Christian Zionism 5/5 Christian Zionism and Jesus.

Christian Zionism and Jesus.

It is all about Jesus and his glory!!

Our salvation and Israel’s restoration and the redemption of the whole earth are all focused on Jesus!!  In the New Testament, several times questions about the future of Israel are re-phrased to focus in on the person of Jesus. Because the Messiah has come, we know that Israel will be restored. Note that in these verses, there is usually also a stress on witnessing in the present, an appeal to the authority of the Old Testament prophets, and the promise that the redeemed Israel will be a blessing to the entire world (as promised to Abraham).

Luke 24:21-27 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." ²⁵ He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

The disciples were sad and confused because Jesus had suffered and died, when they had thought that he was going to be the one to redeem Israel. Jesus replies that they should have believed what the prophets had spoken, that the Messiah had to suffer these things “and then enter his glory.” Does Jesus thereby equate the redemption of Israel with his entering his glory? And if so, why? Is Israel redeemed when Jesus enters his glory?

Luke 2:25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ²⁹ "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all people, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit directs him to “the Lord’s messiah.” The disciples want Israel restored? – look to my Glory. Again, there a link between Israel being consoled and Jesus. Especially as he is here described as “the glory of your people Israel.”

Are you and grieving over Israel? – look to God’s Messiah! Long for his glory to be revealed!

Well, firstly, God has already glorified Jesus. Acts 3:13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name”. Daniel 7:14 “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power.”

Note however that this glory, while given, is also described in terms directly related to the second coming of Jesus. The Philippians passage continues; “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. Likewise in Daniel; “all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

This seems similar to Luke 19:12; “He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.” He has been given the glory, but it is only fully entered into when he returns, just as he has been given a kingdom, but only fully rules it upon his return.

The Scriptures about his return certainly major on his glory!

Psalm 102:16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.

Psalm 24:7-9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. ⁸ Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Just in case there are any doubts as to who this is, 1Corinthians 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Luke 17:24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Isaiah 52:9-10 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people [the consolation of Israel], he has redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰ The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

Simeon is looking for the consolation of Israel, and is fully satisfied when he sees Jesus. Why? Because we read in prophecy that the LORD will redeem Jerusalem, and he has seen the LORD!! Again, it is not just about Israel, rather it is the beginning of world wide redemption!

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

In Isaiah 49:6 God the Father says to Jesus: “He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

Isaiah 66:19 "I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations--to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.

Malachi 1:11 My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty. 

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.… ⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 59:19-20 From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. ²⁰ "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.

Acts 3:25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'

Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Clearly, the prophets see the coming of the Messiah to Israel, the second coming of Jesus, as revealing his glory, rescuing Israel and blessing all nations. This is why Paul directly connects the consolation of Israel with the kingdom of God – the grafting back of the natural branches with the first resurrection, the return of the Lord; Romans 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

God is doing all things well!! He is faithful to his promises for thousands of years, he is faithful to Abraham, and is working for the redemption of all humanity. God loves us all. There is indeed no favoritism, rather an endless generosity, proclaiming his goodness!!

Romans 11:28-36 “As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. ³⁰ Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. ³² For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. ³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" ³⁵ "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" ³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Christian Zionism 4/5 Christian Zionism and the Gospel

1.    Christian Zionism and the Gospel.

In light of all this, what is our role today, what would God have us do?? If Jesus told us not to worry about the restoration of Israel, that that is in his Fathers’ hands, and that our job is to preach the Gospel to everyone, then who cares about Israel?

Lets just preach the Gospel and that’s that? It turns out that, as we have seen, not only will the restoration of Israel be a blessing to the Gentiles, but that while it is not our responsibility (God will restore the kingdom to Israel), the restoration of Israel is part of our Gospel! That is why Peter includes the restoration of all things promised by the holy prophets in his evangelical presentation of the Gospel in Acts 3, why Paul tells his Gentile readers [“I am talking to you Gentiles.  (Romans 11:130] I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: (Romans 11:25) Paul wants his Gentile readers to be aware of the promises to Israel! The return of Jesus, the restoration of all things and the salvation of all Israel are all part of God’s gracious proclamation of good news to all people!! Jeremiah 31:10-12 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.' ¹¹ For the LORD will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.

Beyond even all that Paul declares that the Gentiles have a pivotal role in the restoration of Israel! In thankfulness, in generosity and in obedience to God we need to be aware of this! Romans 11:25-26 Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved  

The full number of the Gentiles will be needed and in some way instrumental “in this way” in saving all Israel! So, while the restoration of Israel is God’s responsibility, it may well be that he has a role of Gentile believers in this. In that sense, it may well be in part our responsibility, but that responsibility is discharged through preaching the Gospel!

