Bethlehem – David R – 2026-09-05

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary

Short Summary
The discourse explores the significance of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus, highlighting the meanings of its names—”house of bread” and “fruitfulness”—and connecting these to Jesus as the bread of life and a fruitful source of spiritual life. It examines Old Testament prophecies, especially Micah 5:2, foretelling the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem, and discusses Israel’s historical and prophetic journey, including modern events like the 1948 and 1967 restorations of Jerusalem, framing these within a broader narrative of redemption culminating in Christ’s millennial kingdom. The speaker also addresses the peace accords and future deliverance of Israel, emphasizing the ultimate recognition of Jesus as Messiah by Israel and the divine protection promised in scripture.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse on Bethlehem, Jesus’ Birth, and Prophetic Scriptures

Introduction to Bethlehem and Its Significance
– The discourse focuses on Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was born, exploring the meaning of its name and the prophetic scriptures related to Jesus’ birth there.
– Emphasis on exploring Old Testament prophecy, particularly Micah 5:2, which foretells the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem.
– The discourse connects Matthew 2:1-6 (wise men visiting Jesus) with Micah’s prophecy.

Matthew 2:1-6 and the Wise Men
– Matthew 2:1 (KJV): “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
– Wise men (Magi) recognized the star, likely influenced by Daniel’s prophecies, linking the star to the Jewish Messiah.
– King Herod’s concern was not worship but to kill Jesus.
– Herod consulted chief priests and scribes, who cited Micah 5:2 about Bethlehem being the birthplace of the ruler of Israel.

Meaning of Bethlehem and Ephrath/Ephratah
– Bethlehem means “house of bread” (Hebrew: Beth = house, lahem = bread).
– Jesus as “the bread of life” (John 6:35): “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger.”
– The location is also called Ephrath or Ephratah, meaning “fruitfulness,” indicating a place of spiritual fruitfulness.
– Genesis 35:19 notes Rachel’s death near Ephrath (Bethlehem) at Benjamin’s birth, symbolizing spiritual significance.
– Joseph (Rachel’s first son) symbolizes Jesus’ role in delivering from death and kingly authority; Benjamin may symbolize the spiritual “last class” born into God’s covenant (church).

David’s Connection to Bethlehem
– 1 Samuel 17:12: David was “the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem, Judah, whose name was Jesse,” linking Jesus’ lineage to Bethlehem.

Two Bethlehems in Scripture
– Bethlehem of Judea (where Jesus was born) and Bethlehem of Galilee (in the north near Nazareth).
– Matthew 2:23 mentions Jesus dwelling in Nazareth “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”
– The term “Nazarene” likely derives from Isaiah 11:1: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
– The Hebrew word “Netzer” (branch) is the root of Nazarene, connecting Jesus to the root of Jesse and David.
– The two Bethlehems may symbolize the Messiah’s applicability to all Israel (north and south) or two ages of redemption (interpretive).

Micah 5:1-7 – The Prophecy of Bethlehem and Messiah
– Micah 5:1 (KJV): “Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops… They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.”
– This verse refers to the last king of Judah, Zedekiah, not Jesus.
– Micah 5:2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah… out of thee shall come forth unto me he that shall be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.”
– Clear prophecy of Jesus’ birth.
– Micah 5:3: Israel’s rejection of Messiah leads to a long period of “giving them up” until the “woman travailing has brought forth,” after which the remnant returns.
– This may refer to Israel’s modern rebirth as a nation (possibly 1948 or 1878) and/or a future spiritual rebirth.
– Micah 5:4: Jesus feeding “in the strength of Jehovah” during the Gospel age, developing the church while Israel remains dispersed.
– Micah 5:5-6: Messiah as peace-bringer when “the Assyrian shall come into our land” (prophetic of invading forces like those in Ezekiel 38).
– “Seven kings and eight princes” interpreted as the church and the ancient worthies who will intervene for Israel.
– Micah 5:7: The remnant of Jacob will be like dew—God’s blessing and restoration without Israel needing to fight the final deliverance.

