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For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
You shall also be a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God. Isaiah 62

#church #faith #isaiah62 #Israel #jesus #salvation #SignsOfTheTimes

https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/articles/jesus-and-judaism/israels-salvation-isaiah-62/

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Transcript
00:00I'd like just to say first and foremost a huge thank you to the fellowship here at Bridge
00:08Lane and also to those of you that individually support the ministry of the Friends of Israel
00:13Gospel Ministry.
00:16Since we were last here, we were able to give additional grants directly to a number of
00:23organizations that have their headquarters here.
00:26One which is based just down the road here, Bet Helochem.
00:29We also gave grants to Mag and Avida Dom, United Hatzalah, that's the emergency response
00:38team in Israel.
00:39You'll see them out there at the earthquakes and fires and floods around the world, but
00:43they also were there as an immediate response to the events of October 7th and continue
00:49to be there throughout the needs of Israel.
00:55We also managed to give a grant to Jewish National Fund to help the many refugees that
01:02have been displaced from the northern communities.
01:04I think it's something like 60,000 genuine refugees having been displaced.
01:11We also gave a grant to Meir Panim, they feed the hungry, and also to Efrat, which is an
01:16organization that saves the unborn child.
01:20All of that is in part due to the generosity of you as a fellowship and you as individuals,
01:25so we're very, very grateful for your support, for your ongoing support.
01:33The word this morning, with all that's happening in Israel and the changing attitudes of so
01:40many nations' individuals toward Israel, I think it's important for us to keep our focus
01:45not on the world's plan for Israel, but on God's plan for Israel, amen?
01:51And with that in mind today, we're going to look at Isaiah chapter 62 and Israel's upcoming
01:57salvation, but before you turn to Isaiah 62, we're not going to get there yet.
02:05To understand the importance of chapter 62, we really need to go back as far as chapter
02:1159, so I'm going to begin by summarizing chapters 59 to 61.
02:17But before we do, let's pray.
02:20Father, we come before your throne of grace again with thanksgiving.
02:26It's right that we should give you thanks and praise for all that you have done for
02:30us and all that you will do for us.
02:34But we thank you above all, as we've just expressed, our thanks for Jesus, for that
02:40blood that was shed on the cross of Calvary, that bought our freedom from the power of
02:46sin and death, gave us access to your throne room, and gave us access, Lord, to you through
02:53our prayers.
02:55We thank you again also for your precious word, because without your word, we wouldn't
03:00even have a way of really understanding who you are.
03:05And so as we study your word this morning, Father, I pray that it be your words and not
03:09my words that I speak, that you would touch our hearts, challenge us, encourage us, embolden
03:18us, and we pray, Lord, again, that you would bless the public reading of your word to our
03:25hearts this morning.
03:26In Jesus' name, amen.
03:30Page 854 in the church Bibles, if you have your Bibles there, and we'll begin just in
03:39chapter 59.
03:42In the first verse here, we read that, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it
03:50cannot save, nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
03:57We ask ourselves the question, why hadn't God saved his people from all their troubles?
04:02After all, he had the power, and still has the power to do so.
04:07And he'd heard their cries.
04:09But we see the reason for that in the very next verse, in verse 2.
04:14The Lord says, But, always that wonderful word, but, isn't it, but, the reason for this
04:22is that your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his
04:28face from you.
04:31And then in verses 3 through 8, the Lord lays out charges against Israel.
04:37Rather than go through them in great detail, I'll just read what William MacDonald summarizes
04:43in those verses.
04:44He said, It is Israel's sin that holds God back from delivering them.
04:49Their hands, fingers, lips, and tongue are all active in murder and lying.
04:54There's widespread perversions of justice and dishonesty.
04:58People conceive evil and bring forth crime.
05:01Their activities are as dangerous as viper's eggs and as useless as a spider's web.
05:07Sin controls every area of their lives, what they do, where they go, what they think.
05:13They care nothing for peace and justice, preferring what is crooked.
05:19I could digress here for some time, because as I read those words, I can see those coming
05:27true around me, day by day, in the world.
05:32But Israel's sins were so serious that the Lord had hidden his face and stopped listening
05:38to them.
05:39Many people today think that God is hearing them, while they openly sin and deny him.