Romans 11:31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.

Acts 1:6-8 "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷ He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Our job is not to restore the kingdom to Israel, that is in God’s hands!! It is to preach the Gospel! Our job is not to send people to Israel, it is to lead them to Jesus! At present they remain where we were, enemies of the Gospel, facing the awful wrath of God! Moving to Israel has no effect upon that at all!

Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Acts 2:37-41 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" ³⁸ Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

So, why bother about the restoration of Israel if our job is to preach the Gospel? Because, especially when it comes to Jewish people, but also to Gentiles, the restoration of Israel is an intrinsic part of that Gospel!! While it is God who is doing it, he has also chosen to reveal what he is doing to us through his prophets, and to confirm those promises by his apostles.  – he wants us to understand, to pray, to rejoice in his faithfulness, his endless love, his character. By the Gospel, God invites us to enter into a love relationship with Him, and for our own edification and blessing, he has chosen to reveal how he behaves in a love relationship through his dealings with Israel, from Abraham to the New Jerusalem.

Hebrews 6:17-18 [speaking of God’s promise to Abraham] Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

Look again at Acts 3:18-21 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

This is not Peter trying to re-establish the kingdom, this is Peter preaching the Gospel to the men of Israel after the healing of the cripple at the gate called beautiful. And his message includes the return of Jesus and the restoration of everything promised in the prophets. The restoration of Israel is not simply something that is in God’s providence, and of no concern or interest to us! God did not place all those beautiful prophecies in his word just so we could ignore them. The return of Jesus, for that is what achieves it, and the restoration of Israel and the redemption of the whole earth are a central part of our gospel!

it is a good and indeed a God given think that Israelis care about more than just themselves, that they care deeply about their people. They need to know that God's promises to them are good! That he is faithful! This should be part of our Gospel proclamation to them, as Acts 3 and the following verses show. Equally, Gentiles need to know that God is faithful and can be trusted, and God's faithfulness to his promises to Israel are also given to the Gentiles to help them know and trust in God. 

Acts 28:20 It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."

Luke 24:21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. 

Acts 26:6-7 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. ⁷ This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me.

Acts 26:22-23 I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--

 ²³ that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

The restoration of Israel is part of our Gospel proclamation to both Jews and Gentiles! The restoration of Israel is not just of interest to Jews!! Writing to Gentiles (vs 13) Paul tells them; I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, (Romans 11:25-26)

Jeremiah 31:10-12 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.' ¹¹ For the LORD will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. ¹² They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD-- the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.

Isaiah 43:1-5, 9-12 But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³ For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. ⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. …  ⁹ All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, "It is true." ¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. ¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. ¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.

Israel’s history is part of God’s gracious testimony of his love for all the Earth. And it is the restoration of all things promised by the holy prophets. It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." They will proclaim my glory among the nations. the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

This is good news for everyone!! It is why we read in Revelation;

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

And finally, the present, partial restoration of Israel is a cause of great joy and hope!

Matthew 24:32-33 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

We believe the return of Jesus is near. That is both an absolute joy, and a caution.

Jesus says; John 9:4 Night is coming, when no one can work.

Matthew 24:44-46 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ⁴⁵ "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?

 ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

Pray that when Jesus returns, he will find us busy doing what he commanded, Acts 1:8 “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Christian Zionism 3/5 Christian Zionism and Jews

Christian Zionism and Jews

Here I want to focus more on individual people, rather than on the bigger picture, although we will go briefly there as well. Looking at individuals, the first truth we need to grapple with is

Jewish sin

At present Israel is not paradise! – Israelis are hurting and sinning and need Jesus! There is divorce, suicide, abortion, unrequited love, drug addiction etc there. If we say “you are fine as you are, this is all there is” then they would reply, ‘you have no idea what life is like here!’ it is not all bad by any means, but it is not paradise.

I often fear for those who love Israel, and want to be accepted and loved in return, and who therefore avoid the stumbling block, Jesus. 1Peter 2:7-8 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, " ⁸ and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."

When we were in Israel, I can remember on several occasions Israelis saying; “anti-Semites think we are somehow less than human, and some Christians seem to think we are somehow more than human (we are super intelligent, have a special radar etc.), but both views de-humanize us! We are just human! Good, bad, tall, short, fat, skinny. In this context, I should note however that Jewish sin is horrific. It is truly bad. Do you know how bad it is?? It is exactly as bad as Gentile sin! Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 2:9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; Romans 2:11 For God does not show favoritism.