Zechariah 12:6-10 – Israel’s Modern Restoration and Recognition of Messiah
– Zechariah 12:6: Jerusalem’s re-inhabitation and Israel’s military victories (interpreted as the 1967 Six-Day War).
– Zechariah 12:7: “The tents of Judah first” (the outskirts, possibly 1948 when Israel was re-established).
– Zechariah 12:8: God defends Jerusalem (possibly referring to 1973 Yom Kippur War).
– Zechariah 12:9: God will destroy nations attacking Jerusalem (linked to Ezekiel 38 prophecy).
– Zechariah 12:10: Israel will “look upon him whom they pierced,” mourning for their Messiah—mass recognition of Jesus yet to come.

Psalm 83 and Arab National Invasions of Israel
– Psalm 83 describes nations’ attempts to cut off Israel.
– Historically, only three Arab national invasions occurred: 1948, 1967, 1973 wars.
– Post-1973, peace treaties with Egypt (1979), Jordan, and Abraham Accords (2020) suggest the end of Arab national invasions.
– Isaiah 19:2 is linked to internal Egyptian strife supporting peace with Israel.

Geopolitical and Prophetic Updates
– Syria’s capital, Damascus, prophesied to become a “ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1), partially fulfilled by recent conflicts.
– The Druze in Syria have sought friendship with Israel.
– Arabs do not desire further war with Israel.
– Ezekiel 38 prophecy involves Russia, Iran, Libya, Germany, Turkey, but not Arab nations.
– Joel 1:4 and 2:25 suggest four invasions of Israel; Arab nations involved in first three only.

Biblical Examples of Divine Deliverance Without Fighting
– 2 Chronicles 20: Jehoshaphat’s victory over multiple enemies without fighting.
– Isaiah 36-38: Hezekiah’s deliverance from Assyrian siege by divine intervention.
– Implication: Israel’s final deliverance will be by God, not by military means; Israel may lose some territory but not Jerusalem.

Bethlehem’s Political Status and Future
– Bethlehem currently under Israeli military control but not legally part of Israel.
– Legal unification of Jerusalem with Israel happened in 1980.
– Uncertainty about when Bethlehem will come under formal Israeli jurisdiction.

Connection to Jewish Feasts and Jesus’ Resurrection
– Jesus died on the 14th of Nisan (Passover).
– The 15th of Nisan begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Gospel Age).
– Jesus rose on the 16th of Nisan, the day of waving barley (first fruits offering).
– Leviticus 23:12-13 mentions the lamb and meal offering (bread), connecting Jesus as “the bread of life.”

Final Reflections
– Jesus as bread of life offers spiritual nourishment.
– The birth in Bethlehem, the city of bread and fruitfulness, is prophetically significant.
– Israel’s modern history and future restoration are deeply connected to biblical prophecy.
– The ultimate hope is the coming Kingdom with peace and spiritual blessing for all mankind.

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Key Bible Verses Mentioned:

Matthew 2:1-6 – Wise men from the east visit Jesus in Bethlehem.
John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life.”
Genesis 35:19 – Rachel’s death and Benjamin’s birth near Ephrath (Bethlehem).
1 Samuel 17:12 – David’s lineage from Bethlehem.
Isaiah 11:1 – “A rod out of the stem of Jesse… branch.”
Micah 5:1-7 – Prophecy of Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem and future kingdom.
Zechariah 12:6-10 – Jerusalem’s restoration and Israel’s recognition of Messiah.
Psalm 83 – Prophetic enemies of Israel.
Isaiah 19:2 – Internal strife in Egypt.
Isaiah 17:1 – Burden of Damascus.
Joel 1:4, 2:25 – Four invasions of Israel.
2 Chronicles 20 – Jehoshaphat’s deliverance.
Isaiah 36-38 – Hezekiah’s deliverance.
Leviticus 23:12-13 – Barley, lamb, and bread offerings.

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Summary Keywords: Bethlehem, Jesus’ birth, Micah 5:2, house of bread, Ephrath, fruitfulness, wise men, Matthew 2, Nazareth, Nazarene, Isaiah 11:1, branch, David, Old Testament prophecy, Israel’s restoration, Zechariah 12, Jerusalem, Six-Day War 1967, Yom Kippur War 1973, Psalm 83, Arab invasions, peace accords, Ezekiel 38, divine deliverance, Leviticus 23, bread of life, resurrection, Gospel Age, Kingdom of God.

Transcript

Well, Bethlehem, now that’s a different kind of subject than we usually speak on. We’re going to talk about the city where Jesus was born. Then we’re going to look at the meaning of that name. Then we’re going to look at the Old Testament scripture where that Name was defined, I.e. that Jesus would be born there, and look for prophetic meaning in that passage.

Then we’re going to connect other scriptures and other prophetic passages to that one, and from Micah, we’ll start with Matthew, Matthew 2:1, which you see on the screen, and of course, there’s a picture of Mary with her new child, Jesus, and there’s the shepherds that were able to come that night. Now the that we also know that there were wise men from the east, but that was a little bit later. That wasn’t the.

The evening that Jesus was born. But the shepherds were, they were local. Okay, Matthew 2:1. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that’s born, King of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, we are come to worship him.

So there’s the wise men and the stars would be something that they would, as people in the east, perhaps in. In Mesopotamia, would have recognized, had some meaning, and they associated that meaning with the birth of the Jewish Messiah. I’m guessing that because of Daniel’s experience generations and centuries before that, this is part of why they connected it to Israel. But however they did, certainly it does fit.

And so Herod, of course, was concerned about this and he wanted to know where this child was, not to go worship him, but to see him put to death. So in verse five, after he had gathered. Excuse me, verse four, he gathered the chief priest, scribes of the people together and demanded them to know where Christ should be born. They said, in Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it is written of the prophet.

And now he quotes Micah 5:2, and we’ll look at Micah 5 a little bit later. So why is Bethlehem and its meaning significant for the birth of Jesus? Well, on the screen you’ll see here that the word Bethlehem has comes from two roots, Beth, which means house, and lahem, which means bread. So it’s the house of bread. Well, what a fitting place for Jesus to have been born because he is the bread of life.

John 6:35 quote, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. Now that of course is spiritual, not temporal. But spiritually, the whole world of mankind is going to receive life from his passing, from the life that he offered as a ransom and redemption for the whole world of mankind. Now, there is another word for that same location, and that is Ephrat, Ephrath, or sometimes Ephratah.

Now, I looked up those two words, Ephrath and Ephratah. They’re both from the same Hebrew word 672, and they both mean fruitfulness. So the place where Jesus was born was not only house of bread, but. But it’s going to be a very fruitful place. Now, I’d like to read Genesis 35, 19, or part of it.

This is where Rachel, back in the Old Testament was coming back, was. Was pregnant, and this was her second son. This would be Benjamin. They were traveling, and it says Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Now, that, of course, is when Benjamin was born. He did survive, even though his mother did not, and there’s meaning to that we’ll get to in a moment. But that word Ephrath, fruitfulness, was also the same, was a name for the same location. Now, I’m guessing that the word Ephrath, which was, was earlier than the word Bethlehem because she was buried in the way to Ephrath, which later is called Bethlehem.

So both meanings, both words and their meaning are of course meaningful to Jesus. Now, I do wonder when Rachel died at Bethlehem, whether that has some prophetic connection to the meaning of the city itself. Perhaps Joseph, of course, was the first child of Rachel. Joseph does represent our Lord Jesus when he was in prison in Egypt. That represents how Jesus was in the prison house of death and then brought up and received kingly authority.

So in the book of Galatians, where Paul talks about Jesus being the seed of Abraham, and then that’s verse 16 and 17 of Galatians, chapter 3. Then in verse 29, he says, if you be Christ, then are you Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise? So I suspect that in the case of Joseph as well, though Joseph is a picture of our Lord Jesus, that he, in a broader sense, also pictures those that become spiritually part of the seed of Abraham, and that would be the church. So that Benjamin, born at the death of Rachel, would represent the great company, the last spiritual class born, so that in this respect, Rachel would represent, like Sarah did, the spiritual part of the Abrahamic covenant. Okay, now we’re going to see another.

Excuse me, I want to go back to 1st Samuel 17:12, where it talks about King David, who as you know, would of course would be the great ancestor of Jesus, and it says in 1st Samuel 17:12, now, David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem, Judah, whose name was Jesse. So this was a long standing name. But fruitfulness and the house of bread merged together as both meaningful in the birth of Jesus. Now we’re going to go to another meaning of, excuse me, another location that was meaningful in Jesus early life and that would be Nazareth.

