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🎵 🎵 Good afternoon and welcome to First Works Baptist Church. We're going to get started with song number 146, A Shelter in the Time of Storm. Song number 146 there in your hymnals. And if you are able to, let's all stand together for our first song this evening. Song number 146, A Shelter in the Time of Storm. See it on that first verse. 🎵The Lord's our rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Secure whatever will be time, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵A shade by day, defense by night, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵For years all are, no foes are frightened, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵The raging storms may round us be, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵We'll never leave our safe retreat, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Oh rock divine, oh refuge dear, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵I thou our helper ever near, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land.🎵 🎵Oh Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.🎵 Hey man, wonderful singing. Let's start our service with a word of prayer. Dear God, Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your God, for everybody that made it back this evening with God. I do pray that you would please just have a special blessing for them. I pray that you would also just bless the singing of our congregation, Lord God. I pray that you would please also just bless the preaching of your word, Lord God, most of all. I pray that you would please just be with our pastor, please fill him with your Holy Spirit, guide him through the scriptures. And I pray that you would please, Lord God, again, just be with us in the congregation this evening. Help us to have open ears and open hearts, Lord God, that we would receive your word with gladness tonight. I pray now these things in Jesus' name, Amen. You may be seated. Song number 185, my Savior's love. Song number 185, their second song. Song number 185, sing it on that first verse. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful and my song shall ever be. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. For me it was in the garden, He prayed not my will but thine. He had no tears for His whole grief, but sweat drops a blot for mine. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful and my song shall ever be. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own. He poured the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful and my song shall ever be. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. When with the ransomed in glory His face and last shall see, It will be thine joy through the ages to sing of His love for me. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful and my song shall ever be. Oh, how marvelous, oh, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. Alright, great singing. Thank you for being here this evening. Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. Just a few announcements here before we sing our next song, which will be 230 Heavenly Sunlight. If you want to get that ready in your songbooks, 230. Our Sunday morning service, of course, is at 1030 Sunday evening at 5 p.m. And then we have our midweek Thursday night Bible study at 7 o'clock p.m. And of course we're going through the book of Matthew during our midweek Bible study, so hope to see you there. You see the so many times and teams, the list of expecting mothers. Please continue to pray for them. And then some of the upcoming church events. We have the Homeschool Park Day coming up on Friday, October 27th. You can see my wife Sarah for more details about that. Melissa Pays Baby Shower is on Sunday, October 29th. And along with that is the kickoff to our fall program. And so I want to remind you, encourage you, exhort you to bring someone on that day. Bring a visitor, bring a neighbor, a friend, family, co-worker to that day. And we want to pack out the house here on the 29th. And there will be a first, second and third prize winner for the person who brings the most visitors. So we'll have a first prize winner and they will receive a Texas de Brazil gift card, $100 gift card to that. Second prize will get a $50 gift card to Lucille's. And the third prize winner will receive a gift card to Starbucks. And so pray that we get a lot of people in on the 29th. We've got a couple weeks left. And so do us a favor and just start talking to them now. You know, let them clear out their calendars and say, hey, I've got a special day coming up at my church on the 29th. I want to invite you to come to the service. My pastor is not as crazy as you think. It's a really nice church. You know, it's not wild or anything like that. Just don't come Sunday night. No, I'm just kidding. You know, but bring them on Sunday morning. And so we're looking forward to it. Be in prayer that we get a lot of people in the house of God, but also get them saved if they're not. And if there's wayward Christians to get back into church. Amen. And then men's prayer nights coming up on Friday, November 3rd, 7 p.m. at the church building. Dinner will be provided. You see the regular announcements there at the bottom. Please make sure you silence your phones during the preaching so as to not be a distraction during the service. Let's take some so many numbers from this past week. Salvations from Monday to Thursday. Any salvation from Monday to Thursday? How about Friday and Saturday? One, two. Anybody else? How about one? OK. And then this afternoon, Sunday afternoon. One for brother Marcus's team, one for the Glenn's team, two for the Ulysses team. Anybody else? OK. Keep up the great work. Let's go to sing our next song. Two hundred and thirty heavenly sunlight. Two hundred and thirty is our third song. Two hundred and thirty heavenly sunlight. Two hundred and thirty. See it on that first verse. Walking in sunlight. All of my journey. Over the mountains. Through the deep veil. Jesus has set out. Never forsake thee. Promise divine that never can fail. Heavenly sunlight. Heavenly sunlight. Flooding my soul with glory divine. Hallelujah. I am rejoicing. Seeing his praises. Jesus is mine. Shadows around me. Shadows above me. Never conceal mine. Savior and guide. He is the light in him. There is no darkness. Ever I'm walking close to his side. Heavenly sunlight. Heavenly sunlight. Flooding my soul with glory divine. Hallelujah. I am rejoicing. Seeing his praises. Jesus is mine. In that bright sunlight. Ever rejoicing. Pressing my way to mansions above. Seeing his praises. Clearly I'm walking. Walking in sunlight. Sunlight of love. Heavenly sunlight. Heavenly sunlight. Flooding my soul with glory divine. Hallelujah. I am rejoicing. Seeing his praises. Jesus is mine. Amen, wonderful scene. At this time our ushers will be receiving the offering. And please turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 8. . . . . . . Good evening, tonight we're in Hebrews chapter number 8. Hebrews chapter 8 and the Bible reads. Now the things which we have spoken this is the sum. We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth he should have not be a priest. And there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry. By how much also is he the mediator of a better covenant. Which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them he saith behold the days come saith the Lord. When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I have made with their fathers in the day. When I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Because they continue not in my covenant and I regard to them not saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts. And I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother. Saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities while I remember no more. In that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Let's pray dear Lord God thank you for every soul here at this church right now Lord. I just pray for Pastor Mejia Lord. That we bless him as he preaches unto us Lord. And that us in the congregation are edified by the preaching Lord. And that we take away these truths from your word Lord and apply it to our lives. We pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Alright we're in Hebrews chapter number 8 this evening. And the title of my sermon tonight is Christian misconceptions about Jews and Israel. Christian misconceptions about Jews and Israel. And this is a hot topic right now because of what's going on in the Middle East. And so a lot of Christians are hopping on social media. They're getting on Facebook and putting their don't mess with Israel memes up. And you know you're touching his anointed and the apple of God's eye. And they're really kind of giving into this Christian Zionism. And really it's either one out of ignorance of what the Bible actually says. Or two they're just wicked because they know what the Bible says and they're just completely disregarding it. And so I'm going to talk about this tonight. I'm going to give you five misconceptions. Some of the most common misconceptions about Jews and Israel. And what we can do, what verses to go to to refute these lies and misconceptions that people put forth. Now tonight I'm not going to promise you it's going to be bombastic because it's probably not. But I don't know every time I say something like that it ends up being bombastic or ends up being. You know if I say I'm not going to preach that long it ends up being very long. So I'm not promising anything but we are going to go through a lot of verses tonight. And many of the verses you probably