John Hagee - Israel, God's Chosen People
In Romans 9, Paul presents eight distinctive features of Israel. First one: Romans 9:4, Paul says at the beginning of the verse, "My kinsmen, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, and the covenants". Let's go to the adoption. God adopted the Jewish people as a people. They have not been replaced in the economy of God by the church, and there are some preachers who are teaching that right now in America. It's called replacement theology, that God replaced the Jewish people with the church. Before World War II that was the rage in America. When Israel was born as a nation, I was alive at that time. I was eight years old. I heard preachers preach, "Well, don't worry. This is not anything of any significance. They're surrounded by five Arab armies, and they're not going to last six months". Not so. It was God's set time for them to be blessed the second time and for that nation to be born. And they became a great nation and today have the third most powerful nation on the face of the earth.
The second thing is the glory. The word "Glory" comes and it means the visible, sensible presence of God among his people. The glory of God is not something that's intangible. It's something you feel to the core of your being. The glory impacts human senses. In the Bible when the glory of God filled the temple, the priest could not stand in the presence of God because the presence of God was overpowering. That was the glory of God. There's a difference between going to church and having church. Going to church is when the power of the glory comes down and changes your life. Going to church and not participating, and sitting there bored, looking at your watch or your clock while the preacher's preaching, is like going grocery shopping.
You might as well not be here. The glory of God first manifested itself in the form of the cloud by day and the fire by night over the tabernacle. For ancient Israel in the wilderness the glory of God came down after they had been redeemed by the blood of the lamb. The glory of God brings power. The glory of God brings assurance. The glory of God brings confidence. It brings hope for tomorrow. The glory of God breaks the chains of misery and habit. The glory, glory, glory. We sing that song "Glory to his name".
Heavenly Father, let the shekinah glory of God, your presence, fill this house this morning and let it liberate every person. Let it break the chains of misery and habit. Let it bring hope to those who have given up hope. Let it bring joy to those who have no joy. We have this hope because of the authority of the Word of God. Give him praise in the house.
The third thing that God gave the Jewish people was the law of Moses. I don't mean to be controversial, but gentiles were never expected to keep the law of Moses to be saved. Kosher Jews keep the Ten Commandments, and they keep 613 laws. How many of you want to join this church if I said, "You've got 613 things you've got to do to join this church"? Not many. I wouldn't. So what's the deal? Back to the word. The word says to the New Testament church, "A new commandment I give you", say that with me, "A new commandment I give you, that you shall love one another as I have loved you," end of quote.
Beloved saints of God, if the Christians in America and the churches in America could practice that one commandment, we could turn this nation upside down. Love one another. America is being ripped apart by hatred. Our homes are crumbling. Fathers are walking away from their children. Marriages are being destroyed. Universities are ripped apart by antisemitism, which is Jew hatred. Where is the love of God in our churches? Where is the love of God in our nation? Where is the love of God in our homes? Where is the love of God in our churches? There is no right and wrong outside of this. We're not here to see who we can keep out. We're here to see who we can bring in.
The fourth is the promises of God. All the promises from Abraham onward were given to the Jewish people. There are 3,000 promises in the Bible that God has given to us to make our lives exciting and enjoyable. If I were to preach a sermon series on the 3,000 promises of God and I chose to have 10 every week, it would take me six years to get through the promises of God. Half of you would be gone. "He's preaching the same old thing"! 3,000 promises in this book. If you want to feel good about yourself, read this book. You are children of the Most High God, the royal blood of heaven is flowing through your veins. God is going to give you a crown of gold, a robe of righteousness, a mansion in heaven. You are somebody! Act like it! The fourth is the promises of God. All the promises from Abraham onward are first given to the Jewish people were the promises.
Fifth come the patriarchs. All the patriarchs were Jewish: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob produced 12 tribes of Israel, and Joseph, who saved the Jewish people from starvation when he went to Egypt.
Six, the gift of Jesus Christ, of whom, according to the flesh, Christ came. Think about that. The ultimate contribution of Israel to all of humanity was the gift of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus said, "Salvation is of the Jews". Say that with me. "Salvation is of the Jews". These seven facts distinguish Israel from all of the nations. Not to recognize the uniqueness of Israel defies common sense. Jesus was Jewish. That's the seventh feature. Jesus was Jewish. It's a vital fact our generation tries desperately to forget is that Jesus came to earth as a Jew, Jesus Christ is still a Jew, and when Jesus Christ comes back to earth, he will be a Jewish rabbi. Get used to the idea. The secret to success: if you're not Jewish and you want to be blessed, find a way to bless Israel and the Jewish people. God says, "I will bless those who bless you".
