The Dry Bones Will Live Again: The Return of the Jews to Israel

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ezekiel 37:4-5

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

NKJV

Taken literally, Ezekiel 37:4-5 could be viewed as the storyline for the latest zombie movie.  A trailer for this thriller could go something like this, “Zeke, a frustrated prophet comes upon a mass grave of dry bones.  In his frustration he speaks to the bones and they suddenly come alive, causing havoc and destruction on a global level.”

Obviously, Ezekiel 37:4-5 is not a prophecy that we should interpret literally.  The language used is figurative designed to cause visualization some grand coming event.  In its context, the passage speaks of the return of the Jewish people to their homeland after their Babylonian captivity but we can also interpret it to mean the restoration of the nation of Israel after a lengthy exile, which occurred in 1948 after nearly 2000 years of dispersal among the nations of the world.  We can also interpret the passage spiritually to mean the restoration that comes about when one accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior.  No matter how we interpret this passage it is designed to bring comfort to those in captivity either physically such as Israel experienced or spiritually being held captive in our sins. 

In his book, "a Rabbi looks at the last days," Rabbi Jonathan Bernis cites the modern day return of the Jews to Israel as the second reason we know the last days are near.  I have to agree for as we look at world events since the return of the Jews to Israel, we have seen,

1)      Israel and the Middle East becoming the focal point of world events – It seems that every major issue in the world today revolves around the Middle East.  With its abundance of crude oil and with the world economy dependent on affordable energy, the Middle East possesses incredible power over the price of energy.  As such, countries of the world, especially those in western civilization must negotiate oil prices with nations and people that are not friendly with western culture.  Radical Islam with roots in the Middle East hates Israel and any nation friendly to them, considering them Infidels.  Nations like the United States that contain large Jewish populations must continually balance their allegiance with Israel against the need to maintain the security of their people from terrorism and the maintenance of affordable crude oil.  With this increased attention to the Middle East and especially Israel, God is able to show the world his love for his people as Israel is continually protected from harm. 

2)      Prophecy coming alive – Jeremiah 17:24-26 speaks of people coming from all over to bring sacrifices to Jerusalem and speaks of the city remaining forever.  Isaiah 9:7 speaks of the throne of David having no end.  Isaiah 9:6 speaks of the birth of a special child who will have the government upon his shoulders.  Scripture describes this special Child as Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Throughout history, we have never seen a leader meeting all of these requirements for this leader can only be Jesus Christ.  With the return of the Jews to Israel, the Jews are now in place and God is beginning to prepare them to receive their King, something already occurring which we will see in next Saturday’s posting.

3)      Overwhelming proof that God keeps his promises to his people – the nation of Israel has a history of rebellion against God, the ultimate of which is their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah 2000 years ago.  Israel has paid dearly for its rejection but God has never, and never will, reject them.  With their return to Israel in 1948, God is demonstrating his mercy and grace to the world.  Since we have all sinned and rejected God (Romans 3:23) the mercy God has shown to the Jews, the people who rejected His Son, shows us that God will always extend His hand of mercy to anyone reaching out to Him.

The return of the Jews to Israel is exciting and brings hope to Christians for it points to the eminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It also means that the time is short for us to reach out to non-believers with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As we reach out to these people, the enemy may tell them their sins are too great and there is no way God can love them.  However, all we need to do today is point to Israel and all the times they have rebelled against God.  We can show them that even though they committed the ultimate act of rejection by rejecting God’s only Son, a merciful and graceful God has brought them back to their land and is beginning to reveal Himself to them as Jesus their Messiah. 

An alternative movie trailer based on Ezekiel 37:4-5 could go like this, “Mourning over the captivity of his people, Zeke rises up and speaks to his dead nation and watches as they rise up and return to the land of their fathers.  As they possess their land, they begin preparations for the return of their once rejected and now eagerly awaited King, Jesus Christ.  The enemy of the nation, Satan, not wanting to have the people’s mighty King return attempts to destroy the people using the kingdoms of their neighboring nations but their God mightily and miraculously protects them until he returns to establish His Kingdom.”  I believe this movie trailer is a more accurate portrayal of the prophecy of Ezekiel and provides a better portrayal of what is presently occurring with Israel in these last days. 

Handling Gotcha Questions

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 21:23-25

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  25 The baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?"

NKJV

Campaign season has begun in the United States and with it, we are already beginning to see the media trying to trip up candidates with gotcha questions.  It is beginning to appear that the gotcha question this campaign is going to be, “knowing what you know now would you ____” and then fill in the blank.  Most recently, Jeb Bush, fell victim to one of these questions. 