already know this is not a Zionist church. We're not a church who supports Israel in any way shape or form. We're about the Israel of God. Amen. And so much of this you already know. However you may not be familiar with some of the passages that we're going to go through tonight. And this could be something that you can use to give to one of your friends. And to help them to have a better understanding of this particular topic. Now look at Hebrews chapter 8 here and verse number 6. We're going to read some verses here and we'll come back to this in just a bit. But look at verse 6 it says, But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, referring to Jesus, by how much also he is the mediator, listen to this, of a better covenant. So in the Bible there are two covenants that are spoken about. And you have the Old Covenant, you have the New Covenant, and another way of saying this is Old Testament and New Testament. Now I want you to notice that it says there that the covenant that we're currently in right now is not only a new covenant, it's actually a better covenant. Meaning it's superior to that Old Covenant that the God of Israel established with Moses and the children of Israel in the wilderness, in Mount Sinai excuse me. The covenant that we have today established upon the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is far superior to that covenant. Why? Because of the fact that we have a superior mediator as well, which is Jesus Christ. So if you're going to say this covenant isn't superior, it's actually inferior, what you're essentially implying is that our mediator, which is Jesus, is also inferior. So he says there, by how much also he is a mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, listen to this, then should no place have been sought for the second. So he's saying, look, if that first covenant was legitimate and it just went all the way through and when God says that it was going to be an everlasting covenant and that there's just no fault whatsoever, then why is it that God sought for a second covenant? He says it feels faultless, why is God even seeking to establish a new covenant? I'll tell you why, because those who were under that first covenant violated that first covenant and made it null and void unto themselves. Therefore, God had to establish a second covenant whereby all of God's creation, when I say creation, I'm referring to people, can be essentially integrated into being God's people grafted in to become God's people. He says in verse number eight, for finding fault with God, now for finding fault with them, referring to those who were part of that old covenant, He says, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. Now this is actually a quotation from, I believe, either Jeremiah chapter 30 or chapter 33. And in Jeremiah chapter 30 or 33, you can look at both of those passages, that quote is in there, He actually says that because they continued not in the covenant, even though it was a husband unto them. And so when the Bible says that He was a husband unto them in the book of Jeremiah, it's referring to that relationship that the nation of Israel had with the God of the Bible. Whereas here in Hebrew chapter 8 and verse number 9, it says He doesn't regard them anymore. What has changed? The change that we see here is the differences between old and new covenant. Old covenant, He was a husband unto them. New covenant, He doesn't even regard them. Pretty simple, right? Now we'll get back to that in just a bit. Now this is an important subject because of the fact that the closer we get to the second coming of Christ, Christians are just constantly apostatizing and churches are apostatizing, believing all types of false doctrine. And it seems to be a great push to support, pray for, and advocate for the state of Israel. And Christians sometimes just ignorantly, not realizing, they'd say, well, you know, they jump on that bandwagon and they start supporting Jews and Israel, even though it's a Christ-rejecting nation. Even though they're made up of a people who essentially has forsaken the covenant of their God, and yet Christians seem to kind of overlook that and think that we should support Israel unconditionally. In other words, doesn't matter what they do, doesn't matter what they've said, doesn't matter if they rejected God, they are still God's chosen people, the covenant still pertains unto them, and that's why we should support them. Now here's a couple arguments that people will make in this regard because people who are advocates of Israel, and we're talking about Christians here, or people who claim to be Christians, often make hasty generalizations. So what is that? They essentially generalize the Jews as being God's chosen people because of a few examples they find in the Bible at the exclusion of what the entire Bible teaches. Right? That's what's called hasty generalization. In other words, the Jews are God's chosen people because Genesis 12 says this. But then, do they ever go anywhere else in the Bible? You know, they often quote that they're the apple of God's eye, that they're God's chosen people, that Genesis 12 says that He will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse at thee. And they'll take these few examples in the Bible and build up their entire doctrine of Christian Zionism off of those few verses. But folks, we're never supposed to generalize anything in the Bible. Right? We're supposed to compare scripture with scripture. And let me give you an example of hasty generalization not in this regard. You know, if I were to tell you the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men, but especially those that believe, that's why everyone's going to heaven. That's a hasty generalization. Now here's the thing, the Bible does say that He is the Savior of all men. And the Bible does say, especially those that believe. Now if we're to just isolate that verse, someone can easily say, well that means everyone's going to heaven. But you know what? We need to compare it with the entire Bible. And look at the context of the entire scriptures and not just generalize a doctrine based off of one statement. God gave us 66 books. We need to go through all 66 to make sure that is what the Bible is teaching. And obviously we know that's not what the Bible is teaching. It's referring to the fact that Jesus Christ died forever. He's the perpetuation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. But we also know that people are going to reject that gift and therefore they're going to go to hell because of it. So we can't just make a hasty generalization that the Jews are God's chosen people based off of a handful of scriptures if you have an entire Bible that says otherwise. And here's the thing, we believe what the Bible says about the Jews being God's chosen people and about them being the apple of God's eye, but not at the exclusion of other clear scriptures that also tell us that they're no longer God's chosen people. Whereas the other crowd, they just ignore the other scriptures, their counterparts, and just stick with Genesis chapter 12. You understand? Not only that, but they often give this false dichotomy as well when advocating for Israel. In other words, well, if you don't support Israel, that means you must be Muslim or something. Right? Especially now. Or, oh, you don't support Jews in Israel? Oh, you must love Hitler. Oh, you're not Republican? Then you're a Democrat. Right? I was going to use the Coke and Pepsi illustration, but I actually don't agree with that illustration because they do taste different. There is a definite distinction between the two. But they propose this false dichotomy as just like, oh, you don't support Israel? You must really hate Jews then. But that's not true. Oh, you don't support Israel, and so therefore you must just love Muslims and love the fact that Muslims are also killing Israelis. No one has said that. This is a false dichotomy that they propose, and it's a straw man argument because they really don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to this argument. And then lastly, an argument they'll make is based upon the current events, right? Which is the war that's taking place, and they'll often try to appeal to pity. Meaning that they will use the current war to pull the heartstrings and essentially strengthen their narrative. Oh, man, these Israelis are dying, and you're over here against Israel and against the Jews. But wouldn't you say that what's going on in the Middle East is just a sign of God cursing? Everything that's going on over there. And here's the thing, it's just like, yeah, but you're for the Palestinians. Well, the Palestinians are also cursed because they're part of a false religion. Well, then who do you support? The Lord! How about that? How about you don't support either, which by the way, I believe that the Palestinians should be dwelling there. I believe that's their land. So by just principle of virtue, there should be no Israeli occupation in Israel because of the fact that them being in that land is essentially Israel bucking and resisting God's discipline on their life. They're interfering with God's chastisement on their life by going to that land because God doesn't want them there. That's part of their punishment, okay? And so these are often the arguments that people propose or the methods that they use to try to reinforce their doctrine and their false ideology. Now, let's talk about some of the misconceptions about Jews in Israel. And a lot of this I've already covered in previous sermons, but it's worth talking about again. Number one, go to Genesis Chapter 12, if you will, Genesis