The Daily Word of Righteousness

Israel—Spirit and Flesh, #24

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:11,12)

The spirits of the members of true Israel will be joined with their bodies and will rise to meet the Commander in Chief in the air.

The Lord Jesus Christ then will descend to the Mount of Olives followed by His army of saints. They will destroy the nations that have gone up against Jerusalem. Christ will bring His people, His saints, into their own land, which is the land of Israel; and also into the fullness of their spiritual inheritance, into the rest of God.

Here is the destiny of all the true members of the Body of Christ, a destiny hidden under a cloud of Christian traditions that describe our fleeing to the spirit realm to dwell forever in mansions. In actual fact our destiny, as members of the Seed of Abraham, of the Body of Christ, is to inherit the nations of the earth, having come first to our own city, to Jerusalem.

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27)

The land of Israel is the land of the holy olive tree. Israel is our land. Jesus is our King. Jerusalem is our city. We believing Gentiles have no separate city of our own. We now are part of the spiritual Jerusalem in Heaven destined to come down to rest on the earth.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

Notice how God will bring all Israel into one whole:

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. (Ezekiel 37:16,17)

All Israel will be gathered together. Judah represents the Jews. Ephraim represents the Gentiles who have been made part of Israel. Ephraim was half-Hebrew and half-Egyptian. But Jacob claimed Ephraim as one of the tribes of Israel and prophesied that Ephraim would become "a multitude of nations" (Genesis 48:5,19). The Spirit of Christ in Ezekiel is portraying the union of the Jews and the elect Gentiles.

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. (Ezekiel 37:24)

The above passage reminds us of John 10:16:

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold [apparently speaking of the Gentile believers]: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

To be continued.