(Isaiah 43-44; Colossians 2)

When did Israel become God’s Chosen People? How did that come about?

Before Israel was a nation, God dealt directly with all peoples of the world. From the time of Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden, the Lord was known by men and present in his affairs. From the point at which Seth had his son Enosh, Genesis 4:26 tells us:

“At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”

In mankind calling upon His Name, I think we can infer that there was a certain relational quality that God had with his creation. Men lived hundreds of years then. Because they were by necessity close to nature, God’s hidden attributes were clearly seen and understood. No one living had any excuses for spurning Him (Romans 1:20). Yet, of course, many did because that’s the sin nature of man.

Much was happening in the spiritual realm during these early years. Satan had already shown his true colors in challenging the Word of God. There were others among the heavenly host who likewise – in their free will – chose to rebel against their Father who had created them. This is made clear in the Genesis 6:1-4 account. The sons of God (bene Elohim), undoubtedly egged on by Satan, saw that the daughters of man were attractive (Genesis 6:2). They transgressed their heavenly boundaries (Jude 6) and took as their wives any they chose. This union resulted in the corruption of human flesh through the birth of hybrid beings known as Nephilim.

Their subsequent actions on the earth resulted in this statement in Genesis 6:5, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

In other words, the fall of God’s sons, which led to the birth and worldwide spread of the Nephilim, caused great depravity. Mankind became exceedingly corrupt through the intermixing of species (human and divine, or human and partially divine). Men’s hearts became sinful beyond redemption, and the very fiber of their being, i.e., their DNA, was altered through this ungodly union. This resulted in the global condition that men were no longer fully human. It necessitated God acting to eliminate the evil that had become so pervasive. He brought the flood so as to start over with the only pure bloodline remaining on earth, that of righteous Noah.

Following the total destruction of the flood, through the instructions of God, man again procreated and increased in numbers. However, God’s command to Noah (the same as it had been to Adam and Eve) was to fill the earth (Genesis 9:7). Rather than obey, people migrated from the east [and] found a plain in the land of Shinar (Genesis 11:2).

In contradiction to God’s will, they built the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4). Why? So that they might make a name for themselves. How would they do this? They thought that in the building of the Tower, they could reach the heavens in order to bring God down and control Him. What better way to lift up themselves as self-exultant, glorious, and mighty than to have God at their disposal? Interestingly, they knew they had to control Him in this way; otherwise, they realized that they would be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

These thoughts and actions caused God to do exactly what they feared. He dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth and confused the language of all the earth (Genesis 11:8-9).

Later, in Isaiah, the prophet reiterates what Yahweh had communicated to him. The Words were directed toward the nation of Israel, but the sentiment applies equally to the situation following the Tower incident in Babel. Isaiah 43:24 repeats God’s lament:

“… But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

The disobedience of men wearied God. To this point, He had been dealing with all of mankind. But Babel became a turning point. We see the first part in Deuteronomy 32:8 (ESV):

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.”

Note that you must read this verse in the English Standard Version (ESV) translation in order to understand the sequence and the impact; it is a critical key to the entire Biblical narrative. Most other translations, rather than say he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God, instead say he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children [or sons] of Israel.

Of course, God never set Israel over nations like this; in fact, Israel didn’t even exist at that time, which will be our next point. No, Yahweh set His divine, loyal sons from the spiritual realm over the nations. His intent was that they superintend the nations for the time being. Instead, they all rebelled and set themselves over those nations as their gods. It is from this rebellion that the gods, such as Baal, Molech, Chemosh, and so many others, arose. They were God’s rebellious sons. It is why all nations turned away from the One true God.

Why did Yahweh set his sons (remember, they were loyal at the time) over the nations? Probably a couple of reasons. Men were unruly and disobedient. They burdened Him with their sins and wearied Him with their iniquities, as noted earlier. It’s likely that He wanted a break from dealing with mankind as a whole. This then resulted in the statement in Deuteronomy 32:9:

“But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”

Following God’s placing His sons over the nations, He calls forth His people Jacob who will be His inheritance. In fact, Genesis 12:1 – immediately following the scattering of men into nations recounted in Genesis 11 – is when God calls Abram out of Ur:

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.'”

This is the beginning – the genesis, if you will – of the nation of Israel called to be blessed and to bless the world. It is why in Isaiah 43:20-21 that God calls Israel:

“… my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

As God’s Chosen People, He is not yet through with Israel. They have been and are a disobedient people, but God has not abandoned them. He has not forsaken His many promises to them. Do not be deceived by anyone who declares otherwise (and there are many!).