Chapter 12, and we'll come back to Hebrews 8 in just a bit. Now, when you go to Genesis 12, also go to Galatians Chapter 3. So Genesis 12 and Galatians 3. Let's just get this one out of the way because it's the easiest one, okay? And this is like their number one go-to verse, okay? When they try to argue why we should support Jews and why we should support Israel, it's because of the fact that there is a blessing if you bless them and a cursing if you curse them. So, Christians who are advocates of Israel will often take this superstitious view of Israel and Jews, and they'll use Genesis Chapter 12 to try to prop up that superstition. Look what it says in Chapter 12 in verse number 3. It says, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that cursed thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Now, this is obviously referring to Abraham as shown by the fact that it says thee there. It's singular, so he's addressing Abraham. But there's a spiritual application to this. Go to Galatians Chapter 3, Galatians Chapter Number 3. Now, an argument that people will propose using this particular statement here is that they imply that a series of events will ensue if you do or don't do one of the above. So, if you bless Israel, God's going to bless you. But if you curse Israel, oh man, you better be careful. I can't tell you how many times that's been said to me this week on social media alone. Oh man, you're on a dangerous path there, man. That's really dangerous. Hey man, you're cursing Israel. You better make sure you're on the right side. And it's just like, ugh. There's a little boogeyman that they want to throw at me or something. And I'm like, I'm on the lower side! Why would I be afraid of what 10,000 men can do unto me? 10,000 shall fall on my right side and 10,000 on my left and it shall not come nigh unto me. That's what the Bible says. I'd be afraid to support people who hate the Lord. That's what I'm afraid to do. And there's a definite curse upon those who support people who hate the Lord. And in fact, the Bible says, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Anathema meaning curse. And so they'll say, Genesis 12, verse 3. But we need to look at Genesis 12 in light of Galatians though. This is called comparing scripture with scripture. And if you're going to be a student of the Bible, you need to know everything that the Old Testament says and compare it to what the New Testament says because the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed and the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. So in order for us to peel back the layers of truth of the Old Testament, we need to shine some New Testament light upon these Old Testament scriptures. Look at Galatians 3, verse 16. It says, Now to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made, he saith not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Referring to the fact that the promise was made through Abraham and it's a spiritual promise unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 29. And if ye be Christ, ye is plural now, right? Then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. How can Jews in the nation of Israel be the ones who are inheriting the promise if they don't believe in Jesus? They don't belong to Jesus Christ. We belong to Jesus Christ. And if Galatians 3, 16 and verse 29 is God's word, which it is, then it has the authority to teach us that the promise is made to Abraham and it's a spiritual promise unto Christ and the spiritual descendants of Christ. Go to Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4, just a chapter over. Look at verse 22. Keep in mind that he's writing to the churches of Galatia, which are Gentile type areas. These aren't Jewish churches. These aren't Jews that were won to Christ. These are Gentiles, Greek speaking areas. Look at verse 22. For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond made, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. So who is being addressed here? You have Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael being the physical son of Hagar, who is of Egypt. And then you have Isaac, who is the son of promise, who was born of promise, and is the physical descendant of Sarah. And what the Bible is telling us here is that the two covenants that were put forth, they essentially picture these two guys. And these two guys, Ishmael and Isaac, symbolically represent something else. Now, if you ask the dispensationalists what they represent, they'll tell you that Ishmael represents Muslims. Right? Like, Ishmael's Muslims and Isaac's is the Jews. But here's the problem with that interpretation. There's no Muslims during this time here. Like, the New Testament never even mentions Muslims. And so that's out the window. He says in verse 24, So, what is being pictured here? You have two covenants, representing these two men, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael represents Agar, which spiritually represents Mount Sinai. Now, why does Agar and why does Ishmael represent Mount Sinai? What was given at Mount Sinai? The law. Well, the law gendered to bondage. Right? Because the law essentially tells you you can't be saved. It shows you all your imperfections. It essentially damns you. It slays you. Okay, that's God's perfect standard that he proposed there in the Old Testament. Well, Ishmael represents that old covenant. Mount Sinai generates bondage, Agar. And he says there in verse 25, So, how can Ishmael be the Muslims if it answered to Jerusalem, which now is? Now, let me just, before you answer, and I don't want you to answer. This is a rhetorical question, obviously. When he says Jerusalem, which now is, he's not referring to 2023. Right? He's like, oh, see, he's Muslims, the Palestinians. Jerusalem, which now is. No, no, no, this is being written in the first century AD. So, when he says that Jerusalem, which now is, he's referring to a group of people who are occupying Israel, Jerusalem, at that time. And you can look at all the historical facts outside of the Bible, and every historical document will tell you that only Israelites dwelt in Jerusalem in the first century AD, along with some other ones, but you won't find Muslims there, though. You won't find Palestinians there. So, he's saying Ishmael actually is symbolically representing those who are of Jerusalem, which now is. Now, who is that referring to? The Jews. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. How can that be, though? Because they're children of Abraham. Well, not according to God's economy. He actually says that they're born after the flesh, because they're Jews according to the flesh. It says in verse 25, For this Agar is Mount Sinai, which answereth to Jerusalem, answereth, it's just another way of saying represents Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with their children, but Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. Now, who is he writing to? The Galatians. So, if he says that Jerusalem, which is above, is the mother of us all, he includes himself along with these Galatians, who are not Jews according to the flesh. They're Gentile believers. This is referring to the fact that Isaac represents believers. He goes on to say in verse 27, For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not, for the desolate hath many more children than she would have the husband. Now we, brethren, again, who is he writing to? The Galatians, and he's calling them brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. He didn't say, now we, brethren, as Ishmael was. He says, as Isaac was, and Isaac represents Jerusalem, which is above, the new Jerusalem, which can only be accessed through Jesus Christ. Pretty simple, right? He says in verse 29, But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Ah, there you go, see? Palestinians are always trying to bully these Israelites. They're always starting wars with the Israelites. Well, again, first century A.D. And when you look and read through the New Testament, you see that the greatest adversary of the New Testament were Jews. There's no way around that. Please do not be a delusional Christian. And act like that did not take place. Don't try to sweep that under the rug. Read the New Testament. Adherents and advocates of Judaism. The Jews were the major advocates or excuse me, were the major adversaries of the gospel of Christians. They were the ones responsible for not only killing the Lord Jesus Christ, but even his disciples and persecuting them and trying to forbid them to preach the gospel unto the gentiles. And so in the Old Testament, when you had Ishmael mocking Isaac, that symbolically represents the fact that Jews in the New Testament were mocking and giving cruel trials like they mocked the Lord Jesus Christ, believers. He says in verse 30, Nevertheless, what saith the scripture, cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. This is a call back to when Ishmael and his mother Hagar were thrown out by Abraham. And that was done to symbolically represent that, as the Bible says in the book of Matthew, that the children of the kingdom, referring to physical Jews, will be cast out into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Verse 31, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, the Bible says. So stop using Genesis 12 as your text verse as to why we should bless Israel because of the fact that the physical nation of Israel, because what the Bible is actually teaching is that we should bless the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's the thing, we should bless other Christians because there is a blessing when we bless other Christians because guess what? We are the apple of his eye now. Oh, man, I can't believe you just said that. Lightning is going to strike you dead or something. You are too superstitious. So that was an easy one. If someone ever brings to you Genesis 12, go to Galatians 3.16, verse 29, and go to Galatians chapter 4 and shut them down. Now go to Exodus, if you would, the book of Exodus, chapter 19. So misconception number one is that there is a blessing if you bless them and a cursing if you curse them. Which, by the way, completely falls apart when you realize that the person who curses them the most in the New Testament was Jesus. So are you saying that Jesus was cursed? Because he cursed the physical nation of Israel? And John 8.44, when he called them the children of the devil, that's a major curse. When he says in Revelation 2.9 and Revelation 3.9 that they are of the synagogue of Satan, that's a major curse. When he says that their converts are twofold more a child of hell than themselves, that's a major curse. When he preached an entire sermon against Judaism, that's an entire curse. You're like, well, yeah, well, that's different, though. But he didn't really curse the nation, per se. Well, here's the thing, folks, is that the tree that he goes up to looking for fruit, he curses that tree, and it withers away. I mean, how much more do you want him to, like, what other proof do you need? Because he goes to this tree looking for fruit, doesn't find any fruit thereon, and he says, no fruit shall grow on thee henceforth forever. And it's not like, oh, he just, like, hated that particular tree or something. He just didn't like those trees. No, the tree represented Judaism and everyone who is an advocate of Judaism. And it literally says he cursed it. So based upon your standard of what Genesis 12 is referring to, you're basically saying that Jesus is cursed. And if you are saying that, then I would be careful. Misconception number two, there are God's chosen people, OK? Now, here's the thing, is that when you, if you're to run into a person who believes that, this is what you should do. If they say that to you, say, show me where. Where does it say that? They won't be able to point a verse to you. They don't know what they're talking about. They'll be like, oh, bless thee, bless thee. They don't know the specific verses that actually address the fact that they are God's chosen people. In fact, I believe that they were God's chosen people more than they believe it, because my faith actually comes from reading the Bible, not from parroting with some Judaizing Zionist pastor or saint. So I actually believe it more than they do, because I read the Bible and I believe the Bible. They claim that they're God's chosen people based off of some rhetoric of some Zionist pastor who's being paid off by the Jews. Look at Exodus 19, verse 5. He says, Now therefore, this is a really good word right here, if, meaning there's a condition, if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, oh, there goes that word, that covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. So notice he didn't say, you don't gotta obey my voice, you don't gotta keep my covenant, you're always gonna be my people. You can just commit some of the worst atrocities known to mankind, I still love you. No, he gives a condition. He goes, then you'll be a peculiar treasure, which by the way, isn't it interesting that he calls them a peculiar treasure, right? If they do these things. And it didn't take very long for them to no longer be that peculiar treasure, because in Jeremiah chapter 6, it actually says, reprobate silver shall men call them, for the Lord has rejected them. In other words, it was silver that had been so corrupted, it was no longer considered treasure in God's eyes. He says there, reprobate silver. Verse number 6 says, and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and in holy nation, these are the words which thou shall speak unto the children of Israel. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 7. Deuteronomy chapter 7, if you don't wanna go to these verses, just write them down, review them later, but we are gonna go through a lot of verses right now. Get used to it. Look at Deuteronomy 7, verse number 6. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Case closed! They're God's chosen people! Right now some Zionist is watching me and they're like, I knew it. And they're just writing those verses down and they're like, I'm gonna use this. I am so gonna use this. He's like, what was that other verse that he said? What was that, Exodus 50 what? But again, we need to use the counterparts. Is that all that it says? Because here's the thing is that Exodus and Deuteronomy is like in the beginning of the history of Israel. There's still a lot that took place after that, okay? Now go back to Hebrews chapter 8, if you would. Go back to Hebrews chapter 8 and then we're gonna go to 1 Peter chapter 2. Go back to Hebrews 8. So we saw some verses there in the book of Exodus and in Deuteronomy that clearly shows that God told the children of Israel, the physical descendants there, that they were a peculiar nation, a peculiar treasure, a holy nation, that he chose them to be his people pretty clearly, right? We all believe it, right? I mean, that's what it said. And so Moses was part of that chosen people of God, Joshua, the son of Nun, Caleb, and all of these Israelites in the Old Testament were definitely God's chosen people based upon those scriptures alone. Amen? Alright, look at Hebrews 8 and verse number 8. And remember, he said, if... So what is the implication there? If you don't keep my covenant, then you're no longer a peculiar treasure. If you don't obey my voice, then you're not that holy nation. You're not that chosen people. Because it says if. It wasn't an unconditional promise. Unconditional promise is like no matter what. Here's an unconditional promise and no wise will I cast you out. That's an unconditional promise. In other words, you're saved by believing on Jesus Christ no matter what happens. That's unconditional. This has conditions. And let me just say this. This has nothing to do with salvation. Because being God's chosen people in the Old Testament had nothing to do with having eternal life. This is a covenant that he made with the physical nation of Israel having nothing to do with salvation but rather just being a physical representation of that holy nation, that holy people. Now look at Hebrews 8, verse 8. So this is saying that it's their fault. It's their fault. They messed up somehow. Now what fault is he referring to? Well we'll look at some verses later on in the book of Deuteronomy. But basically he said if you choose another god that's not me, that's your fault. If you start worshiping false gods, other gods, if you start just kind of believing false doctrine and just completely disobeying my voice, then at that point, that's your fault. You're no longer God's people. Pretty simple, right? Verse 9. Listen to this. And I will be to them a god, and they shall be to me a people. Now don't breeze over that. If he's saying I will be to them a god, isn't the implication that he's not their god at this moment? Why is he saying I will be to them a god if he's already their god? I'll tell you why, because they're not. He's not their god. And it says, and they shall be to me a people. Wait a minute, God. They've always been your people. No, the implication there is that they stop being his people. Why would he have to make this promise if they're already his people and he's already their god? Because the current state of Israel is not in that position right now. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest. Well, hold on a second. I thought they already knew the Lord. Well, if it's saying know the Lord, the implication there is that they don't know the Lord. Verse 12, for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. That's interesting. That means he's not showing their unrighteousness any mercy right now. Because this would make zero sense if he's already implementing these things today. But the reason he's saying it is because that's not the condition that they're in. And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. What does that mean? It means he's keeping track of their sins and their iniquities at this current moment. In that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first old, now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Now what is he referring to there? He's referring to that old covenant. Now, how do we know that we are in that new covenant? Well, the Bible specifically tells us that the testament requires the death of a testator in order to be in effect, to have authority. So in order for the New Testament to be in effect there had to be the death of a testator. Now who's the testator? Jesus Christ. So at the death of Jesus Christ that's when the New Testament began and the Old Testament began to wax old and decay and no longer had any authority. Go to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. So who are God's chosen people? Well, believers. Now in 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter, he's not writing to Jews. And in fact in chapter 1, we're not going to go there, but we see he's writing to those in Bithynia, Galatia, Cappadocia, Pontius, Bithynia. These are all Gentile areas where churches were started. And he says in verse 6, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made at the head of the corner. So what is he referring to? He's referring to the fact that people who are Gentiles who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, they're essentially