Israel can no longer look to America,
which has apparently joined forces with the world powers to present
Israel with another “Sophie’s choice.” Either choose to hand over the
high ground of your ancestral lands to your enemies and commit
national suicide, or we will do it for you.
In response, God declares to Israel:
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not anxiously look about you,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
surely I will help you,
surely I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand.
Behold, all those who are angered at you
Will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you
Will be as nothing and will perish.
You will seek those who quarrel with you,
But you will not find them.
Those who war with you
Will be as nothing and non-existent.
For I am the Lord your God,
Who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you,
‘Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel;
I will help you,’ declares the Lord,
‘And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.’”
(Isaiah 42:10-14)
Therefore, I don’t believe it was an accident that God awakened so
many Christians to stand with Israel in this day. Christians who are
not just willing to speak kind words, but to do all they can to
comfort her through their generous giving, annual tourism and
impassioned defense of her right to exist. But most importantly by
holding up her arms before God like Aaron and Hur did for Moses until
Amalek is defeated. For we know that God will surely fight for Israel
today just as He did in times past! All He asks is that His Jewish
people turn to Him now and believe that the appointed time has come
for Him to” arise and have compassion on Zion” (Ps. 102:13). And that
He truly reigns over the affairs of men!”
I also I believe it was no accident in the late 1940’s that a small
Bedouin boy threw a stone into a cave near the Dead Sea and shattered
a jar where the archeological find of the century was hidden. Or that
the only fully intact book found among this treasure trove of Dead Sea
Scrolls would be the Book of Isaiah, now showcased in the Shrine of
the Book Museum in Jerusalem. Hundreds of years older than any known
copy, this two-thousand-year-old manuscript verifies that all 66
chapters of Isaiah contained in our Bibles today have not deviated one
iota from the ancient manuscript. It becomes even more miraculous when
you consider the timing of this manuscript’s discovery. It surfaced in
Jerusalem on November 29th, 1947, the very day the United Nations voted
for the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
But consider this also. Jews do not consider the Christian New
Testament to be on a divine par with the Tenach (Old Testament). So
besides reaffirming the accuracy of Isaiah, could the finding of this
particular Book also be a sign to Israel that the entire Bible is
divinely inspired? I say that because it has long been noted that the
Book of Isaiah corresponds to the exact number of books in the Bible.
It is like a mini-Bible for it can be divided by tonality into two
sections of 39 and 27 chapters, the same as the Christian Bible.
Starting with 40:1, the verse I quoted at the beginning, the next 27
chapters declare a dramatic turnaround in God’s dealing with Israel.
“Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God. Speak kindly to
Jerusalem; And call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her
iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1)
The change is so remarkable that many Bible scholars argue that the
last chapters were written by another person, whom they call Deutero-Isaiah.
Of course the inspired Jewish writers of the NT did not agree since
they quoted from both sections a total of 21 times and attribute all
the words quoted to one Isaiah (see John 12:38-40 for example).
All this tells me God knew Israel would need to know it could totally
trust the words of this prophet at this time in history. Why? Because
I believe the many prophecies that Isaiah spoke concerning Israel’s
ultimate redemption and restoration are about to be fulfilled. And
along with their fulfillment will come unparalleled danger from
mankind’s unseen spiritual enemy.
Jeremiah refers to this perilous time as the “time of Jacob’s
trouble.” But informs us that “he [Jacob] will be saved out of it”
(Jeremiah 30:7).
Daniel describes it as “a time of distress such as never occurred
since there was a nation.” But he too declared, “at that time your
people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued”
(Daniel 12:1).
Zechariah reveals God Himself “will gather all the nations against
Jerusalem to battle.” But promises that “the Lord will go forth and
fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle”
(Zechariah 14:2,3).
Jesus also warned of a coming “great tribulation, such as has not
occurred since the beginning of the world until now, and never will”
(Matt. 24:21). And he likens God’s chosen ones at that time to Noah
and his family who found refuge in the Ark and survived. And
unbelievers to those “who did not understand till the flood came and
took them all away” (Matt 24:37-41). Which is the opposite of a
popular teaching today that declares it is the believer who disappears
and the unbeliever who is left behind.
This will be Satan’s last hurrah. If the evil one can prevent or
curtail the restoration of Israel he will destroy the credibility of
the biblical promises, and the God who authored them. That’s why we
have a “Mid-East crisis” today.
So God sent back the words of Isaiah to us today that we might know
the victory that lies ahead. His words are like a time capsule that
has just popped open. Of course, many of his prophetic words had their
fulfillment in the first century. They spoke of the coming of God’s
suffering servant, such as the 53rd chapter, which we Christians know
were described the atoning death Jesus in the first century. But the
promises of the glorious restoration of the nation and God’s
recompense to His enemies were left for now. They come encased in
love, faith, encouragement and instruction for the midnight hour of
deliverance. And are even often strongly reminiscent of God’s historic
rescue of Israel from the iron grip of Pharaoh:
“Come, My people, enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.
For behold, the Lord is about to
Come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth
for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
(Isaiah 26:20,21)
As Christians who love Israel and understand that we share in the
inheritance promised to this nation through faith in Jesus, our job is
to trumpet the words of God as spoken by Isaiah and all the prophets.
To tell Israel (and ourselves) not to look to other nations, or to
diplomacy, or even to her own strength and ingenuity. She must look to
her God, and Him alone. Soon the stakes will be so high that I believe
all other options for survival will vanish. The only choice left for
Israel will be to capitulate to the world’s demand to establish a
Palestinian state with half of Jerusalem as its capital. Or take a
bold stand for her national sovereignty and trust God to fully honor
His promises of redemption.
And to encourage us all we have the voice of Isaiah, crying out:
“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.”
(Isaiah 62:6,7)
March, 2011 www.bhennessy.com
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