JD: You know it’s so exciting to even mention the name Israel but I think that Israel is a key word used three different ways I believe in the Bible. So David, if you will remind us of this name Israel in the Bible. For example, remind us when Israel was first used, what does the name Israel mean, and how many times is it mentioned in God’s word?
DJ: Well we first find the mention of Israel in Genesis chapter 32 and this is a really interesting story and it’s really difficult to understand exactly the purpose of what happened there. There was a night when the angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob and he wrestled with Jacob throughout the night, as the angel of the Lord was about to depart in the morning Jacob wanted him to bless him. At that time Jacob’s name was actually changed to Israel, Genesis chapter 32. And then he had twelve sons those were obviously the children of Israel. So, that’s where we get that phrase the children of Israel.
The name Israel there’s a couple of different ways to
understand it. One could be God fights and prevails or it can mean he who
struggles with God and both of them would have significance for the nation of
Israel for Jacob and his descendant. It was used of the twelve tribes as a
whole and then of the Northern kingdom as the nations spilt after Solomon’s
death.
JD: Dave help us think about Israel’s role in God’s program as
laid out in the scriptures.
DJ: I think this is a great topic for us to talk about. Very
clearly the nation of Israel has I would say the most prominent role of any
nation in the word of God beginning in Genesis 12. There have been many
powerful and important nations throughout history and of course nations that
have been much larger and more powerful than the nation of Israel. But there’s certainly
not one that has been more important and as we look at the future yet for the
nation of Israel that they will actually be the center of world attention and
be the ruling nation for a thousand years during the millennial reign of
Christ. And then as we go into the future they will retain that distinction.
JD: David James with the Biblical insight on the Jewish people
and God’s plan for His chosen nation.
We report this information because it is setting the stage
for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
God’s word says that he chose the Jewish people, Deuteronomy
7:8 and promised they would be a nation forever, Genesis 15 with a piece of
real estate, Deuteronomy chapter 30 and all of this forever. In fact, he does
have a plan for the Jewish people it’s a forever eternal plan and that’s found
in II Samuel chapter 7. You and I must watch the Jewish people to see how far
God’s plan has advanced.