The Bible says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love you". You know what that word "Prosper" means? It means to prosper. There's no mystery behind it. Everything you put your hands to, God will bless it. To those of you who are watching: if your church would honor Israel and the Jewish people, God will bless your church beyond measure. If you're not having a night to honor Israel, you should do it. Consider the Roman centurion in Luke 7. A centurion is someone who has command over 100 Roman soldiers, century, centurion. The centurion had a sick servant that was very dear to him and about to die. When he heard that Jesus was coming, he sent the Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come into his house to heal the sick servant.
The Jewish elder said to Jesus, they went out and intercepted him. "This centurion, this Roman gentile centurion, loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue". Building a synagogue was no cheap deal. Luke 7:10 says, "And those who were sent to Jesus returned to the house and found the sick servant healed". The miracle had happened before they even got back to see it. Point: when gentiles start doing things to bless the Jewish people, miracles start to happen.
Why did God Almighty choose the family of Cornelius to the be first family to hear the gospel and to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Read Acts 10. It records, quote, "Cornelius, the Roman centurion," we've got another centurion here, "A just man of good report among all the nation of the Jewish people". I want to ask our viewing audience, "Is your church of good report among the Jewish people"? Do you even know any Jewish people? You're carrying their book around. To those listening to this telecast: is your church of good report? Have you personally done anything to bless Israel? Try taking a bold stand against antisemitism that's sweeping this nation. Stand up against it! Quit hiding in your churches behind your hymnals. Get out in the street and take a stand against that!
Listen, major miracles happen when gentiles bless Israel. Major miracles happen when gentiles bless Israel. Why has God poured out his favor on Cornerstone Church beyond measure? Because in 1978, we started having nights to honor Israel, and God has opened the windows of heaven and blessed us above and beyond our wildest dreams. God has blessed our church, Cornerstone Christian school with wonderful children studying about Christ in a hopeful, clean environment. We're not hearing this socialist garbage in public school.
God has blessed us with a sanctuary of hope, where young ladies who want to have their baby rather than butcher their baby in an abortion mill, they give that baby life at the sanctuary of hope. We have a global television outreach that's reaching the world. Pastor Matt reads that every Sunday. Today, nights to honor Israel are celebrated all over America and the world. I encourage every pastor of every Bible-preaching church in America to have a night to honor Israel in your church. Stand with Israel and the Jewish people of America. Let's crush antisemitism. Yes, that might be controversial, but so what? "Fight the good fight". This is Paul. "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ". Don't whine and run! Fight for what you believe in!
I give the next illustration and apologize for the people being in it, but it's the story I know best. Why did the state of Israel choose to honor the pastor of Cornerstone Church on Israel's 70th anniversary? The state of Israel established a committee of historians, scholars, national leaders to select 70 people in the world who had been most helpful to the nation of Israel in Israel's first 70 years. After weeks of analysis, the names of 70 people were released to the world. Some of those names were Albert Einstein, president Harry Truman, pastor John hagee.
But here's the other half of that story. I was not privileged to go to Washington D. C. And receive this award of a lifetime from the hands of the Israeli ambassador to America. I sent Matt and Kendal to Washington D. C. to receive that award in my place. Why? Because the week before, America's ambassador called me about Israel's historical award, but the American ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, called and said, "Would you please come to Jerusalem to pray the historical prayer over America moving its embassy to Jerusalem"? That was a supernatural fulfillment of prophecy. That was a major moment in the history of Israel. I said, "Absolutely". Weeks before, why did I say it so quickly? Weeks before, Diana and I had been to the White House to have dinner with the president for the purpose of asking him to move the embassy. At the end of our conversation, after I'd read the Bible about why this was the jubilee year that he should do it, he moved it just like he said he would.
So the story ends with Matthew and Kendal in Washington receiving the award for the top 70 while Diana and I were in Jerusalem praying over the historical moment when America's embassy was being moved to Jerusalem. The point I'm making here is when you start blessing Israel, God pours out blessings on your life faster than you can receive them. That's the point. Our God is an awesome God. King David writes in Psalms 102:13, "You shall arise and have mercy on Zion: for the set time", say that with me, "Set time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come". And that time is now! The ninth issue is the gateway to salvation. Finally, the statement of Jesus himself, one of the most powerful verses of scripture in the Bible in John 4:22. He was speaking to a non-Jew. It was the Samaritan woman at the well. And Jesus said to her, "You worship you don't know what: but we Jews know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews".
