Free End Times Book (pdf).. - Rapture Notes

saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands
before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered,
"His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:15-25)
It is wrong for us to label Jews as "Christ-killers" because quite clearly all mankind is involved in the conspiracy
which put Jesus to death. Representatives of each of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth had a responsible
role in putting Messiah to death. Had the Son of God been born in any other country, in any other time, the results
would have been the same. Yet the leaders of the Jews standing before Pilate in that generation were willing to
assume responsibility for the blood of Jesus, "Let his blood be upon us." God will evidently require this of the nation
in the final days of the coming tribulation.
The resurrection of Jesus three days after his death, and the sudden and dramatic formation of the church of Jesus
Christ in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (50 days after the resurrection) did not turn the heart of the nation to
their Messiah. It was only a matter of time until the Jewish followers of Jesus, some thousands in number, were
forced to flee Jerusalem. Soon the unbelieving Jews, in their continuing revolt against Rome, provoked the Romans
to remove them from the land. As a consequence, the provisional terms of the Covenant Of The Land were invoked
for the second time by the Owner of the Land.
After this second dispersion, lasting nearly 2000 years, God allowed His chosen people to return to their land again.
The exciting history of the regathering of the Jews from all lands began a hundred years ago---culminating in the
rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 and the tiny nation's rise to power and a restored place of great power and
influence as a modern progressive democracy. Thankfully, God is faithful to His promises in spite our unbelief!
The drama of the Jewish people during their Diaspora is little known to most Christians. It is fascinating reading
because it soon becomes clear that God has in fact protected the Jewish people, their religion, values and culture
against the great pressures to assimilate, against almost constant terrible anti-Semitism, against horrendous
persecution down through the ages. The very existence of the Jews today, the recovery of their language, their
regathering to the land of their fathers, and the clear signs of their Messianic expectations, are surely among the
greatest miracles one can find on the pages of human history.
Hardening and blindness - Romans 11
In the early years when God had moved to call out a church to His name, and because the majority of Jewish people
did not accept Yeshua as Messiah, the Apostle Paul explained that they had become spiritually blind. The same
thing happens to any people anywhere in any age who hear truth from God and ignore it. The Jews are
representative--not unique--in their demonstration of all of mankind's rebellion against God down through the ages.
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has
experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25)
One might ask if the past hundred years of great economic development, prosperity, and overwhelming military
victories against enormous odds, has brought the Jews to a place of contrition and repentance and humility as far as
their God is concerned---especially since the restoration of the State of Israel was born out of terrible persecution
and hardship?
It is quite true that many thousands of Jews from all over the world have become believers in Yeshua over the past
2000 years, and these have been added to the church (see Ephesians 2:11-3:12 for God's purposes in this present
age). It is also true that there is a small remnant of some thousands of believing Jews now resident in the Land of
Israel (Romans 11:5). Yet for the most part Israel is a secular state. Most of her citizens are not only indifferent to
the God of their Fathers, but openly hostile to any notions that the God of the Land is anything more than an
interesting mythological character now outgrown and to be discarded.
People who live in Israel can not help but be reminded of their past because the Sabbath is observed, and the major
Biblical feasts are kept by many. Furthermore, archaeology is the national pastime, so there are reminders of early
history in the news every day. At the present time about half of the Jews living in the land are "Sabras"--that is, they
were born in the land and not immigrants. This younger generation is especially involved in a quest for their roots
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done… 15