The Riddle of Antisemitism
Pastor Terry Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh, PA
(01/14/23)
“The
Eternal Jew & his Enemies.”
|
Left
to right: Antiochus
IV Epiphanes, the “Reverend” Al Sharpton, Haman the Agagite, Roman Emperor
Hadrian, King Sennacherib of Assyria, Pharaoh Thutmose I of Egypt, an anonymous
Spanish Inquisitor, Joseph Stalin, the Ayatolla Khomeini, Haj Amin al-Husseini
(the Grand Mufti), Adolf Hitler, Yasser Arafat, and Heinrich Himmler. |
I. The trek of the “Wandering Jew” (a.k.a., the “Eternal Jew”).
A. A Stateless
People: the Diaspora (i.e., “dispersion”).
The
Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; cf., Dan. 2 & 7), extend from the Babylonian Conquest
until the Second Coming. Despite the reconstitution of a Jewish state (1948), the Diaspora prevails.
B. A Persecuted People…
1. Antiquity (Egypt,
Assyria, Babylon, Seleucids, Rome)
2. The Middle Ages (both European Christendom & Islam)
3. The Modern World
a. Modern
western Europe (especially Germany)
b. Eastern
Europe (e.g., Russia & the Ukraine)
c.
The Modern Arab/Islamic World
d.
Today’s Hard-Left & “Progressives.”
4. The Future: the
Antichrist & the Great Tribulation.
C. The mystery
of such unreasonable & undying hatred!
Note
Mark Twain’s thesis in his essay for Harper’s (1898): the Jew is a law-abiding
model-citizen with a strong sense of civic & familial responsibility. WHY
is he the focus of such hatred?
II. Especially baffling, considering the Jew’s disproportionate level of contributions to humanity—a blessing to all (Gen.12:3)!
>Foremost: From the Jews came the Messiah & the Scriptures!
A. The rise of nations
& their political
development.
(e.g.,
the British Empire: Benjamin Disraeli, Chaim Weizmann)
B. The “Court Jew” & the development of modern
finance.
C. Scientific &
technological progress & development.
(e.g., Astronomy, Medicine, Physics, Atomic Science,
Invention, etc.)
D. Art, culture, and popular
entertainment.
III. America & the
Jews (cf., Jer. 29:4-7). >A
proud tradition of Jewish service the U.S. Armed Forces; 5,000 Jews buried at
Arlington.
"And I will bless those who bless you..."
IV. Why does
unreasonable antisemitism continue?
A. God loves Israel (Zech. 2:8)! Note: God’s love involves disciplinary correction (Heb. 12:6, Deut. 28:15-16, Matt. 27:25, Luke 23:28-30) and the refiner’s fire (Isa. 48:10).
B. Satan hates Israel (Rev. 12:13) because of her role within God’s redemptive & prophetic program for the ages.
C. God’s plan is to purge, regather, and redeem Israel in preparation for its role in the Millennial Kingdom (Isa. 2:2, 6:11; Ezek. 20:37; Dan. 12:1; Zech. 12:10, 13:8-9; Rom. 11:26).
The Riddle of Israel’s Survival
Pastor Terry Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh, PA (01/21/24)
I. The miracle
& mystery of Jewish survival.
By all logical expectations, the Jew should no longer
exist; the assimilation
& persecution associated with the Diaspora (“Dispersion”) should have finished him—yet he survives! HOW?
"Last Man Standing"
II. The Abrahamic Covenant: the central Scriptural covenant.
(e.g., Gen. 12:1-3, 15:9-21, 17:1-8, 22:15-18).
a.
God made unconditional promises to his friend, Abraham!
b. God chose & called an unworthy people (Dt.9:4-5; 17:7) for the purpose of making them a Holy People (Dt. 17:6).
c. He would bless the whole earth through that people, giving them His Word, and sending the Messiah from them…
d. He would provide a land
& a brilliant destiny for
that people.
III. Despite
the present estrangement (Matt. 21:33-41,
23:34-39;
Rom. 9-11),
God will spiritually
restore them
(Zech 12:10, Matt. 23:39, Rom. 11:26)—the culmination of the work of the Two
Witnesses (Rev. 11) and the 144,000 (Rev. 7:3-8, 14:1-5).
He will rescue them (Zech.
14:3-5, 9, 12) from the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7, Dan. 12:1,
Zech. 13:8-9)…
He will regather them from
the nations where they had been dispersed (Deut. 30:1-6), ending the Diaspora that has marked
the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Dan. 2&7)—which extend from the
Babylonian Captivity until the Second Coming…
He will honor His eternal land grant to them,
and restore His Holy Temple—the Great Millennial Temple
(Ezek. 40-48)—and fill it with His Glory (Ezek. 43:1-4)…
He will make Israel the Head of Nations
in His Kingdom (Mic.
4:1-2)
and the Jews the most honored of people (Zech. 8:20-23).
Everything declared in Scripture MUST
be fulfilled (e.g., Matt. 26:54, Acts 1:16)—the true secret
of Jewish survival!
IV. BUT individual
Jews MUST repent & trust in MESSIAH—
or they CANNOT be saved (John 14:6, Acts
4:12)!!! So-called “Dual Covenant Theology” (e.g., John Hagee; i.e., the
idea that Jews will supposedly be saved by “keeping” the Mosaic Law) is FALSE
(Rom. 3:20,23; Gal. 2:16, 21)!!!
