Israel

As a child I read over 120 books about Israel, so I am al­most a specialist on Israel and the Middle East. On many an occasion I “discussed” Israel and the end times with brother Bratlie. We both enjoyed it. After I was born again, I became less interested in those things and more taken up with partak­ing of life personally. Many people who have been very inter­ested in discussions and prophecies about Israel, Jesus’ re­turn and the Middle East have fallen out of their own race for salvation. It is much more profitable to focus on the inner sal­vation.

When the time comes, God will speak to His prophets and tell them what He is going to do. So we can live by faith and do what God works in our hearts to further the process of being conformed to Jesus. In our time God is doing two things si­multaneously. We thought that when Israel received its land back, the time of the Gentiles would be over. However, now we see that in our time God has been even more longsuffering than He was in the days of Noah. 1 Pet. 3:20. He is rebuilding the fallen tabernacle of David and, at the same time, is sepa­rating out for Himself a people from the Gentiles. “Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the Words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.’” Acts 15:14-17. It is a great comfort that God has determined that more generations may partake of this salvation. This doesn’t mean the Day isn’t coming, but it means that we must use the time for salvation so that we don’t miss the opportuni­ties that we have been given.