05:47In verses 9 and 10 of chapter 59, darkness overcomes Israel because of their sin, and
05:52in verse 11, Israel laments that salvation, and that word for salvation so often throughout
05:57scripture is Yeshua, that salvation, their deliverance is far from them.
06:02And then in verses 12 through 15, Israel confesses their sin and admits their guilt.
06:11Something we've done this morning, isn't it?
06:13Confess that we are all sinners.
06:16So they confess their sin, they admit their guilt, they know that it's because of their
06:20own sins that righteousness stands far off.
06:25They realize that God was not blind that he couldn't see, it was they who were blind.
06:33The Lord could see all this, and it displeased him that there was no justice, and the people
06:37then cried out to God, telling him how desperate they were.
06:41But the Lord, of course, already knew this, and that's what's happening, isn't it?
06:45He knows our situation.
06:48He's waiting for us to confess it to him.
06:50At the beginning of verse 16, we read that he saw that there was no man and wondered
06:59that there was no intercessor.
07:02He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor.
07:06Where was the man who would lead the people in righteousness?
07:10He couldn't be found.
07:12Where was the intercessor who would plead God's case to the people and the people's
07:16repentance to their God?
07:18No intercessor could be found.
07:21Now look at the second part of verse 16.
07:26Therefore his own arm brought salvation for him, and his own righteousness, it sustained
07:32him.
07:34The Lord puts on his armor.
07:39He put on the, verse 17, righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on
07:44his head.
07:46He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
07:52He puts his armor on.
07:53He goes out against his enemies with righteousness, salvation, vengeance, zeal, and fury.
08:01And as we read verses 17 through 19, we're looking ahead effectively to Jesus' second
08:07coming, when Jesus appears clothed as a mighty warrior to repay the enemies of Israel.
08:13But it's only then that Israel will finally see the salvation of the Lord.
08:18When he finally defeats Antichrist and his army, his glory will be known and respected
08:25from east to west.
08:27And in verse 20, we read that the Redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from
08:32transgression in Jacob, says the Lord.
08:37The Redeemer comes to the faithful remnant of Israel.
08:44That word for Redeemer is the Hebrew term goel, and it means kinsman-redeemer.
08:51It means someone who delivers or rescues or redeems property or person, and it reminds
08:56us, does it not, of the book of Ruth, where Boaz is the kinsman-redeemer who pays the
09:02price to redeem Ruth.
09:05And if you remember, Ruth gave birth to a child who was called Obed, and Obed became
09:11the grandfather of David, and David, of course, was the forefather of Jesus.
09:18And so we can see here that our goel, our kinsman-redeemer, is Jesus Christ.
09:25He's our near kinsman because he's added perfect humanity to his deity.
09:31He's the one who buys us out of slavery.
09:34He's the one who avenges wrongs done to us.
09:37He protects our inheritance and blesses and guards our posterity.
09:43What a wonderful God that we have.
09:50He bought us out of slavery.
09:51Do you know that?
09:53He bought you and I out of slavery.
09:57He's the one that avenges wrongs.
09:59Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.
10:01I will repay.
10:04And he protects our inheritance and blesses and guards our posterity.
10:09And we see that the Lord then establishes an eternal covenant with Israel.
10:13Verse 21, as for me, says the Lord, this is my covenant with them.
10:18My spirit who is upon you and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart
10:22from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants'
10:27descendants, saith the Lord.
10:30From this time and till next week.
10:35Is that what the Lord said?
10:37How long did he say it would be for?
10:40Forevermore.
10:41Forevermore.
10:42As we move on to chapter 60, we can see a new era for Israel following the Lord's second
10:49coming.
10:51The first three verses of chapter 60.
10:55Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
11:02For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people.
11:06But the Lord will arise over you and his glory will be seen upon you.
11:11The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.
11:18Echoes of Handel's Messiah, for those of you that know and love that work.
11:24Though darkness is over sinful earth, the Lord's glory will shine upon his people, Israel.
11:31And Israel will radiate that light to the nations, dispelling the darkness of the surrounding
11:37world and then in an amazing turnaround, Israel will be the means of drawing the nations of
11:43the earth to the Lord in the time of Messiah's reign of righteousness on the earth.