Now on that map that you see in front of you, the words are very hard to read because they’re small, but you will see at the very bottom, Bethlehem of Judah, Judea, and then next to that, Jerusalem, and then way up north, Nazareth, where Jesus actually lived, where his parents were, and then next to that, Bethlehem of Galilee. So there were two Bethlehems. Now there may have been many more. The house of bread could be a popular name, but at least we have those two names that are actually recorded in the scripture.

Now in Matthew 2:23 it says of Jesus, he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which is spoken of the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. Now where in the Old Testament prophecies does it ever say Jesus would be called a Nazarene? I don’t find any case where that’s true. But of course Matthew would have known Hebrew better than me.

And so he got that presumably from Isaiah 11, verse number one, and this is what that verse says, quote, there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse. Well, David was from Jesse and Jesus was from David. So that makes sense, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Okay, so that branch is the word Netzer in Hebrew, which is the foundation for the word Netzer F Nazarene, and I think that’s the point that connects with Jesus, that he was prophesied to be out of the root of Jesse, which of course was the forebearer of King David. So two Bethlehems, what did the fact that there are two reap Bethlehem’s recorded in scripture perhaps refer to? Now I’m going to read the scripture that actually refers to the second Bethlehem, and that’s from Joshua 19:15 and 16.

It says it and won’t read all of it, just part of it. Kata Nahal, Shimran, Idallah, Bethlehem. Now that’s only part of the cities that he’s mentioned. But it says 12 cities with their villages. Then verse 16.

This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun. Well, that’s why? We know where it was. It was way up north where the tribe of Zebulun would have been. So we have two biblical Bethlehems.

Is that meaningful symbolically? And my answer is I don’t know for sure. But I do wonder. We’re going to give a talk tomorrow. In two ages, there’s two ages of redemption.

Are the fact that there are two Bethlehems, one in the south where Jesus was born, one near in the north, not too far from where Jesus lived? Could it suggest perhaps that Jesus death would be applicable to two ages of redemption? Or does it refer to the fact that in the north that was the ten tribes, in the south was the two tribes of Israel, that he would be a messiah for all of Israel? The answer is perhaps. This is very interpretive.

Okay, we’re going to go now to where the place where this expression actually came from, and that’s the book of Micah. Micah, chapter five, verse two, that is. This is where the scribes and Pharisees that Herod said, please tell me where Messiah is going to be born from, would have taken their information. Now, back in Matthew, they are quoting this passage.

Now, of course, usually when they quote a passage, they don’t tell you exactly where it’s coming from. But this is Matthew 2:6, verse 5 says thus it is written by the prophet. They don’t name the prophet, but it is Micah, verse 6, and thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come forth a governor that shall rule my people, Israel. Now we’re going to turn to Micah and what we’re going to find in seven verses of Micah, chapter five is a very engaging narrative that takes you from the last king of Israel all the way to the thousand year kingdom of Messiah verse by verse.

Whoa. That’s 2,500 years or more in seven verses. Well, let’s see how this goes. Now we’re going to start reading each verse, starting with chapter 5, verse 1. This is Micah 5:1.

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops. He hath laid siege against us. They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. Now, for many years I presumed that that was Jesus and that perhaps as he died, they smote him with a rod on the cheek. When we studied this chapter in this book in our home class in San Diego a good number of years ago, I realized that that view was wrong.

That in fact there is no record of them smiting Jesus on the cheek. I don’t Doubt that they hit him in many places. So they might have, but there’s no particular mention of that fact. This is referring to the last king of Israel, Zedekiah, who lost his kingdom when Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem.

And that brought to an end the natural kingdom of Israel. Now, that was the kingdom of Judah in the south. The 10 tribes in the north had already lost their kingdom to Assyria. But finally Zedekiah lost his throne, and that was the end of Judah and of any kingdom, therefore, of Israel. Now, they did recover after the period in Babylon.

Cyrus let them come back. They were able to rebuild, but they were never fully independent. Now, there was a time during the Maccabees where they did revolt against the Seleucid kingdom in the north. Yes, and God gave them victories there, and that’s even in prophecy, in the book of Zechariah. However, they were never fully 100 independent.

The kingdom of independence was lost on when Zedekiah died. So now we’re going to go to verse 2, Micah 5:2. But thou, Bethlehem, Ephrath, Ephratah, both names assigned there, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that shall be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. Now, that obviously is Jesus. That’s Jesus born at Bethlehem.

So this is skipping between verse one and two. Over 500 years. Closer to 600 years. Okay, now let’s look at what happens Next in verse 3. Because Israel did not receive their Messiah, verse 3.

Therefore will he give them up until the time that she which travails has brought forth, then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. Now, that one verse is talking about 1800 years, maybe even more, maybe 19 or closer to 2000 years, depending upon how we understand their rebirth. Again, now, if you look at Micah 4, verse number 10, we find something very similar, which I think is intended to connect to Micah 5:3. Micah 4:10 says, Be in pain, labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail. Well, that’s five.

Three talks about the woman travailing. For now, shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field. Thou shalt go even to Babylon, there shalt thou be delivered. In other words, in Babylon is where they’re going to be delivered. There the Lord shall redeem you from the hand of your enemies.

Now, what is the sense of this? Prophetically, literally, perhaps after Babylon 70 years when Cyrus became king and he released them to go back. In that sense, they became a nation again. But that was well before the time of Jesus. So by the time we get to Micah 5, verse number three, and it says he will give them up until the time that she which travails has brought forth, then the remnant of his brethren shall return.

This has to be after verse two, which is the birth of Messiah. So this is many years after Jesus. This is their return in modern times when they are reborn as a nation again. Now, when did that rebirth take place? Did it start with 1878?

Was it accomplished in 1948? Now, I’m partial to the view that Maybe it was 1948 when they became a nation again. Perhaps. Did they suffer just before that re establishment of Israel like a woman would suffer in travail? Well, the holocaust came just before that.

Is that the suffering referred to here? A woman travailing, perhaps. Is there any other option? Well, we’re going to get deeper into the subject about Israel. We’re going to see.

Yeah, there are other options. One other option would be their rebirth as a fully believing nation again in the kingdom, and that will be something that comes after a pain of Ezekiel 38, their last burden. So that could be another option. Okay, let’s go on.

In verse number five, this man shall be the. Excuse me, verse four, this is Micah 5:4. He shall stand and feed in the strength of Jehovah and the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They shall abide forever, and for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Now our suggestion is that verse four is talking about Jesus, strong in glory and in majesty during the Gospel age, so that during this time he is developing the church, while Israel meanwhile is still suffering their diaspora, not yet giving birth to a new Nation. Now, verse 5, this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land. Now, Micah lived during the time of the Assyrian Empire. That’s why when we read Micah 4:10, and it refers to Babylon, that’s very prophetic because Babylon was not the major power of the day. In Micah’s day, it was still Assyria.

So when he talks in Micah 5:5 about the Assyrian, this is prophetic. It has to be, because 5:2 is talking about Jesus as Messiah. So 5, 5, this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and we shall tread in our palaces. We will raise against him seven kings and eight princes. Now, I didn’t read the scripture the way it really is In King James, it says seven shepherds.

But in Old Hebrew and even the Assyrian tongue as well, when they say shepherd, they often meant king, because as a king rules his people just like a shepherd rules his flock, and many new translations will actually just say seven Kings, seven kings and eight princes. Who are the seven kings? Well, that would be the church developed through the Gospel age, that at the end of the age is going to intervene for Israel with Jesus and deliver them. We’ll talk more about that later.

Who are the eight princes? You probably already have that in your mind. Those would be the princes in all the earth. That would be the ancient worthies. Psalms 45 refers to them as princes.

Verse 6, and they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword. Assyria, Prophetic of the invading host of Ezekiel 38, and they shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and when he treads into our borders. So what’s going to happen after the enemy is wasted?

The blessing of the kingdom of God at Israel, Verse number seven, and the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from Jehovah, as the showers upon the grass that tarries not for man nor waits for the sons of men. It’ll be a beautiful introduction to. To the kingdom. Now, as it turns out, Israel is going to be delivered so wonderfully that they will not even need to fight in the final deliverance of themselves.

Now, how do we know that? We know that from Scriptures later on. We’ll talk about that in a moment. So this is Micah 5 covers more than 2500 years from the capture of the end of the old kingdom of Israel in the days of Babylon, all the way to the reestablishment in modern times, and then forward to their deliverance from their enemies and finally to the establishment of Christ’s millennial kingdom. Now, we’re going to go to another passage in the prophets, and that’s Zechariah.

Now you see that we’re going to look at just five verses in Zechariah, chapter 12. But this is going to talk about how Israel has been developed in our day, ultimately with the purpose of getting to verse 10. Well, they will look unto Jesus and recognize their Messiah. Again, we’re not there yet. Now, I’m told that many more people in Israel are beginning to appreciate Christ than formerly, but it’s still nowhere near to the majority.

It’s just a slim minority. Hundreds, I believe. Not thousands, and certainly not millions. So we’re not yet to Zechariah 12:10. So we’re going to start at verse number six.

Now, verse six speaks about Jerusalem being obtained by Israel again. Now that happened in 1967. Now this thought I didn’t develop on my own. I got this from Brother Kenneth Rawson and years ago, and I think he’s right. Now we’re going to take his point of view and then expand it in verses 7, 8 and 9.

Let’s read Zechariah 12:6. Quote, in that day will I make the governors of Judah. Like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, they shall devour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left, and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. Now I old enough now to be alive in 1967 and to be old enough then to remember that I was a teenager, an older teenager.

I was surprised by what happened. Everything happens in Israel is a surprise to me. Retrospectively, when we see what has happened, then we try to match it to Scripture and perhaps successfully so. But I didn’t know at the time what scripture that was referring to. I think now because of brother Kenneth Ross, and I do, I think that’s referring to this 1967.

Israel was remarkably victorious and promptly that’s the old Six Day War. You know, there was even a joke they had to end before Sabbath. I don’t know if they did or not, but it was a very remarkable deliverance that God gave Israel. Now Israel went on the offensive. They were ready to be attacked.

And they went on the offense, and God blessed them, and that’s the year in which finally Jerusalem, Old Jerusalem was received by Israel again. Now they had the outskirts of the city. Before that they had what we might call New Jerusalem.

Not Revelations, New Jerusalem, but the place where they made their capital and their headquarters. But not Old Jerusalem. That they didn’t get. Now we’re going to look at Zechariah 12:7 and see what happened before 1967, verse 7. Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first.

Where’s the tents? Not in the city. That’s where your houses are. The tents are outside the city. That would be the outskirts of the city.

And that they did get in 1948. That’s why they had western Jerusalem, that they built New Jerusalem, and that’s where they put their headquarters. Not their airport, too dangerous. But they did put their national government there.

Let’s Continue reading verse 7. That the glory of the house of David and the glory of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. So in 1948, they did not get old Jerusalem back. Perhaps as a little direction for humility that was. That was obtained by Jordan, who.

Who continued to obtain what we today call the West bank until 1967, when Israel got military control of that again. Now, Zechariah 12:8. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, and the angel of the Lord before them. You can’t defend a city unless you have the city.

Our suggestion is that this was the 1973 war in which God did defend Jerusalem. Now, Jerusalem almost lost that battle in that period of time. As a matter of fact, Moshi Diane came to Golda Meir, the only woman governor of Israel in modern times. I. I think of her as Deborah, the only female judge in ancient times, and he said, we may have to surrender.

She says, no, no, we can’t possibly do that. That would be disastrous, and then, and God did deliver Israel. Now, I’ve listened to videos on YouTube of soldiers involved in that battle that can hardly believe what God did for them.

Maybe a hundred tanks coming against three or four, and God delivered them and gave them success. So God did deliver Israel in 1973. Those are the only three Arab national invasions of Israel we have had historically. Verse number nine, it will come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

And our suggestion, that’s Ezekiel 38, that is still pending notice that God does this, not Israel, and then verse 10, I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Grace and supplication. They shall look unto him whom they pierced and mourn for him, as one mourns for their only Son, and the next.

Several verses talk about all of this morning. Two thousand years, they have rejected their own Messiah. Finally they’re going to recognize in bulk, in mass, who he was. How do they do that? The fact that God delivers them, how does that tell them that it was Jesus, their Messiah?