precious, right? But those who are disobedient, referring to the physical nation of Israel, they rejected that stone who's made at the head of the corner and they stumbled at the stone. In other words, they couldn't believe on Jesus Christ because they didn't respect him, they didn't esteem him as being God, they didn't esteem him as being the Messiah, therefore they stumbled and they found him, listen to this, offensive. Which is why it says a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Now look what it says in verse 9, But ye, referring to those in Cappadocia, Galatia, Bithynia, Pontius, those areas, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, isn't that kind of what we saw in Exodus in the Deuteronomy? That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, listen to this in verse 10, which in time past were not a people, but now are the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. What does it show us? It shows us that believers are God's chosen people. Not because we've kept an old covenant, but rather because we've been engrafted into the new covenant through faith in Jesus Christ. Pretty simple, right? He said it was going to be an everlasting covenant though. Yeah, if. If. For example, salvation is eternal if you believe. Right? Like salvation is everlasting, it's eternal, and he'll save you eternally if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And so yeah, that covenant would have been for them an everlasting covenant if they maintained that old covenant and maintained and obeyed him, they would have transitioned into the New Testament as being God's chosen people if they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. They would have been grandfathered in from Old to New Testament if they believed in Jesus Christ. So that means an Israelite who was the chosen people of God in the Old Testament who transitioned into the New, if they rejected the Lord, that license was revoked. They became like confederate money. It's like, these papers are no good here. This lack of foreskin is no good here. This doesn't work because he is not a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision outward in the flesh made of hands. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart and of the spirit, not of the letter whose praise is not a member of God. So it's been revoked. It's like confederate money. It's not worth anything. You can be a physical Jew all you want. It doesn't mean anything because we're not under the old covenant anymore. But it's an everlasting covenant. Well then, you know, why didn't you believe on the Lord? Well what if I believe on the Lord? Can I still be God's chosen people? Yes, but you cease being a Jew at that point. Pretty simple, right? At that point, there's neither Jew nor Gentile. All are one in Christ Jesus, amen? Go to Romans chapter 10. So the Jews are no longer God's chosen people because he found fault with them. Don't ignore these verses. Don't just point to Genesis chapter 12 and base all your doctrines off of one verse. Look at all the verses. Look at the taboo verses. And don't be this type of person where it's just like, well this is what I've just been taught my entire life and therefore I'm just going to believe that and this is what traditionally has been accepted. Who cares what traditionally has been accepted? At the end of the day, we need to go with what the Bible says. Look at Romans chapter 10 and verse 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Now this is very important. Listen very closely. One of the things that really makes me mad, angry, furious, filled with wrath is when I discuss this particular topic with someone and my emphasis is just like Jesus. You have to believe on Jesus and they just completely ignore that factor. It's like not important to them. But that old covenant, Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant. He's the most important one. Because the only thing that's keeping them from becoming God's chosen people is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. So advocates of Zionism truly believe that they're God's chosen people even though they've rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. So they've created their own terms and services for being God's chosen people. They think they can still maintain that even though they've rejected Jesus Christ. But look what verse 4 says. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. So when it says that they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God he's referring to the fact that they have not submitted themselves to Jesus Christ. Referring to the fact that they have not believed on him for salvation. And when someone says, no but it's an everlasting covenant, it boils my blood because they're essentially undermining who Jesus is. They're not esteeming the death of Christ on the cross. They don't see it as anything important. Go to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. So if the Old Testament is telling us that they were God's chosen people but they were God's chosen people based upon a condition then how are you going to sit here and say that the Jews in the current state of Israel at this moment are still God's chosen people if they don't believe in Jesus? You can go to Israel right now and go talk to a hundred Jews and not a single one of them, I promise you, will say that Jesus Christ is their savior. They hate Jesus. They actually go the exact opposite of that belief and despise him, they hate him, and they even hate people who are associated with him. There's videos out there where they're spitting on Christians and they're spitting on people. I mean there's a lady out there and she's preaching the gospel. I don't know if she has the right gospel but just because she's even calling herself a Christian these little Jews are coming, they're kicking her, they're pulling her. I mean it's wicked. Look at Ephesians 2 verse 11. Wherefore remember, now the book of Ephesians is written to the church at Ephesus which is a Greek speaking church. He says, Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision and the flesh made of hands referring to the fact that Jews refer to these Ephesians as being uncircumcised, unsaved, not God's people. Verse 12, that at the time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel Listen to this, and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Now pay attention, it's nigh to what though? Well nigh unto the commonwealth of Israel, nigh to the covenants of promise, nigh unto hope and nigh unto God. Verse 14, For he is our peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to making himself of twain, twain meaning two, one new man, so making peace. So we often call it replacement theology, however the Bible refers to it also as twain, one new man. So now God doesn't see it as, oh he's a Jew and he's a Greek, he's a Jew and he's a Gentile, if you're in Christ you're basically the same in God's eyes. Which is why in heaven there will be people of all nations, tongues, tribes, because God doesn't really care what ethnicity you are. He doesn't care where you were born or what your upbringing was, you know what he cares about? He cares about your soul. Because Jesus didn't die for a specific race, other than the human race. You understand? So it doesn't matter how dark you are, how light you are, what shade you are, because at the end of the day once you believe on Jesus Christ, you're basically in Christ. God doesn't view you through the lens of ethnicity. It's not like now you're a Mexican Christian. You are a black Christian. You are a Filipino Christian. You are an Armenian Christian. I had to say Armenian because Hype was walking in. How does God view you? Just as a Christian. And so misconception number two debunked, they're no longer God's chosen people, as we see in 1 Peter chapter 2, because if Peter's telling Gentile believers that they're God's chosen people, then that doesn't jive with what the Zionist narrative is saying, that not only the Jews are God's chosen people. And let me just say this, nowhere in the Bible does it teach that there's two God's chosen people. Well, there's a spiritual God's chosen people, and then there's like a physical nation that's God's chosen people. But here's the thing, Jesus literally said they are the synagogue of Satan. So how do you reconcile Jesus calling them of the synagogue of Satan and calling them God's chosen people? You're reaching. Go to Zechariah chapter 2, if you would, Zechariah chapter 2. Misconception number three. Well, Pastor Mihia, I get what you're saying, but let me say this, they are the apple of his eye. You know, how many of you have ever heard that before? They're the apple of God's eye. Now, I don't know if they think of an actual fruit when they think about this, but most people don't even know what that actually means. You know, when he says the apple of God's eye, what is he referring to? He's referring to the fact that he esteems them. He loves them. So if someone is the apple of his eye, he's referring to the fact that it's someone that God highly esteems, that he regards, that he praises, that he just esteems them as being someone very valuable and important, which is why he calls them his precious people, precious treasure, things of that nature. Now, let's read a couple of verses here. Let me also say this before we get into Zechariah. This is how you know people are misinterpreting scriptures or they don't know what they're talking about when they have to go to Zechariah to prove this. Like, if someone ever takes you to the book of Ecclesiastes to prove salvation, that's a no-no, because Ecclesiastes is