11:49We read that in Zechariah chapter 8 verse 23.
11:52We read that in those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of
11:57all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying,
12:03we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.
12:09You know, as believers, the glory of the Lord has also risen upon us, hasn't it?
12:16We've been given the light of the gospel to draw men to Christ.
12:23Matthew 5 verses 14 and 16, Jesus says, you are the light of the world.
12:29Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
12:33in heaven.
12:36Are we reflecting Christ's light to the world today?
12:45We can do that, but there are many, of course, who refuse to receive the good news of the
12:51gospel message, aren't there?
12:53Why is that?
12:54Well, 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4 tells us that it's the God of this world, it's Satan, who's
12:59blinded the minds of those which do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
13:06who is the image of God, should shine upon them.
13:10Satan's blinded them.
13:11Satan's continually blinded people.
13:15Are you still blinded by Satan?
13:18Or have you seen the light of the glorious gospel of Christ that will lead you out of
13:22darkness and into eternal light?
13:25I pray that everyone here can say yes, that we have seen that light.
13:32But for those who might be watching this online or at a later date, if that's not you, I urge
13:38you to turn to Christ and consider that glorious gospel.
13:44In chapter 60, we read that after Jesus' second coming, Jewish exiles remaining in
13:49the diaspora will finally return.
13:52Gentile nations will bring wealth and tribute to the Lord, and foreigners will rebuild the
13:56city walls of Jerusalem.
13:59No longer will those gates be shut to keep out the nations who seek to destroy her.
14:04Instead, those gates will be continually open, and those nations and their rulers will come
14:09in peace.
14:10There will be a time when the temple will be rebuilt, and Jerusalem will be acknowledged
14:15by those who once oppressed her.
14:18And God's presence will assure continued peace and justice.
14:21And in verse 19 of chapter 60, 19 of chapter 60, we read that the sun shall no longer be
14:29your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you.
14:34But, and there's that word again, but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light and
14:40your God, your glory.
14:44Just as he will be the light of the new Jerusalem that we read of in Revelation 21, verse 23.
14:53God's presence will assure continued peace and justice.
14:57And then chapter 60 ends with the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.
15:02And we read in verse 21, a little one, sorry, I beg your pardon, also the people shall all
15:10be righteous.
15:11They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands that
15:16I may be glorified.
15:19And then chapter 61 begins with the Messiah, the servant of the Lord, proclaiming the good
15:25news to the exiles who've returned.
15:28It describes how they will have beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
15:34of praise for the spirit of heaviness, and they will be called trees of righteousness.
15:39The planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.
15:43Notice how often we see that term, that the Lord may be glorified.
15:48Trees of righteousness.
15:49There'll be as strong, beautiful, and useful as trees, and trees of righteousness at that.
15:55Notice wonderfully when people look at the trees, they see they are the planting of the
16:00Lord.
16:03They'll build up the wastelands, they'll repair the cities, and strangers will serve them
16:07and bring their riches to them.
16:10And then in verse 7 of 61, we read that instead of your shame, speaking again of Israel, you
16:15shall have double honor, and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion.
16:22For in their land, they shall possess double, and everlasting joy shall be theirs.
16:30There will be an end to shame and confusion, instead they receive double honor and have
16:35everlasting joy.
16:38And in verse 9, we read that their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, and their
16:43offspring among the people, and all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are
16:48the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.
16:54Gentiles will finally acknowledge that the Jewish people are those on whom the Lord has
16:59bestowed his blessing.
17:03And Israel will be blessed by her salvation and righteousness, and she'll wear these blessings
17:08as glorious garments.
17:12And then in verse 10, we read that Isaiah is saying, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
17:19My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation.
17:26He's covered me with the robe of righteousness.
17:30As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
17:36It's a wonderful picture, isn't it, of Israel.
17:41And you know, one day we're going to be given garments just like these.
17:44We spoke today, didn't we?
17:45We sang today about the royal robes, didn't we?
17:50And then we get those robes when we take part in the marriage of the Lamb.
17:54We'll be arrayed, it says in Scripture, in fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness
18:00of the saints.
18:01What a time to look forward to, dearly beloved.
18:07We're not really righteous yet, although we are righteous positionally, but one day
18:12we will be fully righteous, won't we?
18:15And we'll have those clean white linen garments provided by Christ himself.
18:22Revelation 19, verses 7 and 8 tell us to be glad and rejoice and give honor to him.
18:29For the marriage of the Lamb is calm and his wife has made herself ready, and to her was
18:33granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen
18:38is the righteousness of the saints.
18:42And then the chapter closes with the following words.
18:46For as the earth brings forth his bud, in verse 11, as the garden causes things that
18:51are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to
18:56spring forth before all the nations.
19:02In the past, Israel's sinfulness caused God's name to be profaned among the nations.
19:08However, just as fields and gardens produce what they were designed to produce, so will
19:13Israel's righteousness produce righteousness and praise in the presence of all nations.
19:20Not my words, that's Arnold Fruchtenbaum's words, but I think he puts it very beautifully
19:25there.
19:27And then that brings us now finally to chapter 62.
19:30And chapter 62 builds on the promises of these previous chapters.
19:37First verse of Isaiah 62, we read, for Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's
19:45sake I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth, his brightness and his salvation
19:51as a lamp that burns.
19:54Here it's Isaiah speaking, and he's speaking of Isaiah's final restoration.
19:58He's in fact offering up a prayer, and that prayer is based on the promises of God in
20:03chapters 60 and 61, where God had clearly spelled out what he intended to do on behalf
20:08of Israel as a nation, and Jerusalem in particular, including the city's exaltation in the messianic
20:16kingdom.
20:17Again, that's Arnold Fruchtenbaum's description.
20:22Isaiah told the world that he would not rest until Jerusalem's righteousness shone his
20:26brightness and his salvation as a burning lamp or a torch.
20:31And then in the first part of verse 2, we read that the Gentiles shall see your righteousness
20:36and all kings your glory.
20:40I don't think the nations are really seeing Israel's righteousness today, are they?
20:45But there'll come a time when they will.
20:47And we're looking ahead here to the time of Jesus' second coming, when the remnant of
20:52Israel will receive him as their savior, they'll repent of their sins, they'll be declared
20:57righteous, and they'll experience God's blessing.
21:00When, as we read in Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 10, the Lord will pour upon the house
21:05of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications.
21:11And they shall look upon me whom they've pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns
21:15for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that's in bitterness for his
21:19firstborn.
21:20That's a day to come, a glorious day to come.
21:25And Israel then will finally reflect the glory of the Lord as a lamp that burns, and they
21:31will shine as witnesses to the world.
21:35And those nations which once despised Israel will see what God has done for his people.
21:43And then Israel will be a blessing to the whole world.
21:49And we read in the second part of verse 2 that Jerusalem will be called by a new name,
21:55which the mouth of the Lord will name.
21:59What's that new name?
22:00Well, that was revealed by Ezekiel some 200 years later.
22:04We read in Ezekiel chapter 48 and the second part of verse 35 that the name of the city
22:10from that day shall be the Lord is there, Jehovah Shammah.
22:17And then in verses 3 through 5, we continue with a further description of Jerusalem in
22:22the millennium.
22:25God's relationship with Jerusalem in that day will be completely different to that time
22:29when he turned his face away from sinful Israel.
22:33When she manifests the Lord's righteousness, Jerusalem will be adorned with all the glory
22:39and majesty of royalty.
22:41Look at verse 3.
22:43You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the
22:49hand of your God.
22:51What a wonderful future for the city of Jerusalem.
22:55But notice that Jerusalem will not be given a crown.
23:00She will be a crown.
23:02In fact, she'll be a crown in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of
23:07God.
23:10Notice if you will that the word Lord is in capital letters, Adonai, Jehovah, and that
23:16royal diadem is addressed in the hand of God.
23:19That word for God there is Elohim.
23:21It's the plural.
23:22It means the trinity.
23:24But you know, our English translations miss an interesting point in this verse.
23:27It's wonderful when you study these things, you dig up all these little gems.
23:32There are two different Hebrew words translated as hand.
23:39It says that you shall also be a crown of glory in the hand, and that Hebrew word there
23:45is Yad, of the Lord.
23:48You shall be a crown of glory in the Yad of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand, and
23:52that Hebrew word then is Kaf, a royal diadem in the Kaf of thy God.