At this time, the ancient worthies will be back. Remember in Micah seven Kings and eight princes deliver them. I don’t think that means the ancient worthies are going to fight for them, but they will direct Israel to the source of their deliverance from above, and that will be Jesus and his spiritual deliverance. Okay, now I want to just mention something here that we have talked about in talks before.

This may seem old, but this is Psalms 83. We won’t read it because of time, but verses 2 through 4 identify the intent of the invading nations to cut Israel off as a nation. That was the intent in 1948, in 1967, in 1973, when Israel was invaded by national Arab nations. In verses 6 through 8, they list all of these old groups that inhabited the area around Israel. Well, that would be all these countries today, Arab countries.

But then it says in Asher, Iraq will be joined with them. Well, they would add into this, and they did during those wars. Verses 9 through 11. Then say, deliver us like you did on three occasions in the days of Moses, in the days of Deborah and Barak, and the days of Gideon, and when he was attacked by four powers from the East. Three occasions where God delivered them, perhaps suggesting, prophetically, 1948, 1967, 1973.

Only on those three occasions do Arab nations attack Israel. Now, in 1978, five years after that last war, the last three Arab national invasions, Anwar Sadat said to Israel, we want to make peace. Five years after that war where they almost destroyed Israel but couldn’t. Now they’re ready for peace. In 1979, that peace was accomplished with Egypt.

And Isaiah 19, verse one possibly has some meaning to this experience with Egypt. Now let me turn and read. That was Isaiah 19:2. Rather, I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians. They shall fight.

Everyone against his brother, everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Now, that didn’t happen in the days of Anwar Sadat. Yet the peace with Israel was made. But following that, it could have erupted. But after Anwar Sadat was killed, and then in successive times, in successive years, there were problems within Egypt that kept them from changing their course and coming against Israel again.

Okay, 15 years later, Jordan signed the peace accord, and I couldn’t believe it, hardly. But 26 years later, in 2020, the Abraham Accord surfaced. Now, I mention this to let you know, as I said, I never am a good predictor. I had no idea this peace accords were going to be expanded by Jordan 15 years later, and 26 years later by the Abraham Accords.

But what I’ve learned from that now is Arab national invasions of Israel are finished. There were only three of them, just like Psalm 83 prophetically suggest. Now, beyond that, Lebanon now doesn’t want war with Israel. They’re thankful that Israel is getting rid of Hezbollah, and Syria has now been overthrown by another group not favorable to Israel. But they don’t want war with Israel.

They want to maintain their grip on Syria, and the people that were dire enemies of Israel. The other government of Syria has been overthrown. We’ll just mention Isaiah 17:1. The burden of Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Damascus is taken away from being a city. It shall be a ruinous heap. It was a ruinous heap largely because of the problems in Syria. Not totally destroyed, but much of the outlying areas of the city were a ruinous heap, and now finally, Damascus itself has been taken over again.

The Druze. That happened in 2024. The Druze are a people in Syria that have actually asked Israel to be a friend on their behalf. The Arab nations are not going to attack Israel again. In Genesis 32, 26 through 33:4, our time is running.

So we just have to refer to this rather than read it all. This is when Jacob was coming back to the land of Israel after 20 years of absence, and he’s knows that Esau, his brother, is not going to receive him. Well, in fact, esau comes with 400 armed men. You don’t need 400 men to say hello to your brother.

This refers prophetically to the fact that Israel, coming back to the land in modern times, knew they were going to have a problem with their Arab brethren. So Jacob sent gift after gift after gift to his brother. Now, I’ve got a lot of notes on this, but time won’t allow us to read it or to deal with that. Israel has been very kind to their Arab neighbors, especially after these wars have been finished, in giving them technology, assistance, even funds to help them and their national recoveries. The Arabs do not want to fight again against Israel.

Now, finally in chapter 33, it was on when the Sun Rose. Chapter 3231 when the Sun Rose that Jacob met his brother. He bowed himself to the knee, to the ground, seven times. He came near to his brother Esau, ran to meet him, embraced him and fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. When the morning of the new kingdom comes, Arabs and Israelis are not going to be in conflict.