The question came during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Monday May 11, 2015 where he was asked, “Knowing what you know now, was the Iraq War a mistake?”  The answer Jeb Bush gave was “I would’ve.  And so would’ve Hillary Clinton.”  (1)  Of course, the liberal media seeking fodder to use against the potential GOP nominee for President in 2016 believed Jeb’s answer was exactly what they were looking for.  They believed they could now bring Mr. Bush down by claiming he was a warmonger just like his brother. 

Since hindsight is 20/20, gotcha questions like this are unfair for Jeb Bush’s brother made his decision based on intelligence available at the time and did not have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight as Jeb Bush does now.  In subsequent interviews, Jeb Bush attempted to clarify his answer by saying that he misinterpreted the question to actually mean that were he in the same position as his brother with the information his brother had at the time, he would have made the same decision.  (1)  This is why he included Senator Hillary Clinton in his answer for she too voted to authorize the invasion in Iraq based upon the same information President George W. Bush had at the time. 

Perhaps the answer Jeb Bush should have given was the short one he finally gave at a May 14 town hall in Tempe Arizona where he said, “If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions: Knowing what we now know, what would you have done? I would not have engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.”   (1)  The lesson we can learn here is that the short, to the point answer is probably the best. 

In Matthew 21:23, we see an instance where Jesus was asked a gotcha question by the religious leaders of his time.  The question involved the source of the authority for Jesus’ teachings and the miracles he was performing.  I do not believe those asking the question were interested at all in knowing the basis of Jesus’ authority, but were actually seeking to entrap Jesus with His answer. 

Jesus could have honestly answered the question by saying he was the Son of God and actually God in the flesh (John 1:14), an answer Jesus actually gave when questioned after his betrayal by Judas (Matthew26:63-65).  The result of the answer to the question in Matthew was an accusation of blasphemy, resulting in Jesus’ death by crucifixion.  Granted, this was what Jesus came to earth to do for prophet Isaiah and King David foretold Jesus’ death by crucifixion in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.  Jesus’ crucifixion made possible His victory over death, his resurrection, and ascension.  However, when asked the question regarding his authority in Matthew 21, it was not the time to answer the question directly and instead Jesus answered the question with a question (Matthew 21:24-25). 

Answering a gotcha question with a question is yet another method of handling gotcha questions.  In fact, another presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, recently used something similar to answer another gotcha question. 

This time the question involved the issue of gay marriage.  The question asked of Ted Cruz was does he have “a personal animosity against gay Americans.”  (2)  The obvious purpose of the question was an effort to portray Senator Cruz as someone hating gays.  Knowing this, Senator Cruz redirected the debate by asking the questioner to consider the fact that ISIS, a terrorist organization punishes gays by throwing them off buildings and cliffs.  Senator Cruz in effect changed the focus of hatred of gays from him, to where the real hatred lays, ISIS and radical Islam.  (2)

This reminds us of another radical Islamist leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  In 2007, when asked about gays in Iran by a Columbia University student, Mr. Ahmadinejad responded with “In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country.”  (3)  This was a very honest answer for the reason there are no gays in Iran, or at least people claiming to be gay, is that the penalty for being gay under Sharia Law is death.  (4) 

The purpose of gotcha questions is to entrap people into giving an answer the questioner can use against them.  In the instance of Jeb Bush, the purpose was to marginalize his qualifications for President of the United States by equating him with his brother, someone the liberal media despises.  In the instance of Jesus, questioners were attempting to get an answer in which they could accuse Him of blasphemy and eliminate Him.  Even though Jesus did eventually provide the answer they were looking for, he did it at the right time to fulfill the purpose for which he came.  In the case of Ted Cruz, the purpose was to divert attention back to the important issues of national security, the economy, and the preservation of the Constitutional Republic and away from the side issue of gay marriage. 

Gotcha questions will occur this election cycle as they do in all election cycles.  My advice to candidates is to carefully construct answers to these questions by giving short to the point answers, answering the question with a question, or redirecting the discussion back to the important issues of the day. 

1. Bump, Philip. Here is every answer Jeb Bush gave on Iraq this week. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, May 14, 2015. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/05/14/the-art-of-the-simple-campaign-answer-as-learned-by-jeb-bush-this-week/.

2. PPD Staff. Ted Cruz Smacks Down Liberal Reporter Over Gay Marriage Gotcha Question. www.peoplespunditdaily.com. [Online] Peoples Pundit Daily, May 22, 2015. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/news/politics/2015/05/22/ted-cruz-smacks-down-liberal-reporter-over-gay-marriage-gotcha-question/.