We need to admit the reality of Jewish and Israeli sin. If an Israeli baby is aborted, is that somehow less awful than if a Gentile baby is aborted? If an Israeli murders someone, do the family feel less loss, less grief, “well, at least it was an Israeli who did it”?? That is clearly crazy talk! Romans 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

We can debate about whether Jesus was using dramatic license when describing the conversation between the rich man and Abraham in Luke 16:23-26

[In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' ²⁵ "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.']

but I often imagine a similar conversation between Christians and their Jewish/Israeli friends – from Hell they cry out to them; why didn’t you tell us about Jesus and how to be saved? How could you not share that when you knew where we were destined?? And the Christians reply, “but we wanted your friendship and were afraid lest we offend you” and from Hell they reply; “how is it friendship to know Jesus and not share him, to know you were safe, but not to warn us??”

So, Jews/Israelis and the rest of us are all in a bad way! To quote from a well-known Jewish writer; Romans 7:24 “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Jewish sin is just as fatal as Gentile sin, and should cause us just as much anguish!

Romans 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, ⁴ the people of Israel.

We need to recognize the reality and seriousness of Jewish sin, and focus anew on the reality of

Jewish hope

To continue the reference from Paul; Romans 7:24-4 Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! … Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

John 3:14-18 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

The Gospel is good news!! It says God loves us, Jews and Gentiles, and sent Jesus to pay our price – it is something we should be desperate to share!! The Jewish people need their messiah!

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Our focus must be on Salvation!!! “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jews need Jesus!! Jews need to be saved!

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The Gospel is good news for everyone! Jew and Gentile!

Acts 10:34-36 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

 ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Acts 15:7-9 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

Jesus is not only the way, he is also the truth and the life! Paul does not say his heart’s desire for Jews to live in Israel, rather Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

Don’t sell Jews short!! They need and long for God, not just a piece of real-estate! Look at the focus of Jewish longings in the Bible!

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  ⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 27:4-8 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple… ⁸ My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Would we rather our Jewish friends made aliya, or knew Jesus? To put it more bluntly, would we rather they attended a gay mardi-gras in Tel Aviv, or a church in Brisbane? May God forgive us if it is the former!! Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. Luke 19:41-42 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴² and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

Do we share the tears of Jesus, or do we heal the wound of his people lightly, saying peace peace when there is no peace? Do we say, Jerusalem today is great, lots of medical advances, or do we weep for its sin and plead with Jesus for its people? Jeremiah 8:11 (also 6:14) They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace.

Let us not be like that! Rather let our prayer be;

Isaiah 62:1-7 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. ² The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. ³ You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ⁴ No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. ⁵ As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. ⁶ I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, ⁷ and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

A final point is that the drama is not yet concluded. There remains deep water to pass through before we reach the final shore. And to reach it, they will need conviction of sin, repentance and salvation.

Hosea 6:1-3 Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. ² After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. ³ Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

Acts 3:19-21 (speaking to the men of Israel) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven (“Then I will go back to my place”) until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Joel 2:29-32 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. ³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. ³² And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls. [+ Joel 3:2, God’s judgement upon the nations]

Psalm 102:15-22 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. ¹⁶ For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death” (or “children of death”) So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.

Psalm 50:7, 15 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, … and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." 

I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' 

Jeremiah 30:7-9 'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress, But he will be saved from it. ⁸ 'And it shall come about on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck, and will tear off their bonds; and strangers shall no longer make them their slaves. ⁹ 'But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

Zechariah 14:2-4 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. ³ Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. ⁴ And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, 

We long for the events of

Zechariah 12:10-1 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, (conviction) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, (repentance) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. … "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” (salvation)

In the end of days, the Jewish people will say; we rejected our savior, we killed your own dear son, yet you never gave up on us! As soon as he was raised to life after his death you sent him first to us, to bless us! And then, in every generation since, you saved a remnant by grace, and finally, you have returned and rescued us all. We do not deserve this, we are monuments to your grace!!

God has not gone through the last three and a half thousand years wrestling with Israel just to say, well, Bibi is not too bad, I guess we can just settle here. No! This story only ends when the earth [is] filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

People who make aliya are not yet safe! At present, Israel remain without Jesus and in external and moral danger. The only safety is for any of us is for our lives to be hidden with Christ! Colossians 3:3-4 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.