Holy Spirit and Restoration of Israel in Acts and Ephesians

Alright, welcome ladies and gentlemen to All Bible Prophecy Fulfilled. I'm William Bell and in the next 20 minutes or so we're going to be talking about the restoration of Israel and we're going to continue on a theme that we established in the previous broadcast when we discussed Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 37 where we talked about the new birth of Israel. We talked about the restoration of Israel and the resurrection of Israel into the land Through the work of the last day spirit now We always ask you to bring an open mind open heart open Bibles and open your ears of course, so that you will gain an understanding from the Word of God and As we contemplate this lesson today We want you to notice the correlations between the Old Testament and the new to show their fulfillment. So we'll be underway here momentarily All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to get started We hope that you are all set and ready to go to take some notes and let's begin By just briefly talking about where we were on the previous broadcast now Remember we started in Ezekiel 36 and we talked about the new birth from verses 24 through 28 And that was the new birth of Israel that was going to take place through the work of the Spirit So let's go to the New Testament and let's take a look at the scriptures that refer to the new birth of Israel With which has Ezekiel 36 24 through 28 as its background in the third chapter of John John speaks about As he talks about the conversation of Jesus he demonstrates that conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus where the scripture says there was a man of the Pharisees a Named there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews This man came to Jesus by night and said to him rabbi We know that you are a teacher come from God for no one can do these signs that you do Unless God is with him Jesus answered and said to him most assuredly. I say to you unless one is born again He cannot see the kingdom of God Nicodemus said to him. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? You see Nicodemus's frame of reference was only the physical manner in which he came into the Old Covenant he was born into it because he was a Hebrew because he was of the lineage of Abraham and Thus through his parentage. He was born into the Covenant through his physical birth Jesus tells him that is not going to work for the kingdom of God. You must be born again That's what the Prophet said. That's what's written in Ezekiel. God is going to create a new people it's also in Psalm 102 in verse 118 a People that were yet to be created and thus there's gonna have to be a new birth And this is what he says for Israel And so in verse 5 Jesus answered and said most assuredly I say to you now understand the difference in the language that Jesus is using because The first you in this verse is in the singular and Jesus is speaking directly to Nicodemus and he says most assuredly I say to you Nicodemus Unless one is born of water and of the Spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit Do not marvel that I said to you Nicodemus that you in the plural here must Be born again. In other words. I'm saying to you Nicodemus that Israel the whole house of Israel has to be born again and Therefore the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it But cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes now watch this statement So is he or so is everyone who is born of the Spirit? So that's what Ezekiel was talking about. He was talking about people that God says I'm gonna create this new people I'm gonna sprinkle clean water on you and I'm gonna wash you from all of your uncleanness and You're gonna be born. I'm gonna put my spirit within you so they were gonna be born of water and of the Spirit and This is what was going to take place in the last days for Israel But remember what God was going to do he was going to bring them into their own land now Even though we're talking about Israel and it's not the subject today I'm not necessarily talking about what's gonna happen to the Gentiles But you will see that the Gentiles would be involved in this as well And even in Ezekiel 36 the last verse in that chapter He said all the nations would know when he did this and there are other passages that relate to it as well But we're just dealing with what was written in the scriptures for this particular point at this time And of course, you'll see it unfold more in a more broad scope as we progress So there you have the new birth of Israel discussed with water and the Holy Spirit so we're talking about those things that were take to take place within the last days and You can see it in the ministry of Christ and see it in the ministry of the Apostles as they begin their work on the Pentecost so when the Holy Spirit was poured out according to the prophecy of Joel I want you to note something because Joel had prophesied that in the last days God would pour out his spirit upon all Flesh even that statement incorporates the Gentiles because it says all flesh and that means Jew and Gentile But at any rate when we look at the fulfillment in Acts chapter 2 now There are a couple of things that we should take note of number one. It is not 1948 when this occurs so people Just understand that when someone tells you that Israel was regathered in 1948 ask them Where was the outpouring of the Spirit according to the prophecy of Joel? It's not there That can't be the time for the restoration of Israel But when you notice what happened in Acts chapter 1 when the Apostles asked Jesus Lord verse 6 when they had come together. They asked him Lord Will you at this time? Restore the kingdom to Israel and he said to them It is not for you to know the times or the seasons Which the father has put in his own authority But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you now What was the work of the Holy Spirit in? Ezekiel 36 37 it was the new birth of Israel the resurrection of Israel and the restoration of Israel But this is long before 1948 and by the way, it's a long time before the transatlantic slave trade And so the scripture says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth Well, doesn't that sound like they're going into all the world among all the nations where Israel has been scattered In order to call them back to God, of course That's exactly what was taking place. The point is he didn't tell them precisely when the times and seasons for the arrival of The kingdom would be he simply told them I'm giving you the equipment the resources that you need to go out and begin this work of Restoration and if you don't think that they were involved in the restoration of Israel All we have to do is go down to Acts chapter 3 and again in Acts chapter 3 the scripture says In verses 19 and 20 repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out See, there's the cleansing of Israel we talked about so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things Which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the age began and he goes on and he explains that which I don't have time to cover today because we got a certain focus for this particular Podcast, but we're talking about the restoration of Israel. And so in chapter 2 of Acts The scripture says it should come to pass in the last days says God in other words he's Speaking