3. The Daily Mail. 'We don't have any gays in Iran,' Iranian president tells Ivy League audience. www.dailymail.co.uk. [Online] The Daily Mail, September 25, 2007. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483746/We-dont-gays-Iran-Iranian-president-tells-Ivy-League-audience.html.

4. TheReligionorPeace.com. What Does the Religion of Peace Teach About Homosexuality. www.thereligionofpeace.com. [Online] TheReligionorPeace.com. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/quran/026-homosexuality.htm.

The Root Cause of Hatred Towards Christians and Jews

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 15:19

If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

NKJV

Christianity and Judaism are genuinely peaceful religions.  With few exceptions, most Christians and Jews are upstanding citizens of their communities.  Many of them also make many positive contributions to their societies. 

In the recent earthquake in Nepal, one of the first organizations to respond was Samaritans Purse, an evangelical Christian organization run by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham.  (1)   This past Sunday my pastor told us of someone that had come into the church office.  It was a particularly hot day with the man looking hot and a bit dehydrated so they asked him if he needed some water.  After talking with the man, they determined that he was going to be starting a new job the next day and had not eaten for two days.  The church runs a food pantry and gave the man some food so he would be strong upon starting his new job.  Jews are equally as generous and willing to respond when there is a need also ranking high in their response to the victims of the Nepal earthquake.  (2) 

In light of this showing of generosity from Christians and Jews towards those in need, any hatred towards them would appear unfounded and illogical.  However, if we look at scripture we soon discover that this hatred by the secular world towards Christians and Jews is actually spiritually logical and something we should actually expect.  Let me explain. 

In the second chapter of his book “A Rabbi Looks at the LastDays,” Rabbi Jonathan Bernis cites the seed covenant in Genesis 3:15 which says,

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel."

NKJV

This is the first Messianic prophecy in the Bible and only one person, Jesus Christ, qualifies as the seed of a woman.  This is because in normal conception, the man carries the seed.  However, Jesus was not conceived by a man’s seed since he was born of a virgin, Mary.  Therefore, Jesus, a Jew, is Messiah as foretold in Isaiah 7:14. 

This is the beginning of Satan’s hatred of the Jews for he knew that if this seed of the woman were allowed to be born, it would be his end.  As we read further in scripture, we see many instances where Satan attempted to annihilate the Jews.  He tried to eliminate them by killing all boys born of Israelite women in Egypt.  He tried to kill them all off in the time of Esther.  He even tried to kill Jesus when Herod had all boys two years of age and younger killed in Bethlehem and had it not been for the angel telling Joseph in a dream to take his family to Egypt, might have succeeded. 

Even though Messiah has been born and died for the sins of humanity, Satan’s hatred of the Jews continues for God is not done with his people yet.  The Jews rejected Jesus the first time he came but scripture tells us they will come to accept the one they pierced in the last days and welcome Him when he comes again to establish his earthly kingdom (Revelation 1:7).  Satan’s hatred now is an attempt to prevent the Jews from accepting their Messiah, an effort destined to fail. 

Likewise, Satan also hates Christians for it is they who are the instruments of spreading the Gospel to the nations or peoples of the world, Jews and Gentiles alike.  Satan’s hatred of Christianity is an attempt to prevent people from hearing the gospel and accepting Jesus as their savior.  Satan knows he is destined to eternity in Hell (Revelation 20:10) and wants to take as many Jews and Gentiles he can with him by denying them the opportunity to hear the Gospel. 

As Christians and Jews, we must face the fact that we live in a world presently ruled by Satan.  As Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ living in a foreign land where many hate us.  However, we can read the end of the book and know that the leadership of this world is going to change.  The time is coming when Satan will no longer rule this world and his Jew and Christian hating regime will be replaced with a world ruled by God in the New Jerusalem.  It will be a world where Satan is relegated to eternity in Hell where he can no longer torment us. 

In the meantime, before that day comes, we who are the ambassadors of Christ have the duty to spread the Gospel to all people, including Jews and Gentiles so they can escape eternity in Hell with Satan and enjoy eternity with Christ.  We understand there is hatred of our efforts to spread the Gospel but we must press on and follow the advice the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy

1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

NKJV

1. Samaritan's Purse. Deadly Earthquake in Nepal. www.samaritanspurse.org. [Online] Samaritan's Purse. [Cited: May 17, 2015.] http://www.samaritanspurse.org/disaster/nepal-earthquake/.

2. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Israel ranks high in humanitarian aid to Nepal after earthquake. mfa.gov.il. [Online] Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [Cited: May 17, 2015.] http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Aid/Pages/Israel-ranks-high-in-humanitarian-aid-to-Nepal-after-earthquake.aspx.