Although they are secular and far from the Lord today, He will redeem Israel. She will have to suffer much through the Tribulation to reach this point of redemption, but reach it she will. Her disobedience will result in only a remnant being saved. But the day will soon come as Zechariah 13:9 states:

“… They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'”

This is when Israel finally declares that Jesus is her Messiah. What a glorious day it will be!

[Author Note: Briefly, I want to set the stage for you as to the nature of most of my articles in this season. Each year I read the Bible through completely at least once – that has been my practice since I came to the Lord in 2005. I remain astounded at what God has done in my life because of that discipline! Each day I read from both the Old and New Testaments. I choose a verse from one of those passages and write my commentary and reflection based on that. In the title of my article, you’ll see the verse I chose. In addition, you’ll see the reading for that day if you’d like to follow along with greater context.]

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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and prolific author. His Whirlwind Series comprises three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time. These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for three novels: The Tattooed Cat, Alien Revelation, and for his collaboration with Terry James in writing The Minion Protocols, the third book in James’ Second Coming Chronicles.

Earlier this year, Gary released a four-volume set of Awaken Bible Study Notes that comment verse-by-verse through Scripture from a Biblical prophetic lens. He is currently editing a sequel to Alien Revelation called Alien Zombie Plague, which he plans to release later in the fall of 2021. Recently, Gary wrote a novella for the new Kindle Vella platform. That story is called Tribulation Rising: Seal Judgments – The Coming Apocalypse. This seven-part short work can be found at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD.

Each day this year, Gary has been writing commentary and reflections based on his reading through the Bible in a year. The intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read. You can see all his books and blog articles and reach him at his website:www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390. You can also see his older video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube channel – look for the fish symbol, and more recently on Rumble on his Awaken Bible Prophecy channel: https://rumble.com/c/c-783217.

 

 

2 Peter 1:19-2, Romans 1:18-20, Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 19:15-16, Psalm 2:1-11, Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Genesis 1:26

Summary: This message is in a series on Basic Christian doctrine, being an introductory look at what real Christianity is all about, starting with the central theme and purpose for the existence of God’s Holy Word.

I am convinced that the average “follower of Jesus Christ” does not have a clue as to what he or she believes concerning the authority and inspiration of Holy Scripture; the person and nature of God; the person, work, and Lordship of Jesus Christ; the work and mission of the Holy Spirit; the holy and fallen angels; the malevolent work of Satan; authentic salvation; the Christian life; or the future according to Jesus Christ and the fact of His Second Coming. I say this after over forty years of service to the Lord Jesus Christ as a minister of the Gospel and the gradual decline in biblical and general literacy I have witnessed here in America and around the world.

People are either afraid to think for themselves, or they are content in their ignorance and have decided to stick to the status quo of a morally bankrupt and increasingly hostile mindset that is in open and rank rebellion towards the things of God. Ironically, while the world is increasing in knowledge (Daniel 12:4), we lack wisdom, common sense, and are deaf toward the call of God to reason with Him and see that our ways have led us down a dark and damning path (Isaiah 1:18, 53:6; 64:6; Romans 3:10-18, 23).

It is estimated that only 9% of American Christians even support or have a “Biblical worldview.” Over 60% of self-professed Christians deny the existence of a literal devil, and many “evangelicals” believe that there are “many ways to God,” that the Bible contains errors, that Jesus probably committed sin, that He was not virgin-born, and that the teaching of His Second Coming is nothing more than wishful thinking.

Pastors graduate from seminaries and Bible colleges as closet skeptics. Many “pastors” over the years of their “ministry” will have viewed porn on their computers, or have had affairs, or will end up walking away from the church in apostasy (Hebrews 6:4-6), having never truly believed in what they had preached and taught (1John 2:19). Churches are emptying because of bad theology, false doctrine, the allure of the world, and the failure to teach the next generation why Christianity is true and why it is important to know the standards of the faith. Too many churches have made the Bible and the story of Jesus an exercise in monotonous lecturing with all of the joy and glory of watching paint dry or grass grow.

Scripture predicted that this would be a characteristic of the last days (Matthew 24:11-14; Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:15-19; Acts 20:26-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-8). This is not an excuse for the remnant pastors, teachers of the Word, and the true believer in Christ to simply sit back and wait for the Blessed Hope (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10) and leave the world to flounder in its quagmire of debauchery. We still need to be in the harvest field (Matthew 9:37-38, 18:11; John 4:35-36; Romans 9:3, 10:1, 11:14; 1 Corinthians 9:22).