23:58So what do those tell us?
24:00Well, Yad is actually referring to an open hand and Kaf refers to the palm of the hand.
24:07And so it's telling us that Jerusalem's righteousness will be a crown of glory in the open hand
24:13of God and a royal diadem in the middle of his palm.
24:18That's how close Jerusalem will be to the Lord.
24:22He holds us in the palm of his hand, doesn't he, as believers.
24:27An interesting note from Arnold Fuchtenbaum here, he says that the Hebrew term for diadem
24:32is Tsanif and it refers to the turban or the headdress of the high priest.
24:38In Isaiah 60 and 61, you can look those verses up later, God predicted that there will be
24:44a turban, a Tsanif, a diadem in a way, because all Israel will one day fulfill her original
24:50calling of Exodus 19 and become a kingdom of priests.
24:56In that day, Jerusalem will be viewed as having the turban of the high priest and thus fulfilling
25:02her function as the capital city of a nation of priests.
25:07Beautiful picture, isn't it, when we look at the Hebrew.
25:11And next we see Israel that was once forsaken because of iniquity being restored.
25:16Verse 4, you shall no longer be termed forsaken, nor shall your land any more be turned desolate.
25:24But you shall be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah, for the Lord delights in you
25:29and your land shall be married.
25:33No more termed forsaken, no more termed desolate.
25:38Once desolate and abandoned and rejected and humiliated, Israel now has a new name and
25:43that name is Hephzibah and it means my delight is in her.
25:49And instead of rejecting Israel, the Lord now delights in her new and redeemed status.
25:54He loves her.
25:55He cherishes her.
25:56He takes pleasure in this new relationship and gives the land a new name, Beulah.
26:03Beulah means married.
26:05And it's speaking of Israel's repossession of the land.
26:09And instead of a bill of divorce, the Lord once again loves Israel as his wife.
26:14If you remember back in Jeremiah 3 verse 8, the Lord gave Israel a bill of divorce because
26:20of her adultery.
26:22You read there that for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, the
26:27Lord says, I have put her away and given her a bill of divorce.
26:31But now the Lord has restored her and he's rejoicing over her.
26:36And verse 5, for as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons marry you.
26:42And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
26:49She's finally been cleansed for her sin and once again can be looked upon as a virgin.
26:55No longer an object of reproach, Israel, the restored wife of God, will be cherished and
27:00protected forever.
27:04And then in verses 6 and 7, the Lord says this.
27:09He says, I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem.
27:15They shall never hold their peace day or night.
27:18You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give him no rest until he establishes
27:24and until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
27:29The Lord is going to set watchmen over Jerusalem.
27:34There was a time way back when cities needed watchmen.
27:38They needed watchmen to keep guard, to warn of enemy approaching and those watchmen could
27:44never rest or sleep in case an enemy would creep in unawares and take the city.
27:51But who were the watchmen here in these verses?
27:56Well the Talmud identifies them as angels.
28:00Actually Arnold Fuchtenbaum agrees with that.
28:02But there are other commentators who would say they are prayer warriors.
28:06But whether they're angels or earthly prayer warriors, those watchmen must never let their
28:12guard down until he makes Jerusalem his holy city once again.
28:19Remember Psalm 122 commands us to do what?
28:22Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
28:25And in Isaiah 62 verse 7 we're told to give him no rest until he establishes and make
28:31Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
28:34Spurgeon wrote this.
28:36He said a restless savior calls upon his people to be restless and to make the Lord himself
28:42restless.
28:43To give him no rest until his chosen city is in full splendor, his chosen church complete
28:49and glorious.
28:52But as we look at Jerusalem today, do we see a holy city?
28:56No.
28:57On the contrary.
28:58In fact Jerusalem hasn't been a holy city since the days of Ezekiel.
29:05Ezekiel 10 verse 18 if you remember back then talking about the Holy Spirit he says that
29:11because the priests had profaned the temple, the Shekinah glory had left the temple and
29:17the glory left via the eastern gate.
29:22And that glory will not return until Christ's second advent.
29:27And in Ezekiel 43 verse 4 we see that his return to the millennial temple as it will
29:35be then will be through that same eastern gate.