Changing Religious Demographics

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

2 Corinthians 5:20

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

NKJV

As Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ.  As such, we are foreigners living within another nation with the purpose of encouraging citizens of that country to visit our home country and possibly become citizens.  As ambassadors, we also serve in the capacity of protecting people from our home country who are visiting or live the country in which we serve. 

As ambassadors for Christ, we have a calling to share the Gospel with those living in the foreign secular world in which we live.  We also have a duty to unify with other citizens of Christ and fellow ambassadors for Christ, in order to protect them when they are threatened.  Unfortunately, however, many of us, including myself, have failed in our ambassadorial duties.  Instead of sharing the benefits of eternal life with Jesus our Lord, many of us remain silent out of fear of rejection.  Instead of unifying behind Christ and his calling for us all to share the Gospel with all people, we squabble amongst ourselves over minute theological differences.  All the while, a lost and dying world suffers without hope, a hope we all as Christians possess as ambassadors of the greatest message ever given to humanity. 

In a recent Pew research study 70.6% of Americans professed they were Christians.  The remaining 29.4% percent is made up of 5.9% professing some other faith such as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism with the remaining 22.8% not professing any religious affiliation.  (1)  On the surface, this is encouraging with a vast majority of U.S. Citizens still professing to be Christians but as with any statistical analysis, it must be compared with previous studies to reveal any trends. 

In 2007, 78.4% of those surveyed professed to be Christians, a 7.8% reduction or about 1% per year.  3.4% of this reduction was in mainline protestant denominations and 3.1 % of the reduction was among Catholics.  Only .9% of the reduction was among Evangelical Christians, encouraging since these are individuals most vilified among Christians in the United States.  (2) 

We must now ask where these 7.8 % have gone.  The majority of them, 6.7% have moved into the unaffiliated category with 1.2% moving to the non-Christian category, a .5% increase in Islam, .3% increase in Hinduism, and .3% moving to other faiths.  (2)  It appears most of the movement since 2007 is from mainline Christianity and Catholicism to no religious affiliation.  With a majority of the increase in the unaffiliated category or those claiming nothing in particular and not Atheism or Agnosticism, it would appear there might be some disenfranchisement among the public with Mainline Christianity and Catholicism. 

On his May 12, 2015 program, while commenting in this study, commentator Rush Limbaugh postulated the theory that much of the drop in those professing Christianity occurred in the Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterians, and Episcopalian denominations.  Since 2007, these denominations have begun preforming homosexual marriages, and ordaining gay and lesbian pastors and ministers.  Mr. Limbaugh’s theory is that these people are disenfranchised by the hypocrisy they saw in church leadership and for many this disenfranchisement caused them to abandon Christianity.  (3)  Jesus main complaint with the religious leaders of His time was their hypocrisy with him condemning it numerous times by calling them hypocrites 17 times. 

Unfortunately, evangelical Christians like me have failed to point these people to churches preaching the Word of God without compromise.  However, there is still time for these people, who formerly professed Christianity.  Hypocritical church leadership may have disenfranchised their faith, but a loving God who sent His son to die for them has not abandoned them.  Let this be a call to action for all of us who are uncompromising believers in God’s Word to perform our ambassadorial duty of protecting these people by inviting them to our embassies or churches so they can reconnect with their home nation, the nation of Christ.  Failure to do this on our part could result in their becoming totally disenfranchised with God all together and becoming Atheists or Agnostics or worse yet, becoming part of some other religion such as Islam, a religion where many profess hatred towards anyone not adhering to their faith, especially Christians or Jews. 

In the chaotic times in which we live, it has never been more important for those of us possessing the only hope for humanity, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to speak up.  Granted, sharing our faith risks possible rejection of friends or relatives but I for one would not want to know that these people died failing to accept Jesus as their savior because I never shared my faith with them.  The question is, will we engage and get in the game or just stay on the sidelines. 

1. Pew Research Center. Religious Landscape Study. www.pewforum.org. [Online] Pew Research Center. [Cited: May 17, 2015.] http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.

2. —. America’s Changing Religious Landscape. www.pewforum.org. [Online] Pew Research Center, May 12, 2015. [Cited: May 17, 2015.] http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/.

3. Limbaugh, Rush. Pew Poll on Religion Shows the Power Christians Could Still Have in This Country -- If They Used It . www.rushlimbaugh.com. [Online] EIB Network, May 12, 2015. [Cited: May 17, 2015.] http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2015/05/12/pew_poll_on_religion_shows_the_power_christians_could_still_have_in_this_country_if_they_used_it.