Friday, February 24, 2017

The Diaspora (LG09)



‘Last Generation’
Ezek 15:6-8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. Thus, I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord GOD.”
    The crucifixion of Jesus was the great and dreadful day of the Lord for the Jews, when they were no longer the people of God. At the death of Jesus, God tore the veil of the temple into two; ending the era of Judaism so that the physical body of every born again Christian becomes the temple of God. Because of this sin, God will destroy Jerusalem and Israel making them desolate. All Jews must flee to other nations to escape His wrath.
    Though Yahweh abandoned them for the greatest abomination and sin ever committed, He did not immediately banish them nor destroy the temple of God, in order to allow Jesus’ disciples to preach and convert the devout Jews who return to Jerusalem to observe the feasts. They came from the far corners of the earth.
    Act 2:5-6 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Driving the Jews out of Israel
God used the heathens to fulfill His plan of Diaspora (dispersing the Jews to all corners of the earth to be a blessing to those nations) until God gathers them back to Israel and Jerusalem.
    In 70 AD, Titus destroyed the temple of God to end animal sacrifices (Judaism) and also Jerusalem to disperse the Jews. According to Josephus, a million Jews were killed with 97K enslaved. Many fled to countries in the Mediterranean.
    In 134 AD, Hadrian killed over 580K Jews (many more died of starvation) at the Bar Kokhba revolt. Hadrian changed Judea to Syria Palestine and banned Jews from circumcision to wipe out Judaism. Jews were barred from entering Jerusalem.
    When Constantine became a Christian, He loved the Lord by getting Jerome to compile the holy scriptures together and translate them into Latin. The Vulgate is still being used by the Catholic church and it is the basis for all Bible translations. He persecuted the Jews and barred them from entering Jerusalem.
    During the Crusades, many Jews in Jerusalem were killed by Christian soldiers thus fulfilling His word and by 1500 AD there were only about 5K Jews left in Israel.

A Blessing to all Nations
Gen 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
    All the Jews who fled to other nations were happy and successful and were blessings to all those nations. They became highly respectable citizens because of their special gifts of talent, wisdom and knowledge just like Daniel, Joseph and many others.
    Jer 42:11-12 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’

Even though the Jews cursed themselves by shedding  the innocent blood of Jesus, He is faithful to His word that though they are no longer His people but when they obey His words, they will still be blessings to the nations.