The Obed Project

“For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.”    Joel 3: 1-2

I have long been convinced that, in the end, Israel will be one of the factors that divides the Church. The spirit of anti-Christ is virulently anti-Semitic and that spirit is afoot in today’s church. We have much Christian “theology” that replaces Israel, downgrades her physical significance, and totally appropriates or negates the covenants and promises of God towards her. Many Christian theologians have tragically fallen into this anti-Christ spirit.

It is interesting to see the Hebrew word used for “divided” in this scripture. It is “chalaq” which is a root word which means “to be smooth”. The implication a deal done by flattery – to take away a portion; to smoothly divide and part. This certainly describes the world’s attitude towards Israel and the Lord’s judgment for this duplicity will be terrible. The Lord could have used many other words for divide or part but He chose this one.

We have been warned.

“Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame.”    Zephaniah 3:19

The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”    Joel 3: 16

“And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, (For I shall be glorious in the eyes f the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), Indeed 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 give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'” (Isaiah 49: 5-6) NKJV

This is an amazing Scripture. Here, in the midst of the Old Testament is the entire redemption plan of the Lord in two verses. As a Gentile, I am eternally grateful for the gloriousness of Messiah which convinced the Godhead that we should be included in His salvation plan. This scripture alone is powerful proof for all that are followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that Jesus (Yeshua) is indeed THE one true Messiah.

In Exodus and Leviticus the Lord painstakingly describes how He wants the High Priest who ministers before Him to be attired. It is very exact in every detail – for each article of clothing. One of the final pieces of equipment to be put on is the ephod. This garment is placed on the chest of the priest and contains twelve gem stones with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Each stone carries the name of a tribe.

It is clear what the message is – if you want to be properly attired when ministering before the Lord, you must have Israel on your heart.

Exodus 28: 29: So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually.