People have asked me, “What is the prophetic significance of the war in Ukraine?” I said, “Look, there is nowhere in the Bible where the war in Ukraine is mentioned.” But in the Bible, there’s no mention of any war between other countries. It’s always the relations of other countries and Israel. And what do we see in the last year? A record number of Jews returning back to their land from Russia and the Ukraine. Isaiah 66 reads, “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.”
Israel was born in a day. I don’t know if you know that. The British declared that they’re leaving. Nobody believed them. Then they left, and we didn’t know what to do. So, we declared statehood, and we’re a state since then. Overnight. We didn’t have time to write our Declaration of Independence on one piece of paper. We wrote it on different pieces, then we sewed it all together. Look, it’s beyond a miracle because the day we said that, the day we declared statehood, we were attacked by five armies.
When the judgment of God targeted Israel, it was always either drought or expulsion from the land. And when God was restoring the nation, it always involved bringing the people back. The land is an integral part of the life of the nation under God. So why do we still have Jewish people residing anywhere but the land of Israel? Look, only in the last few years, the number of Jews living in Israel surpassed the number of Jews living elsewhere. It’s quite interesting.
So what is Judaism? It’s both biological and theological. I mean, you’re born a Jew. You know, I did a DNA test. You can trace a Jew by a DNA test. It’s a seed, remember. But then it’s also, in the eyes of rabbis, it’s also a theological thing. According to Britannica, it’s a monotheistic religion developed among the ancient Hebrews. Judaism is characterized by a belief in one transcendent God who revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life followed in accordance with scriptures and rabbinic traditions. Judaism is the complex phenomena of a total way of life for the Jewish people comprising theology, law, and innumerable cultural traditions.
Paul posed a question that many ponder today when they think of the Jews and that is:
Romans 3:1-3
What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?
Later in that chapter, Paul would begin his march down the Romans road when he launched with this:
Romans 3:21-23
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Again, he wrote:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Back to the question, what is the point of being a Jew if there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in that all have earned the wages of sin and require the gift of God through Jesus Christ?
Why the 613 commands contained in the law? Why circumcision? Why the feast days? Why the Holy Convocations? Why the dress code and food restrictions if the Jew still needs what every person needs, which is a Savior?
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
Therefore: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”
The Greek word translated “separate” means “to mark off from others by boundaries.” In other words, what God said to the Jews is what He says in different terms to the church. “Live in a manner that identifies that you have a relationship with Me and are My people.”
We might say that God’s people are to be a sanctified people, a marked people identifiable by their beliefs and practices. What we can also learn from the Jews is that being “marked off from others by boundaries” doesn’t exempt you from needing a Savior. Simply put, we should live in a manner where no one would be surprised to find out we’re Christians. How we live would say it, what we do would say it, what we don’t do would say it. Those things wouldn’t save us, just like being a Jew doesn’t save them. But, those around us would know without a doubt that we are of the people of God.
This is important for us to understand because there are far too many today who claim to follow Christ but whose behaviors don’t line up with their professed beliefs. While it is true that we are not under the law and live in the age of grace, the following is also true:
Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
In these last of the last days, we should stick out like the proverbial sore thumb in this ever darkening world. God wanted His chosen people, the Jews, to be different from the rest of the world, and He wants the same from the church. He’s not calling us to be weird or obnoxious, but to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, and all the more as we see the day approaching.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus