Israel 1948 And Biblical Prophecy - 3

"Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is - the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. (Ezekiel 36:22-24 NLT)

He began by saying to them, "Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled." (Luke 4:21 CSB)

Is Israel's existence today in the land of Canaan a fulfilment of God's prophesy? The Zionist Christians said yes, the Anti-Zionist Christians said no.

So how do we know who is right? Let us look into the past to see the future.

Is Jesus the fulfilment of God's prophesy on the Messiah? The Christians said yes, the Jews said no.

Why did the Jews object to Jesus as a fulfilment of God's prophesy on the Messiah? The Jews believe that the Messiah will come to rule Israel as the King. But Jesus came and partially fulfilled God's prophesy on the Messiah and then declare that He will fulfil the rest (becoming King) in a second coming. The Jews objected to the fulfilment God's prophesy on the Messiah by instalments. The Messiah must fulfil all prophecies in one go.

Why did the Anti-Zionist Christians object to Israel's existence today in the land of Canaan as a fulfilment of God's prophesy on the restoration of Israel? Anti-Zionist Christians believe that the Jews must fulfil the conditions given in Deuteronomy 30:2, that is, to obey God completely in one go before they can come back to the land of Israel. The Anti-Zionist Christians objected to the fulfilment God's prophesy on the restoration of Israel by a gradual process. It is obvious that today's Jews in the land of Canaan reject Jesus as the Messiah. They are not Christians and may even be anti-Christians since they were persecuted by European Christians for about 1000 years.

Dating Palm Sunday And Good Friday

I just got this book from church, "A Resolved Chronology of Acts and Paul's Epistle" by Lim Seng Hoo. In it the date of Palm Sunday was given as 6 April 32 AD and 11 April 32 AD as Good Friday.

Let me also summarize my previous posts on this subject and the dates.

In Precise Date and Time of Jesus's Death, Jesus died precisely on 3 April AD 33 at 3:00 pm (Good Friday).

In Calculating Gabriel's Formula of 483 Years - Time of Messiah's Arrival, Palm Sunday was on 30 March AD 33, the very day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. An alternate date, 6 April 32 AD, was given in Calculating Gabriel's Formula of 483 Years - Time of Messiah's Arrival - 2. This alternate date is the same as the date given by Lim Seng Hoo's book.

In Dating the End of Daniel's 69 Weeks, Palm Sunday is on 6 Nisan AD 33.

Finally, in Dating Palm Sunday, there is no date. Just an affirmation according to Barnes' Notes on the Bible that the triumphant entry and crucifixion will happen after the completion of 62 weeks.

Sir Robert Anderson (6 April / 10 Nisan and 11 April AD 32)
Dr Harold Hoehner (30 March and April 3 / 14 Nisan AD 33)
This book, Oxford Bible Church - Appendix 2: Anderson-Hoehner Interpretation (a Critique), said both Anderson and Hoehner were wrong.

God's Will And Hardened Hearts

The Lord answered Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand into Egypt and bring the military divisions of my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them." (Exodus 7:1-5 CSB)

So Joshua took all this land - the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills - from Mount Halak, which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites who inhabited Gibeon; all of them were taken in battle. For it was the Lord's intention to harden their hearts, so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:16-20 CSB)

Did God ask Moses to tell a lie when He asked Moses to ask the Pharaoh for a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to God? No. If the Pharaoh had accepted the request, it would be so. But it was God's will that the Israelites were to leave Egypt. So God hardened the Pharaoh's heart and he did not accept the request. Finally after the death of all the first born in Egypt, the Pharaoh expelled all the Israelites from his land.

Likewise when the Jews were offered about 50% of Palestine in 1947 by the United Nations, they accepted. If the Arabs had also accepted it, it would be so. But it is God's will that the Jews are to get all of Palestine. He stated it in the Bible and the Koran. So He hardened the hearts of the Arabs, who now called themselves Palestinians, to fight both the Jews and Allah, until they are driven out of the land.

The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. (Proverbs 16:4 ESV)

Hirah the Adullamite

Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn't find her. So he asked the men who lived there, "Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to Enaim?"
"We've never had a shrine prostitute here," they replied.
So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, "I couldn't find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they've never had a shrine prostitute there."
"Then let her keep the things I gave her," Judah said. "I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn't find her. We'd be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for her." (Genesis 38:20-23 NLT)

We have brothers and we also have friends. Sometimes we share things with our friends that we do not share with brothers.

Judah had a friend named Hirah the Adullamite. After Judah went into what he thought was a prostitute, he got his friend Hirah the Adullamite to help him to send the payment.

About three months later, Judah was told, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she's pregnant."
"Bring her out, and let her be burned!" Judah demanded.
But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?"
Judah recognized them immediately and said, "She is more righteous than I am, because I didn't arrange for her to marry my son Shelah." And Judah never slept with Tamar again.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins. While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child's wrist, announcing, "This one came out first." But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! "What!" the midwife exclaimed. "How did you break out first?" So he was named Perez. Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah. (Genesis 38:24-30 NLT)

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. (Matthew 1:3 NLT)

Taking Up The Cross And Putting On Christ's Yoke

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25 CSB)

Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30 CSB)

Some Christians believe that there are two categories of Christians, the ordinary believers and disciples. The ordinary believers are those who believe in Jesus and got saved but may not go to church or read the Bible. Disciples take religion seriously. They go to church, read the Bible and preach the good news. They are willing to suffer for Christ. So believers put on Christ's easy yoke while disciples take up their crosses.

Take Up Your Cross And Take My Yoke

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25 CSB)

Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30 CSB)

Following Jesus is both difficult and easy. We have to take up our cross, which is difficult, and put on His yoke, which is easy. Losing our life is difficult. But if we do not lose our temporal life, how can we gain our eternal life?

God Always Has Our Good In His Mind - 3

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)

We must always believe that God is good to us. This is fundamental in our relationship with God.

Whether it is Adam and Eve in a newly created, perfect and sinless world, or we in the current imperfect sinful world, or our descendants in a future restored sinless world in the coming millennium rule of Christ, we have to believe that God always has our good in His mind.

Past
But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5 ESV)
Adam and Eve could not believe that God had their good in His mind. They chose to believe in the serpent who told them that God wanted to prevent them from becoming like God. Thus their unbelief caused sin to enter the world.

Present
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 CSB)
Today we live in an imperfect world, where there is good in bad and bad in good. We have to believe by faith that all the things that happened to us, whether good or bad, is for our good.

Future
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. (Revelation 20:7-8 NASB)
In the near future, the Anointed One will return to earth to rule for a thousand years in a restored perfect and sinless world with Satan locked in the bottomless pit and a whole generation will grow up without knowing what sin is. Then Satan will be released after a thousand years. It will then be the turn of the generation who know not sin to decide if God has their good in His mind.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 BSB)

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13 CSB)