Think about that. If there had been no Jewish people, there would've been no Bible, no prophets, no patriarchs, no apostle, no New Testament church, no Jesus Christ, no crucifixion, no forgiveness of sin, no eternal life. How much salvation would there be without those things? One of the things that the Bible makes plain is that to receive good and not show appreciation is to return evil for good. It brings the judgment of God. I'm afraid a multitude of gentiles have brought a curse upon themselves because they have received good from the Jewish people and have returned evil. It's called antisemitism. And if you're practicing it, for your own good you better shut it down because God is going to judge you for it.
Antisemitism is sin. And as sin it damns the soul. Antisemitism is Jew hatred. Antisemitism on the college and university campuses of America brings the judgment of God on this nation. Antisemitism will send you to hell. You don't hear much about that place anymore, but it's still there. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren," the "My brethren" is not us. Jesus never called gentiles his brethren. He's talking about the Jewish people. "In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you did it to me". "My brethren" refers to the Jewish people. The thing that sets Israel apart above every nation is their place in Bible prophecy, the portrait of Israel. That's one element that separates the Jewish people far and away. The whole history of Israel was foretold in predictive prophecy. Prophecy is proof of God's existence and of his absolute control over the future of the world.
Quickly, let me give you these prophecies that pertain only to Israel:
1. Israel was enslaved in Egypt. It was predicted in Genesis 15, long before it took place.
2. Their deliverance with wealth from Egypt was predicted to Abraham in the next verse.
3. Israel's possession of the land of Canaan was likewise predicted to Abraham 400 years before it happened.
4. That Israel would turn to idolatry in the land was clearly predicted before it ever happened, Deuteronomy 31.
5. That God would establish the center of worship in Jerusalem was predicted hundreds of years before it happened.
6. The destruction of the first temple, the one built by Solomon, was clearly predicted in 2 Chronicles 7:9.
7. The Jewish return from Babylon of a remnant that predicted in Isaiah 6:11 and many other passages.
8. The destruction of the second temple by the Romans in 70 ad was predicted very vividly by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 24:2. Jesus said to his disciples, he's on the Mount of Olives. He said, "You see the magnificent stones of the temple that Herod the great has put there. Not one stone is going to be left upon the other". When you go to Jerusalem today those stones are still on the ground right where the Romans left them. 35 years after Jesus gave his prophecy, that became reality.
9. The scattering of the Jewish people among the nations of the world. Leviticus 26, Ezekiel 12.
10. Their regathering from exile from all nations to be brought back to the land of Israel was predicted in many places. I'll give you one, Isaiah 11:11 and 12. "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will set his hand the second time to receive the remnant of his people," the Jewish people, "Who are left from the outermost parts of the earth". That was Israel in 1948. "He will set up a banner". That's the banner right there. That's the banner right there. A banner is a flag.
"He will set up a flag of Israel for the nations, and we'll assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth". That happened may 15th, 1948. What's the next thing that's going to happen? The New World Order is going to announce they're standing with Israel and to stop this fighting. But before that happens, the church will have been raptured. We're already in heaven. What we are living right now will be exactly the situation that happens. It may not happen right now, but I will tell you it could very quickly happen. My question to you is, "Are you ready for the rapture of the church if it happened this afternoon"?
Can we stand? If Jesus Christ were to come today, if you are not ready to meet him, would you raise your hand? Here's what we're going to do today. Whenever David, king David, fought the battle against his son, Absalom, Absalom had an army of 22,000 people. And Absalom was trying to overthrow David's throne. David left Jerusalem for another country because his son was leading a rebellion that looked like it would take his throne. The Israeli army defeated this brat called Absalom. But David did not return home to the throne. David's tribe, the tribe of Judah, went to the high priest and said, "Why isn't David coming home"? And the high priest asked him a question, said, "You're the tribe of Judah. You're his people. Why haven't you invited him to come back"? They invited him to come back, and king David came back to Jerusalem to his rightful throne. I think it would be a wonderful thing this morning if we would give king Jesus a personal invitation to return back to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Lord Jesus Christ, in the authority of Jesus' name, the body of Christ is saying, "Even so, come Lord Jesus! We're ready for the meeting in the air! We're ready to leave this world! Even so, come Lord Jesus"!