They’re going to embrace each other with peace, grace, thanks and appreciation. Abraham will be back and he will tell all of his children the facts. Okay? Ezekiel 38, the last battle. The Arabs will not be involved in this.

Usually we say Gog and Magog is Russia. Later, halfway through the chapter, in Ezekiel 38, it does say it’s from the north parts. There’s Russia north of Israel, Persia. That would be Iran. Today they are the intense enemy of Israel.

You see back here in 1979, when Egypt finally verified their cords, that was the same Year in which Iran was overthrown, and now Iran is the inveterate enemy of Israel. That’s going on today, and they have been weakened because we’re not yet time for Ezekiel 38. But in some years we are Russia.

If they’re Gog and Magog against Israel, Russia is not ready for this. They’re still in war for Ukraine. If Kush is Yemen, if Libya is Libya, Libya has not yet taken an ardent stride against Israel. We have time for that. If Gomer is Germany, well, that makes sense, because Western Europe has to be allied.

Revelation 16, plague number six, the beast, the false prophet and, and the. The dragon. At least two out of three, I think all three, but at least two out of three are Western powers. They are allied with the final enemies of Israel and Armageddon and then Togarmah, probably Turkey.

I’ve heard other opinions on this. Those are the enemies that come in Ezekiel 38. Notice not a single Arab nation. That will be the fourth invasion of Israel, just as Joel 1:4 and 2:25 suggest four invasions of Israel. Now, we’ll just mention these other two passages.

In Second Chronicles, chapter 20, Jehoshaphat is overwhelmed by three enemies. Ammon, Moab and. Let’s see. Ammon Moab and Edom and Jahaziel says the prophet, you won’t need to fight in this battle, and they didn’t.

They went out with singers rather than swordsmen. Isaiah 36, 37 and 38. Hezekiah is onslaught by the last invasion by Sennacherib of. Of Assyria. Isaiah the prophet says, you will not need to fight in this battle.

God will deliver you, and they didn’t need to fight. They woke up and the enemy had been destroyed by God. So I think that that tells us that in the last battle with Israel, Israel will not need to fight. Will they lose part of their land but not Jerusalem?

Possibly. They did in the days of Jehoshaphat they did, and in the days of. Excuse me, they did in the days of Hezekiah. They did not in the days of Jehoshaphat.

So I don’t know the full answer to that, but they will be relieved and restored. Okay, back to Bethlehem. Our time is almost up. I’m sorry. Maybe a little overtime here.

Not much, though. Will Bethlehem come under the jurisdiction of Israel Formally? Yes, it will, ultimately. When will that happen? I don’t know.

It is militarily under the control of Israel, just like the west bank is legally. It is not. When will it legally be taken again by Israel? I don’t know. In 1980, Jerusalem was legally taken by Israel again and adopted 1840 five years after they lost it totally in the barcode by rebellion in 135.

So that date, I think is meaningful. When will Bethlehem have the same thing? I don’t know right now. If you’re Jewish, you don’t go to Bethlehem. If you’re a a tourist you can, but if you’re Israeli, you don’t go to Bethlehem.

Will that happen before Ezekiel 38 or after? We’ll find out. I’m not a predictor, but when it does happen, then I’ll try to link it. Okay. Last of all, nice end the 16th.

That’s getting back to the concept of the bread of life. Nice, and 16th was the day when Jesus was raised from the dead. If you look in Leviticus 23, which we can’t read because our time is over in Leviticus 23 on the 14th of Nice, and there was the Passover. Jesus died on that day.

On the 15th started the feast of Unleavened Bread. That’s the gospel age of seven parts where we are to be observing the feast of unleavened bread on the 16th tomorrow after the Sabbath. That’s when Jesus rose from the dead triumphantly, and that’s the day when they waved barley, which is always a picture of our Lord Jesus. That’s the first fruits.

Then in verse 12, a lamb for a burnt offering was offered to God, so suggesting that Jesus now has in his possession the value of his life that he can give to God for the redemption of mankind, and lastly in verse 13, the meal offering, the bread. I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth in me shall never thirst.

Dear brethren, that’s our privilege today.

A privilege I don’t even deserve, but a privilege I’m thankful for and a privilege that mankind will have in the thousand year kingdom coming.

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