not a book for salvation. Like, if they never want to focus on the book of John, they want to take you to the book of Ecclesiastes, that's red flag number one, because they're trying to use some sort of obscure scripture to kind of throw you off a little bit, because Zechariah is very obscure in a lot of ways. So if they're using Zechariah chapter 2, or anywhere in Zechariah, to try to prove that they're God's chosen people, just know this, they're trying to throw a wrench in your argument, because it's very difficult to the untrained student of the Bible to decipher what Zechariah is really referring to, if you're still like a novice in the scriptures, you understand? Now, this isn't a Bible study on Zechariah, but let me say this. Many of the Old Testament major and minor prophets major on a specific judgment that's taking place in their time, and a specific restoration that's in their time, but also sometime in the future. So when you hear about Israel being blessed of God in the Old Testament through the minor and major prophets, many of these prophecies are literally referring to the millennial reign and the new heaven and the new earth. And this is one of them. Look at verse 1. Now, based upon those three verses alone, if you've read the Bible for any length of time, this should be fairly familiar to you, the wording should be very familiar to you. Now, I don't typically do this, but someone tell me what does that sound like? What? Someone said it. Okay, someone said it again, but just... Revelation. Can someone tell me a specific chapter in Revelation that this sounds like? Eleven, because Revelation 11 is when the man goes out with the reed and he measures Jerusalem, right? And it's in the courtyard, and he's measuring Jerusalem, and it's referring to the times of the Gentiles. The times of the Gentiles last for how long? Does anybody know? How long are the times of the Gentiles? Yeah, approximately. All right, this guy's like those moms who are like, How old is your child? They're like 72 months. Just give me the years. Why are you going to tell me all the months for? He's 56 months old. Just give me the years. Three and a half. Yeah, he just wanted to sound really smart and prophetic is what it is. So the times of the Gentiles last for three and a half years. And so when the man goes out to measure Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 11, it talks about how Jerusalem should be trotted underfoot for three and a half years. So Zechariah 2 verses 1 through 3 is referring to that prophetic statement in Revelation chapter 11 verses 1 through 3. And at the end of those three and a half years, what do you have? You have the battle of Armageddon leading up to the millennial reign. So based upon the New Testament revelation of Revelation chapter 11 verses 1 through 3, and the timing that we have there, we know that Zechariah chapter 2 verse number 1 is referring to that millennial reign. There's a reason it's worded that way. He goes on to say in verse 4, Now, if people want to use this to claim that that's taking place right now, then we've got a huge problem because Jesus isn't there. Has that been fulfilled? Is Jesus Christ physically reigning in Jerusalem right now? No, the only time that's going to happen is in the millennial reign. He says in verse 6, There we go. So who is he referring to here? He's referring to obviously the Jerusalem of this time, but it's also prophetically referring to the Jerusalem that's going to exist during the millennial reign. Now, I know we're going deep here, but you chose to come tonight. The Jerusalem that's going to exist in the millennial reign, who is it made out of? Is it made out of the current nation of Israel who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ? Or is it made up of Israelites of the Old Testament who actually believed on the Lord? That's who it's referring to. Because that's the only time that he's going to dwell in the midst of them. That's the only time that they're going to be able to inhabit Jerusalem in a way that's actually pleasing unto the Lord. Like he allows them to come back. And by the way, let me just say this. How can this be true of the nation of Israel right now when he says it's going to happen in the future? Because you have to have all these elements present. Jesus being there, they're dwelling without any wars, they have peace, God's protecting them. Well, based upon the narrative they're putting forth, that's not happening right now. So how can that even take place? It's obviously referring to a utopian era known as the millennial reign where everything's just in peace. Because Jesus Christ is actually reigning from there. And so, let me read to you from Psalm 17 verse 8. It says, Keep me, David said this, as the apple of the eye. Hide me under the shadow of thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies who compass me about. Say, when God says that they're the apple of his eye, don't take the superstitious view of that as if it can't change. Because he's just saying they're important to me because they believe in me. Go to Romans 11. Now this is important, okay. Romans 11. Because here's the thing, I'm going to show you a flaw in this argument that people put forth, okay. Because Zechariah 2 says that they're the apple of his eye, right, the nation of Israel. But David also says that he's the apple of God's eye. Okay, everyone get that? Look at Romans 11 verse 7. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare. Now, who is he talking about? He's praying against who? Israel. And he's praying this really, you know, because he's really keen on these psalms, these, I can't think of the name right now, imprecatory psalms. So he's like really, he's going to wax eloquent right now. And he's praying against these people. He says, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. Now we got a problem here. Because if they're the apple of God's eye, and David's the apple of God's eye, I mean, what's going on here? Because one apple is fighting with the other apple. Here's what's going on. One of them is still the apple of God's eye, the other one has rotten, and is no longer. The fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. That's what's taking place here. You say, Why would David say such a thing about Israel? Because David, as fundamental Christians should be, loved the Lord and hated when people hate the Lord. And they're not cool with that. I mean, people get on us for preaching against Israel, but dude, David preached against Israel and he's in Israel. He's no respecter of people. He's saying some of the craziest things about Israelites. He's like, in the Old Testament, in Psalms, he's like, Don't even let them be saved. And he is like, he's of Israel. And he's not the only one. Elijah did it. Isaiah did it. Moses did it. He said, Who else? God did it. Because people get mad when we talk about replacement theology as if we're the ones who conjured up the idea. But when you go back to the book of Exodus, you run into a story where the Israelites made God so mad, they pissed him off so bad, that God went to Moses and said, Let me just wipe them all out and I'll start new with you. And we're talking about, listen, like a million people. We're talking about like an entire nation. So he pulls Moses aside. He's like, Why don't I just get rid of them all? We can just start with you. You know what that's called? It's called replacement theology. Because he was going to replace them. And you know what? Moses said, Say less. That we would have had a different history. But Moses, of course, you know, he's thinking to himself, we went so we, you know, had experienced such arduous trials just to get to this point. If this happens, the enemies of God are going to like reproach your name. And so it didn't happen. But I just want to let you know that it started off in the mind of God first. So who are the apple of his eye? Christians. Not the physical nation of Israel. And in fact, let me read to you from Revelation chapter three, verse number nine. You can write it down. You can go there yourself right now if you want. Jesus says this, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan. And he says this, which say they are Jews and are not. But do not say, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan. But do lie. Who do you think that's referring to? You think that's talking about Muslims? You think that's referring to Christians? We never go around and be like, I'm a Jew. We're spiritual Jews, but we hardly have ever say that. We say we're like Christians. He says they would say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. Why is he saying that? Because believers are the apple of his eye. The grand focus of his eye. He told believers, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Prove him beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are the apple of his eye. I have loved thee with everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness will I draw thee. That's what he says. And so the apple of God's eye are believers, my friend. We're the grand focus of him. He loves us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. All right, go to Deuteronomy 29. We still got a couple more verses, folks, so don't fall asleep yet. Go to Deuteronomy 29. Because what they imply when they say they're the apple of his eye, it's basically like they can do no wrong. Or even if they do, God will overlook it or something. So when someone says that, you can literally point to all the wickedness that they've done, all the filth and perversion that they've spread, and they will literally overlook that and be like, they're still the apple of his eye. You know what I'm talking about, right? Just completely ignore all the iniquity and just still run with that narrative. Well, look at Deuteronomy 29, verse 24. God speaking here says, Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger? Because he's talking about the fact that when they forsake the God of the Bible, God's like, I'm going to punish you hard. And the punishment is going to be so severe that foreigners are going to be like, Why did the Lord do this to this land? Why was he so angry with his people? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. And let me say this, verse 25 is being fulfilled right now out of my mouth. So when someone says, How do you know that they're no longer God's chosen people, that they're not the apple of his eye? I'll tell you why. Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. That's why. Why is it that there's so much conflict out there? Why have they been thrown out of 109 countries? I'll tell you why. Because they have forsaken the covenant of their fathers. Verse 26, For they went and served other gods. No, they believe in the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is Jesus. They don't believe in Jesus. So if you claim to believe in God, but that God is not Jesus, then you're serving a false god and worship them God's whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day. Sounds like what took place throughout history. Go to chapter 31. Verse number 16 says, The Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will rise up and go whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whether they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them. That doesn't sound like they're the apple of his eye. And I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? Uh, yeah. That's a good assessment. Now the Israelites of today don't even say this. They don't recognize it. At least these guys. There was a time when these people were just like, You know what? We're being punished by God. Oh, but now what's the narrative now? Anytime Jews get any sort of persecution, they're like, Oh, it's because they're God's chosen people. No, it's because God's punishing them. It's because God's anger is kindled against them. Why are they suffering so many ills? Why have they suffered so many ills throughout history? It's because God is chastising them as a nation. Because God is not among them. Verse 18, And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, and that they are turned unto other gods. Wait a minute, wait a minute. I thought, like, don't they pray in front of that wall and go like this? You think he's listening to that? And look, this may be offensive to you, but I'm preaching the Bible here. This is a fundamental Baptist church. I'm showing you what the Bible says. I'm teaching you what God's Word says. And you know, sometimes God's Word is offensive. And when it's offensive, you just need to bring your beliefs in alignment to God's Word. He says, Now therefore write ye this song for you and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. For when I shall have brought them into the land, which I swear into their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves in wax and fat, then will they turn unto other gods and serve them and provoke me and break my covenant. It's an everlasting covenant. They broke it though. They broke it. Null and void, my friends. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 7. We're still in Deuteronomy. Alright, let me breeze through some of these points here, okay? We're almost done. Misconception number 4. Well, God promised them that land. God promised them that land. You can't even point to the chapter where it says that, though. So this is what's also known as... ...where they imply a relationship between two things. They have nothing to do with each other. Basically, because the Jews came back to Israel in 1948, that's proof that God is blessing them. Well, how do you know God is blessing them? Well, because they came back to the land in 1948. So it's just a casual fallacy, and it's like, yeah, but that was conditional, though. And so they throw out the condition and say, well, because they're there already, that must mean that they're right with God. But what do they believe? Well, it doesn't matter what they believe, because they're in the land. It's a casual fallacy. Now, you're in Deuteronomy. Go to chapter 7. And I'm going to read to you real quick from Deuteronomy 4.26. 4.27 says, Look at Deuteronomy 7, verse 6. ...and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with the mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of Bannam, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him. What does that mean? God would have kept his covenant if they actually loved him. Sounds like another condition. And keep his commandments to a thousand generations. So if they continue to love the Lord, they transition into the New Testament, and love the Lord Jesus Christ, he would have kept that covenant with them. They would have remained God's chosen people. Verse 10. ...and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hated them. He will repay him to his face. That's a cold verse right there. He's like, hey, I'll keep my covenant with you if you love me, but if you hate me, I'm going to get you back. That sounds vengeful. Well, he's a vengeful God. Vengeful is mine. Say it to the Lord, I will repay. And in fact, he says, not only will I pay you back, I'm going to pay you back to your face. Now, the question is, does the current nation of Israel love the Lord Jesus Christ? They're like, no, no, no, but they love God. Jesus is God. Unless you're claiming that he's not. So if they hate the Lord Jesus Christ, they hate Jehovah. They hate Adonai. Elohim. Even the Tetragrammaton. The Lord of Hosts, they hate the Lord Jesus Christ. Because you can't separate Jesus Christ as the Godhead because he's part of the Godhead. And you can't have the Father without the Son. Verse 11, thou shall keep therefore the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them. Wherefore, it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. Who is he referring to? Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Look at chapter 8, verse 19. Chapter 8 and verse 19. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations, listen to this, as the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. What is he saying? Do you guys remember how the Canaanites died and stuff? Do you guys remember how I destroyed all these other nations? I'm going to do that to you, if you forsake me. Like, man, that seems kind of extreme. Well, you know, his name is Jealous. That's literally what he says, my name is Jealous. Sounds pretty extreme, you know, yeah, because your Zionist pastor is not going to go through these verses, because these verses are pretty clear here. There's no refuting these verses whatsoever. There's no, well he's still the apple of God's eye, based upon what? Because if you're basing it upon isolated verses in Zechariah chapter 2, then you have to say these other verses are not God's word. You see, we believe both. They only believe only one side of it, the side that actually advocates for Zionism, when isolated. Whereas we believe both, they were the apple of God's eye, but you know what, they broke that covenant, therefore they're no longer. Okay, now go to Romans 11 and we're done here. Romans chapter 11. Now, I'll give people all these verses, okay, and show them just everything. Which should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, replacement theology. And probably like 90% of the time, they'll say, yeah, but all those verses shall be saved. Yeah, but Romans 11, 25, and 26 says all those verses shall be saved. Now, this is what's known as a red herring, a red herring argument. What does that mean? It means they propose proof that is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. So how is that irrelevant? Well, let's just pretend for a minute that we believe that all Israel shall be saved the way they're describing that they're going to be saved. What does that have to do with anything? It doesn't take away the fact that they're no longer God's chosen people. It doesn't take away the fact that they've broken the covenant. It doesn't take away the fact that they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't take away the fact that the promises were not made into them, the physical seed, but into a spiritual seed that belongs to Christ that ultimately belongs to Christians. It doesn't take away the fact that they broke that covenant, that they disobeyed the Lord, that they went and worshiped other gods. Yeah, but all Israel shall be saved. That's completely irrelevant. That doesn't help you with your argument. Even if we believe that that was the case, it doesn't make null and void these other hundreds of passages of scripture that show us that they're not God's chosen people. I mean Hebrews 8 alone, when he says, I will be your God, is basically saying that he's not their God at this time. But let's go ahead and humor them for a little bit and go to Romans 11. Look at verse number 1. I say then, had God cast away his people, God forbid, for I am also an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. And they'll quote this, had God cast away his people, God forbid. Okay, look at verse 15. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? Hold on a second. Is the Bible contradicting itself? Because verse 1 says he hath not cast away his people, but then verse 15 says, oh yeah, they were cast away though. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world. How do we reconcile this passage? Well, the reconciliation of this passage is that verse 1, when he says God forbid, he didn't cast away believing Israelites. How do you know that? Because he uses himself as an example and Paul as a believer. But the other people who are physical descendants of Israel, yeah, he did cast away those people. How do you know that? As proof of the fact that he reconciled the world. We are the proof that he did cast them away. Because we're part of that world. Look at verse 20. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith, be not high minded but fear. For if God spare not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity, but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shall be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graft in for God is able to graft them in again. Now people will point this verse to me and they'll always point out, hey, you can be cut off. You don't be high minded. They'll use these verses and amen to that. But they seem to ignore the other parts of the verse. You say, well, like what? Well, how about the fact that he didn't spare them? How about the fact that verse 22 says, behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell, fell severity. That doesn't sound like God's favoring them. How about the fact that they're in unbelief and they're not grafted in? You see, they always want to point to, yeah, but you know, you guys will be cut off. Okay, but how about we also just look at the entire verse and see that according to this verse, the verse that you like to use against us, they're not grafted in. Which means that they're not a part of the covenant. They're not grafted into the Lord Jesus Christ. If he's saying that he's able to graft them in again, amen, that would imply that they're not in. Which means they're not God's people. So your verse that you're using to support Zionism actually supports what we are talking about. Because it's proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that severity is on them because they fell, because they were cut off, and because they're not grafted in. So if someone is not grafted in, how can they be God's people? If they're not grafted in and they're God's people, what are they grafted into then? Some false god. They've taken up the star of their god, Rem-fam. Look at verse 25. For I would not bread that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. We talked about that with Zechariah chapter 2 and Revelation chapter 11. And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins. And people say, well there you go, all Israel shall be saved. Well here's the thing though. It tells us when that takes place. It says when the deliverer shall come out of Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Now is there a little bit of ungodliness in Israel right now? Yes. So meaning that it hasn't been taken away yet. Meaning the deliverer has not come to Zion yet. So when does this take place? In the millennial reign. Because in the millennial reign, he does take away ungodliness from Jacob because no unbelieving Jews will be in Jacob. And he says, for this is my covenant, when I shall take away their sins, meaning they still have them. Now this is very important, verse 28, and Zionists need to stop using this chapter because it condemns what they believe. I mean keep using it obviously, but you know. As concerning the gospel, they, referring to who Israel, are enemies for your sakes. So according to the Bible, they're the enemies of the gospel. But as touching the election, they are beloved for the Father's sake. Now remember earlier in the chapter it said the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded. It says Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it. Referring to the fact that physical nation of Israel did not obtain salvation because they did not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But people who are the elect, referring to people who did believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, did obtain the promise. And here it says that they are the enemies for the gospel's sake because they want to stop people from preaching the gospel. But as concerning the election, referring to believing Jews, they're beloved for the Father's sake. You know what that teaches us? The Lord loves Peter. The Lord loves Paul. The Lord loves John. The Lord loves Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, and all believing Hebrews of the Old Testament and Daniel. And in fact, we have more in common with believing Hebrews of the Old Testament than the Israelites of today do with those of the Old Testament. And in fact, their spiritual fathers killed the prophets of the Old Testament. That's what Jesus said. I got more in common with David than some gesticulating Jew on the Wailing Wall. I mean, me and David would be like, what the heck are they doing? Because David never did anything like that. You know, I saw this meme. It was pretty funny. It said, like, it said, you know, all the saints in heaven, like, wondering why Catholics have been praying to them this whole time. Like, what in the world? Well, you know, David's in heaven. Like, they ascribe this star to me. David never wore a star of David. It's not in the Bible. David agrees with us. We agree with Isaiah. We agree with Elijah. That's the side that we're on, which is on the Lord's side. Or what about the rest? Well, they're enemies for the gospel's sake. That's what the Bible says. That's what the Bible teaches. And so, you know, it's pretty clear. I have, like, way more verses that I could have gone over, but I'm way over time. But at the end of the day, these are the misconceptions regarding Jews in Israel. But look, if someone listens to this and they're still not convinced, it's not because they have overwhelming evidence. It's because they're just ignoring the Bible. Now, look, you may not take the same position as me or have the same disposition as I do. You may believe like me and be like, well, you could have said it a little nicer or whatever. All right, whatever. You might be a little nicer than I am, but let's just agree on what the Bible says, though. You could say it a little nicer with a little more tact. I'll stick to the way I say it because that's just who I am. And Jesus and Paul and all of the prophets and apostles were a lot more rude than I am when talking about this subject. But at the end of the day, just make sure you don't say, well, I don't agree with you because I don't think that's what the Bible says. No, just say I don't agree with the Bible because there's just overwhelming evidence to prove in replacement theology. I know it's not popular because all your buddies and all your friends and all your pastors in churches all teach Zionism and they're praying for Israel. But you know what? I stick with the Bible. I don't care if I don't get any preaching engagements with these people. I want to have favor with God. I want God to bless me. Okay. And so let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word. And Lord, I know that there's people out there who may be ignorant on the subject, but they're sincere. And I know pastor friends who did not have this view and then changed on it later on. And of course, I was in that position at one time. But there does come a point where we're shown the truth and we just got to accept it for what it is and not compromise and be a respecter of people. And sometimes world events such as what's taking place now can often skew the ideologies of Bible believing Christians and cause them to compromise God's word because of some political movement. Lord, we're not politicians. We're Christians. We are Bible believing followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so help us as your people to esteem the words of your mouth more than our necessary foods, more than talk radio, more than Zionism rhetoric that's coming forth out of the pulpits of America over the events that are taking place. Help us as your people to always look to the word of God and humbly accept the truth and stop lying to ourselves and to others, Lord. And I pray that you bless us as we go on our way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. We're going to sing a song called Rejoice in the Lord. And if you don't have a song sheet, please keep your hand raised and one of the ushers will come by and give you one. We need some up here. Keep your hands raised nice and high if you don't have one. If you need one. And if you know this song, please sing loudly unto the Lord so others can also know how to sing this song as well. Sing on the first verse. God never moves without purpose or plan When trying his servant and molding a man Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long In darkness he giveth a song Oh, rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake He know at the end of each path that I take For when I am tried and purified I shall come forth as full I could not see through the shadows ahead So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead I bowed to the will of the Master that day Then peace came and tears fled away Rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake He know at the end of each path that I take For when I am tried and purified I shall come forth as full Sing it on that last verse. Now I can see testing comes from above God strengthens his children and purges in love My Father knows best and I trust in his care Through purging more fruit I will bear Oh, rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake He know at the end of each path that I take For when I am tried and purified I shall come forth as gold