29:40People today go to Jerusalem don't they and you look at the golden gate on the east of
29:44the city.
29:45Well that's not the gate that the glory left through because the original gate's buried
29:51underneath of what is now the Ottoman walls.
29:54But it's a good way of picturing that place.
29:59And then in verse 8 of chapter 62 we see that the prayers of the watchman are answered.
30:07For he said, oops that's the wrong chapter, chapter 8, the Lord has sworn by his right
30:13hand and by the arm of his strength surely he says I will no longer give your grain as
30:19food for your enemies and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine for
30:24which you have labored.
30:27The Lord here swears by an oath that Israel will never again be humiliated or robbed by
30:34her enemies.
30:37And if the Lord swears by an oath what do we know, it's going to happen isn't it, there's
30:41no doubt about it.
30:44But you know here he goes further, he swears by his right hand and the arm of his strength.
30:52Both expressions here are speaking of God's power and might.
30:59Interesting to look at God's right hand in scripture, we can see that it's a symbol of
31:03his power, psalm 89 verse 13.
31:08It's his saving power, psalm 60 verse 5 and elsewhere.
31:12It's a sign of his presence, psalm 16 11 and verse elsewhere.
31:17It's protection, psalm 16 verse 8.
31:20Sign of his victory in psalm 18 verse 35, there are more scriptures I'm just giving
31:24you a single example.
31:27It's a sign of the defeat of his enemies, we see that in exodus 15 verse 6 and psalm
31:3221.
31:34It's a sign of his mighty works, psalm 45 verse 4 and it's a sign of his judgment, we
31:40can see that in lamentations 2 4 and Habakkuk 2 verse 16.
31:47God's hand is powerful.
31:51And we can see that also in Moses' song, praising the Lord for his victory over Pharaoh's
32:00armies when they were crossing the Red Sea.
32:02We see that in exodus 15 verses 6 and 12, Moses said, thy right hand, O Lord, is become
32:08glorious in power.
32:10Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
32:14God's right hand has done that.
32:17He goes on in verse 12, say thou stretchest out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
32:23The power of God's right hand.
32:26And it's because of this oath that we can 100% certain that one day Israel will never
32:30again be the victim of oppressors or a prey to the nations.
32:37Instead we're assured that Israel will gather her harvest without fear of it being plundered
32:42by others.
32:44Look at verse 9.
32:46But those who have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord.
32:50Those who have brought it together shall drink it in my holy courts.
32:55She will eat the fruit of her harvest.
32:58Shall worship the Lord in the courts of my holiness, it says there, or his sanctuary.
33:03In other words, in the courts of the millennial temple.
33:09And then verse 10 goes on to speak of the need for those in Jerusalem to prepare the
33:15way for those who are going to return.
33:19Go through, go through the gates.
33:22Prepare the way for the people.
33:23Build up, build up the highway.
33:25Take out the stones.
33:27Lift up a banner for the people.
33:30Good repetition here, haven't we?
33:32Go through and build up.
33:34And that indicates a sense of urgency there to take that highway leading to Jerusalem
33:40and make it level by removing the stones to give the road a smooth surface, making travel
33:46easy for those redeemed Jewish people who return at the beginning of the millennium
33:50when the gates of the city will again be opened.
33:55Thinking about a banner or a standard or an ensemble, it's going to be raised up and that's
34:01so that the people can see it from a distance.
34:06Those coming back to Jerusalem will see very clearly their destination and when they see
34:11that they'll know that that's also where the Lord is.
34:15And then in verse 11, the Lord announces his salvation to the Jewish people scattered throughout
34:21the world.
34:22Indeed, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world, say to the daughter of Zion,
34:28surely your salvation is coming.
34:30Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him.
34:35That reward of salvation.
34:39Three times in that verse he says, behold.
34:46Not sure if it's actually in the New King James, it's not quite because that first word
34:49is indeed in the King James, it says, behold, the Lord has proclaimed, behold, your salvation
34:56comes.
34:57His reward is with him.
35:01A colleague of ours at Friends of Israel, David Levy, makes the following comment on
35:05this verse.
35:06He puts it this way, first, the world is to behold the Lord's proclamation of Israel's
35:12soon coming salvation and tell the message to the nation.