After decades of service in the fields of pastoral ministry, education, and chaplaincy, I now find that due to continual health concerns that fluctuate and limit my mobility, I have turned to teaching and preaching the Word of God and the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ in the ripe harvest field of the internet. There are countless multitudes of hurting and anxious people online worldwide who are looking for answers to the situations in which they find themselves, along with the concern of what will happen to them once life as they know it comes to an end (Luke 12:13-21; John 5:28-29; Hebrews 9:27; James 4:13-17). There are also a lot of people who claim to be “Christian” who are looking to see if the faith in which they claim to believe is legitimate.

There is a vast opportunity to reach out to these precious souls, and time is limited (2 Corinthians 6:2).

With this in mind, I have combined several teachings with the goal of providing everyone reading these messages the basic standards of what it means to be an authentic follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, starting with the subject and purpose of the Holy Scriptures. For it is in them that we find the entire crux of God’s plans, directions, counsel, and will for us: His plan to redeem this fallen world and the provision He has made for us to be with Him in the glory of the future Kingdom He has promised, free from the pain and guilt of sin, sickness, and the total absence of evil and its bitter fruits forever.

The Bible’s subject and purpose is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Beginning in Genesis 1:26 with the creation, we read that God said, “Let US (Elohim) make man in our own image.” This is speaking of the work of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34, 14:26; 15:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:7). The New Testament affirms that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Incarnate, made all things as the Main Actor in the Creation process (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-17).

The Scriptures declare that Jesus Christ is the Supreme Ruler of the World, proclaimed as such by God the Father (Psalm 2:8-9). It is the purpose of the Father that everyone in creation shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that all people, nations, powers, and beings will bow to Him as the true, righteous, and eternal King (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:1; Philippians 2:9-11).

The rebellion of the devil, Satan, the demons, and those who have followed him will come to an end as the full Sovereignty of Jesus Christ will come upon the world (Psalm 2:1-2; 110:1; Revelation 19:15-16).

The governments of the earth will have served their purpose as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will stand forever (Daniel 2:44-45, 7:13-14). It is Jesus Christ who will be the Supreme and Final Judge of all humanity, the nation of Israel-His chosen people, and of the church (Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 72:1-2, 8, 11; John 5:27-29; Ephesians 1:22-23).

The Scriptures declare that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word, the physical embodiment of God, the revelation of the nature and Being of God, and in Him are all the attributes of God such as His wisdom, power, holiness, and love. He is the expression of God now and forever (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:3). Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can know God more accurately and intimately than any other means of Divine revelation (Romans 1:18-20). The central purpose of God is that He reveals Himself to us through Jesus (John 1:18, 5:9, 10:30, 38, 14:6-11, 17:21-22; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 5:19).

The prominent theme of Scripture is to show that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, starting in Genesis 3:15. In the Old Testament, He is the Servant of YHWH who would bear the sins of humanity upon Himself (Isaiah 53:4-6). He is the perfect and final sacrifice for the sins we have committed and should rightfully pay for with our own lives, yet is a debt we cannot pay in our own strength or means (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Hebrews 7:25-27; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2; Revelation 1:5).

The Holy Scriptures, then, are God’s message to us, manifesting His glory in creation and salvation. All creation is made for His glory (Psalm 19:1; Colossians 1:16). The nation of Israel exists for the glory of God (Isaiah 43:7, 21, 25, 60;1, 3, 21, 62:3). All salvation is unto the glory of God (Romans 9:23) and is a holy manifestation of His grace and wisdom (Ephesians 2:7, 3:10). Our service, work, and our all should be done for the glory of God (Matthew 5:16; John 15:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 2:12, 4:11-14).

The Scriptures are God’s instrument by which He graciously prepares the man of God to do a good work (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17). Because we are His by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we need not fear death (John 21:19; 2 Corinthians 5:6-11; Philippians 1:20-26), and at the end of time, we will share in His glory in the new heaven and the new earth (John 17:22; Colossians 3:4; Revelation 21:1-7).

What I’ve posted is a lot to take in and digest, but again it is designed to show you that we serve a great and gracious God and that He has revealed His purposes, plans, and will in His Holy Word, and this is just the start of the journey. He is so wonderful, so loving, so kind, so gracious, and is ready to welcome you with open arms into His Kingdom if you will but humble yourself, repent of your sins, and surrender your life to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Go to my website listed at the bottom of the page and watch the video, “The ABCs of Salvation.” Get your eternal destiny settled today, and keep watching for more treasures from the Word of God and the life He offers in Christ.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

My YouTube broadcasts titled “The Reality City Review” will be posted on Facebook, GETTR, Parler, and on my website when completed. My main area of discussion will be on the basics of the Christian faith but will also deal with prophetic issues and other topics as the Lord impresses upon me to handle.