Recalling that the Bible was written to, for and about Israel, let us consider God’s instructions to the Prophet Jeremiah found in Jeremiah 30:1,2. Recall that this command took place some 100 years after the 10 northern tribes (called Israel) had been defeated, enslaved, scattered and Gentilized–lost as far as the world was concerned. God told Jeremiah to write “… all these Words that I have spoken to you in a BOOK” as a WARNING to people in the future. Jeremiah lived among the Jews and had been telling them what he would write in the book–God’s warning–for many years. This means that what he had been telling the Jews was also for the OTHER 10 TRIBES who would hear His message IN THE FUTURE. In order for the warnings to be available at the “time of the end,” God told him to write them “in a book” which would be permanent. Not long after this episode, the Jews were defeated and enslaved by the Babylonians. Some time later God spoke to the Prophet Daniel, who was enslaved by the Babylonians at the same time as Jeremiah, telling him (Daniel) that the worst tribulation the world would ever experience would come upon the earth “at the time of the end” (Dan. 12:1-4). Recall also that the same God, in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, would warn His disciples (and us) about that coming time in Matthew 24:21,22: “For THEN shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world unto that time, no, nor ever shall be ….” Jesus went on to say that the human race would be wiped out if He did not intervene in order to save His people–the “very elect”–whom He will have taken to a place of safety: “The fierce anger of the Lord shall not end until He has … performed the intent of His heart IN THE LATTER DAYS.” At THAT TIME–the latter days–His people would understand Jeremiah’s message. But note that they would not understand it until THE LATTER DAYS when He would instruct His messengers to speak His warnings to HIS PEOPLE to whom the entire Bible was written–ISRAEL (Jer. 23:20). In verses 4-7 God refers to the Great Tribulation as “the time of JACOB’S (ISRAEL’S) TROUBLE.” He then promised to deliver Jacob’s spiritual descendants (His true end-time church) out of the Great Tribulation. God’s modern church is SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. This tiny group is not to be confused with Catholicism/Protestantism.

In Jeremiah 30:3 the Almighty makes an eye-opening statement, saying that He would bring about the captivity of both Israel (the 10 northern tribes) and Judah (the 3 southern tribes) “AGAIN.” Note it: The 10 northern tribes has been defeated and enslaved a hundred years BEFORE GOD MADE THAT STATEMENT. Not long after making the statement, He would send the southern tribes into defeat and enslavement. Here God was saying that, AT THE TIME OF THE END BOTH HOUSES OF ISRAEL WOULD BE DEFEATED AND ENSLAVED–“AGAIN.” For this reason it is important that true God seekers know who and where Israel is today in order to prepare what is going to happen to her “AGAIN” and why. Only those who know this information, believe it and act on it will enter the Kingdom of God.

Recall the numerous warnings the New Testament apostles wrote and spoke to the New Testament Church, how they warned that sinners would be cast into a burning hell if they continued to rebel against the Lord Whose Word they professed to believe. Note it: THE APOSTLES WERE WRITING TO GOD’S CHURCH whose sinning members would be cast into the Great Tribulation if they did not repent, return to Him and obey His Word. This being the case, one can only imagine His attitude toward the Counterfeit Church (Catholicism/Protestantism) and the heathen world she has embraced. To Him there is no difference.

But neither the churched nor the unchurched need to face that time of terror. Eternal life that will be awarded upon Christ’s return is available to them. But in order to receive it they must realize who and where Israel is today and strive to become part of the “very elect” (true spiritual Israelites) that will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God. This includes both biological Israelites and biological Gentiles (all non-Israelites). Both must embrace the Biblical Christ and “walk as He walked” while on earth (1 Jn. 2:6), be “purified as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:3) and “… overcome (Satan) as I (Jesus) overcame Him ….” (Rev. 3:21). Both Israelites and Gentiles must believe and obey the Lord’s Words in order to become spiritual Israelites, thereby qualifying to enter His earthly kingdom where they will rule and reign over the earth forever. The Truth about the fate of sinning “Christians” is graphically brought out in 1 Peter 4:17,18 where the apostle says to God’s true church that “the time has come for judgment to begin IN THE HOUSE OF GOD ….” He goes on to warn that “only the righteous (within God’s church) will be saved.” That being the case, Peter then asks, “what will become of  the ungodly sinners” within the church? So where is the true Church of God? In order to determine this we must identify Israel. We must go back in history and locate the descendants of Abraham in order to identify the people who today possess the Birthright of wealth and power and the Scepter of spiritual leadership which God promised the descendants of Abraham.

In the following postings we will study the work of Jeremiah whom God used to preserve the Scepter of royal rulership so that end-time God seekers can become part of God’s church by knowing WHO AND WHERE IS ISRAEL TODAY and becoming part of that very elect body. L.J.