35:17Second, Israel is to behold that salvation is coming, but in the person of a savior who
35:22is the Messiah.
35:24And thirdly, Israel is to behold that it is second coming, the Messiah will reward
35:30Israel with redemption and recompense or compensation for what the nation suffered as a victim of
35:36persecution.
35:39And then finally, in verse 12, Israel receives four new names.
35:47And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and you shall be
35:52called sought out and a city not forsaken.
35:57Firstly, they'll be called holy people.
36:01That's how the Lord established them.
36:02If you remember back in Deuteronomy chapter seven in verses six through nine, God tells
36:07us that he called Israel a holy people.
36:10They were chosen by him to be a special people, a people with whom he would keep his covenant
36:15for a thousand generations, simply because he loved them.
36:20Secondly, they're the redeemed of the Lord.
36:22And that reminds us of Isaiah 51 verse 11.
36:26Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion and everlasting
36:31joy shall be upon their head.
36:33They shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
36:40What a wonderful promise.
36:42No longer as in Hosea, as Tony, I think mentioned earlier this morning, will they be called
36:48lo-ruchamah, people without mercy, or lo-ami, not my people.
36:55They're going to have a new relationship with the Lord and as Hosea records, they'll be
36:59called ami, my people, and ruchamah, upon whom I have mercy.
37:08They will be called the redeemed of the Lord.
37:10Third, they were sought out.
37:13Jerusalem will be the place of true worship and all nations will come to Jerusalem to
37:18worship God, the Holy One of Israel.
37:21We see that in Zechariah chapter 14 verse 16.
37:25And it shall come to pass that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against
37:30Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to
37:35keep the feast of tabernacles.
37:39And then fourthly, a city not forsaken.
37:44You know, the world has never seen Jerusalem as it's been prophesied in Isaiah and that
37:52name Jerusalem means city of peace and one day Jerusalem will finally know that perfect
38:00peace throughout eternity.
38:03That's a wonderful future, isn't it?
38:05We need to keep our eyes on what God has in store for Israel, not what this fallen world
38:11has in store.
38:13Because today Jerusalem's not at peace.
38:16In fact, she's at the heart of all the trouble in the world, isn't she?
38:20And time is rapidly approaching as when the Lord says in Zechariah 12 verses 2 and 3 that
38:26he will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about when they
38:30should be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
38:35And he says in that day I will make Jerusalem a burden of some stone for all people and
38:39all that burden themselves with it will be cut in pieces.
38:43For all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
38:47The world thinks that she can destroy Israel and Jerusalem but the Lord has other plans.
38:58Israel and Jerusalem, in fact, is already deemed as burdensome, isn't she, by the nations
39:03of the world.
39:04She's continually under siege one way or another and Israel and the Jewish people are the subject
39:10of much hatred.
39:13This history is being revised time and time again in an attempt to delegitimize Israel.
39:22There's too many examples to quote all of them.
39:25We'd be here probably for weeks.
39:27But here's one.
39:28In 2015, Sheikh Mohammed Ahmad Hussein, the current Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, said at
39:34an interview with Israel's Channel 2, and listen to this, he said there's never been
39:39a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount and the site has been home to a mosque from the creation
39:45of the world.
39:47He also claimed that this is the Al-Aqsa Mosque that Adam, peace be upon him, or during his
39:53time the angels built.
39:57You know, when deception takes hold of somebody, deception really takes hold.
40:04I've actually got a booklet published by the Waqf of Jerusalem way, way back, which
40:11actually admits that the temple was there.
40:14Here we have an Arab publication, I've got a copy of it at home, clearly stating that
40:21they knew that the temple was there, but there are people today that deny it.
40:26United Nations always giving resolutions that are anti-Israel, aren't they?
40:32They even deny any legal or historical ties to any part of Jerusalem or the holy sites.
40:39Almost daily we hear cries saying that every living Jew should be murdered.
40:48Article 7 of the Hamas Charter, which has never been changed, says this.
40:53There are Jews everywhere.
40:54We must attack every Jew on planet earth.
40:57We must slaughter and kill them with Allah's help.
40:59We will lacerate and tear them to pieces.