of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel which had been poured out on that Pentecost day and you can't find 1948 in that scripture. You cannot find the transatlantic slave trade in that scripture. You cannot find January of 2018 in that text that was first century It shall come to pass in the last day says God that I will pour out my spirit on All flesh your sons and your daughters should prophesy you young men shall see visions your old men should dream dreams and On my men servants and on my maid servants I will pour out my spirit in those days and they should prophesy will show wonders in heaven above and Signs in the earth beneath blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The Sun should be turned in the darkness and the moon in the blood Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord You see the spirit is connected to the great and awesome day of the Lord the earnest of the Spirit The first century work of the Spirit and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. That's the salvation of the remnant That's those who are being gathered out of all the nations through the work of the Spirit now Let's go to the book of Ephesians and let's see the fulfillment of those things that were spoken of in Ezekiel 36 and 37 Ezekiel 36 and 37 being fulfilled according to the epistle of Ephesus or Ephesians When we look and verse Let's just start in verse 12 Well, even before then let's start in verse 10 because what we're dealing with here is the mystery and the mystery is defined in Ephesians 3 as the uniting of Jew and Gentile in one body but it also involves the uniting of the two houses of Israel and So in verse 9, he says having made known to us the mystery of his will According to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself when that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather Together in one all things in Christ Both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him now What did Ezekiel 37 say it said that they were going to be gathered? into one Shepherd or by one shepherd My servant David will be over them and they would no longer be two or divided But would be one now look at what the text says that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times When was the fullness of the times we mentioned that in the previous broadcast? Where the scripture said in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4, but when the fullness of the times had come God sent forth his son made of a woman. He didn't say When the fullness of the time shall come God will send his son he said when the fullness of the time had come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law and Remember Jesus when he began his ministry After John had been cast into prison He said the time has been fulfilled The kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe the gospel So we're talking about the fullness of times that was all ready present in the first century Which means that was the time for the gathering of Israel And I don't care what your dispensational preacher says. I Don't care what your futurist preacher says I don't care what your are millennialist preacher says and what your dispensational pre-millennial post-millennial whomever whatever kind of Isn't comes after their name if they're not teaching that the dispensation of the fullness of times had come when Christ came on this earth or For Christ to come on the earth They're missing They're out of bounds of Scripture You remember when Johnny Cochran made the statement in the old day trial? He says if the glove don't fit you must acquit Well, we're not acquitting anybody here If the spirit doesn't fit you must quit in other words if this gathering that you're talking about is Not within the framework of the outpouring of the Spirit in the first century it is not of God and We've already given you the scriptures that say that the Holy Spirit would be poured out according to Micah 7 in verse 15 for 40 years according to the days of Israel's coming out of Egypt. It didn't take them 2,000 years to get out of Egypt. It didn't take them 400 years for God to deliver them Now they served not in his Egypt 400 years. They sojourned that long 215 years in Canaan and 215 years in Egypt but the actual deliverance when God heard their groaning and came down to deliver them took 40 years of Transition from Egypt on the night of the Passover to the time they entered into the land of Canaan and he says according to that time I Will show them miracles in the last days So in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one There's the one shepherd. There's the one head. There's the one David all things in Christ He's the one that came from the fruit of David's body Both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. That's the inheritance in him We also have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will that we should be a We who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory Now watch in whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom Also after you believe you were sealed with what or with whom? the Holy Spirit of promise Who is the guarantee? We've already talked about the Arab on in previous lessons of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory Therefore after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love all the Saints do not make Cease to make mention of you in my prayers now. Here is the work of the Holy Spirit So now we've begun with the work of the Spirit. We're in the fullness of the times and We're discussing the gathering of Israel now when you go to chapter 2 chapter 2 begins to discuss the two sticks of Ephraim Because the scripture says therefore Remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcised by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ where he himself is Our peace remember he was going to make a covenant of peace with them Who has made both one and Broken down the middle wall of separation. And of course, you know that Israel had been scattered among the Gentiles They had been swallowed up of the Gentiles and were in essence Gentiles but just keep in mind they weren't the only Gentiles and God in bringing back the Gentiles or in bringing the Gentiles in was also gathering Israel But he said having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as to Create see there's a new creation In himself one new man from the two thus making peace I will make a covenant of peace with them Anytime you bring two people who are at odds with them With one another who are at enmity against one another you got to make some kind of covenant of reconciliation to bring them back to peace and So he says and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body Through the cross thereby putting to death the enmity He didn't say you reconcile them both to God by bringing them into the land in 1948 He said through the cross that tells you that this gathering was spiritual in nature and He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near last verse for now But through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father now that's all the time that we have we're gonna have to build on this and there's more in The book of Ephesians that we're going to talk about as far as the work of the Holy Spirit Well now I'm William Bell with all Bible prophecy fulfilled saying may God bless you and we look forward to seeing you in our next podcast