Christ Will Come to the Jews
Let me speak to you again, my dear friends, about this righteous branch I’ve been telling you about. The promises we’ve received are for us and our physical descendants. I’ve been shown that many of our children will die in unbelief. But God will still be merciful to many of them. Our children will be brought back, and they’ll come to know their Redeemer.
So, like I said, Christ—an angel told me last night that would be his name—must come to the Jews, the most wicked part of the world. They will crucify him. This is how it must be for our God. No other nation on earth would crucify their own God. If he did mighty miracles among other nations, they would turn back to him and recognize him as their God. But in Jerusalem, because of religious corruption and evil, they’ll harden their hearts against him and crucify him. Because of their wickedness, destruction will come: war, famine, disease, and bloodshed. Those who survive will be scattered among all nations.
Israel Will Be Gathered Again
But listen to what the Lord God says: ‘When the day comes that they believe in me—that I am Christ—I will keep the promise I made to their ancestors. They’ll be restored physically to their homeland.’ They’ll be gathered from their long exile—from islands across the sea and from the four corners of the earth. The Gentile nations will become important in my eyes, God says, because they’ll help bring my people back to their inheritance. Gentile kings will be like fathers to them, and their queens like nursing mothers. The Lord’s promises to the Gentiles are great. He’s spoken it—who can argue with that?
This Land of Promise
But listen: ‘This land,’ God says, ‘will be your inheritance. The Gentiles will be blessed here.’ This land will be a place of freedom for the Gentiles. No kings will rise up over them here. ‘I will protect this land against all other nations.’ ‘Anyone who fights against Zion will be destroyed,’ says God. ‘Anyone who sets up a king against me will be destroyed. I, the Lord, the King of Heaven, will be their king. I’ll be a light to those who listen to my words forever.’
So, to keep the promises I’ve made to people—the things I’ll do for them while they’re alive—I must destroy the secret works of darkness, the murders, and the disgusting evils. Anyone who fights against Zion will die—Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman. They are the corruption of the whole earth. Those who aren’t for me are against me, says our God. I will keep my promises to people—the things I’ve said I’ll do for them during their lifetime.
So, my dear friends, this is what our God says: ‘I’ll let the Gentiles afflict your descendants. But I’ll soften the hearts of the Gentiles so they’ll be like fathers to them. The Gentiles will be blessed and counted as part of the House of Israel.’ So I will set apart this land for your descendants and those counted among them, forever, as their inheritance. This is a choice land, God told me, better than all others. So everyone who lives here must worship me, says God.
Remember and Choose
Now, my dear friends, our merciful God has given us this incredible knowledge. Let’s remember him and let go of our sins. Don’t lose heart—we haven’t been abandoned. Sure, we’ve been driven from our homeland, but we’ve been led to something better. The Lord made the sea our path, and now we’re on an island. But the Lord’s promises to those on the islands of the sea are great. Since Scripture talks about islands, there must be more than just this one—and they’re inhabited by our relatives too. The Lord has led people away from the House of Israel from time to time, according to his will. And he remembers all those who’ve been separated—which means he remembers us too.
So cheer up. Remember that you’re free to choose for yourselves—to take the path of eternal death or the path of eternal life. So, my dear friends, align yourselves with God’s will, not the Devil’s or the flesh’s. And remember that after you’ve aligned yourself with God, you’re saved only through his grace. May God raise you from physical death through the power of the resurrection, and from spiritual death through the power of the atonement. May you be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom, where you can praise him through his divine grace. Amen.