41:02The hour of judgement shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them,
41:06so that the Jews hide behind trees and stones, and each tree and stone will say, O Muslim,
41:10O servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.
41:16It's still there.
41:18It's still there.
41:19I just wish people would read it.
41:22And delegitimisation continues, doesn't it, with the boycotts, divestments and sanctions
41:27movement.
41:28And I find it rather sad that there are many churches that support that movement.
41:36And that's probably because they believe in replacement theology, that the church has
41:39replaced Israel.
41:43But that's a doctrine which we know is a doctrine of demons.
41:46It's not what the scripture says.
41:48And we can see propaganda, Palestinian propaganda, BDS propaganda, infiltrating our colleges,
41:54our university compasses.
41:58We can see propaganda infiltrating our media, perpetrating not just propaganda, but also
42:05lies.
42:08And it seems that we're moving with ever increasing speed closer to the time when, as scripture
42:12prophesies, all nations will come against Jerusalem.
42:16And you know that includes the UK.
42:19Our own government has just suspended about 30 licences for the export of arms to Israel.
42:26Our own government is upholding the ICC ruling to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
42:32But here's something which you may not know.
42:35Karim Khan, King's Council, a British man, a barrister, a member of the Bar, who is the
42:42prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and some of his staff, have been reported
42:47to the Bar Standards Board for England and Wales, accused of failing to comply with their
42:52duty not to mislead the court.
42:56According to a leading UK lawyer, every phrase of every sentence of the prosecutor's summary
43:02of the applications to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant in his public statement is false.
43:09A top UK lawyer, also a member of the Bar.
43:14And I think we need to pray that Khan is brought to book, that those lies are exposed,
43:21and the evidence is presented as it should be.
43:25Psalm 129, verses 5 and 6, they need to be aware of this.
43:29All who stand against Israel need to be aware of this.
43:32The Lord says, let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
43:37Let them be as the grass upon the housetops which withereth afore it groweth up.
43:43Let them beware.
43:46Anti-Semitism is increasing at an alarming rate, and Jewish people need our support more
43:51than ever in recent history, and I give God the glory that this fellowship is standing
43:56in support of the Jewish people, not just here, but everywhere.
44:01And so thank you for that.
44:03And again, we need, brothers and sisters, to be ever more aware of what scripture tells
44:08us about Israel and God's promises for his chosen people.
44:16Scripture overwhelmingly proves that God is not finished with Israel, and that one day
44:21her enemies will be defeated.
44:22It's very easy for us, if we're not careful, to become downhearted, isn't it, when we see
44:27the news.
44:29But God, but God.
44:34Instead of persecuting Israel, one day, her enemies will be defeated.
44:40They'll look to Israel, and they will see the glory of the Lord revealed.
44:45Isaiah chapter 2, verses 2 and 3, it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain
44:50of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
44:54above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it.
44:58And many people shall go and say, come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
45:02to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk
45:08in his paths.
45:09For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from where?
45:15Jerusalem.
45:16Jerusalem.
45:17And we know, don't we, I've said this many times before, I won't read for the sake of
45:22time again, Jeremiah 31, verses 35 to 37.
45:27If you're unfamiliar with those verses, I suggest that you take them to heart, because
45:32God says that in no uncertain terms has he finished with Israel.
45:37And the remaining chapters of Isaiah describe the return of the Lord in his second advent
45:41and the events that follow, and they end with the final salvation of that faithful remnant
45:46of Israel, and all Israel, and his eternal blessing on them, and at the time of the new
45:53earth, the new heavens and the new earth, we see that at the end.
45:58But just as the Lord will save Israel, his promise is that he'll also save all who call
46:02on his name from the power of sin and death, giving that same unshakable promise of eternal
46:07life.
46:08And so I question again, have you considered your future?
46:11Do you have that assurance of eternal life in the presence of almighty God?
46:17And are you, as it says in Titus 2, verses 13 and 14, looking for that blessed hope and
46:22a glorious appearing of our great God and our savior, Jesus Christ?
46:28I pray that if you haven't already done so, you will seriously consider it.
46:34Brothers and sisters, let's not look to the world, let's look to the word, and let's be
46:39encouraged that Israel has a secure future in the Lord God.
46:45May the Lord bless his word to our hearts this morning.